15 high-protein snacks (with grams of protein)

Snacks are the easiest place to add protein to your day. Swap one usual snack for one of these and you can add 10 to 25 grams without changing your meals.

10 g or more

Snack	Protein
Cottage cheese, 1 cup	25 g
Whey protein shake, 1 scoop	24 g
Protein bar, 1 bar	20 g
Greek yogurt, 1 pot	17 g
Skyr, 1 pot	17 g
Edamame, 1 cup	17 g
Canned tuna, half a can on crackers	16 g
Hard-boiled eggs, 2	13 g
Turkey breast slices, 2	16 g
Beef jerky, 1 pack	9 g

Smaller, but easy

Snack	Protein
String cheese, 1 stick	7 g
Cheddar, 1 slice	7 g
Almonds, a handful	6 g
Peanut butter, 1 tbsp on apple slices	4 g
Hummus, 2 tbsp with veggies	2 g

Best snacks by situation

At your desk

Greek yogurt, skyr, string cheese and a protein bar all keep well and need no prep. Keep a pack of jerky or almonds in your drawer for emergencies.

After the gym

A whey or pea protein shake is the fastest option. A pot of Greek yogurt with fruit works just as well if you prefer real food.

Before bed

Cottage cheese and casein protein digest slowly, which is why they are popular evening snacks.

Plant-based

Edamame, roasted chickpeas, a pea protein shake, or peanut butter on wholegrain toast.

Watch out for

• Calorie-dense snacks. Nuts, cheese and peanut butter are healthy but easy to overeat. Measure them if you are losing weight.
• Protein bars that are really candy bars. Check the label for at least 15 g of protein and not much more sugar than protein.
• Flavoured yogurts. Plain Greek yogurt with your own fruit usually has more protein and far less sugar.

How much protein should a snack have?

There is no fixed rule, but 10–25 g is a useful range. It is enough to make a real dent in your daily target without replacing a meal. Find your total with the protein calculator, then see the full list of high-protein foods.