If you live a busy lifestyle, snacks can be useful when hunger hits and you don’t have time to prepare a meal.
However, many snack foods available today are high in refined carbs and sugar, which can leave you feeling unsatisfied and craving more food.
The key is to make sure your snacks are nutritious and contain protein.
Protein promotes fullness because it signals the release of appetite-suppressing hormones, slows digestion, and stabilizes your blood sugar levels (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source).
Many foods contain protein. Foods sourced from animals — such as meat, seafood, eggs, and dairy — tend to be highest in protein.
Plant foods such as nuts, beans, and legumes contain varying amounts of protein. But if you follow a vegan or vegetarian diet, eating a variety of plant-based proteins throughout the day can help you meet your protein needs.
Plus, eating protein from a variety of sources is good for your health. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, many people in the United States would benefit from shifting their protein intake to include more seafood and plant sources (5).
Here are 30 protein-loaded snacks that are healthy and portable, so you can enjoy them even when you’re on the go.
- Jerky
Jerky is meat that has been trimmed of fat, cut into strips, and dried. It makes an excellent and convenient snack.
It’s very high in protein — for example, beef jerky contains an impressive 9 grams (g) of protein per ounce (28 g) (6Trusted Source).
Beef, chicken, turkey, and salmon are often made into jerky. It can be found at most grocery stores, but keep in mind that store-bought versions are typically high in added sugar and artificial ingredients.
Your best bet is to make your own jerky, using only meat and some seasonings.
- Trail mix
Trail mix is a combination of dried fruit and nuts and also sometimes includes chocolate and grains. It’s a good source of protein, providing 8 g in a 2-ounce (oz) serving (7Trusted Source).
You can increase the amount of protein in trail mix by using almonds or pistachios, which are slightly higher in protein than other types of nuts, such as walnuts or cashews (8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source).
The dried fruit and nuts in trail mix make it very high in calories, so it’s important to not eat too much at a time. A handful is a reasonable serving.
- Turkey roll-ups
Turkey roll-ups are a delicious and nutritious high protein snack consisting of cheese and veggies wrapped inside slices of turkey breast.
They’re like a sandwich without the bread.
Snacks that are high in protein and low in carbs, such as turkey roll-ups, have been shown to improve blood sugar levels, which is an important factor in appetite regulation (12Trusted Source, 13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source).
You can make roll-ups by placing a slice of turkey breast on a plate; topping it with a slice of cheese, such as cheddar; placing a pickle or strip of cucumber and a tomato slice on top; and rolling everything into a wrap.
Each wrap provides about 12 g of protein from the turkey and cheese, as well as some extra nutrients and fiber from the tomato and cucumber (15Trusted Source, 16Trusted Source).
- Greek yogurt parfait
Greek yogurt is an ideal healthy and high protein snack, with 20 g of protein per 200-g serving. It has been shown to be more filling than yogurts with lower protein content (17Trusted Source, 18Trusted Source).
In addition to being a great source of protein, Greek yogurt is high in calcium, which is important for bone health (19Trusted Source).
To make yogurt even more delicious and filling, you can make a parfait by combining 1 cup of yogurt with granola and mixed berries in layers.
Adding 1/2 cup (49 g) of granola to your yogurt can provide 4 g of protein or more. But this makes a large snack that’s high in calories, so you may not want to snack on this every day, depending on your overall calorie needs (20Trusted Source).
- Veggies and yogurt dip
Veggies are great for snacking, but they’re not very high in protein on their own. You can increase your protein intake by pairing them with yogurt dip.
Yogurt dip is typically made by combining yogurt with herbs and flavorings, such as dill and lemon juice, as in this recipe. For more protein, it’s best to use Greek yogurt, which contains almost twice as much protein as regular yogurt (17Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source).
A 100-g portion (1/3–1/2 cup) of Greek yogurt contains 10 g of protein (17Trusted Source).
For convenience, you can make a batch of yogurt dip ahead of time and portion it out into snack-size containers so you can grab it when you need it.
- Tuna
Tuna is loaded with protein and makes a very healthy and convenient snack. A 3-oz serving of canned tuna contains an impressive 20 g of protein, which makes it extra filling (22Trusted Source).
Additionally, tuna is high in various other nutrients, such as B vitamins and selenium, and contains a considerable amount of omega-3 fatty acids (22Trusted Source).
- Hard-boiled eggs
Eggs are undeniably healthy, containing almost every nutrient your body needs. They’re particularly high in B vitamins and trace minerals (23Trusted Source).
In addition to being nutritious, they’re versatile. Hard-boiled eggs make a great portable snack.
One hard-boiled egg provides 6 g of protein, which will keep you full and satisfied until your next meal. The fullness-promoting properties of eggs may also reduce the number of calories you consume later in the day (23Trusted Source, 24Trusted Source).
- Peanut butter celery sticks
Celery sticks spread with 1–2 tablespoons (tbsp.) of peanut butter make a delicious and easy snack. They contain a decent amount of protein from the peanut butter, which provides 9 g of protein per 2-tbsp. (30-g) serving (25Trusted Source).
Peanut butter and peanuts are known for helping you feel full and have been shown to promote feelings of fullness when consumed between meals (26Trusted Source, 27Trusted Source).
In one small, older study, participants found peanut butter more filling than whole nuts such as almonds or chestnuts (26Trusted Source).
- No-bake energy bites
Energy bites are a delicious snack made by combining a variety of ingredients, such as nut butter, oats, and seeds, and then rolling them into balls.
The best part about energy bites is that they don’t require baking. You can make a batch ahead of time so you have a snack available when you need to grab one and go.
Here is a recipe for chocolate chip energy balls, which provide 4 g of protein per ball.
If you include protein powder in your diet, consider trying a recipe that uses it. This recipe for peanut butter energy bites bumps up the protein to more than 6 g per ball.
- Slice of cheese
In addition to being a quick and easy snack, cheese is incredibly healthy and filling. It’s an excellent source of calcium, phosphorus, and selenium, and it contains small amounts of many other nutrients (16Trusted Source).
Furthermore, cheese is rich in protein. Just one slice of cheddar cheese provides 7 g of this nutrient, which may help you feel less hungry (16Trusted Source, 28Trusted Source).
In one study in overweight men, calorie intake decreased by 9% after the participants consumed cheese for a snack (28Trusted Source).
Another study found that children who ate a combination of cheese and vegetables for a snack needed significantly fewer calories to make them full than those who ate potato chips (29Trusted Source).
A reasonable portion size for cheese is around 1–2 oz (28–57 g). Since it contains a significant number of calories, it’s best consumed in moderation.
- Handful of almonds
Eating a handful of almonds or another type of nut for a snack is a simple way to fill up on protein.
One ounce of almonds provides 6 g of protein, along with good amounts of vitamin E, riboflavin, trace minerals, and healthy fats (8Trusted Source).
Snacking on almonds regularly is associated with many other health benefits and may even help you manage your weight (30Trusted Source, 31Trusted Source).
Almonds are also high in calories, so it’s important to stick with the recommended serving size. A handful is equivalent to around 22 almonds.