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High-protein snacks: 25 easy meat-free ideas

By the Vegochef team · Editorial standards · Last checked · 6 min read
Chocolate-coated brownie protein bite cut in half
In short: the best high-protein snacks without meat are edamame, Greek or soy yogurt, roasted chickpeas, hard-boiled eggs, cottage cheese, hummus with vegetables, nuts and seeds, and nut butter on fruit or toast. Most give 7–18 g of protein per snack. Pair a protein food with fruit, vegetables or whole grains to stay full longer.

A good snack keeps you going until the next meal. Add some protein and it lasts much longer. Here are 25 easy snacks without meat, with roughly how much protein each gives, using USDA values for the main protein foods. Every one is vegetarian; the ones marked (vegan) are fully plant-based.

Ready in under a minute

  1. Greek yogurt (170 g pot): about 17 g. Add berries and a few seeds. Or a high-protein soy yogurt for a vegan option; check the label. See Greek yogurt protein.
  2. Cottage cheese (½ cup) with cucumber or pineapple: about 12 g.
  3. Two hard-boiled eggs: about 13 g. Boil a batch on Sunday.
  4. Dry-roasted edamame (30 g bag): about 13 g (vegan).
  5. Pumpkin seeds (30 g): about 8–9 g (vegan).
  6. Peanut butter on apple slices (2 tbsp): about 7 g (vegan). See peanut butter protein.
  7. Almonds (30 g, a small handful): about 6 g (vegan).
  8. Cheese and wholegrain crackers (30 g cheddar): about 9 g with the crackers.
  9. A glass of soy milk (240 ml): about 7–8 g (vegan).

Five-minute snacks

  1. Steamed edamame in pods (1 cup of pods): about 8–9 g (vegan). Microwave frozen pods for 3 minutes and salt. See edamame protein.
  2. Hummus with vegetables and wholegrain pitta (¼ cup hummus, 1 small pitta): about 8 g (vegan).
  3. Avocado toast with white beans (½ cup beans mashed in): about 12 g (vegan). Start from our avocado toast.
  4. Peanut butter and banana on wholegrain toast: about 11 g (vegan).
  5. Soy milk smoothie with oats, banana and peanut butter: about 15 g (vegan).
  6. Yogurt bowl with hemp seeds (3 tbsp, about 9 g) and fruit: about 26 g with a 170 g pot of Greek yogurt, or 15 g with 150 g of soy yogurt.
  7. Egg on toast (1 egg, 1 slice wholegrain bread): about 10 g.

Make ahead for the week

  1. Brownie protein balls with oat flour, pea protein, peanut butter and cocoa. See our brownie protein balls.
  2. Roasted chickpeas (½ cup): about 7 g (vegan). Toss drained chickpeas with oil and spices and bake at 200 °C (400 °F) for 25–30 minutes.
  3. Chia pudding with soy yogurt and pea protein (vegan). See our chia pudding with raspberries.
  4. Overnight oats with Greek yogurt and protein powder, like our white chocolate overnight oats.
  5. Hummus, homemade: blend a can of chickpeas with tahini, lemon and garlic (vegan).
  6. Baked tofu cubes (100 g): about 10–16 g (vegan). Eat them cold with a dipping sauce. See how to cook tofu.
  7. Trail mix with peanuts, pumpkin seeds, almonds and a few dark chocolate chips (30 g): about 7 g (vegan, check the chocolate).
  8. Egg muffins: eggs whisked with spinach and peppers, baked in a muffin tin; about 6 g each.
  9. Lentil salad cups: a few spoons of our lentil salad in lettuce leaves (vegan).

How to build a filling snack

Combine a protein with fibre:

For example: yogurt + berries, hummus + carrots, peanut butter + apple, edamame + a clementine.

How much protein do you need?

Most adults need at least 0.8 g of protein per kilogram of body weight a day, and more if they're active, building muscle or losing weight. Snacks are an easy way to close the gap between meals. Work out your own number with the protein calculator, and see high-protein meals for the main meals.

Frequently asked questions

What is the highest-protein snack without meat?

Per serving, a cup of edamame (about 18 g), a pot of Greek yogurt (about 17 g) and dry-roasted edamame (about 13 g per 30 g bag) are among the highest. High-protein soy yogurts and homemade protein balls can come close.

What are good vegan high-protein snacks?

Edamame, roasted chickpeas, hummus with vegetables, soy yogurt with seeds, peanut butter on apple or toast, pumpkin seeds, a soy milk smoothie, and protein balls made with nut butter and plant protein.

How much protein should a snack have?

There's no rule, but 7–15 g is a useful range: enough to keep you full until the next meal without replacing it.

Are protein bars a good snack?

They're convenient, but many are high in sugar. Check the label, or make your own protein balls with oats, nut butter and protein powder.

Recipes to try

30 min · Vegetarian

Brownie Protein Balls

10 min · Vegan

Chia Pudding with Raspberries

15 min · Vegetarian

White Chocolate Overnight Oats

See all recipes

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How much protein is in peanut butter?

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See all guides

See how your snacks add up

Add routine or one-off snacks to your day in Vegochef and see your protein next to 29 vitamins, minerals and lipids, against your targets.

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This guide is general information for healthy adults, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or a dietitian before starting or changing supplements, especially if you're pregnant, breastfeeding or have a health condition.

Sources

From vegochef.com: meal planner and nutrition tracker for vegans, vegetarians and pescatarians. Free for 7 days on the App Store.