High Protein Snacks

These healthy high protein snacks - from eggs and cheese to nuts, beans and seeds - are great ways to fuel your day and satisfy your hunger.

I come to today’s ideas for high protein snacks in a bit of a round-about way.

See, I’ve long been a big fan of carbs and well-rounded meals.

I’ve never done a low-carb diet or followed a keto or other lifestyle plan. Nothing wrong with any of it, just hasn’t been part of my experience.

But just over a year ago, my daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

It was a bit of a shock - it does not run in the family - and we quickly had to learn all about counting carbs and dosing with insulin to keep her healthy and safe.

And one of the big takeaways from the many nurses, doctors and dietitians we saw in those first few months is that it’s really important for her to have some protein along with carbs.

It just helps keep her blood sugar levels more balanced, instead of having her spike and then crash.

So I’ve been keeping a running list of good high protein foods and snacks that we can add to her meals and snacks throughout the day to keep her full, happy and in her target blood glucose range.

So of course I had to share!

Close up of a white plate with a variety of healthy high protein snacks, including cheese, pepperoni, nuts, turkey, hard boiled eggs and peanut butter.

Nuts, peanut butter, pepperoni and cheese slices on a white plate set on green napkins.

Especially because I know so many of us are looking for some extra protein in our diets, for a variety of reasons, and it’s easy to get stuck in a rut.

The list below are ideas for easy, healthful high protein snacks you can keep on hand at home, at school or at the office or when traveling.

To note: I haven’t included packaged protein bars or protein powders in this list. Those of course are available and might be a good option, I’m just sticking to regular foods for this resource.

Feel free, too, to add in whatever pairings or mix-ins to go with the proteins here if you need some healthy fats or carbs alongside your protein snack. Do what works for you.

So without further ado, here are tons of ideas for all your high protein snacking needs.