The Best High-Protein Snacks, According to Food Editors

The snack that actually fills you up

The difference between a snack that disappears without a trace and one that carries you to dinner is protein — plus a little fat and fiber to slow it down. That's the whole science. Food editors, who test snacks all year for a living, keep coming back to the same short list: eggs, yogurt, hummus, nuts, and cheese. Not because they're trendy, but because they combine protein with staying power.

The bar for a good snack isn't just calories — it's protein per bite and how long it keeps you full. A hard-boiled egg out-snacks a bag of pretzels on both counts, and it costs pennies.

The ten that hold up

Hard-boiled eggs, prepped six at a time. Greek yogurt with a spoonful of jam or honey — double the protein of regular yogurt. Hummus with whatever vegetables are in the drawer. A handful of almonds, the last snack you can eat out of your pocket. Cheese cubes with an apple. Cottage cheese with black pepper and olive oil. Tuna or chicken salad in a jar. Edamame, steamed and salted. Sliced turkey or rotisserie chicken with mustard. And overnight oats, which turn breakfast into a ready-made snack that keeps in the fridge for days.

The trick is the same for every one: prep it once. A snack you have to assemble at 4 p.m. won't get eaten; a snack that's already in the fridge will be.

Make it in Cuisinety style

Our freezer breakfast burritos are the best high-protein snack of the bunch dressed as a meal — scramble, potato, sausage, cheese, rolled and frozen, ready in two minutes in the microwave. Overnight oats cover the yogurt-and-jam craving with a spoonable texture and real staying power. And yes, there's room for a little sweetness: the no-bake cheesecake packs a surprising amount of protein for a dessert that never sees the oven.