Most vegan snacks have plenty of calories and carbohydrates, which sucks when you’re trying to hit certain macro targets.
When it comes to store-bought snacks that are high in protein, you don’t have too many options. Look for protein bars, trail mix, roasted chickpeas, or edamame beans.
If you want more options, you’ll have to rely on homemade snacks.
I’ve put together a list here of my 9 go-to high protein vegan snacks that are relatively high in protein. Many of these came from my list of 150+ high protein vegan recipes.
1. Mocha Brownie Protein Bars
These low calorie no bake bars are easy to make, and 47% of their calories come from protein.
You will need a plant-based protein powder. The author recommends PlantFusion, which is one of my favorites as well (see my PlantFusion protein review).
On top of powder, you’ll need:
- Cocoa powder
- Rolled oats
- A sweetener (e.g. Truvia)
- Cold coffee
2. Sweet Potato Protein Bars
This is a unique recipe that results in surprisingly delicious snack.
You’ll need to cook a sweet potato and mix it with a few other ingredients to make these low fat protein bars. Again, you’ll need protein powder.
The recipe does call for banana flour, but that’s pretty hard to find. You can substitute it for any other flour, ideally chickpea flour if you want to maximize the protein content.
This is the last protein bar I’ve included on this list. See my page of the best homemade vegan protein bar recipes if you’re interested in more.
3. Quick + Easy Protein Bites
I’ve made these protein balls several times. While they can be left in the freezer for up to two weeks, I’ve never had them last even close to that long.
Since this recipe was developed by Vega, it’s not surprising that it calls for their own product, but you can sub in any good tasting vegan protein powder for it.
What I like most about this recipe is that you can make it in a few minutes and all the ingredients are things I always have on hand:
- Almond butter
- Oats
- Chia seeds
- Vanilla
There’s just 112 calories and 6 grams of protein per serving.
4. Actually Crispy Baked Chickpeas
This recipe comes from Minimalist Baker, one of my favorite vegan recipe creators.
It’s incredibly simple, but will save you a lot of money compared to buying the pre-made versions of roasted chickpeas in stores.
You can use canned chickpeas or make your own, then combine them with oil, salt, and seasonings. Just about any common seasonings go well with chickpeas (e.g. curry, chili powder, paprika), so experiment a bit.
5. Protein Ice Cream
If you have a sweet tooth, this is one of the best dairy-free ice cream recipes I’ve tried, and it also has 17 grams of protein in a 300 calorie serving.
The amazing thing is that there’s only four ingredients:
- Pea protein powder
- Bananas
- Sweetener (e.g. date syrup)
- Raw cashews
While you do need to plan ahead and soak the cashews ahead of time, the actual preparation time is quick.
You can use a bit less banana to lower the carbohydrates in this recipe, but it does start messing with the texture.
6. 5 Ingredient Chocolate Chip Protein Muffins
These muffins are low carb, paleo, and vegan-friendly of course.
They have 4 net carbs while having 10 grams of protein in each muffin.
Again, you’ll need protein powder, along with:
- Almond flour
- Nut or seed butter
- Applesauce
- Chocolate chips
7. 5-Minute Peanut Butter Chia Bars
Note that these aren’t vegan by default because they have honey, but that’s an easy substitution for agave or maple syrup.
These bars are perfect for lazy bakers like me, as they only take 5 minutes to make.
While peanut butter is relatively protein packed, these bars use PB2, which is essentially protein extracted from the butter.
Additionally, these have chia seeds, which are a good source of healthy fats, and almonds that add a bit more protein.
8. High Protein Hemp Hummus
Hummus has two main ingredients: chickpeas and tahini.
This recipe still has both of those (and usual flavoring ingredients like lemon juice), but tweaks the ratio to get a higher level of protein. Adding hemp seeds (hemp hearts) adds more omega 3 fats and protein to this quick snack.
9. Celery Sticks and Nut Butter
And of course I had to include this classic high protein snack, a convenient snack that’s perfect for a plant based diet.
Peanut butter is the best nut butter when it comes to protein content, and probably the best tasting as well.
Cut up some celery, which is basically zero calories, and use it as a vehicle for your nut butter. It doesn’t get any easier than this for a high protein vegan snack idea.
