Ready to hit your daily protein target without pounding shakes, loading your dinner plate with a nauseating amount of chicken, or spending hours in the kitchen? Here is your one-stop-shop guide for high-protein meal prep ideas.
Some of the high-protein meal prep recipes below were developed as large-batch recipes. But for the recipes originally written as one—or two-serving dishes, we give you a few pointers to turn them into dishes you can prep once and enjoy all week.
High Protein Meal Prep Inspiration
Breakfast
The most important meal of the day? Although it may be an antiquated phrase, it still holds truth. If you have weight loss or performance goals, eating breakfast can make all the difference in getting you there. It gives you a chance to get ahead of your daily protein and helps you start your day with balanced blood sugar and hunger levels, decreasing your chances of making unhealthy choices if hunger and cravings strike.
Here are some of our favorite high-protein meal prep recipes for breakfast.
PB&J Overnight Oats and Coconut Cream Pie Overnight Oats
These recipes are for one serving. But, if you follow the directions and make more than one mason jar (we love these!), you can store overnight oats in your fridge all week. Save even more time by making the raspberry “jam” ahead of time (store separately) or skip the “jam” and add it fresh.
Spinach and Feta Egg White Wraps
Premake the spinach and feta mixture and store it separately from the precooked egg whites. Or, for a slightly fresher taste, cook the egg whites right before eating.
Protein Waffles and Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Make as many as you want or need for the week, throw them in the freezer, then pop them in the toaster or back on the stove before heading out the door.
Pumpkin Maple Butter Protein Granola
Okay, the granola itself isn’t high-protein, but it is a delicious topping for cottage cheese or yogurt (aka high-protein bases). Follow the recipe as directed and store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
This recipe makes six servings, so it is perfect for weekday mornings with an extra serving if and when needed.
Lunch and Dinner
Many people think that meal prep means fully cooking a recipe and measuring it into perfectly portioned containers. Although high-protein meal prep can look that way, it doesn’t have to. As you read through the recipes below, you may find that for some, prepping parts of the meal makes the most sense. This way, you can save time cooking during the week and still get the freshness you want.
High Protein Mac and Cheese
This recipe serves four and is a great option for weekday lunches. Add a small salad on the side (pre-cutting veggies will save you time), or precook broccoli or your veggie of choice to add to your prepped mac and cheese for a little fiber boost.
Halal Food Cart Style Chicken
This recipe is written with meal prep in mind! Store your veggies separately from your chicken to keep them fresh and crispy.
Air Fryer Salmon, Cornflake Chicken, and Chicken Thighs
An air fryer is a macro tracker’s (or healthy eater’s) best friend. Since protein is the toughest thing to get on the go or if you don’t plan and prep ahead, these are great options for getting plenty of protein cooked at once to add to meals throughout the week. Don’t be afraid to double, triple, or quadruple the recipe if needed.
Chipotle Pumpkin Pork Chili and Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Speaking of kitchen gadgets, a crockpot is another game changer. This “set it and forget it” cooking method lets you skip the “standing over the stove” step. These five- and six-serving recipes are great for cooler days and nights.
Queso Steak & Rice Bake, Queso Chicken Bake and High-Protein Tuna Casserole
Cook it once, throw it in the oven (and do some stuff while it bakes), and you'll have between 6 and 8 servings of a high-protein dish to enjoy all week long. You’re welcome.
Protein “Only” Meal Prep
Sometimes, you need an “only protein” meal to complement your fresh (or prepped) grains and veggies. Especially if you need an option that provides minimal carbs and/or fats and plenty of protein. If you need to cut the fat in some of these recipes, swap higher-fat protein for their lower-fat alternative. For example, swapping chicken thighs for breasts or opting for a lean turkey or beef option. Here are some of our favorites:
- Green Chile Turkey Burgers
- Bang Bang Chicken Skewers
- Mongolian-Inspired Ground Beef
- Cheesy Salsa Smothered Chicken
Dessert
The dessert options below all have at least 10 grams of protein per serving. If that isn’t “having your cake and eating it too,” we don’t know what is.
Lemon Collagen Cheesecake Cups and Vegan Chocolate Protein Pudding
Just like the overnight oats breakfast options, these desserts can be prepped in your favorite Tupperware or mini mason jars in however many services you want or need for the week.
Caramel Mocha Protein Shake
Pre-measure the ingredients and keep them in bags in the freezer to quickly throw in a blender, or make more than one serving and pour it into an ice cube tray for future quick thawing.
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Frozen Yogurt Bites and Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pretzel Protein Bars
Double both of these recipes and keep extras in an airtight refrigerator container for up to a week. For longer-term storage, throw them in freezer-safe containers and pull them out when you need something yummy (and full of protein).
Black Bean Brownies, White Bean Brownies, and Mini Carrot Cake Loaf
Brownies and bread! Need we say more? Much like the recipes above, the freezer is your best friend here if you want to prep more than one batch or serving to have handy when your sweet tooth hits.
More Protein Meal Prep Resources
Are you wondering how much protein you need daily? Our Free Macro Calculator Cheat Sheet is a good starting place. From there, the meals above will help you feel prepped and ready to hit your target every day. If you’re still having trouble after adding some of these meals to your routine, here are a few more resources that may help.
- WAG’s Ultimate Meal Prep Guide
- How to Eat More Protein: 7 Easy Steps to Try Right Now
- Which Protein Powder is Best For You?
- Can I Eat Too Much Protein? We Asked an RDN, Here is What She Said…
From there, if you need more support finding the perfect protein intake for your body, goals, and food preferences (and specific tips to hit your target!) try working with a 1-on-1 nutrition expert.