How to Increase Protein Intake 15 Ways

Ever wondered How to Increase Protein Intake? I’m sharing 15 SUPER simple and delicious ways that you can get more protein in your diet!

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PIN How to Increase Protein Intake

Protein is a very important macro nutrient.

While I believe you should listen to your body and eat what it is telling you, I still try to make sure I am getting adequate protein into my day by included protein sources at every meal and snacking on higher protein foods. <–If you need some breakfast ideas, try these high protein breakfast recipes!

Many people don’t get enough protein and it’s important to build strong muscles, keep your body working, keep your metabolism going and protein at a meal can help with satiety.

But, it can be a little tough to eat enough (which is so many people don’t get enough) and you may have wondered how to get more protein into your diet as some point (without having to eat a chicken breast at every meal!)

So, I have rounded up 15 easy ways that will answer the question of how to eat more protein!

How to Increase Protein Intake 15 Easy Ways

1. Add egg whites into oatmeal

This might sound a little weird, but stirring an egg white into your oatmeal while it’s cooking makes them super fluffy and voluminous! You can’t taste the egg white but it’s a great pure protein source to start your day!

2. Add cottage cheese into oatmeal

I am a HUGE lover of cottage cheese and the curds melt into hot oatmeal, making them extra thick and creamy and I love the natural saltiness that the cottage cheese adds.

3. Add protein powder into your oats

I love making protein oats and protein powder is a SUPER easy thing to stir into your oats AFTER they are done cooking! Plus, you have so many different flavors of protein powder, so you can get a good variety of oats!

Protein oat recipes to try: Cookie dough protein oatmeal / Funfetti protein overnight oats / Chocolate peanut butter overnight oats

Protein powder recommendation: WHEY / NON DAIRY

4. Swap chips for roasted chickpeas

You can toss some dry chickpeas in olive oil and bake them until nice and crispy and snack on them instead of chips! They’re packed with plant protein and fiber to keep you full and they’re so tasty!

5. Swap your pasta for chickpea pasta

Just like chickpeas, pasta made from chickpeas has WAY more protein and fiber than regular flour-based pasta. It does have a little more of a dense texture which can take some getting used it. But, it’s definitely worth the switch!

Pasta Recommendation: Banza 

6. Add Greek yogurt or protein powder to smoothies

Smoothies are usually made with just fruit and they can leave you hungry an hour later. Adding some Greek yogurt and/or protein powder, really pumps up the protein to keep you full. It also helps make them creamy and you can experiment with different flavors!

Protein Smoothie Recipes to Try: Protein smoothie with chocolate and peanut butter / Banana vanilla orange smoothie

7. Use quinoa instead of rice for stir fries

Rice is yummy, but it lacks in protein. Quinoa is a grain that is naturally high in plant-based protein, so it makes a great swap! Plus, the natural nutty flavor of quinoa is super tasty!

8. Use chickpeas, lentils, quinoa or amaranth in salads

Ever have a salad and then you’re hungry soon after? Adding naturally high protein grains and legumes – like chickpeas, lentils, quinoa or amaranth – bulks up the salad to keep you full and adds a great dose of plant-based protein!

9. Add collagen or protein powder to your morning coffee

I LOVE adding chocolate protein powder to my morning coffee, like a mocha. Just make sure you put your protein in the cup before the coffee or it won’t mix properly!

10. Meal prep a protein source

Sounds like a no-brainer, but not everyone does it! I love to bake a bunch of chicken on Sundays and have it for the week. I only season it with salt so that the flavor works with everything! Great to throw on salads, sandwiches, soups etc during the week!

11. Swap mayo on sandwiches with hummus

Mayo is tasty but lacks protein. Since hummus made from chickpeas it naturally has plant protein and fiber! Plus it adds some tastiness to sandwiches and there are so many flavors to experiment with!

12. Add Greek yogurt or cottage cheese into pancakes.

Just like adding them into oats, adding Greek yogurt or cottage cheese into pancakes makes them thick, fluffy and really boosts their protein content. Typically, you can replace some of the liquid part of pancakes with these things with great results! Sometimes you can even do this with greek yogurt brownies!

Pancake recipes to try: Fluffy cottage cheese pancakes / Healthy oatmeal protein pancakes / Gluten free low carb keto protein pancakes

13. Swap granola bars for protein bars

While I do love granola bars, I do prefer to snack on protein bars to increase my protein intake during the day. There are a lot of protein bars that don’t taste great, so make sure you find one you love. Mr. FFF and I did a review of some brands HERE.

14. Look for recipes with protein powder

Did you know you can swap some protein powder into recipes instead of flour? You don’t want to do too much or the recipe can get crazy, so find some tried and true recipes!

Protein powder recommendation: WHEY / NON DAIRY

Protein powder recipes to try:  Healthy protein powder cookie dough / Coconut protein cookies / Protein low carb keto brownies

15. Snack on hard boiled eggs

Kind of like prepping a protein source each week – prep some hard boiled eggs. You can grab and go and have a portable protein snack! You can also make a lot of them fast by reading this how to cook egg in the oven post!

I hope this was helpful! I would love to hear what you think of this how to increase protein intake ideas!