24+ High Protein Pregnancy Snacks (dairy-free & healthy)

Stay full, fueled, and beat nausea with these high protein pregnancy snacks! These healthy pregnancy snacks are real-food based, loaded with nutrients, and will help nourish both mom and babe.

The best pregnancy snacks are ones that you'll actually enjoy while giving your baby the nutrients it needs- and you can find them below!

“Such great ideas! I'm in my 2nd trimester and feel like I'm hungry ALL THE TIME!! I appreciate having some healthy options. I especially loved the salted caramel smoothie. Delicious!” - Fern

Staying active and healthy while pregnant can be a challenging gig. Mainly because you’re ravenous as hell but tired at the same time.

And while there are a ton of benefits to staying active while pregnant, what about staying fueled?!

I’m a foodie so when I was pregnant, I was all about having healthy, high-protein pregnancy snacks on stand by – and I wanted to share! 

Your babe is in need of a lot of nutrients to grow, and let’s face it, you either want to eat everything in sight or vomit, so having healthy pregnancy snacks or some healthy pregnancy smoothies on hand can be a savior (just like learning about using a dairy-free breastfeeding diet to curb fussy babes).

Why You Need High Protein Pregnancy Snacks

Just like when you're not pregnant, protein is crucial for growth. However, this macronutrient becomes even more important during pregnancy.

Consuming protein while pregnant is crucial. Learn more about specific intake levels and what exactly your body does with the protein.

However, know this also: protein also helps keep you full throughout the day and reduce the frequency of nausea.

While most of us crave carbohydrates during the first trimester, ensuring we're still getting in high protein pregnancy snacks will reduce the queasy, awful feeling.

And protein intakes are even higher if you're still active and rocking low-impact prenatal workouts.

Though I promise mama, this doesn't mean you need to binge on chicken breasts to get your protein levels up.

If you're like me, chicken is a pretty big no-go until 18 weeks haha (but something like this peanut butter protein chia pudding works!).

It also doesn't mean that each healthy pregnancy snack idea needs to be fully protein-based. You simply want to make sure you're getting adequate amounts throughout the day. In fact, keeping some protein cookie recipes on hand is a great way to indulge healthily and bump up your intake!

Protein Boosting Pregnancy Snack Hack

Many healthy pregnancy snacks like overnight oats, energy balls, or even yogurt (if you're rocking dairy-free yogurts) are extremely good for you but not overly high in protein.

They contain some plant-based protein (which is amazing) but are more reliant on healthy fats.

For these recipes, I use my favorite busy mom hack: collagen.

Collagen is a protein most associated with bone broth (learn the difference between collagen and bone broth).

It provides the structure for your hair, skin, nails, growth etc. The best way to explain it is that it is the purest form of protein you can use.

I've been adding collagen powder to my recipes for years, to give them a bit more fuel and nutrient density.

I grab my collagen powder from Perfect Supplements because it's sourced ethically and from pasture-raised, grass-fed cows.

If there's a superfood that helps during pregnancy, this is it! You can use code mamabear10 to save some money too.

What To Look For When Building Healthy Pregnancy Snacks

Having healthy snacks ready to go, on hand is important.

When you're pregnant you're tired, exhausted, and whipping something up that takes longer than five minutes won't always happen.

This is why I like to keep stashes of snacks on hand so that there's always a grab-and-go option.

When I'm making high-protein pregnancy snacks I aim for:

Healthy fats: A staple when it comes to healthy snacks for pregnancy. And they're even more important postpartum if breastfeeding. This is why these no-bake lactation cookies are such win.

Fats help you keep your calories high (growing a baby!) while aiding in brain development. They help your skin, help you stay full, and make everything yummy. Plus, when paired with fruit, fats will also help control the sugar release and keep you full a bit longer.

Nutrients: Your baby needs a lot of vitamins and minerals to grow and develop its own immune system. Focus on the quality of your food choices before as much as you can.

Low in processed sugar: You’ll never omit it completely (and it would be even harder to do while pregnant, though here are some tips to cut back your sugar intake) but ensuring that the majority of your high-protein pregnancy snacks are high in quality will make a difference. Simple swaps like using plain yogurt and adding in your own fruit and nuts make a huge difference to a growing babe.

I also aim to have healthy pregnancy desserts on hand because... chocolate 😀

Healthy Pregnancy Snacks (but not protein-based)

Below are a few "throw-together" snacks that are great for pregnancy just not protein-packed. Still deliciously healthy and great to grab when you're in a pinch. These snacks can be thrown together easily.

1. Veggies and hummus (green hummus is even better!)
2. Fruit and nuts (we love almonds, walnuts, and Brazil nuts!)
3. Trailmix (toss some nuts, dried fruit, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds, and coconut together)
4. Healthy peanut butter cookies (yes, cookies are totally part of healthy eating!)
5. Crackers, hummus, and avocado
6. Fruit and nut butter (banana and almond butter was always my favorite)
7. Grain free granola bars
8. No bake homemade energy bars

High Protein Pregnancy Snacks

Below are the high-protein pregnancy snacks you're going to fall in love with. They're easy to make (a lot of no-bake dairy-free snacks, gluten-free protein bar recipes or one-bowl whip-ups), dairy-free, gluten-free, and PERFECT for growing babies. Scroll through and find some new favorites to reply... until your next craving hits!

Keep in mind that every mama is different. What you love one pregnancy you may not enjoy the next. Our bodies crave and enjoy different things.

Take it day by day and do what you can (and when in doubt, use any of these 30 gluten-free dairy-free snacks!).

Can You Use Intermittent Fasting While Pregnant?

This is the number one question I get asked by expecting moms! Though intermittent fasting isn't for everyone, the video below has some great pointers and answers a lot of questions.

The important thing while pregnant is to stay fueled, and hydrated (here’s some fun preggo, low sugar mocktails!), and enjoy that growing belly of yours!

Likewise, stock up now on some of the best recipes for busy moms and these dairy and gluten-free breastfeeding snacks! Trust me, they save your sanity!

Don’t forget to pin these healthy, high-protein pregnancy snacks!