Hard-boiled eggs
Budget pickTwo large eggs give you about 13 grams of protein for 155 calories, and they're gluten-free as they come. Boil six on Sunday and keep them in the shell in the fridge.
25 gluten-free snacks that keep you full between meals
Protein and fiber are what carry a snack to your next meal. Here are 25 gluten-free picks with USDA protein, calories and fiber for each one.

The most filling gluten-free snacks pair protein or fiber with a whole food. A cup of steamed edamame has about 18 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber. Six ounces of plain Greek yogurt with blueberries has about 17 grams of protein. Whole foods like eggs, fruit and plain dairy are naturally gluten-free. Packaged snacks need a label check.
Going gluten-free removes a lot of the usual snack aisle: crackers, pretzels, granola bars, most cookies. What's left is often rice cakes and fruit snacks, which are gone by 3:30.
The fix is protein and fiber, and plenty of whole foods have both with no gluten to begin with. We pulled the numbers for every snack below from USDA FoodData Central, for the portion you'd actually eat, and grouped all 25 by what they do best.
Protein first, fiber second
Most gluten free snacks fail the way most snacks do: carbs with nothing attached. Three checks fix that.
How much does protein help? A review in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found a modest satiety effect from higher-protein meals: people felt fuller. The same review found no clear effect on how much they ate at the next meal. So protein helps a snack hold, and portions still matter.
The table is a list of gluten-free foods and snacks to scan in one pass. New to this? Start with our gluten-free diet for beginners guide.
| Snack (serving) | Protein | Calories | Fiber |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hard-boiled eggs (2 large) | 13g | 155 | 0g |
| Greek yogurt (6 oz) & 1/2 cup blueberries | 17g | 166 | 2g |
| Cottage cheese (1/2 cup) & pineapple | 14g | 122 | 1g |
| Turkey (3 oz) & cheese (1 oz) roll-ups | 19g | 173 | 0g |
| Tuna salad lettuce cups (3 oz tuna) | 20g | 100 | 1g |
| Steamed edamame (1 cup) | 18g | 188 | 8g |
| Beef jerky (1 oz) | 9g | 115 | 1g |
| Apple & 2 tbsp peanut butter | 8g | 286 | 6g |
| Hummus (1/4 cup) & 1 cup carrots | 6g | 199 | 7g |
| Roasted chickpeas (1/2 cup cooked) | 7g | 174 | 6g |
| Air-popped popcorn (3 cups) | 3g | 93 | 3.5g |
| 2 rice cakes & 1/3 avocado | 2.5g | 150 | 4g |
| Chia pudding (2 tbsp chia, 1/2 cup milk) | 8g | 178 | 8g |
| Nut & seed trail mix (1 oz nuts & seeds) | 7.5g | 186 | 3g |
| Banana & 1 tbsp almond butter | 5g | 203 | 5g |
| Guacamole (1/4 cup) & 1 oz corn chips | 3g | 225 | 5g |
| Dark chocolate & almonds (1/2 oz each) | 4g | 165 | 3g |
| 10 olives & 1 cup cucumber | 1g | 67 | 1g |
| Roasted seaweed (5 g pack) | 1g | 30 | 1g |
| String cheese (1 stick) | 7g | 83 | 0g |
| Yogurt (3/4 cup) & strawberry parfait | 10g | 143 | 2g |
| Unsweetened applesauce (4 oz cup) | 0g | 47 | 1g |
| Rice crackers (1/2 oz) & cheddar (1 oz) | 8g | 173 | 0g |
| Frozen grapes (1 cup) | 1g | 104 | 1g |
| Ants on a log (2 celery stalks) | 4g | 134 | 2.5g |
Protein, calories and fiber per serving, rounded. USDA FoodData Central (FDC IDs in the sources).
The seven that last longest
These are the best gluten free snacks on the list if fullness is the goal, because each one brings 9 to 20 grams of protein. They also make good gluten free snacks for adults who need something real between lunch and a late dinner. Our roundup of 29 healthy snacks that help weight loss has more ideas, though not all of them are gluten-free.
Two large eggs give you about 13 grams of protein for 155 calories, and they're gluten-free as they come. Boil six on Sunday and keep them in the shell in the fridge.
Six ounces of plain low-fat Greek yogurt has about 17 grams of protein before you add anything. Half a cup of blueberries adds about 2 grams of fiber and 42 calories. Plain yogurt is the safe bet. Flavored cups and crunchy toppings are where a label check comes in.
Half a cup of 1% cottage cheese carries about 14 grams of protein for 81 calories. One trade-off: that half cup also brings about 460 mg of sodium.
Roll 3 ounces of sliced turkey breast around a stick of part-skim mozzarella. That's about 19 grams of protein. Deli turkey is also salty, at about 760 mg of sodium for 3 ounces. It's a packaged meat, so read the ingredients for added starches or flavorings.
Mix 3 ounces of light tuna with 2 tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt and a little mustard, then spoon it into romaine leaves. You get about 20 grams of protein for 100 calories, the best ratio on this list.
A cup of shelled edamame from the freezer bag has about 18 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber. Microwave it and salt it. It's one of the easiest gluten free high protein snacks to keep on hand.
An ounce of beef jerky has about 9 grams of protein and lives happily in a desk drawer. It needs the closest label check here. Many marinades use soy sauce, and the Celiac Disease Foundation lists traditional soy sauce as a source of gluten. NIDDK also notes that FDA's gluten-free labeling rule does not cover meat and poultry regulated by USDA. Read the ingredient list, not just the front of the bag.
Six snacks with real bulk
A lot of gluten-free packaged foods are made from refined rice or corn, so fiber can drop when you cut out wheat. These healthy gluten free snacks put some back. Most are lower in protein than the list above, so we note what to pair them with.
A medium apple with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter comes to about 8 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber. The peanut butter is 191 of the 286 calories, so measure it once and you'll know what 2 tablespoons looks like.
A quarter cup of hummus with a cup of carrot sticks has about 7 grams of fiber. Chickpeas are naturally gluten-free, but store-bought hummus is a packaged food, so check the label.
Half a cup of cooked chickpeas roasted with a teaspoon of olive oil comes to about 7 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber. Pat them very dry, roast at high heat until they rattle on the pan, then season.
Three cups of air-popped popcorn is about 93 calories and 3.5 grams of fiber. Plain kernels are a whole grain and gluten-free. Flavored and microwave bags are packaged foods, so read the label. Add a cheese stick for protein.
Two brown rice cakes with a third of an avocado give you 4 grams of fiber but only about 2.5 grams of protein. Top it with a sliced hard-boiled egg and you add about 6 grams. Rice cakes are packaged, so look for a gluten-free label.
Stir 2 tablespoons of chia seeds into half a cup of 2% milk and chill it overnight. You get about 8 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber. Want meals handled too? You can build your own meal plan or pick our High Fiber Meal Plan, with at least 5 grams of fiber a meal. Our meals are made on shared equipment, so read our gluten note below first.
No wheat, no milk
If you avoid milk as well as gluten, these gluten free dairy free snacks skip both. Plant protein runs lower here, so for real staying power, add edamame, hummus or tuna from the lists above.
Mix half an ounce of almonds, half an ounce of pumpkin seeds and a tablespoon of raisins. That small handful has about 7.5 grams of protein. Store-bought mixes can include pretzels, cereal pieces or milk chocolate, so make your own from plain nuts, seeds and raisins, and check those labels too.
A medium banana with a tablespoon of almond butter comes to about 5 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber. It's quick carbs plus a little fat, which makes it a good snack an hour before a workout.
A quarter cup of guacamole with an ounce of corn tortilla chips is about 225 calories, most of it from the chips. Corn is gluten-free, but multigrain chips can contain a wheat-based ingredient and seasoned ones can carry wheat in the flavoring. Choose plain corn chips with a gluten-free label, or dip cucumber slices instead.
Half an ounce each of 70 to 85% dark chocolate and almonds gives you a sweet snack with 3 grams of fiber. It counts as dairy-free only if the label agrees. Many dark chocolate bars contain milk or milk fat, so check the ingredients and the allergen line for both milk and wheat.
Ten large ripe olives and a cup of cucumber slices come to 67 calories. They're low in protein and the olives carry about 320 mg of sodium, so treat this as a side to a protein snack, not the whole snack.
A typical 5-gram pack of roasted seaweed has about 30 calories and 1 gram of protein, per the branded label in USDA FoodData Central. Some brands season it with soy sauce or wheat, so look for a gluten-free label.
Lunchbox picks kids eat
Good gluten free snacks for kids look a lot like the adult list, just smaller and easier to hold. For toddlers, CDC's list of choking hazards for young children includes uncut grapes, string cheese, raisins, hard raw vegetables, spoonfuls of peanut butter and popcorn, so cut, spread thin or skip those for little ones.
One part-skim mozzarella stick has about 7 grams of protein. For toddlers, cut it into small pieces. Pair it with applesauce or grapes for a snack that covers protein and fruit.
Layer three-quarters of a cup of plain low-fat yogurt with half a cup of sliced strawberries. That's about 10 grams of protein. Granola is where gluten sneaks in. Use one labeled gluten-free, since NIDDK notes that cross-contact between oats and gluten grains is common.
A 4-ounce cup of unsweetened applesauce is about 47 calories with almost no protein. Since it's a packaged food, check the label, and pair it with string cheese or a hard-boiled egg for staying power.
Half an ounce of rice crackers with an ounce of cheddar has about 8 grams of protein, most of it from the cheese. Rice crackers vary. Some are seasoned with soy sauce, so look for a gluten-free label.
Wash grapes, dry them well and freeze them on a tray. A cup is about 104 calories and eats like a sorbet bite. For small kids, quarter them before freezing.
Two celery stalks with a tablespoon of peanut butter and a tablespoon of raisins come to about 4 grams of protein. Use sunflower seed butter if peanuts aren't allowed at school. Skip this one for toddlers: raw celery, raisins and peanut butter are all on CDC's list.
Where gluten hides in snacks
A gluten-free label means something specific. Under the FDA gluten-free labeling rules, a food labeled gluten-free must contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten, and the rule also covers fermented foods like yogurt and cheese. The claim is voluntary, so plenty of gluten-free foods don't carry it.
When there's no label, read the ingredients. Gluten comes from wheat, barley and rye, and NIDDK notes that flavorings, starches and colorings can be made from gluten grains. These are the spots that catch people on snacks:
With celiac disease, cross-contact matters too, from a shared toaster, cutting board or fryer. Your doctor or a registered dietitian can help.
Quick answers
Short answers to the questions we hear most about gluten-free snacking.
Eggs, plain yogurt and cheese, meat, fish, beans, fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and plain popcorn are naturally gluten-free. Packaged snacks like jerky, chips and rice crackers can be too, but look for a gluten-free label or check the ingredients for wheat, barley, rye and malt.
Many are, but some use starches or flavorings that can come from gluten grains, so look for a gluten-free label. They're mostly sugar with no protein or fiber, so they won't keep you full. Frozen grapes or an apple with peanut butter will.
Start with protein. Tuna salad lettuce cups have about 20 grams for 100 calories, a cup of edamame has 18 grams with 8 grams of fiber and Greek yogurt with berries has about 17 grams. For fiber, hummus with carrots or chia pudding each bring 7 to 8 grams.
No. Our meals are produced on shared equipment, so we don't recommend them for anyone with celiac disease or a severe gluten reaction. If you avoid gluten by choice, check each meal's allergens on our Nutrition Info page before you order.
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