10 High-Protein Foods to Build Muscles and Stay Lean

If you’re trying to get lean and build muscle, there’s one thing you can’t ignore:

You just have to eat more protein.

The formula is straightforward — a high-protein diet (30–50g per meal), combined with a caloric deficit and weightlifting. But most people simply aren’t eating enough protein to make it work.

And this isn’t going to be another list of the proteins you already know (chicken, steak, protein powder, Greek yogurt). You already know those.

What I’m going to share are 10 underrated high-protein foods that can easily add 100g+ protein to your daily intake.

Table of Contents

1. Reduced-Carb Wraps

In just one wrap there’s 7.6g of protein and only 10.7g of carbs — the double protien than the normal version which has only 3g of protein and 23g of carbs.

But get this — add any protein source like shredded chicken and you can easily add another 60g of protien.

So if you stack 3–4 wraps with a protein source like chicken, you get a meal hitting 100g+ protein easily.

2. Shrimp & Scallops (Shellfish)

These are extremely underrated.

Always remember this when picking a snack, there should be at least 10g of protein per 100 calories.

Shrimp overdelivers by giving you 11g of protein per 100 calories. And you only need 3.5oz (100g) of shrimp to hit 25g of protein.

So for those of you who struggle to eat a lot of food or need a more compact protein source — shrimp and scallops are those foods.

Ways to eat it:

Add to a salad, pasta, or fried rice
Have on their own with a dip
Order them alone at sushi restaurants to stay within your macros

For anyone transitioning from vegan or vegetarian and not ready for full-blown meats like chicken and steak — this is a great starting point. Shellfish also contain healthy fats and a solid amount of zinc, vitamin B12, and iron.

3. Biltong

In America it’s called jerky. In South Africa, they call it biltong. And if you like jerky, you will love biltong — jerky is basically the budget version.

Biltong is a dried, cured meat that originated in South Africa. And when I said 10g of protein per 100 calories equals a great protein source — biltong doubles that.

There’s 20g of protein per 100 calories, and you only need 43g (1.5oz) to hit that 20g.

Use it as:

A desk snack instead of almonds and nuts
A travel-friendly protein source
A crowd-pleaser when friends come over

You can find it in grocery stores or search “biltong near me” — there are online stores too.

4. Lentils

This one is the least exciting option on the list — but still an amazing protein source, and it had to be included for the vegan and vegetarian crowd.

Lentils come in slightly under the 10g per 100 calories mark at 8g, and yes, the carbs are higher.

But here’s why it’s still amazing — it’s loaded with fiber, folate, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper, and manganese. And it’s extremely versatile.

5. Edamame

Another banger of a snack — especially at restaurants, because it’s basically impossible for them to sneak in unnecessary oils and sauces. Just salt. That’s all you need.

Half a cup gives you 17g of protein, and the best part? It’s a complete protein — meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids, the ones your body can’t produce on its own.

Why it works so well:

Rich in fiber — you’ll feel fuller before your main meal
Helps balance blood sugar
Packed with folate, vitamin K, iron, and magnesium

Add it to salads, stir-fries, wraps, or eat it on its own. It’s a go-to.

6. Egg Whites

Whole eggs are amazing — some people even consider them a superfood. But egg whites can take things to a completely different level when you’re leaning out.

Here’s the comparison:

	Protein	Fat	Carbs	Calories
4 Whole Eggs	28g	21g	2g	312
8 Egg Whites	28g	0g	0g	137

Same protein. Half the calories. No fat.

Now, the yolk has its place — fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, healthy fats, and cholesterol for hormone production like testosterone. But when you’re in a deficit, the fat content makes it harder to fit everything in. That’s where egg whites come in.

Ways to eat them: scrambled, in an omelette, on toast, in a high-protein French toast — extremely versatile.

7. Smoked Ham and Deli Meats

When you’re dieting and just need a quick protein source — grab a pack of smoked ham, deli chicken, or turkey straight from the fridge. You can have it on its own or add it to almost anything.

Turkey, chicken, and smoked ham deli meats deliver around 16.4g of protein per 100 calories — well above the benchmark.

Just 91g (3.2oz) and you’ve got a solid protein hit.

Easy ways to use it:

Add to an English muffin, toast, or burger
Mix into scrambled eggs
Take to the office straight from the pack
Eat it on its own right out of the fridge

8. Protein Ice Cream

The rule is you need to eat 80% of your foods from whole foods and 20% from whatever you want — and protein ice cream needs to be in that 20%.
It feels like a cheat code. It feels like you’re cheating. But it’s even better than a protein bar.

Store-bought options to look for:

Halo Top — 330 calories for the entire pint, 16g protein (vs. Ben & Jerry’s at 1,000 calories)
Yasso — one ice cream has 5g of protein
Arctic Zero

DIY option: Take your favorite protein shake, mix it with milk or water, freeze it, run it through the Creami, and add your toppings. Using Fairlife as your base gets you 42g of protein.

9. High-Protein Milk

Speaking of Fairlife — the reason this made the list is simple. We have milk with almost everything. Coffee, shakes, oatmeal, cooking.

So if you just swap your regular milk for a high-protein version, you’re passively hitting more of your protein target without changing anything else about your routine.

Brands to look for: Fairlife, Barebells protein milk.

It’s also one of the easiest options for anyone who’s recovering from something and can’t eat solid food — drinking high-protein milk helps hit overall protein intake when eating isn’t an option.

10. Canned Tuna

The ugly stepchild of the protein world — but it deserves so much more credit than it gets.

In just 8oz of canned tuna in water, you can hit 50g of protein. That’s insane

Easy ways to eat it:

Tuna pasta or tuna rice
Mixed with egg whites on toast
On a rice cake as a snack
Straight from the can

Mix it with some light mayo or fat-free mayo and pair it with rice or a snack and it genuinely tastes amazing.

Buy it in bulk, travel with it, eat it anywhere. Especially if you’re someone who needs to be eating more calories and hitting high protein targets — canned tuna is the way to go.