Easy high protein meals under 500 calories

Workouts by Tiff and Dan · Updated October 7, 2026

Three easy recipes, each under 500 calories with 24 g of protein or more: a breakfast, our family's favorite pizza, and a jerky you can snack on all week. We rechecked every number against USDA data in October 2026.

How we counted: per serving, from USDA FoodData Central, plus the label for protein powder (counted as 90 calories and 20 g of protein a scoop: check yours). Salt, spices, herbs and baking powder are left out, since they add a few calories at most. Calories are rounded to the nearest 5, grams to the nearest gram.

1. Cottage cheese banana pancakes

Per serving (a stack of 3 pancakes): 495 calories, 31 g protein, 70 g carbs, 11 g fat. That includes the banana and maple syrup on top.

The protein depends on your protein powder. With a typical scoop (90 calories and 20 g of protein) it's 31 g. A higher protein powder brings it closer to the 41 g in the video.

Ingredients

Steps

1. Whisk the egg and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add half the banana and mash it with a fork until there are no chunks, then mash in the cottage cheese.
2. Stir in the oats, flour, protein powder and baking powder. The batter should be a little thick. Too runny? Add another tablespoon of oats or flour.
3. Heat a pan over medium and add the butter. Scoop the batter in with a 1/4 cup measure and cook until golden, then flip. Makes 3 medium pancakes.
4. Top with the rest of the banana, sliced, and the maple syrup.

Swaps: no flour? Kodiak mix, oat flour or almond flour all work (the numbers shift a little). For gluten free, use gluten free oats and a 1:1 gluten free flour, and check your protein powder. Skip the syrup and it's about 445 calories.

2. Hot honey chicken crust pizza

Per serving (1 of 6 pieces): 415 calories, 41 g protein, 11 g carbs, 23 g fat.

If you make one thing from our recipes, let it be this. Our family loves this pizza. The crust is ground chicken and parmesan, so a big piece is still well under 500 calories.

Ingredients

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 400°F.
2. In a large bowl, mix the ground chicken, parmesan and eggs.
3. Spread it on a sheet pan lined with parchment or a silicone mat, 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning on top.
4. Bake 35 minutes, until the crust is cooked through (165°F). Take it out and switch the oven to high broil.
5. Spread on the sauce, then the mozzarella and pepperoni. Drizzle with the honey and sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
6. Broil on the top rack for 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese melts and the pepperoni starts to blacken. Let it cool a few minutes, then cut it into 6 pieces.

Tip: watch it under the broiler. It goes from perfect to burnt fast.

3. Homemade beef jerky

Per serving (a quarter of the batch, about 1 oz of jerky): about 160 calories and 24 g of protein from the beef, plus some sugar from the marinade. Most of the marinade is thrown away, so we can't count it exactly. Even if the meat kept all of it (it doesn't), a serving would be under 340 calories. The marinade is very salty, so jerky is a high sodium snack.

A pound of raw meat dries down to about 4 ounces of jerky (USDA), which is why a quarter of the batch is about 1 oz.

Food safety: heat the strips in the oven until they reach 160°F inside, then dry them. The USDA advises it because bacteria can survive the low heat of a dehydrator or warm oven (USDA).

Ingredients

Steps

1. Mix everything except the beef in a large zip-top bag.
2. Add the beef slices, coat them well, seal the bag and marinate in the fridge overnight.
3. Lay the strips in a single layer on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Throw away the leftover marinade: don't reuse it.
4. Heat them in a 275°F oven until the thickest piece reads 160°F on a meat thermometer. The USDA recommends heating jerky meat to 160°F before drying it, so it's safe to eat.
5. Turn the oven down to its lowest setting (or move the strips to a dehydrator) and dry at 130°F to 140°F until the jerky is firm and chewy, a few hours.
6. Let it cool, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge. The USDA says home-dried jerky keeps 1 to 2 months.

How to make almost any meal high protein and under 500 calories

Start with a protein, add a carb, fill up on vegetables, and keep the fat to a spoonful. These proteins each give you 18 to 34 g of protein:

For example, 150 g of raw chicken breast, 1/2 cup of cooked rice, 1 cup of broccoli and 1 tsp of olive oil come to about 355 calories and 38 g of protein, with room left for a sauce or a piece of fruit. All numbers are from USDA FoodData Central.

Questions

How much protein should I eat in a day?

If you lift, about 1.6 g per kg of body weight a day (about 0.7 g per lb) is a good target. For a 150 lb person, that's about 110 g, or three or four meals like these. There's more in our guide to losing fat without losing muscle.

What foods are high in protein but low in calories?

Chicken breast, shrimp, canned tuna, egg whites, nonfat Greek yogurt and cottage cheese all give you 20 g of protein or more for under 200 calories. The table above has the numbers.

Is homemade beef jerky safe?

Yes, if you heat the meat to 160°F before drying it, then dry it at 130°F to 140°F, as the USDA advises. Marinate it in the fridge and throw away the used marinade.

Are these meals good for weight loss?

They can fit a weight loss plan: each is under 500 calories with 20 g of protein or more. Whether you lose weight depends on your total calories over days and weeks, not any one meal.

Are peanut butter and crackers a high protein snack?

Not really. Two tablespoons of peanut butter have about 190 calories and 7 g of protein, and most crackers add little protein. Greek yogurt or cottage cheese gives you far more protein for the calories.

More to read

• 5 signs you're losing muscle, not fat
• Full body dumbbell workouts
• This week's free workout plan