5 High Protein Keto Friendly Snacks (Mediterranean Diet Style)

Most keto snacks are just fat bombs dressed up in fancy packaging. Cheese, bacon, butter — rinse and repeat. And look, nothing wrong with that, but if you’re actually trying to stay lean, build muscle, or just not feel sluggish by 3pm, protein is what you need more of.

These are the five I go back to every time. Each one hits at least 15g protein per serving. They’re Mediterranean diet friendly, which means whole ingredients, healthy fats, and nothing processed. Mediterranean-diet friendly keto is basically the upgrade — same low-carb foundation, but you’re eating real food instead of just stacking cheese and cured meat. And the best part? Whether you’re strictly keto or just trying to eat cleaner, these work for you.

Four of these are no-cook. The fifth one’s worth the extra effort. If you want more, check out my full keto snack ideas roundup to keep you covered.

Why These Snacks Actually Work

Most keto friendly snacks are either basic — which you get tired of — or they require you to cook something. These don’t (except the last one but it’s worth it). The Mediterranean diet angle solves the “fat bomb” problem because you’re getting healthy fats from avocado, olive oil, and salmon instead of processed cheese crisps. Your body actually knows what to do with real food. You eat, you’re done, you move on.

Four of them are no-cook keto friendly snacks, which means the only thing standing between you and actually eating well is about 10 minutes and a cutting board.

Protein is the lever. Every snack here hits at least 15g, which is enough to kill a craving without blowing your budget. Unlike the 100-calorie store-bought snack packs that have you mindlessly grazing 3 at a time because they aren’t as nutrient-dense. And because most of them are no-cook, there’s no excuse not to have something ready.

1. Smoked Salmon Guacamole + Bell Pepper Chips

Serves 3 | No Cook | 16g protein | 6g net carbs | Effort: Low

A keto friendly snack that proves you don’t need chips to make guacamole worth eating.

This is not your average guacamole. Smoked salmon folds right into the mix and bell peppers do the work your chips usually do — with a fraction of the carbs.

Ingredients

• 2 ripe avocados
• 8 oz smoked salmon, roughly chopped
• 1 roma tomato, seeded and diced
• 1 lime, juiced
• ½ red onion, finely diced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
• Small handful fresh cilantro, chopped
• ½ tsp cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2–3 bell peppers, sliced into strips

Instructions

1. Halve and scoop avocados into a bowl. Mash to your preferred consistency — chunky works best here.
2. Add lime juice, red onion, jalapeño, tomato, cilantro, cumin, salt and pepper. Fold together.
3. Fold in smoked salmon gently — you want pieces, not mush.
4. Taste and adjust seasoning.
5. Serve with bell pepper strips for dipping.

Budget tip: Swap smoked salmon for a pan seared center cut salmon fillet. More protein, less cost.

2. Keto Chicken Cucumber Salad

Serves 3 | No Cook | 25g protein | 8g net carbs | Effort: Low

One of the easiest keto friendly snacks you can build around rotisserie chicken.

Inspired by the Venezuelan classic Reina Pepiada — a creamy chicken and avocado filling traditionally stuffed into arepas. This version goes keto and keeps the cucumbers separate until you’re ready to eat so everything stays crispy. Rotisserie chicken makes this a 10 minute situation.

Ingredients

• 8 oz rotisserie chicken, shredded
• 3 Persian cucumbers, sliced on a bias
• 1 ripe avocado, cut into chunky pieces
• ¼ cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp mayo
• ¼ red onion, finely diced
• Small handful fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Keto tortillas for serving

Instructions

1. Mix Greek yogurt, mayo, lime juice, salt and pepper in a bowl.
2. Add shredded chicken and red onion. Fold to coat.
3. Gently fold in chunky avocado — don’t mash it.
4. Keep cucumbers separate until ready to eat for maximum crunch.
5. When ready, add cucumbers and toss briefly.
6. Serve in keto tortillas or eat straight as a salad.

3. Shrimp & Roasted Pepper Relish

Serves 3 | No Cook | 28g protein | ~3g net carbs | Effort: Medium

A high protein keto friendly snack that actually tastes like something you’d order at a restaurant.

Think of this as a Mediterranean take on shrimp cocktail — except way more interesting. Finely chopped shrimp tossed with roasted peppers, olives, capers and olive oil, spooned over cucumber rounds or avocado halves. Shrimp cocktail from the store works perfectly here — the sauce is on the side so you don’t even need to rinse it.

Ingredients

• 12 oz pre-cooked shrimp, finely chopped
• 80g roasted red peppers, drained and finely chopped
• ¼ cup kalamata olives, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp capers, drained
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Small handful fresh parsley, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Citrus Pepper seasoning as finisher
• Cucumber rounds or avocado halves for serving

Instructions

1. Finely chop shrimp, roasted peppers, olives and capers — everything roughly the same size.
2. Combine in a bowl with olive oil, lemon juice and parsley.
3. Season with salt and pepper. Toss well.
4. Spoon into avocado halves or over cucumber rounds.
5. Finish with Citrus Pepper seasoning right before serving.

4. Keto Mediterranean Turkey Egg Salad + Romaine Wraps

Serves 3 | No Cook | 20g protein | 11g net carbs | Effort: Medium

The keto friendly snack that finally made me stop buying deli egg salad.

Egg salad got a makeover. Labneh replaces the mayo, olive tapenade brings the brine, and diced turkey bumps the protein way up. Wrap it in a romaine leaf and eat it like an egg roll. Simple, satisfying, no cook.

Ingredients

• 8 oz deli turkey, diced
• 3 hard boiled eggs, roughly chopped
• 75g labneh
• 1 tbsp hemp hearts
• 2 tbsp kalamata olives, finely chopped
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¼ red onion, finely diced
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• Small handful fresh parsley, chopped
• Land Herb & Garlic Blend to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Romaine leaves for wrapping

Instructions

1. Dice turkey and roughly chop eggs. Add to a bowl.
2. Mix kalamata olives, olive oil and garlic together. Add to bowl.
3. Add labneh and fold together gently — keep the texture, don’t over mix.
4. Add red onion, parsley, hemp hearts, red pepper flakes and Land seasoning.
5. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
6. Serve alongside romaine leaves and wrap like egg rolls.

No hemp hearts? Just add more turkey.

5. Ground Chicken Chips

Serves 4 | Air Fryer | 27g protein | ~1g net carbs | Effort: High

The most unexpected keto friendly snack on this list — and the one people ask me about most.

This one sounds wild but stay with me. If you’ve been around since I first put chicken crust pizza on the internet — one of the first versions of it anywhere — then this is going to make complete sense to you. Seasoned ground chicken spread thin and air fried until crispy. Zero carbs, all protein, genuinely crunchy. These take the most effort of the five but the payoff is worth it — and they meal prep well.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1½ tsp Land Herb & Garlic Blend
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat air fryer to 375°F.
2. Mix ground chicken with baking powder, Land seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper until fully combined.
3. Line air fryer basket with parchment. Spread chicken mixture as thin and even as possible — thinner means crispier.
4. Air fry 18–22 minutes until edges are golden and center is crispy.
5. Let cool 10 minutes — they crisp up more as they cool.
6. Break into chips and serve.

Meal Prep Breakdown

Here’s how each one holds up through the week so you’re not starting from scratch every day. Macros don’t change in the fridge — whatever net carbs are listed above are what you’re getting on day one or day three.

Make ahead, holds 3–4 days

Shrimp & Roasted Pepper Relish — store the shrimp mixture separately from the cucumber rounds. Stays crisp and fresh all week.

Ground Chicken Chips — air fry a full batch, let cool completely, store in an airtight container. They re-crisp in the air fryer at 350°F for 3–4 minutes.

Make ahead, holds 2–3 days

Mediterranean Turkey Egg Salad — keep it in a sealed container, store romaine leaves dry and separate. Build the wraps fresh.

Keto Chicken Cucumber Salad — prep the chicken mixture ahead, keep cucumbers separate until you’re ready to eat.

Best made day-of

Smoked Salmon Guacamole — avocado oxidizes fast. If you need to prep it ahead, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and add extra lime juice. Still best fresh.

FAQ

What are the best keto friendly snacks for meal prep?

The Shrimp & Roasted Pepper Relish and Ground Chicken Chips both hold 3–4 days and are the two I always batch. The chicken mixture for the Keto Chicken Cucumber Salad also preps well — just keep the cucumbers separate until you’re ready to eat.

And if you want more ideas, check out my keto snack round-up for tons of flavorful ways to stay energized on keto (without the butter-and-cheese bloat)!

How much protein should a keto snack have?

I aim for at least 15g per serving. Anything under that and you’re basically just eating fat, which doesn’t do much for hunger or muscle. Every snack in this list hits 15g minimum, most hit well above that.

Are these keto friendly snacks also Mediterranean diet approved?

Yes. That’s the whole point. Avocado, olive oil, salmon, shrimp, labneh, kalamata olives — these are Mediterranean staples that also happen to be low carb. The two diets overlap more than people think.

Can I make keto friendly snacks without cooking?

Four of the five on this list are completely no-cook. The only one that needs equipment is the Ground Chicken Chips, which uses an air fryer. Everything else is chop, mix, and eat.