31 Low Calorie High Protein Lunches

These 31 Low Calorie High Protein Lunches are all low calorie and great for weight loss and weight maintenance!

Each of these high in protein meals has a minimum of 15g of protein and many have over 40g of protein!

I have included vegetarian high protein lunches, as well as meal prep high protein lunch recipes.

Each high in protein lunch comes with a printable recipe card. Simply click the photo or recipe card to collect it and find out more about the weight loss lunches.

These 31 High Protein Lunches are all low calorie, high protein and great for weight loss…

31 Low Calorie High Protein Lunches for Weight Loss

These 31 high protein lunches are filled with take to work or school, weekend and even meal prep lunches.

I have supplied you with vegetarian options, as well as salads, sandwiches, and wraps. Copycat recipes from your favorite take out lunch spots and more can be found in the lunches high in protein below

The Best Low Calorie High Protein Lunch Ideas

These high protein lunch ideas ideas are all low calorie and healthy. Click on the photo or the recipe card to find the recipe… Plus a printable recipe card for each of the weight loss lunches below!

1. Low Calorie High Protein Chicken Burrito Bowls (34.8g of Protein)

These high protein lunches are just 399 calories and have 34.8g of protein!

You can cut more carbs and calories in this high protein lunch recipe by swapping out the rice for our Low Calorie Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice.

You could easily swap out the chicken for steak or carnitas. We even have a Taco Flavored Tofu Recipe for our vegetarian and vegan readers.

2. Low Calorie High Protein Beef Teriyaki (25g of Protein)

This high protein lunch for work makes great meal prep, and can be served alone, or over rice or (we recommend) our Cauliflower Fried Rice Recipe.

At just 200 calories, and 25g of protein this hearty high in protein lunch will keep you full and satisfied for hours.

And at just 200 calories, you could easily double the serving for a larger meal. That would be 400 calories and 50g of protein!

3. Low Calorie High Protein “No Cook” Turkey Spinach Wrap (27.6g of Protein)

These turkey spinach wraps require no cooking and make a great high protein meal prep lunch!

With just 466 calories an 27.6g of protein, we know you’ll be satisfied and full after these lunches high in protein.

Plus, these no cook sandwich wraps come with 5 yummy sandwich wrap spreads to choose from. So you can change it up weekly for new flavors.

4. Low Calorie High Protein Vegetarian Protein Salads (17.8g of Protein)

Making high protein meals vegetarian can be difficult… But we do have a few to choose from in this article.

At just 462 calories, this protein packed lunch (17.8g of protein) is great for vegetarians.

You can easily add in some Cooked Shredded Chicken, or some Crispy Baked Tofu to this recipe to boost protein more.

5. Low Calorie High Protein Chicken Pho (40.9g of Protein)

This low carb high protein lunch is just 262 calories and has 40.9g of protein!

You can take this protein lunch with you to work, it reheats beautifully and travels well making it one of the best high protein lunches for work.

When it comes to high protein lunches low carb, this is one of the best! Plus it’s great in cold weather or when you’re feeling sick.

6. Low Calorie High Protein Taco Salad (34.2g of Protein)

These high in protein meals make great lunches to take to work, or eat at home.

And at just 364 calories this protein packed lunch is also healthy for most diets. We even found you some protein chips (link in recipe below!) to enjoy with this yummy taco salad recipe.

This protein packed lunch salad can be served with beef, chicken, turkey, or even vegan. And be sure to see the protein add-ins we supplied you with in the recipe card.

7. Low Calorie High Protein Teriyaki Meatball Meal Prep (42.3g of Protein)

You can easily make these high protein meals low carb, with our Cauliflower Rice, or Cauliflower Fried Rice recipes!

At just 345 calories and with a whopping 42.3g of protein, these make great high protein recipes for weight loss!

Though the recipe calls for ground turkey, you could use ground beef or chicken if you prefer.

8. Low Calorie High Protein “No Cook” Smoked Salmon Lunch Wraps (23.7g of Protein)

These no cook lunch wraps are packed with protein and great take to work or school meals.

At just 298 calories, these high protein lunch ideas for weight loss will fill you up while leaving enough calories for a yummy snack later.

If you’re not a fan of smoked salmon, don’t fret… We have 10 More High Protein Lunch Wraps to choose from!

9. Low Calorie High Protein Vegetarian Meal Prep Salad Jars (15.1g of Protein)

Vegetarian meals are often hard to pack full of protein… but these 293 calorie “no cook” salad jars have over 15g of protein!

And you could easily add in some Crispy Baked Tofu to boost the protein in these meal prep lunches.

You can make these lunches high in protein by adding in some Shredded Chicken or Baked Tofu!

10. Low Calorie High Protein Fish Taco Bowls (28g of Protein)

These fish taco bowls make great high in protein lunches!

At just 293 calories with 28g of protein, you’ll be enjoying your favorite tacos in a low carb way!

And for those of you who love fish tacos in actual taco shells… we do have an actual Low Carb, High Protein Fish Taco Recipe further down in the article!

11. Low Calorie High Protein Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches (36.8g of Protein)

Before you skip past these protein packed lunches because there is bread… Let me share that we hollow out 1/3 of the bread and pack it with more meat. For less carbs and more protein!

Hollowing out the bread also helps us cut calories, making this high protein lunch just 440 calories!

These high in protein recipes travel well for work and school lunches. And because we hollow out 1/3 of the bread, we add more protein packed filling!

12. Low Calorie High Protein Greek Chicken Meal Prep (36.1g of Protein)

These 308 calorie high protein lunches have 36.1g of protein, and you can cut the carbs and calories more by swapping out the rice for Cauliflower Rice.

Packed with metabolism boosting protein like chicken and Greek Yogurt, these weight loss lunches help you burn fat!

As noted above, you can swap out the rice to cut more calories and carbs. That will make this a low carb high protein lunch for work or school.

13. Low Calorie High Protein Taco Soup (22.1g of Protein)

This low calorie high protein lunch recipe is just 245 calories per serving. So you can have 2 servings (for just 490 calories) and double the protein amount to 44.2g of protein!

The chips are optional, so if you’re looking for low carb lunches, skip the chips.

This yummy taco soup travels well, making it great high protein lunches for work.

14. Low Calorie High Protein Chicken Soba Noodle Salad (30.3g of Protein)

This big protein lunch recipe is just 369 calories for a huge portion!

With chicken and peanuts, this easy high protein lunch is packed full of fat burning protein. And it travels well!

We love this lunch protein recipe hot or cold… making it a great high protein meal prep recipe.

15. Low Calorie High Protein Chicken Bánh Mì Sandwiches (25.7g of Protein)

These 296 calorie sandwiches have 1/2 of carbs removed from the rolls… so you can fit more protein packed chicken and lower the calories and carbs.

With 25.7g of protein this satisfying lunch will keep you full for hours. And it’s just as good hot as it is cold, making it a great take to work protein lunch ideas.

If you want to cut more carbs, try serving this Bánh mì Sandwich as a wrap! It will cut more calories and lots of carbs while still filling you up at lunch.

16. Low Calorie High Protein No Mayo Tuna Salad (25.9g of Protein)

This no mayo tuna salad can be added to bread, as a sandwich. In a wrap for a tuna wrap, or out favorite low carb way to serve it, in a bowl with cucumber slices, apple slices, and celery sticks as a protein packed tuna dip!

At just 149 calories and 25.9g of protein, you have enough calories leftover to serve it anyway you like!

Make low carb high protein lunches… Use our Chaffle Recipe (Egg and Cheese Waffles) in place of bread!

17. Low Calorie High Protein Meal Prep Mexican Chicken Bowls (39.4g of Protein)

These low calorie protein lunches are just 333 calories and have 39.4g of protein!

Plus, you can lower calories and carbs even more by swapping out the rice for our yummy Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice Recipe!

One of the highest protein lunch recipes, this meal prep protein lunch will keep you full and satisfied for hours!

18. Low Calorie High Protein Mississippi Pot Roast Sandwiches (35.5g of Protein)

Just like with the other sandwiches above, we hollow out the roll removing 1/3 of the carbs and calories from the bread!

This helps lower the calories in these high protein lunch recipes. You can have one (very big) sandwich for just 411 calories thanks to our calorie and carb cutting techniques.

If you want to lower the calories more, you can serve this sandwich “open faced” and remove 1 slice of bread or 1 half of the hollowed out roll.

19. Low Calorie High Protein Szechuan Chicken (26g of Protein)

This spicy Chinese chicken dish is just 232 calories, and it’s a protein packed lunch too!

Serve alone, over rice, or over Cauliflower Rice… It’s good anyway you make this healthy protein lunch recipe!

This take out copycat recipe travels well, making it an easy high protein lunch to take to work or school.

20. Low Calorie High Protein Chicken Shawarma Wrap (53.9g of Protein)

This protein packed lunch is just 392 calories, making it a wonderful high protein lunch for weight loss!

With 53.9g of protein and lots of healthy metabolism boosting veggies and Greek Yogurt (in the sauce) this weight loss lunch will keep you full and satisfied while burning fat.

With a high protein homemade sauce, we made these high protein meals easy to take to work in wrap form.

21. Low Calorie High Protein Sloppy Joes (28.3g of Protein)

These 311 calorie sloppy joes are packed full of fat burning veggies and protein. Making this a great weight loss protein lunch!

Because they are so sloppy (hey, it’s in the name right) we recommend these to be eaten at home, and not at work or school. They are wonderful for family lunches on weekends.

Cut carbs from this high protein lunch recipe by serving these sloppy joes “open faced” by removing the top of the bun.

22. Low Calorie High Protein Chicken Enchilada Soup (22.3g of Protein)

One cup of this chicken enchilada soup is just 154 calories with 22.3g of protein… So you could easily triple the serving to 3 cups for 462 calories and 66.9g of protein!

Plus, this protein soup for lunch travels well. Making it a great high protein lunch for work or school.

Make sure to see above… We recommend you double or triple the serving, which will also increase the protein in this recipe.

23. Low Calorie High Protein Sesame Chicken (34.4g of Protein)

This sesame chicken is just 273 calories and can be served alone, over rice, or over our Cauliflower Fried Rice Recipe.

Another popular lunch take out recipe made healthy, these high in protein meals can be taken to work or school too.

This quick meal prep lunch is high in protein and saves you from unhealthy Chinese take out!

24. Low Calorie High Protein Fish Tacos (27.7g of Protein)

Two of these protein tacos have 274 calories and 27.7g of protein.

You could easily increase that to 3 tacos for 411 calories and 41.6g of protein!

You could also lower the carbs and calories by using corn tortillas, or try our fish taco bowls above!

25. Low Calorie High Protein Teriyaki Chicken Meal Prep Lunches (41.7g of Protein)

These meal prep high protein lunches are just 392 calories with 41.7g of protein!

Packed with filling metabolism boosting ingredients, they make great weight loss lunches!

You can cut more calories and carbs by swapping the rice out for Cauliflower Rice, or our yummy Cauliflower Fried Rice Recipe!

26. Low Calorie High Protein Chicken Gyros (29.4g of Protein)

These chicken gyros are just 326 calories and have almost 30g of protein!

Packed with protein thanks to the chicken and the homemade tzatziki sauce, this fat burning lunch travels well for work or school.

Try these high in protein meals for weekend lunches and make extras for take to work protein lunches.

27. Low Calorie High Protein No Mayo Egg Salad (18.5g of Protein)

Another vegetarian high protein lunch is this no mayo egg salad. At just 188 calories this makes a perfect low calorie high protein lunch recipe.

Serve on bread, with crackers, or our favorite way, atop Protein Waffles made with eggs and cheese.

So low in calories, you could easily double the serving size, thus doubling the amount of protein in this lunch recipe!

28. Low Calorie High Protein Kung Pao Chicken (25.5g of Protein)

At just 286 calories, this popular Chinese take out lunch is healthier and just as yummy as your favorite take out.

Serve over rice, alone, or over Cauliflower Rice to make this protein lunch low carb.

Skip the unhealthy, carb heavy take out Chinese place, and make your own high protein lunches at home! This meal travels well to work or school and also makes great weekend high protein lunches.

29. Low Calorie High Protein Steak Sandwiches (38g of Protein)

These protein packed sandwiches are just 283 calories! They come with 5 different sauces to add, so you can change it up weekly.

We didn’t hollow out the rolls like we did above in some of the recipes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t.

To save 1/3 of the carbs and lots of calories, slice the rolls in half, then use your fingers to dig out 1/2 of the bread from the cut sides of the rolls.

30. Low Calorie High Protein No Mayo Chicken Salad (16.1g of Protein)

At just 107 calories per servings you could easily double or triple the serving size, thus doubling or tripling the protein in this healthy lunch recipe.

We love this chicken salad with veggie sticks in place of making a sandwich with carb heavy bread, but our high protein Chaffles (egg and cheese savory waffles) also make a great bread swap.

Double the serving of this high in protein lunch recipe for 214 calories and 32.3g of protein. Or triple it for just 321 calories and 48.3g of protein!

31. Low Calorie High Protein Orange Chicken (35.3g of Protein)

This low calorie orange chicken recipe is just 313 calories, and makes a great take to work protein lunch!

We like to serve this high protein lunch alone, but it’s also great over rice, or Cauliflower Rice.

Make this a meal prep high protein lunch and take to work with you, or enjoy it for a protein packed lunch on the weekends.

Printable Guide to The Best High Protein Lunches for Weight Loss

You can find more low calorie lunch ideas here, and 30 Low Calorie High Protein Breakfasts here.

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Article History:

• Originally written and published September 8, 2022 by Audrey Johns
• Updated on March 24, 2023 by Audrey Johns
• Updated on September 27, 2023 by Audrey Johns