Ultimate Guide to Protein for Kids


chocolate banana protein milk in yellow cup.

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To help reduce confusion about protein for kids and to offer the easiest, yummiest sources of protein for babies, toddlers, and big kids, I put together this guide for you. With tips, food sources, vegetarian protein, recipes, and more, this will make feeding your kids so much easier.

chocolate banana protein milk in yellow cup.

Protein for Kids

So many of us adults worry about our own protein intake, given all the cultural pressure on this nutrient, so it’s not surprising that we also worry about whether our kids are getting enough. Here’s the good news: Your toddler probably gets plenty of protein without you even having to worry about it. I was surprised to learn that, but yay, one less thing to worry about!

Here’s a refresher on the role of protein and protein recommendations, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics:

Your child requires protein for the proper growth and functioning of his body, including building new tissues and producing antibodies that help battle in­fections. Without essential amino acids (the building blocks of protein), chil­dren would be much more susceptible to serious diseases. Kids need protein to provide the building blocks for their muscles to grow.

Your toddler won’t eat? Help is here!

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How much protein do kids need?

As a starting point, without having to count grams, the average toddler only needs 2-3 servings of protein per day. That’s about the equivalent of:

  • 1 egg and ½ cup of cow’s milk (or nondairy milk with pea protein)
  • ¼ cup of Greek yogurt and 1 tablespoon nut butter
  • 1-2 ounces chicken and ¼ cup peas or beans
  • 1/2-1 string cheese and 1/2-1 cup milk
  • 1/4-½ cup cottage cheese and 2 tablespoons-¼ cup beans or lentils
  • ¼ cup beans and ¼ cup quinoa
  • 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, ½ slice whole grain bread, ½ cup milk
  • 3 ½ cup servings of milk

TIP: I am almost positive that the majority of our little ones are eating plenty by the time that they get to lunch … on most days, anyway!

cottage-cheese-pancakes-on-fork

High-Protein Foods for Picky Eaters

It can be helpful to include a protein-rich foods in most meals and snacks to help your child eat enough throughout the day. And this can also offer balanced energy—since a protein with a fruit or veggie will combine to help them stay full a little longer. (But remember that we don’t have to overdo it or push this too hard since most get enough anyway.)

It can also be a challenge to serve toddlers protein if their favorite foods don’t contain much. Here are some kid-friendly protein sources you can try:

TIP: If your family doesn’t eat dairy or your child is lactose intolerant, you may need to seek out some good protein-rich alternatives. Or be sure to regularly include other sources of protein in their meals.

Chocolate weight gain smoothies in two glasses with straws and toy cars on the side.

Protein Sources for Toddlers Who Don’t Eat Meat

Meat and poultry are great sources of protein, but if your family is vegetarian or vegan, or your toddler simply doesn’t like meat, here are a few of our favorite non-meat sources of protein.

  • Beans
  • Cheese
  • Hemp seeds (blended into smoothies)
  • Hummus
  • Kefir
  • Edamame beans
  • Eggs
  • Fish (salmon, fish sticks, poached fish)
  • Crispy Baked Fish Sticks
  • Milk (cow’s, plant milk with pea protein, or soy milk)
  • Nut butter (spread thinly onto bread or crackers or stirred into oatmeal)
  • Pasta (bean, lentil, and quinoa, along with regular wheat pastas)
  • Peas
  • Quinoa
  • Tofu
  • Yogurt, drinkable (or other similar dairy products)
  • Yogurt
  • Yogurt smoothies

TIP: Find my full list of vegetarian and pescatarian protein options here.

Protein Powder for Kids

Most kids don’t need the quantities of excess protein found in adult protein powders, but ones made just for kids might be an option if protein elsewhere in the diet is lacking. Find my full guide to protein powder for kids, with recommended supplement brands and tips.

You can try my inexpensive Protein Powder Recipe as an option, too.

baked chicken meatballs on cookie sheet.

Protein-Rich Recipes for Kids

Below are some of my favorite kid-friendly recipes for kids that are packed with protein. This list will give you options for easy foods to make to share with your family that will help satisfy and nourish everyone at the table.

Baked Chicken Meatballs

Tender, moist, and with carrots right in the mix, these meatballs are delicious and easy to eat.

4-Ingredient Baked Chicken Meatballs

With just four simple and affordable ingredients, you can make tender Baked Chicken Meatballs to share with the kids. Bonus: You can tuck a veggie into the mix, and they are perfect to batch-cook and stash in the freezer!

Get the recipe

baked chicken meatballs on cookie sheet.
Pesto meatballs on baking sheet with sauce on side.

Pesto Meatballs

You can bake them in the oven or cook in the air fryer, and they’re delicious with pasta or as meatball sandwiches.

Favorite Pesto Meatballs

Tender, flavorful, and easy to make and share, these Pesto Meatballs are a favorite family dinner. You can bake them in the oven or cook in the air fryer, and they’re delicious with pasta or as meatball sandwiches.

Get the recipe

Pesto meatballs on baking sheet with sauce on side.
chicken-sweet-potato-nuggets-on-plate

Homemade chicken nuggets (with sweet potato)

They’re packed with nutrition and have a veggie right in the mix for an extra healthy punch.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets (with Sweet Potato)

Crispy on the outside and tender in the middle, these Homemade Chicken Nuggets are both easy and delicious. You can prep the sweet potato up to 5 days ahead if that’s easier for you, too. Try serving these with ketchup, ranch, or marinara sauce.

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Chicken nuggets on baking sheet after cooking.
yogurt chicken pieces on grey plate and also shredded

Easy Yogurt Chicken

I usually make this recipe in the air fryer, but you can also bake it. It’s very flexible and quick to prepare.

Yogurt Chicken (Baked or Air Fried)

The most tender, flavorful, delicious chicken? This Yogurt Chicken is in the running! The easy chicken recipe is delicious on its own, shredded for kids, or added to pasta, rice, or another favorite meal. Plus, it stores well and can be served cold or warm.

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yogurt chicken pieces on grey plate and also shredded
fish-sticks-on-white-plate

Crispy baked fish sticks

They’re a favorite and affordable way to serve fish to kids, and they’re so good that the adults at the table will love them, too!

fish-sticks-with-ketchup-and-lemon
healthy meatballs in large bowl and small kids bowl

Best Healthy Meatball Recipe (with veggies)

With three kinds of veggies and the texture and flavor your kids expect, this Healthy Meatball recipe is a perfect family dinner option. 

Healthy Meatballs (with Hidden Vegetables)

With the texture you expect from a traditional meatball but added nutrition from three types of veggies, your whole family will love these.

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healthy meatballs in large bowl and small kids bowl
Turkey meatballs on plate with side of marinara sauce.

Turkey sweet potato baby meatballs

Paired with sweet potato for extra nutrition and flavor, these meatballs are seriously delicious.

Turkey Sweet Potato Baby Meatballs

With just a few nutritious, flavorful ingredients, you can make a batch of Baby Meatballs (for a baby, toddler, or parent!) with turkey and sweet potato. They freeze well and can be served plain or in marinara sauce.

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Turkey meatballs on plate with side of marinara sauce.
egg-cups-on-plate-with-toast

mini egg muffins with cheese and veggies

These savory muffins are packed with nutritious ingredients and are so quick to bake up—and they work so well to make ahead.

Mini Egg Muffins with Cheese and Veggies

These tender Egg Muffins are packed with protein and vitamins—and can be made ahead of time! Add any veggie you like, whether carrots, butternut squash, broccoli, or spinach.

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egg-cups-on-plate-with-toast
microwave-eggs-on-blue-kids-plate

Quick Scrambled Eggs

Learn how to make eggs in the microwave (so you don’t even need to dirty a pan!) in less than 1 minute. 

How to Make Eggs in the Microwave

You can season the cooked egg with a little salt, butter or cheese if you’d like, but it’s very good as is. See the Note about the heat setting when cooking in a microwave.

Get the recipe

microwave-eggs-on-blue-kids-plate
spinach eggs on two plates on countertop.

Favorite spinach eggs

With a heaping pile of spinach and a super simple method, you can make these bright green Spinach Eggs in less than 10 minutes to share with the kids. 

Favorite Spinach Eggs (Green Eggs Recipe)

Packed with spinach (and iron!), these bright green eggs are fun and delicious. You can serve them as you would scrambled eggs, or use in a breakfast burrito or egg sandwich.

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spinach eggs on two plates on countertop.
greek yogurt pizza dough pizza on counter.

greek yogurt pizza dough

I love this as a seriously easy way to offer a protein- and calcium-rich meal to the whole family. 

Greek Yogurt Pizza Dough

Amazingly tender and fast, this Greek Yogurt Pizza Dough is the easiest pizza dough ever. There’s no yeast, so it doesn’t need time to rise—and yet it bakes up perfectly. Use for personal pizzas, a big pizza to share, or pizza rolls—all in about 20 minutes!

Get the recipe

greek yogurt pizza dough pizza on counter.
Greek yogurt pancakes on various plates with sides.

Fluffy greek yogurt pancakes

These are a great way to fuel up in the morning, they are easy to stir together, and they work with just about any diced fruit your family likes.

Fluffy Greek Yogurt Pancakes

With the most delicious fluffy texture and protein from Greek yogurt, these Greek Yogurt Pancakes are a breakfast win. You can add any fruit you like to the batter, too!

Get the recipe

Greek yogurt pancakes on various plates with sides.
banana-oatmeal-pancakes-on-gray-plate

banana oatmeal pancakes (with extra protein!)

Serve up a balanced mix of complex carbs and protein with these delicious Banana Oatmeal Pancakes. Bonus: The leftovers reheat so well.

Banana Oatmeal Pancakes (with Extra Protein)

Very ripe (with brown spots) bananas will give these pancakes the best flavor. Dice them up or serve whole, according to how the kids prefer to eat them.

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banana-oatmeal-pancakes-on-gray-plate
cottage-cheese-pancakes-on-pooh-plate

quick cottage cheese pancakes

They’re loaded with protein and healthy fats—and are also fluffy and delish.

Quick Cottage Cheese Pancakes

These 4 ingredient pancakes are packed with nutrients and are so yummy. Double the ingredients to make a larger batch to feed a family of four as this recipe is on the smaller side.

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cottage-cheese-pancakes-on-pooh-plate
chocolate-protein-muffins-on-wire-rack

chocolate protein muffins (with veggies!)

These flourless Chocolate Protein Muffins pack in the nutrients but taste like a brownie. They are quickly mixed up in a blender and have so many nutrients tucked inside. 

Chocolate Protein Muffins (With Veggies!)

These simple blender muffins pack a serious nutrition punch and are dairy-free, with a nut-free option. I prefer the flavor of these once they are fully cooled and chilled in the fridge.

healthy chocolate muffins cooling on wire rack
yogurt-muffins-in-flavors-on-countertop-1

Favorite yogurt muffins (6 ways!)

This muffin recipe works so well because the addition of yogurt makes them moist and tender, and it also adds a nice dose of protein, calcium, and probiotics.

Favorite Yogurt Muffins

This is an epic of a basic muffin recipe that you can then add flavor to in all sorts of ways—from fruit to veggies to chocolate chips. The batter is packed with protein too, so the muffins are great for breakfast or snack. (The allergy-friendly substitutions are listed in the Notes section at the bottom.)

Get the recipe

yogurt-muffins-in-flavors-on-countertop
Protein banana bread on cooling rack after baking in over.

Protein Banana Bread

Bursting with natural sweetness and a moist, tender texture, this quick bread is both easy and seriously yummy.

Protein Banana Bread

Make quick work of breakfast or snack time with this satisfying (and so yummy) Protein Banana Bread. It’s a delicious mix of nutrients and perfect to make ahead and share with the kids.

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Protein banana bread on cooling rack after baking in oven.
applesauce-overnight-oats-in-jars

how to make overnight oats

Overnight Oats are a perfect breakfast recipe to make ahead. They pack protein, probiotics, vitamin C, fiber, and healthy fats!

Easy Overnight Oats with Applesauce

You can easily double (or triple!) the recipe to make more servings. It uses a 1 to 1 ratio of yogurt to applesauce so you can easily scale it up. Mix these up the night before you plan to serve them.

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applesauce-overnight-oats-in-jars
Fruit and nut bars cut on parchment paper.

fruit and nut bars (copycat larabar)

These are a great preschool snack (there’s a nut-free option if needed), after-school snack, and pregnancy snack. My whole family enjoys them!

Fruit and Nut Bars (Copycat Larabar)

With just 5 simple and nutritious ingredients and no baking, these Fruit and Nut Bars taste like store-bought Larabars but for less cost. You can customize the flavors and store them in the fridge or freezer for weeks.

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Fruit and nut bars cut on parchment paper.
Bliss balls on red plate.

favorite bliss balls

I am a huge fan of no-bake snacks, including all manner of energy bites and energy balls, and these Bliss Balls are 100% my newest favorite.

Favorite Bliss Balls

These no-bake Bliss Balls have bright berry flavor, are packed with protein and beneficial fats, have only 5 ingredients, and store ridiculously well in the fridge for weeks. They are a satisfying snack to share with the kids.

Get the recipe

Bliss balls on red plate.
peanut-butter-oatmeal-energy-balls

peanut butter oatmeal energy balls

They taste so good and are filled with nutritious ingredients. Plus: They’re ready in under 10 minutes!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Energy Balls

These no-bake bites taste like a cross between oatmeal raisin and peanut butter cookie dough. I use natural creamy peanut butter (like the kind from Smuckers), and it works really well.

Get the recipe

peanut-butter-oatmeal-energy-balls
soft-roasted-chickpeas-on-white-plate

soft roasted chickpeas recipe

This roasted chickpeas recipe is an easy and delicious way to add nutrition to your toddler’s diet. 

Soft Roasted Chickpeas with Cinnamon

If you start with dried beans in this salty-sweet snack, make sure to cook them until they are very tender. If making these for a kiddo under one, use maple syrup instead of honey or skip the sweetener all together.

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roasted chickpea recipe
Yogurt drinks for toddler snack in various flavors in 5 containers with lids

favorite yogurt drinks

I love these since they are a great way to serve up protein and calcium (especially when the littles aren’t so into milk)—and making them at home when I can is one of my favorite ways to reduce my grocery bill. 

Favorite Yogurt Drinks

Learn how to make homemade Yogurt Drinks to save money, customize them just for your kids, and make a nutritious breakfast or snack to share with the kids in under 5 minutes. See the Notes at the end for flavor options.

Get the recipe

Yogurt drinks in stacked in 5 containers
veggie protein shakes for kids in cups

favorite protein shakes for kids (with veggies!)

With simple ingredients, naturally sweet flavor, and about a third of your kiddo’s protein needs for the day, these protein shakes for kids are a great breakfast or snack option.

Favorite Protein Shakes for Kids (with Veggies!)

Serve up a simple, yet nutritious protein smoothie with three flavor options to choose from.

Get the recipe

veggie protein shakes for kids in cups
Chocolate weight gain smoothies in two glasses with straws and toy cars on the side

kids weight gain shake

It has a subtle cocoa flavor, is lightly sweet, and has a solid amount of protein, fat, and calories for kids. 

Kids Weight Gain Shake

Blend up a weight gain smoothie with accessible, nutritious ingredients for a fraction of the cost of store-bought—and with Ia flavor that’s designed to please the kids!

Get the recipe

Chocolate weight gain smoothies in two glasses with straws and toy cars on the side
strawberry-popsicles-on-blue-plate

easy homemade strawberry popsicles

These homemade Strawberry Popsicles are a staple in our house. They are sweet, a tiny bit tangy, nutritious, and a cinch to make. 

Strawberry Popsicles (with Greek Yogurt!)

With bright berry flavor and a creamy texture, these freezer pops are a delicious and nutritious dessert or snack. If making these for a baby, omit the optional sweetener.

Get the recipe

strawberry frozen yogurt pops in molds on blue plate

toddler protein guide

Downloadable Protein Chart for Kids

To help you vary the protein sources you offer, and to remind you of all of the options when you forget, you can download this Toddler Protein Guide for free. Keep it on your phone or print it out and hang it on the fridge!

Related Recipes


I’d love to hear any questions or comments you have on kids and protein, so please comment below!

This post was first published January 2018.

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