Best Low-Sodium High-Protein Snacks
A protein snack only works if the sodium it carries doesn't break your daily budget. The FDA daily limit is 2,300 mg of sodium for adults — but most "high-protein" snacks (jerky, cheese sticks, deli meat) hit 400–800 mg per serving. Below: 12 high-protein snacks in our database, all under 200 mg of sodium per serving and ≥8 g of protein. Useful for DASH dieters, kidney-friendly diets, and anyone keeping sodium in check.
The ranked list
1. House Foods — Organic Tofu
A- 86 / 100 · 0 mg sodium · 14 g protein · 2.04 g fiber
House Foods Organic Tofu: 14g protein per 3 oz, 120 cal, Labelgrade A- (86/100). Complete plant protein, 0 mg sodium, 4-ingredient panel.
2. Crazy Richard's — Creamy Natural Peanut Butter
A- 86 / 100 · 0 mg sodium · 8 g protein · 3.01 g fiber
One ingredient — peanuts. No sugar, no oil, no salt. 8g protein per 2 Tbsp, our top-graded peanut butter at Labelgrade A- (86/100).
3. Nasoya — Organic Tofu Cubed Super Firm
B+ 84 / 100 · 5.1 mg sodium · 9 g protein · 1.02 g fiber
Nasoya Organic Super-Firm Tofu (cubed): 9g protein for 90 calories per 3 oz, near-zero sodium (5.1mg), 120mg calcium, 4-ingredient organic label. Labelgrade B+ (84/100).
4. GoMacro — Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip MacroBar
B 75 / 100 · 10 mg sodium · 11 g protein · 2 g fiber
GoMacro PB Chocolate Chip MacroBar: 11g plant protein per 69g bar, 290 cal, Labelgrade B (75/100). 6 organic whole-food ingredients, no isolates or sugar alcohols — but brown rice syrup pushes sugar to 14g.
5. Lightlife — Lightlife, Organic Three Grains Tempeh
A 90 / 100 · 10.1 mg sodium · 16 g protein · 5.96 g fiber
Lightlife Three Grains Tempeh: 16g protein + 6g fiber for 170 cal per 3 oz, fermented whole soybeans. Labelgrade A (90/100). USDA FDC 1849931.
6. Vega — One All-in-One Nutritional Shake, Vanilla Chai
A 94 / 100 · 19.8 mg sodium · 20 g protein · 5.98 g fiber
Vega One Vanilla Chai: 20g plant protein, ~6g fiber per 44g packet at 170 cal. A vegan all-in-one meal shake, not an isolate. Labelgrade A (94/100).
7. Too Good & Co. — Two Good Blueberry Greek Lowfat Yogurt
B+ 82 / 100 · 25.5 mg sodium · 12 g protein · 0 g fiber
Two Good Blueberry Lowfat Greek Yogurt: 12g protein per 5.3 oz cup, 80 cal, just 2g sugar (stevia, 0g added). Labelgrade B+ (82/100). Slow-strained, real fruit.
8. Ascent — Native Fuel Whey Protein, Cappuccino
A- 89 / 100 · 40 mg sodium · 25 g protein · 0.992 g fiber
Ascent Native Fuel Whey (Cappuccino): 25g native whey protein, 120 cal, 1g sugar per scoop. Monk-fruit sweetened, nothing artificial. Labelgrade A- (89/100).
9. Siggi's — Peach Nonfat Icelandic Skyr
B+ 81 / 100 · 40 mg sodium · 14 g protein · 0 g fiber
Siggi's Peach Nonfat Skyr: 14g protein, 110 cal, 8g sugar (only 5g added) per cup. Labelgrade B+ (81/100). The low-sugar flavored skyr — real peaches, no stevia.
10. Two Good — Lowfat Vanilla Greek Yogurt
B+ 80 / 100 · 40 mg sodium · 13 g protein · 0 g fiber
Two Good Vanilla: 13g protein, only 2g sugar, 90 cal/cup. Labelgrade B+ (80/100). Slow-strain process vs Oikos Triple Zero & Chobani Zero Sugar compared.
11. Vega — Sport Protein Bar, Chocolate Coconut
B- 72 / 100 · 40.2 mg sodium · 15 g protein · 4 g fiber
Vega Sport Chocolate Coconut: 15g vegan protein per 60g bar, Labelgrade B- (72/100). Real rice+pea protein, but 19g sugar (cane sugar + 3 syrups) grades F.
12. Atkins — Lift Protein Drink, Berry
B 79 / 100 · 40.6 mg sodium · 20 g protein
Atkins Lift Berry: 20g whey-isolate protein, 0g sugar, 0g fat for ~91 cal per bottle. Labelgrade B (79/100). A clear, sippable protein drink — not a creamy shake.
How we picked these
Three filters: (1) ≥8 g of protein per serving, (2) ≤200 mg of sodium per serving, (3) sodium load dimension score ≥80/100 on our v3 methodology (which penalizes per-100 g sodium density, not just per-serving). Sorted by sodium ascending, then protein descending. Drawn from our graded products catalog. Verified against USDA FoodData Central, last refreshed 2026-05-27.
What\'s notably missing
You\'ll see almost no cheese, no jerky, no deli meat, no protein bars over 200 mg sodium, and no shelf-stable protein chips on this list. Those categories are systematically higher in sodium — they\'re convenient but they spend your sodium budget faster than the products above.
Related guides
- Labelgrade methodology — including how we score the sodium load dimension
- Greek yogurt vs cottage cheese — sodium is a key difference between these two
- What "high in protein" actually means under FDA rules
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does sodium matter when picking high-protein snacks?
The FDA daily limit is 2,300 mg of sodium for adults. Most Americans consume 3,400+ mg per day — primarily from processed foods and restaurant meals. For DASH dieters, blood pressure management, kidney disease, and many other clinical situations, keeping snack sodium low matters. Many "high-protein" snacks (jerky, cheese sticks, deli meats, protein bars) are surprisingly high in sodium — 400–800 mg per serving is common. Picking lower-sodium options frees up your sodium budget for actual meals.
What's a "low-sodium" snack by FDA rules?
FDA defines "low sodium" as ≤140 mg per serving, "very low sodium" as ≤35 mg, and "sodium-free" as <5 mg. "Reduced sodium" means at least 25% less than the reference product. For practical purposes, snacks under 200 mg per serving are reasonable for most diets; under 100 mg is excellent for DASH and clinical low-sodium needs.
Which categories tend to be naturally low-sodium?
Plain Greek yogurt (50–100 mg per 100 g), cottage cheese with no salt added (rare, but Good Culture has versions), unsalted nuts and seeds, plain protein powder + water shakes (10–50 mg per serving), eggs (~70 mg per egg), plain milk (~100 mg per 8 oz). Things to avoid for low-sodium budgets: regular cottage cheese (300–460 mg per 100 g), most cheese (180–600 mg per oz), jerky (400–800 mg per oz), deli meat (450–700 mg per 2 oz), processed snack chips.
Is unsalted jerky actually a thing?
Yes, but rare. Most beef jerky is preserved with salt and cures, which is why sodium runs 400–800 mg per oz. Genuinely low-sodium jerky exists (some Krave, some artisan brands) but typically requires refrigeration after opening because the salt isn't doing the preservation work. Not a typical drugstore aisle find.
What about "no salt added" labels?
"No salt added" doesn't mean low sodium — it means no salt was added during processing, but the food may still contain naturally-occurring sodium. A "no salt added" cottage cheese still has 30–60 mg per 100 g of natural sodium from milk. The FDA-regulated low-sodium claim (≤140 mg per serving) is the better marker than "no salt added."
Best low-sodium protein for blood pressure management?
Plain non-fat Greek yogurt (Fage Total 0%, Chobani Plain Non-Fat) is the standout — protein-dense, sodium-light, and DASH-compliant. Plain whey protein in water as a shake is also excellent. Hard-boiled eggs deliver decent protein at ~70 mg of sodium per egg. Most DASH guidelines explicitly recommend Greek yogurt as a daily staple for this reason.
Why do protein bars have so much sodium?
Two reasons. (1) Salt enhances sweetness — needed to balance the artificial or natural sweeteners. (2) Sodium-containing leavening (sodium bicarbonate) and emulsifiers (sodium phosphate, sodium caseinate) appear in many engineered bars. Most protein bars run 130–250 mg of sodium per serving — moderate, not alarming, but it adds up across multiple bars per day.
How does sodium relate to DASH and the Mediterranean diet?
DASH explicitly targets ≤2,300 mg of sodium per day (≤1,500 mg for the "low-sodium DASH" stricter version). Mediterranean isn't as quantitatively specific but generally emphasizes the same lower-sodium pattern. Both diets favor the snacks at the top of this list: Greek yogurt, unsalted nuts, eggs, plain protein. Both diets specifically discourage processed cheese, jerky, deli meat, and packaged crackers/chips — all high-sodium categories.