Last Updated on August 30, 2026 by Mandy Tyler, M.Ed., RD, CSSD, LD

Best Snacks for After a Workout: Refuel and Recover

Wondering what snacks athletes should eat after a workout to support their recovery nutrition needs? Let’s explore a variety of snacks that can help athletes refuel and recover after an intense workout session.

Planning Snacks for After a Workout

When determining what snacks athletes should eat after a workout, it is important to keep their recovery nutrition needs in mind.

Following a workout, it is important for athletes to:

• Rehydrate: Consume fluid and electrolytes to replace sweat losses
• Refuel: Consume carbohydrates to refill energy stores
• Build and Repair: Consume protein to build and repair muscles

When Do Athletes Need a Snack After a Workout?

Athletes should prioritize a snack after a workout when it will be several hours until their next meal. For example, if an athlete has morning practice and is heading straight to class from the workout, eating a post-workout snack is important.

However, if an athlete plans to head straight to the cafeteria or home to eat breakfast, a post-workout snack (or protein shake) is not necessary. Simply eating a well-balanced breakfast will support the athlete’s recovery nutrition needs.

Adding Carbohydrates to a Snack After a Workout

Carbohydrates provide athletes with the energy needed for high-intensity workouts. Following a workout, it is important for athletes to refill their carbohydrate stores used for fuel during the exercise session.

Athletes can add carbohydrates to their post-workout snack from a variety of food groups, including: grains, fruit, starch vegetables, milk, and yogurt.

Easy Ways to Add Carbs to a Post-Workout Snack

Some of my favorite ways to add carbs to a snack after a workout include:

• Bagel, bread, wrap, breakfast cereal, oatmeal, granola
• Granola bar, breakfast bar, fig bar
• Pretzels, pita chips, crackers
• Banana, fresh fruit, dried fruit, fruit juice
• Chocolate milk, milk, yogurt

Adding Protein to a Snack After a Workout

In addition to carbohydrates, athletes should consume protein with their post-workout snack. Protein provides the building blocks (amino acids) needed to build and repair muscle following activity.

It is recommended that athletes aim to consume 0.3 grams of protein per kg of body weight following a workout session (1). For a 165-pound athlete this would be ~23 grams of protein.

Based on this, I typically recommend athletes aim for 25-30 grams of protein with their post-workout snack.

Easy Ways to Add Protein to a Post-Workout Snack

Athletes can add protein to their post-workout snack in a variety of ways, including:

• Greek yogurt, Greek yogurt drinks
• Chocolate milk, high-protein milk, soy milk
• Cottage cheese, cheese sticks, sliced cheese
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Individual packages of tuna or salmon
• Deli meat: Turkey, chicken, ham, roast beef
• Shredded rotisserie chicken
• Nuts, nut butter, hummus

Pro Tip: Athletes following a plant-based diet can find additional ideas on my blog: Post-Workout Vegetarian Snacks.

Hydrate with Your Snack After a Workout

Along with their post-workout snack, it is important for athletes to hydrate. Weighing before and after a workout can help athletes determine the amount of fluid lost in sweat during the exercise session.

For each pound of weight lost, athletes should aim to drink 20-24 oz of fluid before the next exercise session, in order to fully rehydrate (1). 

Consuming sodium, in either food or beverages, with the post-workout snack can help athletes with replacing the sodium lost in sweat (2). This is particularly important if athletes have limited time to rehydrate before their next workout.

Pro Tip: A fruit smoothie can be a great recovery drink option following a workout. Athletes can simply blend together their favorite frozen fruits, leafy greens, Greek yogurt, and high-protein milk to create a power-packed post-workout smoothie.

Should Athletes Drink a Protein Shake After a Workout?

A protein shake can be a convenient option for athletes when they have limited time to grab a snack after a workout. A ready-to-drink shake can be a simple solution for supporting an athlete with meeting their post-workout protein needs.

However, keep in mind that most protein shakes are low in carbohydrates. Thus, athletes should make sure to grab a high-carb snack along with their protein shake.

As discussed above, there are numerous ways athletes can meet their protein needs with real food items. When time allows, I prefer athletes include protein-rich food items in their post-workout snack.

Pro Tip: Before buying a protein shake, make sure to review my blog with key considerations on selecting a protein powder for teen athletes.

Snacks for After a Workout: Carbs + Protein Combos

Putting this together, here are some of my favorite post-workout snack combinations for athletes.

• Chocolate milk with granola bars
• Peanut butter and jelly sandwich with milk
• Greek yogurt with berries, walnuts, and protein granola
• Hard-boiled eggs, cheese stick, graham crackers
• Turkey and cheese wrap, tart cherry juice
• Jerky, pretzels, 100% fruit juice
• Breakfast bars with high-protein milk
• Cottage cheese with chia seeds and pineapple, fig bars
• Protein overnight oats
• Pita chips, hummus, soy milk
• Tuna pita pocket with grapes
• Ham, sliced cheese, crackers, grapes

Pro Tip: Anti-inflammatory foods, such as berries, tart cherry juice, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish, are all great additions to an athlete’s snack following a workout.

Best Snacks for After a Workout

You now have a variety of snack ideas that athletes can enjoy after a workout to support their recovery nutrition needs.

For additional sports nutrition tips for athletes, make sure to check out my blog on pre vs. post-workout nutrition.

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About the Author

Mandy Tyler is a Sports Dietitian Nutritionist in the San Antonio, TX area. She is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian, a Board-Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, a Licensed Athletic Trainer, and is a Certified Exercise Physiologist through the American College of Sports Medicine.  Mandy has experience working with athletes at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. She believes the key to reaching one’s full potential, both in everyday life and in sports performance, relies on a healthy nutritional foundation. 

If you are looking to take your performance to the next level, make sure to check out my Sports Nutrition Game Day Guide. This downloadable guide is written to help athletes develop an individualized plan to achieve peak performance on game day.