Evidence-based
This article is based on scientific evidence because it has been written, fact-checked, reviewed, and regularly updated by experts that follow our strict editorial process.
The sources used by our editorial team are trustworthy, experienced, and authoritative, such as peer-reviewed journals and governmental information.
All the pieces of evidence are clearly highlighted in the articles as sources in the form of clickable endnotes ([1],[2],[3]) or simple in-text links.
Learn more about our editorial process.
Medically Reviewed
Unfold Today articles that require additional medical expertise are reviewed by a qualified member of our Expert Review Network, a group inside Unfold Today's team that verifies content to guarantee that the information delivered to our readers is thorough, authoritative, accurate, and fact-based.
Shannon Palmer, RDN, is a registered dietitian nutritionist with 2 Bachelor's degrees from James Madison University, one in Dietetics and one in General Biology, and a Master's degree in Sports Nutrition obtained at Florida State University.
If you do not focus on eating healthy high-calorie foods by balancing your protein, carb, and fat intake, you will have a hard time achieving your weight gain goals, whether you are a bodybuilder in their bulking phase, a skinny man looking to put on muscle, a female trying to get thicker, or a parent whose kids or babies can’t seem to get heavier.
Simply put…
To gain healthy weight fast, respectively to boost your muscle mass, you have to eat food that is high in calories and also provides enough nutrients for your body’s needs.
Generally, high-calorie foods are low-volume foods that are dense in nutrients like proteins, carbs, and fat.
Per FDA, high-calorie foods have at least 400 calories per common serving.
FDA considers every individual packaged food that has at least 400 calories per serving to be high in calories.[1] The serving sizes are based on the common amounts of food typically consumed by people.[2] The common serving proportions are updated and listed by FDA.[3]
However, since gaining weight usually requires you to eat more than an average person would, we ranked high-calorie foods by the number of calories per 100 g (3.5 oz), instead of a “per common serving” basis.
So…
For people who want to gain weight, high-calorie foods have at least 400 calories per 100 g (3.5 oz) of consumed food.
If you’re wondering what food has the most calories, find below the best 10 healthy high-calorie foods for weight gain:
We made a list of healthy high-calorie foods, extracted from different food groups, so you can pick the most convenient nourishment for any time of the day, whether you're looking for calorie-dense snacks, meal replacements, meats, vegetables, fruits, or oils.
Find below the list of high-calorie foods that can help you gain weight easier.
Including healthy high-calorie snacks in your meal plan is one of the best ways to increase your daily calorie intake, and thus gain weight.
Explore the best 11 high-calorie snacks for gaining weight below.
Calories: 476-1830 per shake
If you're looking for the high-calorie snack that is hands down the most helpful in gaining weight, you have it: weight gain shakes.
Depending on the high-calorie shake you prefer, this type of nutritious drink can be rich in proteins, carbs, fats, or all of the above. Thus, shakes are slurpable snacks that fit many diets and needs.
Here are the top 10 shakes with the most calories:
Do you want to know how to prepare each of the shakes listed above? Check out the recipes for each of the shakes, as well as additional tips, in our in-depth article on high-calorie shakes for weight gain.
Calories: 400-1254 per smoothie
Smoothies are the high-calorie snacks with the second-most calories, and so, they are one of your best allies if you are trying to gain weight.
Also, since smoothies count among both the high-fat and high-carb foods, they will load you up with plenty of energy, on top of helping you gain weight. However, let's not forget that many smoothies, like the Muscle Building Smoothie, are high in proteins as well.
Furthermore, smoothies are healthy snacks full of vitamins because they usually have fruits and vegetables in their composition.
Here are the top 10 smoothies with the most calories:
Want to find out how to make each of the above smoothies? Check out the recipes for each of the above in our comprehensive article about high-calorie smoothies for weight gain.
And in case you want to come up with your own smoothie recipes for weight gain, learn how to make a high-calorie smoothie.
If you, however, are not sure whether smoothies or shakes are better for you, find out the differences between them in our smoothie vs shake comparison.
To include more calories in your smoothie, put nuts, seeds, milk, yogurt, or some add-ins before you blend the mix. Some common add-ins are the ones based on carbs, such as honey and dark chocolate, but you can also use protein-based add-ins, such as protein powder.
The best way to get your hands on high-calorie smoothies is to prepare them at home. This way, you will not only know how many calories you put in it, but you will also have peace of mind knowing that you used only natural ingredients.
Calories: 61-717 per 100 g (3.5 oz)
High-calorie dairy snacks are foods that will help you gain weight because they are either rich in proteins, either rich in fats, or both.
What is clear is that calorie-dense dairy products, excluding ice cream, make for great food choices for people following low-carb diets.
Moreover, dairy snacks, like milk, yogurt, and butter, have the added benefit of being low in sodium.
Here is a list of the high-calorie dairy snacks with the most calories and their nutrition facts:
Note: not all of the dairy snacks above meet the high-calorie criteria of having over 400 calories. However, string cheese is very close to being high-calorie while ice cream, full-fat Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and whole milk, earned their place on the list because of their wide consumption and versatility, which make them useful foods for people looking to gain weight.
Generally, dairy snacks that are rich in protein and fat, like butter, cheddar cheese, full-fat Greek yogurt, and cottage cheese, taste well with high-carb weight gain foods, such as a slice of whole-grain bread, dried fruits, or honey.
However, when it comes to ice cream, which has a significant amount of carbs, you can easily combine it with some nuts, which will boost both your fat and protein intake, and thus sky-rocket your calories.
Another great tip is to use whole milk to make high-calorie drinks, weight gain smoothies, or calorie-dense shakes.
You can buy dairy snacks from your local grocery store, order them online, or make a deal with a farmer around your place to have them delivered to your door.
Calories: 509-719 per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Nuts and nut butters are some of the snacks with the most calories due to the combination of healthy fats and proteins found in their composition, which will inevitably ease your weight gain efforts.
Here are the top 3 high-calorie nuts and nut butters for weight gain:
Discover many more nuts and nut butters that will help you gain weight, how to eat them so you maximize your calorie intake, and many more useful tips in our article about high-calorie nuts and nut butters.
Calories: 486-657 per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Given their high-fat content and solid protein levels, seeds are healthy high-calorie snacks that can easily boost your calorie intake and aid in your weight gain journey.
Tip: eat unsalted seeds to keep your sodium intake low.
Here is a list of high-calorie seeds for weight gain:
For more seeds that will help you gain weight, head over to our in-depth article about high-calorie snacks.
Seeds taste great sprinkled over whole-grain cereals, dipped in honey, mixed with dried fruits, or along with some canned tuna.
Find packaged seeds in grocery stores or online marketplaces.
Calories: 517-622 per 100 g (3.5 oz)
As weight gain snacks, high-calorie bars are nutrient-dense either because they are packed with proteins, in the case of protein bars, or because they are filled with all three macronutrients, as is the case with meal replacement bars.
Therefore, many types of high-calorie bars count among the foods with high-carb content and most of them are also high in fat while featuring solid levels of protein, characteristics that will ultimately help you gain healthy weight easier.
Here are the top 5 high-calorie bars with the most calories per 100 g (3.5 oz):
Dark Chocolate Chip YES Bar nutrition facts
Have some Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or other dairy snacks alongside your bar to increase your protein and calorie intake.
Look for high-calorie bars in grocery stores, online marketplaces, or on the official websites of the makers of the bars. Alternatively, you can always bake calorie-dense protein or meal replacement bars at home.
Use our list of high-calorie bars to find the best bars on the market and recipes for how to bake weight gain bars at home.
Calories: 598 per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Dark chocolate is a high-calorie snack that will make your bulking efforts easier due to its nutritious content, which is high in carbs and fats.
On top of this, if you want to improve your mood, you will benefit from nibbling on some dark chocolate.
Dark chocolate nutrition facts
You can mix dark chocolate with other high-calorie snacks such as dried fruits, nuts, or if you want to get fancy, some cheese.
Get dark chocolate from your nearest grocery store, visit a chocolate shop, or order it online.
Calories: 203-497 per 100 g (3.5 oz)
High-calorie whole grain snacks are foods that will help you both to put on weight and energize yourself mainly because they are high in carbs.
Besides, whole-grain snacks, like all-wheat bread and whole-grain cereals, have the added benefit of being low in sodium.
List of high-calorie snacks made from whole grains
Note: not all whole-grain snacks above meet the high-calorie criteria of having over 400 calories. Nevertheless, popcorn, whole grain cereals, whole wheat bread, and pancakes made the list because of their popularity and versatility, which make them convenient for people looking to gain weight.
Find out more whole grain snacks in our comprehensive article about high-calorie snacks.
To gain weight easier, combine whole grain snacks with fatty and protein-based high-calorie foods, like nut butters or some dairy snacks.
For example, you can spread peanut butter on a slice of whole-grain bread or eat a bowl of whole-grain cereals with some whole milk poured over.
You can buy whole grain snacks from patisseries, grocery stores, order them online, or make them at home.
Anyone flipping pancakes tonight?
Canned tuna photo (middle) credits: Marco Verch from Flickr (license: Creative Commons)
Calories: 85-410 per 100 g (3.5 oz)
High-calorie snacks made of meat are great for gaining weight because meat is generally an excellent source of proteins. Also, a lot of meaty snacks have plenty of fat, which is going to leverage your calorie intake.
On the other side, meat snacks are generally low in carbs. For example, canned tuna and smoked pork tenderloin count among the foods with zero carbohydrates.
Besides, tuna and pork tenderloin are low-fat foods, but they're also high-protein sources, like it's the case with most calorie-dense meat snacks.
Beef jerky is one of the meat snacks with the most calories, especially since it's a high-fat food.
Beef jerky nutrition facts
Beware that jerky is packed with sodium, so make sure to not eat too many pieces a day.
Other meat snacks with a good number of calories are:
Even though meat snacks like canned tuna and pork tenderloin do not respect FDA’s high-calorie definition, they are very helpful in building muscle because they are almost pure sources of proteins.
For a plus of calories, combine meat snacks with whole-grain snacks, like some whole wheat bread, or some healthy fats, in case you pick a meat snack that is only loaded with proteins.
You can usually find meat snacks at your local butcher shop, at the grocery store, or you can search for them online.
Calories: 280-304 per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Even though sugary snacks are not healthy in large quantities because they are chokeful of sugar, their high-calorie content, filled with carbs, can be helpful when you’re trying to gain weight.
Also, if you're following a low-fat or low-protein diet, you will find sugary snacks very convenient when you're looking for extra calories.
High-calorie sugary snacks for weight gain:
Note: neither honey nor jam meet the high-calorie criteria of having over 400 calories. However, both are popular foods closing in on the 400-calorie mark, so they still come handy for persons struggling to gain weight.
For a significant caloric boost, combine sugary snacks with dairy snacks, like cottage cheese or Greek yogurt, or with some whole grain foods, like whole-wheat bread.
Try to find honey at your local farmer’s market, at the grocery store, or order it online.
Calories: 155 per 2 large boiled eggs (100 g or 3.5 oz)
Although hard-boiled eggs do not meet FDA’s criteria for high-calorie foods, they are a staple ingredient or snack in many weight gain diets due to their increased protein level.
Also, since eggs are high in fat and have almost zero carbohydrates, they are excellent calorie-dense foods for people following low-carb diets, like the keto diet.
Moreover, eggs are low in sodium and count among the easiest-to-digest foods.
Therefore, we couldn’t leave eggs out from this list of high-calorie foods.
Hard-boiled eggs nutrition facts
Since eggs are low in carbs, you can complement this snack with other high-calorie foods made from whole grains, like an English muffin or a few slices of whole wheat bread.
Alternatively, you can add eggs to a salad along with some calorie-dense vegetables, oils, and even some other dairy snacks.
Get a pack of eggs from your local grocery store or the farmer’s market. Also, you can order them online.
Related: 56 High-Calorie Snacks for Healthy Weight Gain (Bulking)
Calorie-dense meal replacements are high-calorie foods that offer a significant amount of each type of macronutrient (proteins, carbs, and fats).
Some of the most nutritious types of meal replacements are the high-calorie bars, which we have talked about in the high-calorie snacks section of this article.
Related: 25 Best High-Calorie Bars for Healthy Weight Gain
In addition, you have the option to consume meal replacements in the form of high-calorie drinks, such as calorie-dense smoothies, weight gain shakes, and more.
High-calorie fruits, fresh or dried, are delicious foods that can be of tremendous help when you’re trying to gain weight, especially if you know which fruits have the most calories.
Calories: 277-660 per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Often consumed as snacks, dried fruits are high-calorie fruits with increased levels of carbs due to their dehydrated nature, which is exactly why they will help you meet your calorie goals easier.
In terms of fat content, you can pick either low-fat dried fruits, like dehydrated bananas and dried mango, and high-fat ones, such as desiccated coconut.
Unfortunately, dried fruits don't have too many proteins. For example, dried mango and dried blueberries count among the low-protein foods for gaining weight.
As a nutritional advantage, dried fruits are low in sodium.
High-calorie dried fruits for weight gain:
Note: not all the dried fruits above meet the high-calorie criteria of having over 400 calories. However, since dried goji berries, dehydrated bananas, dried mango, and dried blueberries count among the fruits with the most calories, they can be of tremendous help to people looking to gain weight.
Find more dried fruits in our list of high-calorie fruits for weight gain.
Dried fruits go well with whole-grain cereals at breakfast time, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or ice cream, but you can also mix them with other high-calorie ingredients to make homemade bars, weight gain smoothies, or calorie-dense shakes.
You can find dried fruits in grocery stores and online.
Calories: 89-354 per 100 g (3.5 oz)
High-calorie fresh fruits will help you both to gain weight and get energized because they are high in carbs and full of vitamins, which also makes them exceptionally healthy.
In terms of fat content, some weight gain fruits, such as tamarinds and bananas, count among the list of low-fat high-calorie foods while other fruits, like avocados and coconuts, are high in fat.
All fresh fruits are low in protein and sodium.
Here is a list of high-calorie fresh fruits for weight gain:
Note: none of the fresh fruits above meet the high-calorie criteria of having over 400 calories. However, since coconuts, tamarinds, and avocados count among the fruits with the most calories, they can be of great help to people trying to gain weight.
See our complete article about high-calorie fruits to find more fresh fruits but also fruit juices that will help you gain weight.
If one serving of high-calorie fruits is not enough, you can add more calories by combining them with full-fat Greek yogurt, ice cream, some nuts, or a handful of seeds. Also, you can mix fresh fruits with other ingredients and make high-calorie smoothies and shakes.
You can find fresh fruits in grocery stores, at the farmer’s market, online, or you can grow some in your garden, if you have one.
Related: 20 Remarkably High-Calorie Fruits for Weight Gain (List)
If you’re looking for high-calorie foods that will also bring many vitamins and minerals to your body, know that some vegetables can be surprisingly nutritious.
Calories: 114-345 per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Although vegetables are often considered low-calorie, there are plenty of high-calorie veggies that will help you in the weight gaining process because of their high-carb content.
Protein-wise, some high-calorie vegetables, like the dried versions of spirulina, chives, and parsley, are high-protein while calorie-dense starchy vegetables, like yams, cassava, and yautia, are low in protein.
All the high-calorie vegetables are low in fat and sodium.
Find below the top 5 vegetables with the highest number of calories per 100 g (3.5 oz):
Note: none of the vegetables above meet the high-calorie criteria of having over 400 calories. However, since dried chile peppers, dehydrated carrots, dried chives, dried Asian mushrooms, and dried spirulina count among the vegetables with the most calories, they are very handy for anyone trying to gain weight.
Visit our comprehensive article about high-calorie vegetables to discover more calorie-dense veggies for weight gain and their nutrition facts.
High-calorie vegetables can successfully complement well-cooked poultry or red meat. Combined, veggies and meat, make for tasty high-calorie meals.
In addition, you can put high-calorie vegetables into a blender along with other calorie-dense ingredients to make weight gain smoothies, like the Mint Chocolate Banana one, or high-calorie shakes, like the Vegan Avocado Protein Shake.
You can get vegetables from a local farmer, the farmer’s market, or grocery stores, or order them online.
Related: 15 Surprisingly High-Calorie Vegetables for Weight Gain
For non-vegans, high-calorie meat, whether it's red or poultry meat, is one of the best protein foods you can eat during the day. Therefore, since protein is essential for muscle growth, meat will help you not only to gain weight but also to build muscle easier.
Lamb loin (left) photo credits: Naotake Murayama from Flickr (license: Creative Commons)
Calories: 242-316 calories/100 g (3.5 oz)
While red meat is not as lean as poultry, its fatty content makes it a more attractive high-calorie food choice for people looking to gain weight.
Also, red meat is a great fit for people on low-carb diets and for those trying to build muscle, especially bodybuilders, as red meat counts among the list of high-protein foods for weight gain.
Another good thing about red meat is that it's low in sodium.
List of high-calorie red meat:
Note: none of the red meats listed above meet the high-calorie requirement of having more than 400 calories. Yet, because lamb, beef, and pork meat are among the meats highest in calories, they can be especially advantageous to people trying to gain weight.
Besides combining red meat with high-calorie vegetables, such as beans or lentils, you can get two whole wheat buns, add some sun-dried tomatoes, and make yourself a homemade high-calorie beef, lamb, or pork burger.
Add some cheddar cheese, and you've made yourself a nutritious cheeseburger.
To procure red meat, you may go and negotiate with a local farmer, purchase it from a meat shop, acquire it from the supermarket, or buy it online.
Calories: 173-201 per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Poultry meat will help you gain weight because it is rich in proteins and usually has some fat as well.
Also, poultry meat is a very convenient muscle-building food for those following a low-carb diet, such as the keto one. In addition, poultry is low in sodium.
List of high-calorie poultry meat:
"Chicken thighs are higher in calories than chicken breast," says Shannon Palmer, MS, RDN.
Note: none of the meats listed above fulfill the high-calorie requirement of having more than 400 calories. However, because duck, chicken, and turkey meat are among the meats highest in calories, they can be particularly beneficial to persons attempting to gain weight.
For a calorie boost, it’s a good idea to serve poultry meat alongside a garnish made of high-calorie vegetables, like some dried Asian mushrooms, some boiled chickpeas, or some exotic yautia.
To find poultry meat, you can go straight to the source and deal with a local farmer, buy it from the butcher shop, get some from the grocery store, or order the meat online.
Whenever you need some extra calories, you can rely on high-calorie oils to increase your calorie intake and meet your daily goals because they are full of fat.
Peanut oil photo credits: Yuka from Open Food Facts (license: Creative Commons)
Calories: 884-892 calories
Oils are great in keto diets or any other diets based on low-carb foods.
Another plus is that oils are sodium-free.
However, a significant downside of oils is that they have zero proteins.
High-calorie oils for weight gain:
Sometimes you can find oils at the farmer’s market, but you can’t go wrong if you search for them in a grocery store or order them online.
Calories: 260-459 per 100 ml (3.5 fl oz)
High-calorie syrups have a lot of calories because they are made mainly from sugar, whether that comes from fruits, starch, or others sources, like sugar beets.
Here are the top 3 high-calorie syrups for weight gain:
Discover many more syrups that can help you gain weight, how to consume them safely, and more helpful tips in our article about weight gain syrups.
To gain weight the healthy way, which means to build muscle instead of adding fat, you need to eat more calories than you consume every day and exercise while focusing on a balanced intake of proteins, carbs, and fat coming from healthy high-calorie sources instead of junk food.
By doing this, your body will use the extra calories you eat to fuel up for workouts and repair muscles, instead of storing them as fat.
Talking about fueling your workouts, low-fat high-calorie foods make for great ingredients in pre-workout meals for muscle gain.
Eating high-calorie foods and not exercising can lead to unhealthy fat gain.
If you don't have access to a gym, you can always exercise from the comfort of your house. Here are some at-home biceps exercises recommended by certified personal trainer Tim Dobrota.
If you want to gain weight the healthy way, you need to have a high-calorie but balanced diet that provides you with enough of each macronutrient (proteins, carbs, and fats).
While every diet requires you to eat different shares of proteins, carbs, and fats, it’s very useful to know which high-calorie foods are high and low in each macronutrient.
Here are the best high-carb foods for weight gain:
If you are on a low-carb diet and want to boost your calorie intake, you need to keep your carbohydrates under control.
To do this, you should focus on foods high in calories but low in carbs.
Find below the high-calorie foods that are high in fat, macronutrient that can contribute to healthy weight gain if eaten responsibly:
It might be challenging to find keto foods that are high in nutrient-dense calories because many of the available ketogenic options are extremely rich in fats and lack protein.
To keep a nutritious ketogenic diet, get ideas from our comprehensive list of high-calorie keto foods.
Find below the top 7 high-calorie foods with low levels of fat:
Check out our dedicated article on high-calorie low-fat foods to get much more lean meal ideas, whether you want to gain weight or just reduce the saturated fat in your diet.
Here are the high-protein foods that will help you gain weight easier:
Here are the high-calorie foods that are low in protein:
Find below the high-calorie foods that are low in sodium:
If you consume high-calorie foods sloppily, you may end up feeling full before reaching your daily calorie goals.
Yet, you can avoid being satiated and still gain weight by eating low-volume high-calorie foods, which don't make you feel full.
When it comes to eating high-calorie foods, everyone has their own reason for doing so.
For example, underweight people do it because they have a fast metabolism or suffer from something that makes it harder for them to put on pounds.
To expand, bodybuilders do it to add extra size during their bulking periods or to maintain their weight while many skinny females do it to get more pronounced curves.
How do you know if you’re underweight?
You are underweight and probably need to gain weight if your body mass index (BMI) is under 18.5.[58]
Don’t know what is your BMI? Calculate it using CDC’s BMI calculator.
However, not all high-calorie foods are suitable for everyone.
Below are the best high-calorie foods for whatever is your reason to increase your calorie intake, and thus, to gain weight.
If you are a bodybuilder in your bulking phase, you can eat most of the healthy high-calorie foods in this article because all of them will help you increase your calorie intake and stay on a caloric surplus, even if you train intensively.
In a world where the bulk of females want to lose weight, there are also many who want to gain weight, cases where high-calorie foods come in extremely handy.
If you’re a skinny or underweight adult woman trying to gain weight, start by including the most effective weight gain foods for females in your diet.
And if you are not yet great at meal planning, follow one of the weight gain meal plans for females.
In the case of breastfeeding females, they should eat high-calorie foods that are dense in healthy nutrients while complying with their healthcare provider’s guidance.[59]
Since babies generally don’t have a big appetite, they should be fed only nutritious, mostly high-calorie, foods to ensure they get the necessary nutrients to gain weight and develop properly.
Here are the high-calorie foods you can feed your baby, according to their age:
However, you need to be careful when you give your baby nuts because the risk of choking is higher in this case.
On the other side, feeding a baby with peanut-based foods in their first year of life decreases the risk of them developing a food allergy to peanuts, according to the official Dietary Guidelines.[59]
In addition to the high-calorie foods a baby can eat until it gets to one year old, toddlers can start to consume whole cow milk and more whole grain snacks, which will help them gain weight easier.
According to the DGA, the limit of calories per day for toddlers is between 700 and 1400 calories, depending on age, sex, and weight.
Also, the dietary experts say that both babies and toddlers should avoid sugary snacks, like honey and jam, high-calorie foods that are high in sodium, and unpasteurized foods and beverages.[59]
As kids grow up, they will need more and more calories to gain weight, which means more high-calorie foods that are rich in healthy nutrients.
While the most adequate high-calorie foods for kids aged 4 to 8 years are the ones from early childhood, the DGA recommends an increase in vegetables, whole grains, and seafood.
In the case of kids, they should eat between 1200 and 2000 calories per day, depending on their age, sex, and weight.[59]
Elderly people should eat high-calorie foods so they cover all their nutritional needs, so they should focus on eating calorie-dense protein foods, such as:
In addition, the DGA says that elderly should eat breakfast cereals fortified with vitamin B12.[59]
Diabetics should first consult with their doctor or stick to their medically-approved diet plan when they want to start consuming more high-calorie foods for gaining weight.[60]
These are the high-calorie foods that diabetics can safely consume, provided they stick to their doctor-approved diet plan:
In addition to the above, make sure to avoid high sodium foods, such as luncheons, and sugary snacks, like honey and jam.
The American Cancer Society recommends the following high-calorie foods for cancer patients:
Besides the above, the cancer experts recommend eating as many fruits and vegetables to increase your health.[61]
Therefore, cancer patients should also be consuming high-calorie fruits and vegetables.
When going backpacking or hiking, you usually don’t have time to sit and cook or spend too much time eating, so you need to bring with you high-calorie foods that can be easily consumed.
Here are the best high-calorie foods for backpacking and hiking:
If you’re a vegan trying to gain weight, you should know that high-calorie foods are diverse and meet almost anybody’s eating behaviors.
Here are the high-calorie foods that vegans can eat:
If you’re worried that you don’t afford healthy high-calorie foods, know that there is plenty of foods for every budget.
Some of the cheapest high-calorie foods are peanut butter, canola oil, whole chicken, and bananas.
To find many more affordable nutrient-dense options, check our comprehensive list of over 45 cheap high-calorie foods for weight gain.
Especially when it comes to elderly people with poor dentition that need to gain weight, soft high-calorie foods and the ones that can be pureed come extremely handy.
Here is a list of soft high-calorie foods:
You can do purees out of starchy high-calorie vegetables, like yams, cassava, and yautia, but also from calorie-dense fruits, such as avocado and bananas. In addition, you can blend in some pieces of well-cooked red or poultry meat for a greater intake of proteins.
Some people like to prepare or cook high-calorie snacks and meals at home using only natural ingredients instead of buying them from stores, where they can risk investing in edibles with artificial additives.
However, keep in mind that preparing high-calorie foods at home is more time-consuming.
Here are some high-calorie foods you can make at home:
And if you don't know how to make ice cream at home, here is Jerry James Stone's video recipe for homemade ice cream.
In addition, you can grow high-calorie foods in your garden (if you have one) by planting calorie-dense fruits, like passion fruits and bananas (if you live in a warm subtropical climate), or vegetables, like beans or chickpeas.
When eating high-calorie foods, you can easily find yourself filled up if you don’t eat strategically.
Therefore, here are some simple tips for gaining weight the easy way:
Through the process of high-calorie meal prepping, you prepare your meals and snacks for the next day, few days, or week, according to your meal plan, which should be filled with calorie-dense foods proper for a weight gain diet.
As an example, let’s look at a sample meal plan.
This one-day meal plan is tailored for an active man or female trying to gain weight that needs 3000 calories a day to do so.
Pre-workout breakfast snack: 769 calories
Post-workout snack: 500 calories
Lunch: 771 calories
Dinner: 510 calories
Pre-bed snack – 534 calories
Daily meal plan: total calories and nutrients
When you’re eating for weight gain, you need to be sure you consume enough proteins, carbs, and fat. This can be hard when you don’t have certain foods in the fridge, which often happens since people looking to gain weight eat a lot.
Therefore, you want to make the most of your shopping trips. And you can do this by ensuring you get all the high-calorie foods you need written down on a grocery list.
Here is a grocery list for high-calorie foods that you can use every time you go shopping online or offline:
Even though processed meats like sausages and salami are high in calories, they contain a lot of saturated fats and have large quantities of sodium.
High-calorie junk foods, such as burgers, fried chickens, and fries consumed at fast food places are full of unhealthy fats and sodium, which means you should avoid them.
Pastries are high-calorie foods often made with unhealthy oils, such as palm oil, and are most often made using refined grains, which lost a good part of their initial healthy nutrients during the refinement process.
Although kids adore refined sweets you find in grocery store, like Nutella and candies, they are full of sugar while lacking important nutrients and vitamins, so you should stay away from them.
Focus on eating high-calorie foods during your main meals, pick calorie-dense snacks to consume throughout your day, and drink beverages that are rich in nutrients. This way, you will find it easier to meet calorie goals of 3000 calories a day and more.
To gain weight easier, consume high-calorie drinks, such as smoothies, shakes, and fruit juices.
Since foods that fill you up the most are those high in protein, fibers, or volume, high-calorie foods won’t fill you up more just because they have more calories.
However, foods with more calories usually have more proteins and fibers than low-calorie ones, so they’ll keep you satiated longer.
Bottom line, there are plenty of high-calorie foods that can help you gain weight in a healthy way, from snacks, meal replacements, and fruits, to vegetables, meat, and different oils.
You have to pick the ones that you enjoy most while making sure you keep a balanced diet (using meal plans) that ensures your body gets enough proteins, carbs, and essential healthy fats to fulfill your needs.
It’s almost certain you’ll find something that fits your taste, budget, and diet requirements, whether you are bulking up, breastfeeding, in charge of a baby, elderly, suffering from a disease, vegan, or you’re preparing to go for a hiking trip.
Couple high-calorie foods with a good training regimen while avoiding empty calories from junk food and sweets, and you will be well on your way to achieving your weight gain goals!
Unfold Today has rigorous sourcing principles adhering to the top journalistic standards, so our writers always look for official, experienced, and first-hand sources. Read more about how we keep our content trustworthy and updated by reading our editorial process.
MOST POPULAR
High-Calorie Foods and Drinks
Shannon Palmer, RDN, is a registered dietitian nutritionist with 2 Bachelor's degrees from James Madison University, one in Dietetics and one in General Biology, and a Master's degree in Sports Nutrition obtained at Florida State University.
