Skip the potato chips, fruit snacks, graham crackers, and candy. If you’re in a rut here are some quick, great real food any-time or after-school snack ideas for inspiration that kids will love (and adults, too!). Sticking with simple ingredients keeps snack time easy and fun.
Keep these tips in mind:
- Combine some of the suggestions below in creative ways (for example, combine some fruit with yogurt to make a yogurt parfait, or make a fruit salad and drizzle some honey on top)
- Most of the fruits below are also great frozen. Ever blended up frozen bananas to make “ice cream”? Try it!
- If you’re looking for school lunch ideas, any of these would be great in a school lunch box!
- If you have a picky eater, combining several of these snacks onto a plate – tapas style! – could make a well-rounded lunch or easy breakfast
Please leave any additional suggestions in the comments below…
Fruits and Vegetable Snack Ideas
- Apple (good with peanut butter, or almond butter)
- Banana (good with peanut butter, or almond butter)
- Carrots (good with hummus or ranch dip)
- Celery (good with peanut butter and raisins a.k.a. “Ants on a Log”)
- Mango
- Pear
- Grapes
- Strawberries (good with regular or Greek yogurt)
- Blueberries (good with regular or Greek yogurt)
- Raspberries (good with regular or Greek yogurt)
- Oranges
- Peaches (good with regular or Greek yogurt)
- Plums
- Kiwi
- Grapefruit
- Avocado (good with soy sauce and brown rice)
- Pineapple
- Papaya
- Star Fruit
- Figs (good with goat cheese)
- Honeydew Melon
- Cantaloupe
- Watermelon
- Cherries
- Edamame (good with soy sauce, or drizzle with a little olive oil + kosher salt)
- Raw Sugar Snap Peas (good with hummus)
- Cooked Green Beans
- Mashed Sweet Potato (good with butter and cinnamon)
- Raw Sliced Bell Peppers (good with hummus or ranch dip)
- Cucumber Slices (good with ranch dip)
- Jicama
- Cherry Tomatoes (good with ranch dip)
- Cooked Snow Peas
- Frozen Peas (frozen…no cooking necessary!)
- Raw Cauliflower
- Raw Broccoli (good with ranch dip)
- Applesauce
- Unsweetened Raisins
- Fruit Leathers
- Freeze Dried Fruit (like mango, banana, blueberries or strawberries)
- Dried Apple Rings, or pineapple rings
- Canned Fruit like Mandarin Oranges (Native Forest brand does not use sugary syrups in their cans)
- Olives
Whole-Grain Snack Ideas
- Whole Grain Crackers (like Triscuits, Multi-Seed, Ak-Mak, Whole-Wheat Matzos, Brown Rice Crackers/Snaps, Whole-Grain Rye Crackers topped with cheese, peanut butter, almond butter, or a cream cheese and jelly combo)
- Popcorn (make it using “The Popcorn Trick”)
- Oatmeal (served warm in a Thermos if sending to school)
- Shredded Wheat (look for brands that contain 1-ingredient)
- Arrowhead Mills Puffed Whole Grain Cereal (corn, brown rice, wheat or millet variety)
- Brown Rice Cakes
- Whole-Wheat Pretzels
- Whole-Grain Toast
- Small, Cooked Whole-Grain Noodles
Nuts and Seeds Snack Ideas
- Larabars
- Peanuts
- Cashews
- Almonds
- Pecans
- Walnuts
- Pine Nuts (they are good lightly toasted)
- Pistachios
- Sesame Seeds
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Nut Trail Mix including Dried Fruit
Other Snack Ideas
- Hard-Boiled Eggs
- Garbanzo Beans
- Cheese (cubes or sticks…with or without crackers)
- Plain Whole Milk or Greek Yogurt (flavored with a little honey or maple syrup and vanilla extract)
- Organic and/or Local Bacon
Homemade Snack Ideas
- Homemade Granola Bars
- Homemade “Larabars”
- Whole-Wheat Toaster Pastries (a.k.a. Pop Tarts!)
- Smoothies or Smoothie Pops
- Whole-Wheat Banana Bread
- Zucchini Chips
- Whole-Wheat Zucchini Bread (made into muffins)
- Whole-Wheat Pumpkin Bread (made into muffins)
- Whole-Grain Cornbread (made into muffins)
- Whole-Wheat Berry Muffins
- Pecan Maple Breakfast Cookies
- Easy Cheesy Crackers
- Kale Chips
- Homemade Powerballs
- Whole-Wheat Biscuits (good with butter and jelly) or Buttermilk Cheese Biscuits
- Cinnamon Glazed Popcorn<
- Whole-Wheat “Baked” Donuts
Share your snack ideas with us in the comments below!
Thank you Lisa for the extensive list. Hard boiled eggs have always been my go to snack whenever I feel hungry and want to curb eating junk. This time I am gonna try carrot with Hummus, such a quick and healthy eating snack.
Thank you! Is there a printable list of snack ideas? So that my kids can look at it for new ideas without me telling them what to eat.
Hi Teresa, at the moment we don’t have a printable list, but we’ll see if we can put one together soon—that’s a great idea! – Nicole
Would like to have a printable list as well
Damn ! Looks like I’ll have to be in the kitchen more often now. :D
Great Read, Gave me lots of ideas of healthy snacks for work.
Thank you Lisa for the tips. I have to say with the Covid19 lockdown it has become difficult to offer healthy snacks to the kiddies. They have become some kind of fridge monster.
This afternoon it’ll be apple slices with peanut butter, so easy, how I never thought about it?
This was super helpful!
I prefer the Nuts and Seeds Snack when we are on a long ride.