The 30+ Healthy Snacks for Kids That Everyone Will Love
If you haven’t felt like a short-order cook during these past months at home, I want to know your secret. From the time my feet hit the floor I’m dishing out meals, serving snacks, and filling water cups. Now that we’ve all been under the same roof with little relief for months, I truly see how much food my kids can put away. It shouldn’t have come as such a surprise — between their pint-sized bellies and constant expulsion of energy (so much energy!) it’s no wonder the tiny humans in my house ask for snacks as often as they do.
In lieu of blindly handing out prepackaged, store-bought snacks that only keep them satisfied for the short term, I’ve put together a list of healthy snacks for kids that are sure to satisfy every craving a kid may have. All of these recipes have kid-friendly flavors, are made with wholesome ingredients, and are easy to make. Here are 30+ snacks you can feel good about feeding to your kids.
Cool down with smoothies.
Smoothies are the coolest and creamiest way to serve fruit (and vegetables!) any time of day. Taste the smoothie before adding extra sweeteners — especially in the summer when fruits are at their sweetest! — which is one reason now is the best time to blend up a strawberry or blueberry pie smoothie. Nut butters and yogurt give smoothies, like our peanut butter & chocolate green smoothie and mango yogurt smoothie, staying power fueled by protein and healthy fats, while add-ins like greens, chia seeds, and flax are a nutritional bonus.
Stock the pantry with snack mixes.
Kids want variety as much as we do. Snack mixes can be as simple as tossing dried fruit, pretzels, and popcorn together, or go a step beyond and coat the crunchy bites with melted butter and seasonings. If your family loves trail mix, liven things up with tropical trail mix or try our version that mixes in pistachios, popcorn, and a chocolate drizzle. There’s never been a better time to try your hand at making Chex mix at home. It gives you the ability to change flavors and ingredients to make it just the way you like, like mixing in dried fruit or giving it a honey-mustard twist.
Fill your fridge with fruit snacks.
Fill your fridge with fruit snacks — no, not the gummy kind! Easily accessible fruits get eaten more often, so peel, cut, and slice to make them ready to eat. Now that my kids are older (6 and 4 years old), they help peel apples, pluck grapes from stems, pit cherries, and more. Prepping their favorite fruits helps ignite their excitement for fresh and fruity snacks. Apples are a lot more fun when sliced and layered with nut butter and raisins for a “sandwich,” and the same goes for a fruit salad with all the colors of the rainbow.
Offer up some sweet treats.
My kids will eat anything that I call a cookie, and I can’t blame them. The best part of this is that not all cookies have to be loaded with refined sugars and flour. Instead, I make sweet treats with wholesome ingredients, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and dairy that will fuel kids for a day of fun. Sometimes this means making zucchini or a mix of banana and coconut the star; other times it’s making a 4-ingredient cookie that in addition to being delicious and wholesome, also happens to be gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and Paleo.
Make no-bake snacks that take no time at all.
Need a fast-and-filling snack to pack in the pool bag or as an afternoon pick-me-up during long summer days? These protein balls and granola bars are packed with nuts, seeds, and dried fruit that kids (and adults!) will love. When you make these bars and protein balls at home, you control the ingredients, which is more than what you can say about the bulk box of snack bars.
Serve up some savory snacks.
Not all snacks need to be sweet. Bite-sized savories hold off the afternoon hunger, and are perfectly suited on a snack platter spread for the main event. If you’ve got pizza-lovers in your house, be sure to try the muffin tin pizza bombs, veggie-packed pizza rolls, or pepperoni chips. Ham and cheese muffins are a fun option to keep stashed in the freezer, while quick and easy turkey wraps come together in a flash.
What are your kids’ favorite snacks? Tell us in the comments.