20 Healthy Snack Ideas That You’ll Love Me For

Chocolate Protein Rice Crispy Treats

Did you eat Rice Krispies treats as a kid?

Although they’re made from cereal, the other two ingredients are typically marshmallows and butter. So they’re not exactly healthy treats, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make a more wholesome version at home.

These actually use three forms of rice: rice cereal, brown rice syrup, and rice protein powder. If you’d rather use chocolate whey, you’ll need about one scoop for this recipe.

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Beet, Blood Orange & Chevre Salad

This beet recipe is impressive enough to serve to guests as a starter course at a dinner party, but it’s also easy enough to prepare for yourself as a fancy snack.

Wrap the beets in foil, and while they cook, whip up the goat cheese spread and vinaigrette. This simple dressing of white wine vinegar and Dijon can also be used on a salad, and if you want to reduce the amount of fat per serving, just drizzle on a little less.

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Cinnamon Bircher Muesli

Now that everyone is moving from convenience food back to whole foods in the name of nutrition, recipes like overnight oats are becoming popular.

All the ingredients get stirred together and set in the fridge overnight. That way the oats soak up enough liquid to soften as if they’ve been cooked on the stove, but all you have to do in the morning is grab a spoon.

Since overnight oats are such a homerun, why not make overnight muesli? This classic mix includes dried fruit, seeds, and fresh apple.

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Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Samosa

Samosas are a common afternoon snack in India, a category of foods called chaat. Although chaat is often served as lunch items or appetizers outside of India, they’re usually eaten as an afternoon snack bought from a food cart.

Typically the outside of the dumpling would be made from scratch, but this recipe reduces the workload a bit by using uncooked tortillas. Prepare the veggie filling, and then use half a tortilla for each samosa. After that, they can be baked for 20 minutes or fried.

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Maple Walnut Bark

This dessert is great to make around the holidays either to give as for gifts or to serve at special dinners.

It’s a delicious alternative to peppermint bark, and yet it’s also a wholesome snack that’ll satisfy your sweet tooth. All you need are pantry staples: almond butter, coconut oil, maple syrup, and coconut flour.

Heat up the ingredients, pour into a large pan, and freeze for a couple hours.

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Honey Sunflower Seed Protein Flapjacks

We often mistakenly call pancakes “flapjacks” when it’s a different dish altogether.

The taste is similar with oats and cinnamon; yet, flapjacks are a baked bar rather than a skillet-cooked pancake. That makes them much thicker and also more convenient to take on-the-go.

It’s like a breakfast protein bar that you can enjoy with coffee, or if you prefer the shape, you can bake these as cookies.

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Instant Mac & Cheese

You don’t need a cardboard box to make mac ‘n’ cheese in the microwave.

Whether you’re craving a substantial snack or want to make a quick meal, you can cook this cheesy pasta in less than five minutes. And once you realize this is a three-ingredient snack to make from scratch, you’ll never be tempted to buy the processed packets again.

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Muffin in a Minute

Baking an entire batch of muffins will leave you with a dozen baked goods to tempt you into over-indulging. Unless you have a bunch of people to help you devour them, it might be better to make a single muffin.

This high-protein snack is made with ground flaxseed instead of flour for a low-carb muffin. One of these will also keep you fuller longer and provide lots of iron and fiber.

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Ricotta & Orzo Stuffed Tomatoes

This recipe borrows the technique from stuffed bell peppers to make an appetizer or snack for tomato lovers.

If you have leftover orzo, couscous, or quinoa, this is easy to adapt for one person. Mix the pasta with a bit of cheese such as feta, some minced garlic and peppers, and either fresh or dried herbs. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Then, instead of roasting these in the oven, simply chill the stuffed tomatoes in the fridge.

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Green Bean Chips

Potato chips are one way to eat your veggies, but it’s hardly the most nutritious.

Instead get the crunchy snack you’re craving by making homemade chips from another vegetable like beets, carrots, and even something unexpected like green beans.

While they’re both good sources of potassium and vitamin C, per pound, potatoes have two and a half times the calories of green beans. For a low-calorie potato chip alternative, make these with a dehydrator or in the oven.

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Buffalo Chicken Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs are not only an amazing snack, but a delicious way to turn boiled eggs into an impressive appetizer. Plus, they’ll keep in the fridge for 3 days after being assembled.

These buffalo chicken deviled eggs are definitely a great game-day snack to share with friends, but it’s also an easy recipe to make for yourself whenever you have extra cooked chicken.

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Protein Pretzels

Protein powder can replace flour in many baked goods – you just have to be careful about how it affects the texture. This healthy pretzel recipe managed to boost the protein while still turning out a soft, doughy snack.

To make sure these pretzels are pillowy rather than dense, use a brown rice protein powder. Whey would be more suitable to experiment with for a hard pretzel recipe.

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Banana Cake Donuts

Donuts are always a tempting snack, but rarely are they healthy. To make a low-fat version, bake a batch of cake donuts yourself.

These are a lot like banana protein pancakes, so when you want to mix up your breakfast rotation, bake a batch of these donuts. As with maple syrup for pancakes, the cinnamon-sugar topping for these donuts is optional.

If you’d rather avoid the added sugar, you can make a healthy frosting instead by stirring milk into chocolate or vanilla whey protein powder.

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Cheesy Vegan Kale Chips

Can you believe how much kale chips cost in stores? One container can be three times the price of potato chips, but luckily it’s easily to make your own from fresh kale for a fraction of the cost.

All you have to do is add seasonings, spread out the kale in an even layer on a baking sheet, and keep it in the oven at the lowest temperature until it’s crispy.

With this recipe, not only will you get the health benefits of kale, but also the vitamin B, minerals, and amino acids in nutritional yeast.

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Chocolate-Coconut Popsicles

These two-ingredient popsicles can’t be beat in terms of nutrition and convenience, and they make an awesome post-workout snack.

Chocolate milk is a recommended treat after you hit the gym, so why not riff on it with coconut milk and chocolate protein powder? That’s all you’ll need for these protein-rich frozen desserts.

Just mix the two ingredients together, pour into a popsicle mold, and work out while you wait.

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Pineapple, Cashew & Cottage Cheese Toast

Eating toast doesn’t have to be boring. Upgrade it from a jam and butter delivery system to a healthy snack with cottage cheese, fruit, and nuts.

This version will offer you a small taste of an island getaway in the afternoon. Simply spread on cottage cheese, lay on a few pineapple slices, and add cashews or macadamia nuts.

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Meringue Cookies

These mini protein cookies require just two ingredients: egg whites and maple syrup.

Whip the egg whites for quite a while – until enough air is incorporated that they get fluffy. Then slowly add the syrup, and pipe into little mounds the size of Hershey’s kisses.

These meringue cookies taste good as is, or you can mix in an extract like peppermint. The recipe can also be adjusted by adding a topping before baking, for example a dash of spices or sprinkle ground nuts.

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Creamy Feta Walnut Dip

Fresh veggies are a great way to satisfy hunger any time of day. Add a creamy yogurt dip, and it’ll take your snacking to the next level.

Either start by straining plain nonfat yogurt overnight, or pick up a thick style of yogurt like Greek which is pre-strained. Stir in feta, minced garlic, and walnuts. Season as desired, and serve with toasted pita, veggie sticks, or cherry tomatoes.

It also makes a tasty sandwich spread.

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California Turkey Rolls

Lettuce wraps don’t have to replace your entire lunch. In fact, this is a great way to snack that uses up leftover meat, cheese, and veggies from other parts of your meal plan.

Roll up anything you’re craving in a piece of lettuce, and add your favorite condiments like mustard or Sriracha. These are easy to whip up on the spot when you’re hungry, or they can be prepped in advance and taken to-go.

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Open-Faced Mushroom Meatball Parmesan Sandwiches

When you want a sandwich for a snack, leave out half the bread to cut calories without sacrificing flavor.

This one even has real meatballs with ground beef, mushrooms, and Parmesan cheese. But since it’s served on a pita bread with just a touch of tomato sauce and a slice of fresh mozzarella, you can snack on this version for about 200 calories, as compared to nearly 500 for a six-inch meatball sub.

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