We’re here to help provide you with healthy snack ideas for kids so they can thrive.
Imagine your snacks as small investments in your future health. With snack foods making up about 30% of many Americans’ daily calories, what you choose now sets the stage for how you feel later. Opting for vibrant, whole foods—or minimally refined options—at least 80% of the time is like depositing nutrients into your body’s savings account. These choices fuel your day, build a strong foundation, and pave the way for a healthier tomorrow.
Kids pay attention to everything you do, so role-modeling healthy snacking is essential. Be prepared for snacks on the go and have silicone reusable food bags on hand. They reduce food waste and can easily be tossed into the dishwasher.
Tips and Tricks for Healthy Snack Ideas for Kids
Healthy snack ideas for kids don’t have to be difficult! Try my favorite tips and tricks.
- Select one fruit or vegetable (or whole grain) along with one source of protein or fat—or even a combination—and you have an easy, healthy, and balanced snack. More active children may need two servings of carbohydrates, like a fruit and whole grain, with a protein and/or fat.
- Make your snacks rainbow colored + black (black beans), white (jicama), and brown (whole grains)! See how many colors you can pack into a tasty snack.
- Use snack time to try out fruits and vegetables your child isn’t so familiar with! Children may take over 10 exposures to a new food to try it, so a snack-sized serving can feel less overwhelming when they say no.
- To make snacks extra fun, cut fruits, vegetables, and bread into fun shapes! Some of my favorite shapes are butterflies and flowers. Try foods in different sizes, colors, and temperatures too.
50 Healthy Snack Ideas for Kids
Ideally, kids’ snacks should be balanced, offering whole carbohydrates that are paired with a healthy fat or lean protein or a combination of both. We’ll provide examples of ideal pairings for each snack in our list of 50 healthy snack ideas for kids below.
1. Blended frozen fruit
Try a recipe like Super Crew Kid Andy’s mango whip or banana whip. Pair with nuts and seeds or granola for a balanced snack.
2. Any type of fresh fruit or veggie!
Aim to provide a variety of colors from whole foods to maximize the nutrients provided with snack time to expose your kids to new textures and flavors.
3. Frozen fruit
Pair frozen fruit with a few whole-grain crackers topped with nut butter, or low-fat cheese, or cottage cheese. This is one of the ultimate simple and healthy snack ideas for kids.
Try pineapple tidbits, blueberries, or mango chunks, enjoyed right out of the freezer – see the top 10 frozen foods kids enjoy. Serve with plain yogurt and nuts for a chilly parfait, or blend into a smoothie. The yogurt or nuts balance out the carbohydrate intake.
4. Clementines or apple slices tossed with lemon juice and cinnamon
Give ground cinnamon or cardamom a try on apple slices—it’s yummy! These tasty spiced fruits pair well with whole wheat graham crackers, Greek yogurt, or cottage cheese.
5. Frobana Crunch
This tasty treat is made as follows: bananas cut into four pieces, dipped in plain yogurt, rolled in crushed graham crackers or whole-grain cereal, and then frozen. It’s a tasty and balanced snack.
6. Fruit butterfly
Cut fruits into slices and arrange in the shape of a butterfly! Place the butterfly in a “garden” of nuts, seeds, granola, yogurt, or sun butter.
7. Dried or fresh fruit served with low-fat yogurt
Make fun shapes and try different fruits often to provide variety. Pair your fruit with a side serving of seasoned nuts, like walnuts or pistachios. Let your kids crush up the nuts with their hands and sprinkle them into to the yogurt.
8. Individually packed applesauce with no added sugar
For squeezable options, make sure they have no artificial food colorings and are low in added sugar, or make your own with silicone molds. Serve with a side of roasted spiced pumpkin seeds.
9. Fruit or vegetable kebabs
Use fresh, frozen, or canned fruit for easy kebabs. Serve with Greek yogurt dip, cottage cheese, or your favorite nut butter. For veggies, try roasted peppers and cucumber kebabs dipped into a savory Greek yogurt dip.
10. Dried fruit
Offer dried apricots or dried mangoes with no added sugar/sulfates. Mix into a healthy trail mix of nutty granola. Or serve chopped nuts with oatmeal, yogurt with seeds, or cottage cheese and fruit. You can also add chopped dried fruit to oatmeal muffins.
11. A mixture of raisins or dried cranberries and healthy, low-sugar cereal
This is a great option if you’re looking for whole-grain snacks for kids. Add other ingredients like nuts, seeds, spices, and other dried fruits to make a balanced breakfast treat!
12. Fruit sushi
See the tasty Fruit sushi recipe, and serve it with your favorite fruit of choice!
13. Baked apple crisp
Sliced apples and toss with cinnamon, oats, and a little brown sugar. Bake until crisp, and top with a dollop of plain low-fat yogurt.
14. Homemade frozen fruit bars
Make them with fresh fruit or 100% juice pops blended with yogurt. You can also freeze leftover smoothies in popsicle molds.
15. A small serving of a homemade smoothie
Combine yogurt or plant-based milk with your favorite frozen fruit. Get creative with your recipes; avocados, oats, nut butter, or seeds are delicious additions.
16. Steamed and cooled edamame
Edamame is soybeans. Serve with or without soy sauce, tamari, sriracha, hot sesame oil, and chili pepper flakes, or create your own spicy blend—kids love to pop out the beans! You can serve it with brown rice crackers or black rice crackers.
17. Raw veggies
Offer options like baby carrots or sugar plum tomatoes. Dip them in black or pinto bean dip. Jicama julienne-style and baby carrots dipped in hummus are another great option! Or raw sugar snap peas and bell pepper slices dipped in low-fat Greek yogurt dip make a great balanced snack.
18. Ants on a Log
This tasty, balanced snack is celery sticks stuffed with peanut butter and topped with raisins. If you’ve never tried it, it’s a delightful combination.
19. “Dinosaur Trees”
Serve fresh or steamed broccoli florets with lemon juice, dipped into a healthy salad dressing, or sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. Encourage your child to play with their food a little and pretend to be a dinosaur!
20. Several olives and roasted bell peppers or marinated artichoke hearts
Believe it or not, I’ve worked with kids who love this! Serve with mini mozzarella balls or whole wheat pita dipped into a mixture of olive oil with herbs.
21. Baked sweet potato fries
Serve purple sweet potato fries with cinnamon and dip them in Greek yogurt. You can sweeten the Greek yogurt with a drizzle of honey if desired.
Or try orange sweet potatoes with salt, pepper, or chili seasoning. Let your children experiment with different spices and herb flavorings.
22. Homemade kale chips
Toss washed and dried kale leaves in olive oil and seasonings, bake in the oven until toasted, and enjoy
23. Cucumber with spicy bean dip
Cucumber is a delightful vegetable that offers hydration as well! Experiment with the size and shape your kids find most appealing. Serve with spicy bean dip, Greek yogurt dip, or a dressing mixture of rice vinegar, sesame oil, salt, and maple syrup.
24. Dried seaweed
Serve it on its own or with raw veggies. Or put canned salmon on top with avocado and wasabi or sriracha.
25. Dry cereal
Choose a 100% whole grain option with no more than 5 grams of sugar per serving, served with some pecans, walnuts, or almonds. Or serve in a small bowl with low-fat milk or plant-based milk. Choose those free of ultra-processed ingredients.
26. A whole-grain brown rice cake
Choose a 100% whole grain option with no more than 5 grams of sugar per serving, served with some pecans, walnuts, or almonds. Or serve in a small bowl with low-fat milk or plant-based milk. Choose those free of ultra-processed ingredients.
Top with low-fat cream cheese, honey, and raisins or tahini and cocoa powder. Peanut butter and jelly on a rice cake is another tasty option.
27. Whole-wheat pita chips and dip
Or homemade toasted whole-wheat pita with hummus, bean dip, or fresh guacamole. This is one of my favorite whole-grain snacks for kids.
28. Home-made yellow or blue tortillas
Make your own tasty tortillas and serve fresh or baked into corn chips (lightly coated with olive oil). Pair with salsa, guacamole, or queso fresco. Or, turn it into a taco with a sauce, cheese, and fresh vegetables! I’m in love with my tortilla press! No whole grain tastes better than a freshly made corn tortilla. I recommend blue corn masa harina. Or buy a healthy hard-shell corn taco and serve with beans, salsa, and cheese.
29. Whole grain bread
There are a few easy ways to make this a balanced snack and it’s one of the easiest whole-grain snacks for toddlers.
- Toast the bread, spread fig butter or chia jam on top, and sprinkle with cinnamon.
- Or thinly apply butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and raisins.
- Spread the bread with nut butter and top with banana slices and blueberries or strawberries.
30. Lavash bread (flat bread)
Roll up your child’s favorite roasted or cooked vegetables with tahini sauce in lavash bread. Then, cut it into small circles.
31. Make your own popcorn mix
Make fresh air-pop popcorn and mix it with whole-grain pretzels, nuts, and dried fruit. Popcorn is a tasty whole-grain snack for kids.
32. Popcorn with olive oil and Parmesan cheese
Instead of a mix, you can also DIY your own tasty seasoning mix! Check out our popcorn recipes. Serve popcorn with a side of fruit, cheese, or sliced ham or turkey.
33. Homemade trail mix
Combine cereal, dried fruit, nuts or seeds, and shaved coconut. Mix and match to find your favorite combinations!
34. Homemade 100% whole grain veggie or banana muffins
Or any homemade muffin of choice made with diced fruit, grated vegetables, or even pumpkin puree! See our bran muffins or pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. We love these silicone baking cups for reusability for baking (i.e., egg muffins, cupcakes, mini quiches), and you can use them at meals for toddlers and babies.
Put a handful of food in each one, and kids will love eating out of them with the fun colors. I grew up with my mom cutting half the sugar in every recipe she baked. She even added shredded apples to cookie recipes to boost fiber and flavor. It teaches your child to enjoy foods that are not overly sweetened.
35. Make a healthy Chex mix
Combine rice Chex, whole-wheat pretzels, popcorn with seasonings, dark chocolate pieces, and dried cranberries. You can serve it with cheese, sliced turkey, or sliced ham.
36. Try the Super Crew Easy Polenta rounds
These healthy whole-grain snacks are heated quickly with canola oil and rosemary. You can also make them into little square bites rather than the rounds.
37. String cheese
Or any small serving of cheese and fruit (either slice up something fresh or use canned fruit packed with no added sugar in its own juice). Serve with whole-wheat crackers or whole-wheat toast strips (toasted bread coated with olive oil and cut into strips).
38. Cottage cheese
Serve with raisins or apples sprinkled with cinnamon. Dip whole-wheat pretzels in it or spread it on whole-wheat toast or crackers for a balanced snack! I look for cottage cheese without additives like good culture because it’s not ultra-processed. Learn more about ultra-processed foods, with the Non-UPF Program.
39. Low-fat crackers with reduced or low-fat cheese
Alternatively, serve a small portion of regular cheese, or try reduced-fat smoked gouda or brie. See our cracker guide for a list of 100% whole-grain crackers without added sugar. Pair with sliced turkey or ham. Thinly sliced vegetables like cucumber and carrot are also a fun topping with cheese and crackers.
40. Sliced cheese and cucumbers
Serve with hummus on brown rice cakes or whole-wheat toast. Brown rice cakes are one of my favorite healthy whole-grain snacks; the texture offers a good crunch.
41. GORP
Good Old Raisins and Peanuts.
42. A glass of nonfat or 1% Kefir
Kefir contains protein and carbohydrates. It also has probiotics, which may benefit gut health! Serve with a side of berries or grapes.
43. A glass of Kefir blended with a frozen banana
Add other fruits of your choice, and blend with peanut butter, almond butter, or sun butter. Top with spices of choice and serve!
44. Mini pizzas
Make these mini pizzas with whole-grain English muffin/pita bread, tomato sauce, and part-skim mozzarella cheese. Serve one English muffin half for a snack.
45. Half of a PB&J sandwich
Make your sandwich with peanut or almond butter and fruit preserves.
46. Tea sandwiches
Make sandwiches with smoked salmon and cream cheese, cucumber, and low-fat cheese, or even mini PB&J. Serve bread cut into four mini sandwiches and remove the crust.
47. Canned salmon
Mix with lemon juice (with or without mayonnaise) and seasonings on top of cucumber slices and whole wheat crackers, and top with raisins if desired.
48. A handful of frozen pistachios
These tasty and balanced nuts contain carbohydrates, protein, and fat.
49. Strawberries with Greek yogurt and honey
This tasty parfait also goes with whole-grain granola!
50. Energy Balls
These tasty snacks usually contain a combination of nut or seed butter, oats, and a sweetener. There are endless flavor combinations! Try this Pumpkin Energy Ball recipe, or make your own. Serve with berries or apple slices.
Final Takeaways
Don’t forget healthy hydration is part of refueling! Try combinations like sparkling mineral water mixed with 100% fruit juice or plain water infused with fruits, herbs, and citrus. Your child may just be thirsty, not hungry! Make sure your kids are getting enough liquids.
For more healthy recipes, activities, and coloring pages, check out the Super Crew! Inspire your family and make healthy eating fun!
