The short answer: the best healthy snacks pair a fruit or vegetable with a protein or healthy fat, because fiber and protein together keep you full until your next meal.
- Easy picks: apple slices with peanut butter, carrots and hummus
- More: Greek yogurt with berries or a hard-boiled egg
- 70 ideas grouped by need, from high protein to on the go
- Prep: shop once, wash and cut, portion and store at eye level
- Free printable: log snacks, calories, protein and water on our one-page calorie tracker (we email it to you)
- Next step: Plan it with the Meal Planner & Grocery List ($3.99).
Our picks for healthy snacks
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The best healthy snacks pair a fruit or vegetable with a protein or healthy fat, because fiber and protein together keep you full until your next meal. Easy healthy snacks include apple slices with peanut butter, carrots and hummus, Greek yogurt with berries, a hard-boiled egg, a cheese stick with grapes, a handful of almonds, air-popped popcorn and cottage cheese with pineapple. Below are 70 healthy snack ideas grouped by what you need them for, a starter snack list to shop from this week, and a simple formula for building your own.
I've found that the snacks that get eaten are the ones that are already washed, cut and sitting at eye level when hunger hits.
Building a lower-carb snack box? See our low carb snacks list.
The simple formula for a healthy snack
Pick one item from each of the first two columns. Add the third when you want something extra.
| Fiber (fruit, vegetable or whole grain) | Protein or healthy fat | Extra flavor |
|---|---|---|
| Apple, pear or banana | Peanut or almond butter | Cinnamon |
| Carrots, cucumber, bell pepper | Hummus or Greek yogurt dip | Everything bagel seasoning |
| Berries or grapes | Greek yogurt or cottage cheese | A drizzle of honey |
| Whole-grain crackers or rice cakes | Cheese, tuna or turkey | Mustard or salsa |
| Air-popped popcorn | A handful of nuts or seeds | Parmesan or chili powder |
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourage filling more of your day with fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins, and snacks are an easy place to add them.
High-protein healthy snacks
- Greek yogurt with berries
- Cottage cheese with pineapple or peaches
- Hard-boiled eggs with salt and pepper
- Turkey and cheese roll-ups
- Edamame with sea salt
- Tuna salad on cucumber rounds
- Roasted chickpeas
- Cheese stick and an apple
- Beef or turkey jerky (check the sodium)
- Protein smoothie with milk, banana and peanut butter
Healthy sweet snacks
- Frozen grapes
- Apple slices with cinnamon and almond butter
- Dates stuffed with peanut butter
- Greek yogurt bark with berries
- Banana "nice cream" (frozen banana blended smooth)
- Dark chocolate square with almonds
- Chia pudding with mango
- Baked apple with oats
- Strawberries dipped in yogurt
- Homemade trail mix with raisins
Healthy savory and crunchy snacks
- Air-popped popcorn with parmesan
- Carrots and hummus
- Bell pepper strips with guacamole
- Whole-grain crackers with cheese
- Roasted seaweed snacks
- Cucumber slices with tzatziki
- Celery with peanut butter
- Roasted pumpkin seeds
- Kale chips
- Salsa with baked tortilla chips
No-prep healthy snacks
- A banana
- A handful of almonds, walnuts or pistachios
- Baby carrots
- Clementines
- A single-serve cup of plain yogurt
- String cheese
- Grapes or cherry tomatoes
- Rice cakes with nut butter
- A pear
- Unsweetened applesauce cup
Healthy snacks for work
- Overnight oats in a jar
- Hummus snack pack with pretzels
- Hard-boiled eggs (peeled at home)
- Pre-portioned nuts in small containers
- Cheese cubes and grapes
- Whole-grain crackers with tuna packet
- Roasted chickpeas in a zip bag
- Veggie sticks with ranch made from Greek yogurt
- Energy bites (oats, nut butter, honey)
- A piece of fruit kept at your desk
Healthy snacks on the go
- Trail mix you portion yourself
- Apple with a peanut butter squeeze pack
- Banana and a cheese stick
- Turkey jerky
- Mini whole-grain bagel with cream cheese
- Homemade granola bar
- Snap peas
- Clementines and almonds
- Popcorn in a bag
- Dried fruit with no added sugar
Healthy snacks for a crowd
- A vegetable tray with two dips
- Fruit skewers
- Caprese skewers (tomato, mozzarella, basil)
- Deviled eggs
- Homemade hummus board with pita
- Yogurt parfait bar
- Stuffed mini peppers
- Cucumber bites with smoked salmon
- Roasted nuts with rosemary
- Popcorn bar with sweet and savory toppings
Starter healthy snack list for this week
If you're starting from scratch, buy these 12 things and you can make more than 30 of the snacks above.
| Item | Makes |
|---|---|
| Apples and bananas | Fruit with nut butter, smoothies, nice cream |
| Baby carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers | Veggie sticks with dip |
| Plain Greek yogurt (large tub) | Parfaits, dip, bark |
| Cottage cheese | Fruit cups, savory bowls |
| Eggs | Hard-boiled and deviled eggs |
| Peanut or almond butter | Dips, energy bites, celery |
| Hummus (or a can of chickpeas) | Dip and roasted chickpeas |
| Cheese sticks | Pairings for fruit and crackers |
| Almonds or mixed nuts | Trail mix, work snacks |
| Popcorn kernels | Air-popped popcorn |
| Rolled oats | Overnight oats, energy bites |
| Whole-grain crackers | Cheese and tuna pairings |
When you compare packaged options, the FDA's guide to the Nutrition Facts label explains how to read serving size, fiber, protein and added sugars, which is the fastest way to tell a healthy snack bar from a candy bar. Harvard's Healthy Eating Plate shows how vegetables, fruits, whole grains and protein fit together across the day.
How to prep healthy snacks for the week
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- Plan them. Choose four or five snacks for the week and write them on your meal plan next to dinners.
- Shop once. Put every snack ingredient on the same grocery list.
- Wash and cut. Prep vegetables and fruit that hold up (carrots, peppers, grapes, melon) as soon as you get home.
- Batch the protein. Boil a dozen eggs and portion yogurt or cottage cheese.
- Portion. Divide nuts, crackers and popcorn into small containers or bags. Rubbermaid Brilliance food storage containers work for the containers; use Amazon Basics gallon freezer bags for larger batches headed for the freezer.
- Store at eye level. Put the ready snacks in the front of the fridge and pantry.
For more make-ahead food, see our meal prep ideas and lunch ideas, and for full meals, our healthy dinner ideas and high protein meals.
For a naturally sweet snack ingredient, compare date fruit varieties and nutrition before choosing Medjool or Deglet Noor.
Put snacks on the plan
Snacks are where a grocery budget quietly leaks, so planning them with your meals saves money as well as willpower. Watching calories too? Our healthy low calorie snacks list has portioned ideas.
- Meal Planner & Grocery List, $3.99. Plan the week's meals and snacks on one page and shop from one list.
- Family Recipe Binder, $6.99. Save your favorite energy bites, dips and snack recipes where you'll find them again.
- Holiday Season Bundle, $15.99 (regularly $25.94 for the six items bought separately). The meal planner plus the Christmas Budget & Gift Planner, a cleaning schedule and savings trackers for the busy season.
Browse all our Printables.
Building a full day of better eating? See our list of healthy meals. For seasonal treats, try these fall snacks. For the bigger picture, start with our healthy eating tips and plate guide.
For a protein and fiber snack with vegetables, see our hummus recipe, made with canned chickpeas, tahini and lemon. When you want a shake instead, our protein powder guide compares whey, casein and plant options.
Not sure what counts as processed? Our guide to ultra-processed foods shows how to spot them on a label.
Snacking between meetings? Our list of healthy snacks for work sorts 30 ideas by desk drawer, office fridge and grab-and-go.
Plan the week's meals and shop once
Weekly meals, a grocery list sorted by aisle, and pantry and freezer inventories so you shop once and waste less.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the healthiest snacks to eat? The healthiest snacks pair a fruit or vegetable with a protein or healthy fat, such as an apple with peanut butter, carrots with hummus, or Greek yogurt with berries. That mix of fiber and protein keeps you fuller than chips, cookies or a snack bar on its own.
What are good healthy snacks for work? Good healthy snacks for work are ones that need no fridge or only a small one: a handful of almonds, a cheese stick and grapes, roasted chickpeas, a hard-boiled egg, or overnight oats in a jar. Pack them on Sunday so you aren't relying on the vending machine.
What are healthy snacks that fill you up? Healthy snacks that fill you up have protein and fiber together. Cottage cheese with fruit, an egg with whole-grain toast, edamame, hummus with vegetables and a small handful of nuts are all filling choices that hold you until the next meal.
What are healthy late-night snacks? Healthy late-night snacks are small and simple: a cup of plain yogurt, a banana with a spoon of peanut butter, a few whole-grain crackers with cheese, or a small bowl of oatmeal. Keep the portion modest so it doesn't feel like a fourth meal.
What are healthy sweet snacks? Healthy sweet snacks lean on fruit for sweetness: frozen grapes, apple slices with cinnamon, dates stuffed with nut butter, yogurt bark, or a square of dark chocolate with a handful of almonds. They satisfy a sweet tooth with far less added sugar than candy.
How many calories should a healthy snack be? Most people do well with snacks of about 100 to 250 calories, but the right amount depends on your age, activity level and goals. Check serving sizes on the Nutrition Facts label, since one package can hold more than one serving.
Are granola bars a healthy snack? Some granola bars are a healthy snack and some are closer to candy. Read the label and look for bars with a few grams of fiber and protein and little added sugar, or make your own with oats, nut butter and dried fruit.
What are cheap healthy snacks? The cheapest healthy snacks come from basic groceries: bananas, apples, carrots, popcorn kernels, eggs, peanut butter, oats and dried beans for hummus. Buying these in bulk and portioning them yourself costs much less than single-serve packs.
How do I stop buying unhealthy snacks? The easiest way is to plan snacks the same way you plan dinners and put them on the grocery list. The Meal Planner & Grocery List from HomeBase Paper Co. ($3.99) has room for the week's meals and snacks beside one shopping list, so the healthy options are already in the house.
How do I prep healthy snacks for the week? Prep healthy snacks for the week in about 30 minutes: wash and cut vegetables, boil a batch of eggs, portion nuts and crackers into small containers, and make one dip like hummus. Store them at eye level in the fridge so they're the first thing you grab.
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Sources
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans dietaryguidelines.gov
- FDA: How to understand and use the Nutrition Facts label fda.gov
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: Healthy Eating Plate nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu