As people who cook, eat, and write about food for a living, we know a thing or two about the best healthy snacks—as nebulous as the term “healthy” may be. Because of all of that aforementioned work-related eating, we’re constantly on the lookout for little treats between meals that also feel satiating and nutrient-rich. Still, we want something more exciting than an apple or a hard-boiled egg and something that feels a little less unhinged than spooning peanut butter or hummus straight out of the container (though we’ve been known to engage in these snacking habits too).
The single most important factor—for us—in a healthy snack is that it simply has to taste good. Beyond that, it’s hard to apply a one-size-fits-all rubric, because sometimes what you want is a meat stick, and other times you want some really good dried fruit. In general, we try to look for things that don’t have a ton of added sugar or artificial sweeteners, and that don’t contain a plethora of stabilizers and protein powders.
We also look for snacks that contain protein from sources like nuts, beans, and meat, as well as healthy fats and good-for-you carbs. Because the point here isn’t weight loss, it’s mixing some nutritious stuff into our diets between making triple-chocolate brownies and BA’s best lasagna.
Could you make your own healthy snacks, like these oven-roasted chickpeas? Yes. But sometimes you just want a quick bite that requires absolutely no effort. All of the snacks on this list are store-bought, and since the market for healthy snacks is constantly growing, we’ll be trying all the newest ones and updating this list on a monthly basis. Read on to see our all-time favorites, as well as the best healthy snacks we tried in January.
All-Time Favorites
January Favorites
Sumo Citrus
We had to debate whether or not citrus fruit is a snack, and we decided that it absolutely is. Sumo Citrus is more of an all-time favorite that’s at its peak from January through April, and we eat one of these giant mandarins pretty much every day for that four-month period. This is kind of a perfect snack because it comes with its own (compostable!) wrapper and delivers a serious hit of vitamin C to help you get through cold and flu season. Order the big box, because you’re going to want at least that many.
Deux
If you want the vibes of a cookie but the feeling of a protein bar, Deux’s enhanced cookie doughs strike the perfect middle ground. You can bake these into actual cookies and brownies, but the truth is we usually attack the jar with a spoon while standing in front of the fridge and trying to focus our eyes on something 20 feet away. These even make a passable breakfast, since they contain a lot of the same ingredients you’d find in something like overnight oats: oats, for one, plus cashews, chia seeds, and functional mushrooms.
West-Bourne
There’s a lot to love about the sustainability-focused pantry goods from West-Bourne, but snacks are where the brand truly shines. The Omakase Berry Butter takes toast or yogurt to a luxurious place, and West-Bourne’s fully compostable, plant-based snack mixes like the Togarashi Crunch are savory, sweet, and umami-packed. We also can’t wait to try the Casa Bosques Pistachio Dukkah Chocolate Bar, which the brand just launched in collaboration with artisanal chocolatier Casa Bosques.
Simply
If you grew up eating Snickers bars after school, Simply’s chocolate date bars are about to be your new favorite thing. You know all those viral “Snickers dupe” recipes you’ve seen on TikTok? This is that, except all you have to do is tear open the bag. The brand also makes some of our favorite all-fruit gummies, as well as naturally flavored chewing gum in trendy flavors like grapefruit prickly pear and pumpkin spice.
French Squirrel
In the world of French Squirrel, Berets are nut butter protein bites, Bateaux are nut butter-stuffed organic Medjool dates, and Bisous are peanut-butter-coated cereal clusters dusted with date sugar. All three are also vegan, gluten-free, refined-sugar-free, and coated in 100% cacao. These French-named bites are the ideal snack for nut and chocolate lovers alike. Plus we can’t wait to try the brand’s newest release, Crunchy Date Peanut Butter.
All-Time Favorites
Hu Kitchen
No nighttime routine is complete without a few squares of dark chocolate, and Hu’s fair-trade organic dark chocolate bars are among the best you can get. We love the dark chocolate variety pack, which offers a sampling of flavors like almond butter and puffed quinoa and crunchy mint. The cashew butter-filled chocolate bar is one of our favorites for a quick midday pick-me-up. And don’t miss the hunks, a.k.a. almonds and cashews dipped in dark chocolate, and gems, gumdrop-shaped chocolate chunks that are, well, gems.
Snow Days
Frozen pizza rolls are a peak comfort food. They also live in that wonderful gray area between a lunch-y thing and a snack-y thing. Snow Days has managed to preserve all of the salty, gooey deliciousness of the pizza rolls of your youth in a more nutritious package. The rolls are made with well-sourced ingredients like grass-fed mozzarella cheese and organic tomato sauce, and crust is made from cassava, which makes them ideal for those who might need to follow a grain-free or gluten-free diet.
Ella’s Flats
Ella’s Flats rank high on our crackers hall of fame. The small family-owned brand makes savory crisps just from seeds, from sunflower to pumpkin to flax, and spices like cumin and caraway. Ella’s Flats are sturdy enough to dip into hummus or work as a bread substitute for avocado toast, yet they’re light enough to eat on their own for a protein-and-fiber-packed snack. We also love the Everything or Spicy varieties crumbled into a salad or the Sesame or Hemp ones into a yogurt bowl for an added crunch.
Chomps
If you told us a few years ago that everyone would be walking around eating beef jerky sticks, we’d might not have believed you. But the desire for high-protein, low-sugar, and keto- and paleo-friendly foods has led to an influx of packaged snacks in this category. Chomps offers our current favorite meat sticks in beef, turkey, and venison. These sticks contain no sugar and no fillers, and they also come in a half-size option that can fit in your pocket. This is a satisfyingly savory snack that’s great for when you need to each something filling on the go.
Cheerie Lane
This is not the fake-butter-covered, so-salty-you-feel-it-for-days microwaved popcorn of your youth. Cheerie Lane’s popcorn pods contain minimal packaging and come in an adorable corn shape. The pods pop on the stovetop quickly and evenly and come in flavors like classic butter as well as rosemary garlic and tomato basil. For serious popcorn lovers, Cheerie Lane also offers a popcorn of the month club that features exciting new flavors.
Solely
If you miss the fruit snacks of your elementary school days, you’ll love Solely’s fruit gummies, which are filled with nothing but whole organic fruit and vitamin C. The mango-and-guava or mango-and-orange single-serving packs are perfect to toss in your bag for when that mid-afternoon sweet craving hits. If dried fruit is more your style, we love the brand’s fruit jerky, which packs a whole mango, banana, or pineapple into a single stick, as well as its dried fruit pouches (both of which also come drizzled with 100% cacao if that’s more your style).
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