I’m in total denial about summer winding down. Gulp. You too? Many of you have been writing me asking about healthy, on-the-go snack recipes for back to school, work, or simply a busier season ahead. Even if I can’t get behind summer drawing to a close, I can definitely get behind whipping up some snack recipes to have on hand. I put together this round-up of 18 favourites from granola bars to energizing grain-free crackers and everything in between. I plan on stocking the freezer as soon our kitchen is back in order.
All of the recipes below are vegan and gluten-free (most are soy-free too), and the majority can be made peanut or completely nut-free to make them school-friendly – be sure to see my allergy info/notes/substitution suggestions for each! I’m a big fan of recipes that can be customized many different ways. I hope this post helps you discover a few goodies to ring in the upcoming season!
If you haven’t already, don’t forget to check out my post on 21 Vegan Freezer-Friendly Meals.
1. Feel Good Hearty Granola Bars
Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, soy-free
Hearty, chewy, and crunchy, these wholesome granola bars will fill up the tank and keep your energy stable.
Make it nut-free: Swap the almonds and walnuts for more sunflower, pepita, and hemp seeds.
2. Soft + Chewy Baked Granola Bars
Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, oil-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free
Dense, chewy, soft, doughy, seedy, hearty, protein-and-fibre-packed granola bars, sweetened naturally with dates! Try them spread with nut or seed butter for a fun treat or just enjoy them plain. Adapted from my Super Power Chia Bread.
3. Banana Bread Muffin Tops
Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, refined sugar-free
My favourite way to use up ripe bananas! Ultra dense and chewy, these banana bread muffin tops make a great running-out-the-door breakfast or snack. Sweetened with banana and dates, there are no added sugars if you swap the chocolate chips for walnuts. Try them warm served with a pat of vegan butter, nut/seed butter, or coconut oil.
4. Pumpkin Gingerbread Snack Bars
Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free
These lightly sweet pumpkin gingerbread snack bars are dense, chewy, and filling! Try them topped with my creamy cashew butter maple cinnamon glaze, or enjoy them plain or spread with pumpkin butter.
Make it nut-free: Omit the cashew butter glaze or swap it for a simple icing sugar glaze.
5. Quick ‘n Easy No-Bake Protein Bars
Vegan, gluten-free, no bake/raw
These no-bake bars are thrown together in minutes and make the perfect snack to store in the freezer for a quick burst of energy. I used an unsweetened/unflavoured protein powder, so if you are using a sweetened protein powder, you will likely have to reduce the liquid sweetener (and make up for the lack of liquid by adding some non-dairy milk). Play around with it if necessary and aim for a cookie dough texture. You can also roll the dough into balls and add in chocolate chips if you don’t wish to make them into bar form.
Make it nut-free: Swap the nut butter for sunflower seed butter.
6. No-Bake Almond Joy Granola Bars
Vegan, gluten-free, no bake/raw, refined sugar-free
Easy no-bake granola bars inspired by the popular Almond Joy Chocolate bar flavour. Roasted almond butter, mini chocolate chips, and coconut unite to create one tasty bar that’s whipped up in 10 minutes (no oven required!).
Make it nut-free: Swap the almond butter for sunflower seed butter and swap the almonds for sunflower seeds.
7. Super Seed Chocolate Protein Bites
Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, refined sugar-free, no bake/raw
A totally nut-free and refined sugar-free chocolate protein bite! Ready in minutes.
8. Almost Instant Chocolate Chia Pudding
Vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, no bake/raw, oil-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free
This chocolate chia pudding is decadent-tasting yet healthy at the same time. Packed with protein, fibre, and omega-3 fatty acids this is a pudding you can feel good about! When blended with the almond milk ice cubes it’s a treat you can enjoy immediately without waiting for it to chill. The texture is a cross between a smoothie and a pudding. It will thicken up even more if you put it in the fridge for a few hours. I recommend using a high-speed blender for best results since the dates, chia seeds, and ice cubes are challenging to blend super smooth.
Make it nut-free: Swap the almond milk and almond milk ice cubes for a nut-free non-dairy milk of your choice (coconut milk would be nice).
9. Super Power Chia Bread
Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, nut-free, soy-free
Thick, hearty, and dense – this isn’t your average slice of bread! Packed with 9 grams of protein and over 7 grams of fibre per slice, this bread will keep you going for hours.
10. Endurance Crackers
Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, nut-free, soy-free, sugar-free
These Endurance Crackers are extremely light and crispy while providing long-lasting energy. Feel free to change up the seasonings and spices as you wish. See why they are one of the most popular snack recipes on the blog!
11. Vanilla Cinnamon Buckwheat Crispies
Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, raw, soy-free
Inspired by One Lucky Duck. Enjoy it as a raw cereal with homemade almond milk or just eat it by the handful.
12. On The Glow Basic Oatmeal Squares
Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free
Think of this oatmeal square as basic baked oatmeal that can be dressed up any way you like. Each large square contains a tablespoon of flax and a teaspoon of chia seeds as well as 7 grams of fibre and 6 grams of protein. Feel free to add in nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, and other mix-ins as you desire.
Make it nut-free: Swap the almond milk for a nut-free non-dairy milk (such as coconut milk) and swap the nut butter for sunflower seed butter.
13. Almond Butter Rice Crisp Treats
Vegan, gluten-free, no bake
Addictive rice crisp treats – no marshmallows required!
Make it nut-free: Swap the almond butter for sunflower seed butter.
14. Roasted Spiced Chickpeas
Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, sugar-free, soy-free
Chickpeas roasted until crunchy in a garlic, cumin, ginger, chili, and turmeric spice mix. Once you pop, you can’t stop!
15. Salt and Vinegar Roasted Chickpeas
Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, sugar-free, soy-free
Inspired by my all time favourite chip flavour – salt and vinegar! The secret is infusing the chickpeas in vinegar before baking. You won’t believe how authentic the flavour is.
16. All-Dressed Kale Chips (plus my 6 secrets to flawless kale chips!)
Vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free
Crispy and chewy kale chips baked in the oven and seasoned to perfection. Enjoy these as a healthy alternative to potato chips. See why this recipe has a 5-star rating!
17. Out-the-Door Chia Power Doughnuts
(recipe found in The Oh She Glows Cookbook, p. 41)
Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, oil-free, soy-free, refined sugar-free
This recipe is proof that not all doughnuts have to be the unhealthy kind! Packed with antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and fibre, these baked doughnuts will have you feeling ready to conquer your day.
18. Present Glo Bar
(recipe found in The Oh She Glows Cookbook, p. 217)
Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, soy-free, refined sugar-free
While you can’t bring this to school as it is not nut-free, this is the perfect bar to come home to. Filled with cinnamon, dried cranberries, pepita seeds, and toasted pecans, this granola bar gets me excited about the fall season. Ready in 20 minutes, no oven required.
Allergy-Friendly Reminder
Before packing any of these snacks for school, please double-check your school’s allergy and food policies to ensure they’re permitted in the classroom. Every school has different guidelines, and your care helps keep all kids safe and included.
Your recipes look great! My daughter is allergic to all nuts. I notice quite a few of the recipes have coconut oil or some form of coconut. Any substitutions for that? Coconut is a nut, so anyone with nut allergies across the board can’t eat coconut.
Hey Anne, Thank you! As for swapping coconut products, it really depends on the recipe. If you have any specific ones in mind I’d be happy to help troubleshoot!
And a note about coconut: In Canada, coconut is not considered a nut product as Health Canada classifies coconut as a “seed of a fruit” and not as a tree nut, however the U.S. FDA classifies coconut as a tree nut, so as you can see there is some confusion over classification when it comes to coconut. Since I live in Canada I use Health Canada’s designation in my recipes.
I can’t find brown rice syrup here in Hawai’i for the Glo Bar recipe. I tried using 7 tablespoons of honey and although it tastes good, it does not form a bar, just crumbles. Thank you for your help. Love your recipes in your book. Ruth
Hey Ruth, Oh yes unfortunately brown rice syrup is the only liquid binder that holds the bars together! I hope you still enjoyed those crumbles :)
So pleased to hear from you again Angela. Love your cookbooks and looking forward to receiving your newest.