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.
Some big batches of baking/cooking are DEFINITELY in order around here! I really want to have some grab/go options available once school picks up again. Thanks for sharing all of these Angela! I’ll be referring back to this post :)
youtube.com/sparklesandsuch26
You know why I need your Facebook posts? So I can stop reading other posts and get back to business in the kitchen! Time to make healthy school snacks for the kiddies. :)
Love this list!! You are officially the granola bar queen! So many delicious granola bars to try :D I loooveee your delicious glo bar from the cookbook and love making different combinations out of it! My next venture will be trying your Super Power Chia Bread! :)
And Kale Chips – enough said. The best snack ever!
these all look amazing but I will totally be trying the almond joy granola bars … squeelll yummm!!!
Thank you for the wonderful snack ideas! Just wondering if you can actually not notice or taste the protein powder in the protein bars. I have not tried this specific brand yet but all the protein powders that I have tried have a stranger aftertaste….
Hi marie, Yes you can taste the protein powder a bit (I use Sunwarrior) – I’ve yet to find one that you can’t taste at all.
Hi Angela,
I am a recent newletter subscriber. I love everything you send out; letters, tips, recipes, videos, etc. I am so forunate to have come across your wealth of knowledge and all the wonderful work you put into each message. Thanks for all you do everyday to inspire vegans and hopefully some non vegans!
Do you have any nutrional information for the recipes you share?
Kind regards,
Thanks for the round up! I also have your cookbook and can’t wait to work my way through it :) Are hulled hemp seeds and hemp hearts the same thing? I make so many of your recipes but have not made one with either of those ingredients yet and am trying to figure out the difference betweent the two.
Thank you!
Emily
These all look fantastic. I’m forever looking for healthy options to take to work with me as I always get hungry at about 11:00 which is a good two hours before I can take lunch. I like the look of the roasted chickpeas in particular :)
Thank you so much for putting the allergy substitutes – makes life so much easier for those with nut allergies :) Can’t wait to try all these recipes! xx
Awesome round up, so much inspiration for healthy snacks! Will have to come back to work my way through the list, I want to try them all!!
Dear Angela,
I have recently become vegetarian. I use your book a lot and I love it!
I wonder though how can I find out how many calories in each meal?
Thank you!
Ana
There is an app called map my diet where you can put in your own recipes and it will calculate the nutritional info and save it so you don’t have to put it in again…..hope that helps
As a preschool teacher, just getting back into the swing of things, I am psyched to have all these great recipes in one place! Thanks for helping me stay fueled during this crazy beginning-of-school time! :-)
Angela – Absolutely love your blog and cookbook! I recommend both to every aspiring vegan (and non-vegan) I meet.
I have tried to make chia pudding on a number of occasions, and I can’t get the chia seeds to thicken the almond milk. I follow recipes exactly and use only new chia seeds, but I still don’t have any luck. Any idea what I am doing wrong or could do differently? Thanks!
Alisa, have you tried different brands of chia seeds? I noticed that some brands thicken better than others.
I haven’t. I generally buy chia in bulk from the local specialty shop in my neighborhood.
Do you have any recommendations for brands?
I’ve had a similar issue before too! I fixed it though by adding in an extra tbsp of chia seeds to the almond milk. It will thicken it right up! Hope this helps!
HI Angela! Completely off topics but I’ve been obsessed with your perfected chickpea salad for the last month or so. I went to make it for lunch today and found that I only had mayo and frozen chickpeas. In a pinch, I made a Greek chickpea salad with kalamata olives, sundried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, oregano, garlic, and mayo (ate it on a corn tortilla since I’m GF). So good! Thanks for being such a great inspiration for a healthy lifestyle!
I have been doing the health care concept of vegan foods now for a while and I cant tell people how much better I look and healthier I feel. There is no way eating animal based products is anywhere near that of a vegan’s health. I would love to learn more on foods and recipes that are vegan.
I would love to learn more on foods and recipes that are vegan. Perfect back to school snacks. Quick and healthy
I love roundups like these and this is the perfect post for back-to-school snacks. I’m in the process of applying for my doctorate so between that, classes, and life I need all of the quick, healthy, tasty snacks I can get!
These all look great, but I am especially excited to try the roasted chickpeas recipe. Chickpeas are the best.
Angela – I’m sure you get a ton of requests for stuff like this but I would LOVE if you could make a similar list that compiled recipes good for babies and toddlers – soft foods that are easy for new eaters that are easy to chew and nutritious and unlikely choking hazards. I recently made your oatmeal squares and the texture is perfect for my 16 month old.
What a great roundup…will be referencing often! Question: I am about to make the first granola bar recipe, and was wondering if I could substitute buckwheat for the rolled oats? Do you think such a hearty grain (well, grain-like) ingredient cook in the oven at this temp?
Thanks much!
Update: I made the first granola bars and they were absolutely fabulous!! Thanks for offering a minimally sweet healthy snack option. (The only modification I made was substituting chopped dates vs. dried cherries in the original.)
I also have been meaning to tell you how much I appreciate your flawless recipes…I love that I can trust them to turn out perfectly and your very precise instructions. I’m a pretty experienced cook, but when it comes to baking – that’s a completely different story. Having been a vegan for many years, I’ve collected a large collection of cookbooks, and I can already sense that OSG is sure to be one of those classics, a favorite, that I return to time and time again.
They all look so great but the chocolate chia pudding is for sure the winner! I have to make that one! Thanks for sharing so many great tasting and healthy recipes!