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.
You should come and share this post in our Facebook group “Mothers Helping Mothers” ;)
The chia donuts look amazing, and so do the salt and vinegar chickpeas. (Two of my favorite things ever.) I think I have to try them this weekend.
All looks so delicious. And it has a gluten free option, means it can have a variety of health benefits, such as improving cholesterol levels, promoting digestive health, and increasing energy levels.
I get notifications from your facebook page and Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead’s. Imagine my surprise when I see a recipe from you on FSND’s page. I’m so happy they’ve recognized your blog and all the delicious, healthy recipes.
Wow, so many bars to chose from! Pinned nearly all of them, will have to reference this page throughout the year for ideas!!
I am allergic to nuts and wouldn’t eat any of these. The author is obviously not allergic herself or likes to live life on the edge if she is….
I think posting most of these recipes -advertised as ‘safe’ is irresponsible. When will people take food allergies seriously -you can die from a ‘mistake’ [ie: the suspect food item having the same or closely related protein which is the source of the allergic reaction]
Awesome. These will be great for taking with me to work. I wait tables and low blood sugar is a frequent issue.
Hi there:
I was wondering if it would be possible for you to title your posts with the foods, not just your blog name. It would make it easier for me to file and retrieve the posts when I have a chance to try any of the recipes. As it is now, I have to forward the posts to myself with my own recipe titles. I think others might appreciate knowing what is contained in the posts when received as well.
Keep up the good (and yummy!) work,
Janet
Hi Angela,
I’ve just made some Present Glo Bars and for some reason went and wrapped them in parchment and twine instead of simply using plastic wrap or foil – way to make things time consuming! I assume they’ll still keep alright like this? I’ve got them in a sealed container in the fridge.
Hi Samantha,
I would pop 3 or 4 in a ziploc bag as well and then put them in the container. I’m not sure they would last too long on their own in the container.
As a busy mom of two kids and one newborn not always can’t find a time to make something especially snacks to go. Although, healthy nutrition for my kids comes as one of the first things. I was more than happy to discover Chomps Snack Sticks(http://www.gochomps.com/)- 100% grass fed beef, gluten free without any junks in it– very importants facts.
My kids are very happy and so do I.
My family LOVES these recipes. Our favorite is the Roasted Chickpeas. I’ll usually toss some in a my son’s lunch box for a school snack. He also love Kinder Surprise Eggs which are surprisingly not all that bad for him.
He loves watching videos on YouTube of kids unwrapping them and seeing the toys they get… example
https://youtu.be/KN6gkNri40Y
Hey Angela – I’m sure you hear this all day long but your images are stunning! I want to make everything on your list! I recently launched a Gourmet Gluten Free Snacks Gift Box you might like as part of Undiscovered Kitchen’s gift collection http://undiscoveredkitchen.com/undiscovered-kitchens-gift-collections/gourmet-artisan-gluten-free-snacks-box – Super tasty and gluten free (some vegan) with minimally processed and nutritionally packed snacks like Orange Ginger Turkey Jerky, Spicy Lemon Zest Roasted Chickpeas (reminds me of your recipe above), Peanut Butter Choco Chip Protein Bar, and more – all from artisan makers across the US :) Cheers! Evona
These recipes look great I am a vegan myself and the way that this was created was so amazing. I have been sharing this with my meat eating friends and they have liked many of the things that you have here. Thanks for encouraging us to eat better ad be kinder to animals
Hi Jenny, thanks for sharing the recipe love! I always try to create dishes that will be enjoyed by everyone – meat eaters, too! – so it’s wonderful to receive comments like yours. :)
Thanks for a great post those granola bars look simply amazing
What’s up, just wanted to tell you, I loved this blog post.
It was helpful. Keep on posting!
Great post just wanted to let you know. Much needed for our kids.
Thanks, John! I hope you find the suggestions helpful :)
This blog is great. I work with seniors who often do not realize how healthily they can eat. Eating doesn’t have to boring when you choose to eat healthy as this blog has shown!
I’m really worried about the nut free claim. Our schools say peanut free but what does that really mean? My friend says she has a life threatening ‘peanut’ allergy but she is deathly allergic to all nuts including coconuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame, pine nuts, you name it! Technically I could send whatever I want to school so long as it doesn’t have peanuts in it but I wouldn’t feel good about it. Milk is another deadly allergy protein nobody cares much about in schools those I’m sure there are many others.
By the way, people trying to get hypoallergenic snacks on planes say that epi pens only last 10 minutes, not long enough to land just enough for a ground ambulance with no traffic. Very expensive to carry 10 or more epi pens at 100 a piece.
Anyways, when people say peanut allergies they usually mean most seeds and nuts and can include coconuts ect.
Hi Angela! I am inspired by this post very much in search for appropriate snacks I can pack for my 13 month old to daycare. As much as I would like to make everything on this post, can you help me narrow down to 1-2 to start? I need something soft(er) for my 13 month old. Thank you so much for the guidance!
This is great showing what meals are appropriate for us to snack on and enjoy. That chocolate pudding looks so amazingly good thanks for the great post