Are you running out of ideas for school snacks?
Maybe this list of school snacks can help, or at least give you some inspiration for other foods that might make great snacks.
There are some really easy and time-consuming snacks that you can make for yourself or your kids, and they can be picked based on how much time you want to spend on them.
Most of these don’t include peanuts as well, because it seems like a lot of schools that host younger children have been eliminating peanuts as a snack due to intense allergies.
The rest is more allergy-friendly and can be eaten for the most part without worrying about keeping it away from the other people in the vicinity.
This post is all about some easy school snacks for all ages.
Most snacks can be kept in containers, and lunch boxes or bags with ice packs can be kept cold.
Only a couple of these school snacks need to stay somewhat cold, but a lot of these foods on the list don’t need to be temperature-controlled and can be thrown into a bag for later convenience.
For kids who may be super picky with some foods and eating them at a specific temperature, it may be easiest to stick to foods that don’t need to be kept cold or warm.
As someone who was like that myself, if I had cheese that was too warm, I would just not eat it at all. This would mean that I wouldn’t have any snacks and then get hungry before lunch and be cranky.
But, if you don’t care, then you can make the snacks without worrying about needing an ice pack or not.
In terms of how much time they take to make, all of these school snacks can be put together in just a couple of minutes, so if you’re in a rush in the morning but you have these snacks or the ingredients to make them at the ready, they are super quick and easy.
These aren’t exactly snacks that would be good for a weekend prep, but more as last-minute options if you just need a quick bite for later on.
Now with all of that out of the way, let’s move on to these easy school snacks that you can make in just a few minutes.
School Snacks:
Pretzels
Either plain or peanut butter-filled, pretzels are delicious snacks that you can buy in bulk and put into a bag or container to-go. They are quite easy to throw into a bag and work as a filling snack to hold you over.
Stores also sell them in smaller bags that you can purchase for something to literally grab and go, and they will stay fresh longer if you plan on not using them very often.
Grapes
For something a little more low-calorie, grapes are a great snack that is super quick and not very messy.
You can freeze them or leave them in the fridge and then take them out when you want to eat them. Just rinse them off before packing them up, and you are good to go.
The hardest part about this process may be choosing between green or red grapes if you don’t have a strong preference.
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Cheese and Crackers
The perfect combo! However, if you only eat cheese cold like I did, then you will want to throw in an ice pack.
There are so many different mixes of cheeses and crackers that you can match together, so if you have an allergy, it is easier to find an alternative without having to completely change the snack you are making.
You can use Ritz crackers, rice crackers, sesame crackers, saltine crackers, or some other type of cracker that you like.
These are just a couple of options, but you may already have some stuff at home that will be easier to put together.
Trail Mix
This school snack is one of my personal favorites because the mixture of sweet and salty is absolutely delicious.
Whether you buy it from the store or make it yourself, you won’t need to spend much time on it and can make a ton at a time.
If you buy it from the store, just like pretzels, it can come in smaller packaging, and if you make it from home, all you need is a container or baggy to put it in.
You can make your trail mix super healthy or with some yummy sweet treats in it if you mix it together yourself, or just add a couple of things into a pre-made one.
Granola Bars
Maybe it’s me, but I kind of put trail mix and granola bars in the same category. They are both super yummy snacks that you can take with you pretty much anywhere.
Granola bars can get a little bit messier if they end up getting crushed in the packaging, but it usually isn’t something too rough unless it is extremely crumbly.
In that case, it pretty much just turns into granola or trail mix and you can eat it in bite-sized pieces.
There are tons of flavors of granola bars to choose from, so it’s almost impossible to not find something you would like.
Fruit Strips
If you know you are going to be in need of a little bit of sugar during your school day, fruit strips are an excellent solution for that.
You can buy them in bulk from the store and pack them in a lunch box or a bag for when you need them. They don’t melt either, which is a huge plus if you live somewhere very hot.
The best ones I have ever had are from Trader Joe’s, but there are also several other brands to choose from.
Chips
These may not be the healthiest options, but it really depends on what kind of chips you end up going with. If you’re choices for a school snack or limited but chips are fine, sometimes it’s better to just pack something that for sure will be eaten.
Even just packing a couple to go on the side of other snacks or lunch is fine, if it works, it works.
Vegetables and Dipping Sauce
My initial thought was carrots and ranch because that’s what I used to eat as a kid, but I didn’t want to completely eliminate it to just that if, like some of the other school snacks, you already have stuff at home.
Instead of carrots, you can use celery, broccoli, snap peas, and the list goes on. I’m not quite sure what you could use instead of the ranch as a dipping sauce, but I’m going to leave the option open just in case.
It might be good to put some sort of ice pack in with a snack, but it will most likely not make or break the taste when you have to eat it or when someone else eats it later on.
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Hard Boiled Eggs
With all of the new gadgets that have come out recently, making hard-boiled eggs is much easier now. In under a half hour, you can have a bunch of hard-boiled eggs ready to eat.
Out of all of the school snacks on this list, this one definitely takes up the most time due to how much effort you have to put in when you are hard-boiling eggs, but after that, the snack is just as easy as the rest of them.
This school snack also requires an ice pack, but it will keep the eggs cool and ready to peel when you need them.
Hard-boiled eggs can be somewhat messy if they are not already peeled for preparation, and if that is something that you do not want, then you can switch to a different snack. If you don’t care, feel free to enjoy!
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Turkey/Salami and Cheese Roll-Ups
This was another one of my favorites as a kid, there was a specific cheese and salami that I would roll up after school and devour. It was so delicious, I could keep eating them as an entire meal.
With slices of salami or turkey and a slice of cheese, you can roll them together and use a toothpick to keep everything in place. Pack them into a container, and they are ready to go.
To keep the snack fresh, use an ice pack. If you are making them eat immediately, then there’s obviously no reason to pack them up in the first place.
That wraps up these easy school snacks for all ages! These are perfect for when you don’t have a ton of time but still want something tasty.
If you want a nice mix of healthy and sweet, then there are definitely enough snacks for you to pick and choose from.
Whether it’s just for a day of school or maybe for a day where you’re going out on a field trip, you can bring these snacks with you and not have to worry about them getting smushed or ending up super messy.