These healthy summer snacks are your go-to for planning ahead, so you can be prepared when summer break begins!
These snacks can be good for any occasion, whether you’re making them for a party or just for yourself.
A mix of sweet and savory, healthy summer snacks complement the weather and keep everyone from getting hungry.
Sometimes thinking of snack ideas takes too much brain power, or your head is blank and nothing comes to mind.
Don’t worry about it! I’ve already done all of the thinking for you!
This post is all about the 10 healthy summer snacks to kickstart your summer break.
Summer is the perfect season for getting friends and family together for parties. Whether it’s a pool party or a potluck, it’s nice to get everyone together when the weather is warm.
Speaking of warm weather, summer often calls for cold drinks, treats, and snacks to balance out how hot one may get while standing outside in the sun.
But there are also some great foods that are hot and still fit into the summer category of the best things to have at that time.
None of the snacks on our list are made to be served hot, but this is something to keep in mind if you think of ideas on your own.
Yummy and fun drinks have also been added to this list, so if you’re looking for something a little less heavy or maybe just something you can slowly sip on throughout an hour or so, you can try out the drinks!
Healthy summer snacks are a great way to balance out all of the potential ice cream and popsicles that will be consumed by kids, and if they are particularly picky or just prefer sweets, several delicious fruits are ripe during this season.
It’s a bonus that there are so many things you can do and make with fruits, so you can keep it interesting for any little ones you might have around.
Especially with how hot the temperatures can get, it’s important to make sure that all of the good vitamins and nutrients are available!
Now let’s finally move on:
Healthy Summer Snacks:
Fruit Cake-
If you’ve got a lot of time on your hands, why not try and make a fruitcake? They are super fun and colorful and make a creative little snack for people to come back to.
There are so many options for what you could use as ingredients, that you should have no problem, deciding between the wide selection.
While the word ‘cake’ is often associated with sugar and desserts, there are some recipes that use healthy ingredients without any artificial sugar.
Fruitcake is great if you are preparing for a party the day before, and are worried about the weather spoiling the food because cake does not necessarily need to be kept at any given temperature.
However, it may taste better if it is cold.
(RELATED POST: Tasty 7-Step Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies)
Cheese Board/Charcuterie Board-
A cheeseboard or charcuterie board is a super easy last-minute snack tray that you can put together without a ton of hassle.
You can put it together when stuff you already have at home or find stuff at the store to add on.
Some grocery stores also offer pre-made versions that have cheese, crackers, and fruit on them already so all you have to do is open it up. So, if you are really out of time, this may be your best bet.
While crackers don’t severely change in temperature based on where they are, cheese can develop ‘sweat’ left out to warm up. Some people are super picky about this and won’t touch it if it warms up too much, but others don’t care.
If you want to be safe, you can leave the cheese and crackers inside with an ice tray underneath to help prevent the food from getting too hot.
The other option would be leaving it outside with an ice tray underneath, and this could also work if the weather isn’t too hot or if you plan on the cheese tray not lasting very long.
Orange slices-
Oranges are absolutely amazing during this time of year, and make the perfect healthy summer snack that has a balance of sweet and sour.
You can keep them fresh, or turn them into something else like orange dream bars or orange juice.
Not only do they carry a bunch of vitamin C, but also have extra nutrients from the pulp! Although they are a bit more messy because of their juices, the flavor is worth it.
Oranges are the perfect food for one if you feel like cutting up some slices to snack on. On the flip side, a tray full of slices is easy to grab and accessible for large groups.
They don’t need to be kept cool and can be in the sun. You may want to watch out for bugs if they start outside, though.
Mango-
Even if you’re not on a tropical vacation, you can still eat like you are!
Mangos are so nice to have during the summer, and you can choose to have them as a snack or as a dessert, because of how sweet they are.
This isn’t a great summer snack to make for tons of people but is the perfect size for one.
Due to their sweetness, you can add them to smoothies, yogurt, or ice cream for even more added flavor.
A bigger snack also helps if you’re super hungry.
Whether you eat this fruit by itself or with other yummy things, it will be easiest to prepare one serving.
Mangos also don’t need to stay cool.
(RELATED POST: Tropical And Delicious Mango Summer Smoothie)
Mint Mojito-
Depending on how you make it, a mint mojito can be super sweet and filled with artificial sugar, or you can keep it healthy with natural ingredients.
Mint mojitos are a super delectable treat that you can make for kiddos, or just as an alternative to alcoholic drinks.
Not only a snack, but you can also pair them with lunch or dinner!
Mint mojitos can be served cold or at room temperature, and they only take a couple of minutes to make. Even better if you have mint in your neighborhood that you can use.
Watermelon-
To be clear, this list is not in any order, because I think most people would agree that watermelon is a very popular and super delicious summer snack.
Watermelon is a good healthy summer snack because it is easy to prepare, and not messy.
Want something a little different but still have that same taste?
You can use an immersion blender to make watermelon juice! It’s just as yummy, without the texture.
Strawberry Lemonade-
Another drink? Yep!
Lemonade is a classic cool drink to have during the summertime, but why not add some strawberries for a twist?
If the original taste is too sour for you, adding some strawberry juice or strawberry purée will help sweeten it up without completely changing the drink.
You can choose to make it from scratch if you have enough time, or make it from a pre-made mix. (This may be the better option if you plan on making it in a large pitcher for multiple people.)
Salsa-
Getting towards the end, we have the classic dips that are perfect for any time of day and any party.
Whether you use them for chips or other foods, salsa is a healthy dip that can be great for kids who don’t like veggies but like this.
If they don’t like salsa, you could try this instead!
Hummus-
Hummus has a completely different texture and is a great dip to have with veggies.
You could add carrots or celery to make a little veggie tray, similar to the cheeseboard or charcuterie board.
Similar in texture and purpose, but also not,
Guacamole-
My personal favorite out of the two is: guacamole is a little simpler and takes less time, depending on what you add.
Either way, both are super customizable and you can tinker with them for any allergies you may need to accommodate.
You also don’t need to worry about monitoring their temperatures because they will stay fresh for hours.
If you happen to have leftovers, you can put them back into the fridge to use for another time.
And a tip for the guacamole: save the pit of the avocado, and put it with the guacamole to keep it from going brown. The pit will help it stay fresh.
That wraps up healthy summer snacks!
Any of the fruits mentioned above can turn into juice or be incorporated into baked desserts if you are looking to get creative, or you can just keep them as is.
(RELATED POST: The Ultimate Summer Snack Mix Of 2024)
Keep in mind that there are tons of other fruits and veggies that work really well as a summer snack, due to how easy they are to prepare and how they can withstand hotter temperatures.
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