Healthy Recipes Healthy Mealtime Recipes Healthy Snack Recipes 22 Make-Ahead Snacks to Pack with Lunch By Danielle DeAngelis Danielle DeAngelis Instagram Twitter Website Danielle DeAngelis is a rising journalist and current Fellow for EatingWell.com. Through her previous experiences as a news writer, she has focused on covering sustainability and human interest stories. Her passions of reading, writing and eating local all guide her in her position at EatingWell. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on March 15, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Running out of healthy snack ideas? These flavorful snack recipes will elevate your lunch to the next level. Whether you're craving savory nuts and homemade crackers or sweet granola bars and fruit leather, there's a snack for every taste bud in this line up. Recipes like our Iced Lemon Cookie Energy Balls and Soy Sauce Eggs can be made ahead of time, so you can easily pack your lunch throughout the week. 01 of 22 Iced Lemon Cookie Energy Balls View Recipe Next time you have a Girl Scout Cookie craving, try these healthier no-bake cookies instead. Their bright and lemony flavor is balanced by sweetness from Medjool dates, and they're held together with millet and almond meal. Keeping the dough chilled and dusting your hands with confectioners' sugar will keep them from sticking to your hands while you shape them. 02 of 22 Super-Seed Snack Bars View Recipe Thanks to a mix of pumpkin, sunflower, hemp and chia seeds, these healthy snack bars are packed with protein, fiber, minerals and healthy fats. Because these bars pack well, they're great for taking along on all-day adventures. 03 of 22 Mango Fruit Leather View Recipe This no-sugar-added fruit snack is a healthy treat kids and adults will both love. It's perfect for packing in a lunchbox for school or work or just enjoying as a snack or better-for-you dessert at home. 04 of 22 Soy Sauce Eggs View Recipe Try this salty-sweet hard-boiled egg recipe as a swap for deviled eggs at your next party or as a midday snack. Or serve on top of your next ramen noodle bowl. 05 of 22 Muddy Buddy Energy Balls View Recipe Jacob Fox This fun take on Muddy Buddies wraps cereal, nut butter, chocolate chips and the signature powdered-sugar coating into an energy ball with just the right amount of sweetness. You can mix and match the cereal, butter and sweetener for a different flavor each time you make them. 06 of 22 Everything-Seasoned Almonds View Recipe Jennifer Causey Grinding up the everything bagel seasoning in a spice grinder will help it adhere to the almonds. 07 of 22 Cranberry-Almond Granola Bars View Recipe There are plenty of granola bar options at the grocery store, but they're also easy (and often healthier) to make at home. Feel free to vary the add-ins to your taste, swapping 2 cups of any combination of small (or chopped) dried fruit, nuts, seeds and/or chocolate chips for the dried cranberries and nuts in this version. We tested several sticky sweeteners, including maple syrup and honey, but found brown rice syrup held the bars together the best. 08 of 22 Rosemary-Garlic Pecans View Recipe Jennifer Causey These savory spiced nuts are perfect for snacking, adding to a cheese board or serving as a mini appetizer. 09 of 22 Mango-Date Energy Bites View Recipe Sweet, sticky dates act as the glue for these no-cook energy balls. Perfect for hikes or during sports, this healthy snack travels well. 10 of 22 Spiced Chickpea "Nuts" View Recipe When roasted in a hot oven, chickpeas become super crunchy. They're a great low-fat substitute for nuts when salty cravings hit. 11 of 22 Seneca White Corn No-Bake Energy Balls View Recipe Nate Lemuel Kaylena Bray shared this recipe, which was passed down to her by her parents, David and Wendy Bray. They're both Seneca White Corn educators in New York State who share their knowledge at hands-on workshops hosted by universities, Native community centers and farms across the country. These no-bake energy balls get lots of staying power from a mix of oats and corn flour, peanut butter, coconut, dried fruit and mixed nuts. They're easily customizable by changing up the dried fruit and nuts. This recipe is part of our spotlight, There's a Movement to Revitalize Indigenous Cuisines and Knowledge—Here's Why That Matters. 12 of 22 Pumpkin Seeds with Everything Bagel Seasoning View Recipe Everything bagel spices give these roasted pumpkin seeds an extra hit of flavor that's delicious any time of day. 13 of 22 Garlic Hummus View Recipe This garlic hummus recipe couldn't be easier--just toss a few ingredients in the food processor and whir away! 14 of 22 Cherry-Chocolate Chip Granola Bars View Recipe Skip the granola bar options at the grocery store--they're easy to make at home! You can vary the add-ins to your taste, swapping 2 cups of any combination of small (or chopped) dried fruit, nuts and/or seeds for the chocolate, cherries and coconut in this version. We tested several sticky sweeteners, including maple syrup and honey, but found brown rice syrup held the bars together the best. 15 of 22 Homemade Trail Mix View Recipe Try this with portable mix with any combination of dried fruits and nuts. 16 of 22 Savory Date & Pistachio Bites View Recipe A touch of sweetness from the dates and raisins paired with crunch and nuttiness from the pistachios make these bites perfect for an on-the-go snack or as an accompaniment on a cheese board. 17 of 22 Jonathan Perno's Spiced Candied Pecans View Recipe At home or at Campo, the restaurant he oversees at Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm in Albuquerque, chef Jonathan Perno likes to welcome guests with spiced New Mexican pecans. You won't see this in most spiced-nut recipes, but Perno blanches them to reduce some of the bitter tannins in the skin that can sometimes overwhelm the pecans' delicate flavor. 18 of 22 Homemade Multi-Seed Crackers View Recipe Turn leftover brown rice and quinoa from dinner or meal-prepping into these delicious crispy crackers that are loaded with three good-for-you seeds--and create an everything-bagel flavor, without the bagel. The whole grains that make up this copycat cracker recipe add lots of fiber for a healthy snack that pairs perfectly with hummus or cheese. 19 of 22 Dried Apples View Recipe This healthy oven-dried apple recipe is perfect if you want to make dried apples at home and don't have a dehydrator. Great for lunchboxes or as a snack, homemade dried apples are easy to make in the oven and are high in fiber and nutrients. To retain the fiber from the peels and to save time, we skip the step of peeling the apples first. We also skip coring--the star-shaped core makes a pretty shape in the center of each dried apple. For crispy apple chips, bake the apples about 1 hour more. 20 of 22 Chile-Lime Peanuts View Recipe These spicy nuts were inspired by ones sold by street vendors across Mexico. If you can only find salted peanuts, omit the added salt. Add the maximum amount of cayenne pepper if you want an extra hit of spice. 21 of 22 Apricot-Sunflower Granola Bars View Recipe Easy to make at home, these nut-free granola bars can be adjusted to your taste preferences. Simply vary the add-ins to your taste, swapping 2 cups of any combination of small (or chopped) dried fruit, seeds and/or chocolate chips for the apricots and seeds in this version. We tested several sticky sweeteners, including maple syrup and honey, but found brown rice syrup held the bars together the best. 22 of 22 Pressure-Cooker Hummus View Recipe Cooking chickpeas from scratch is the best way to make your own hummus, but it can take hours to soak and cook them yourself. Enter the pressure cooker. Even without an overnight soak, your beans can be done in less than an hour, making this the ultimate last-minute appetizer option. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit