Top 10 Best Vegan Snacks

People who are wanting to eat more plant-based often reach out asking for the best vegan snacks! This is a great question. In this day and age of productivity and rushing from place-to-place, we have lost touch with how to nourish ourselves with real food. As parents, that becomes even harder to do. Whether you are wanting to eat more plant-based or not, these are the best vegan snacks for everyone!

When we became vegan, many years ago, we naturally incorporated more natural and whole foods into our diet. No, we don’t eat grass. Yes, we do eat delicious and real foods!

There are consequences of a poor diet, right? We all know this. Every person is unique, but lack of nutrition may look like fatigue, low energy, headaches, stomach issues, irritability, poor skin health, getting sick, etc.

Disease processes that are a result of diet choices include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and more.

I don’t know about you, but I’m guessing you don’t have time for all of this yucky stuff and neither do I.

I want to wake up feeling energized, happy, motivated, and healthy. I want my skin to glow, my body to work for me, and my clothes to fit well. Mindset is important too, healing happens from the inside out.

The ongoing, daily debate in my household is ‘what’s for dinner?’ Now that we have a little one, we have grudgingly added ‘we need more snacks!’ And on top of all of that, as a nursing mom, I am HUNGRY.

Most days, my frequency of eating looks like this:

5:30am wake-up: drink my plant-based collagen drink + water (new goal of mine to drink lots of water BEFORE coffee)

6:30am: make coffee

Breakfast happens with Theo when he wakes up

9:30am: snack

11:30am: lunch

2:00pm: snack

4:00pm: fruit smoothie

6:30pm: dinner

8:30pm: hot tea or small snack before bed

Lots of snacks, right? Food is fuel. Food is energy. Food sustains. Starvation never, ever works. Not eating will just piss you off.

Let’s keep it simple today. Here are 10 of the best vegan snack ideas for you. My family eats these all the time. A few of them require a little bit of prep work to make in bulk, but that’s okay!

We have to get out of this mentality of not having time to take care of ourselves. The choice is actually quite simple. You can choose to make time for your health now or be forced to later on in the form of sickness, doctor’s visits, and medications.

Top 10 Best Vegan Snacks

1. Popcorn with Nutritional Yeast

Check out my recipe on Homemade Stovetop Popcorn! One container of kernels will last you forever, and just a little bit popped on the stove will make you huge buckets. It’s more cost-effective to make your popcorn this way, it makes a ton, you get an antioxidant + protein boost with the nutritional yeast, and it’s delicious!

2. Chocolate Chip Energy Balls

These are so simple to make! Just dump everything in the bowl, mix to combine, refrigerate so they are easier to roll into balls, make balls, eat. I keep these stored in the refrigerator, so they are less messy. They are so good that I usually double the recipe to make them last longer. The beautiful thing about these energy balls is that you can get really creative with your mix-ins! Feel free to deviate from the recipe if you so wish.

You can find the base recipe here as well as great ideas for various ways to make these: Energy Balls

3. Fruit Smoothie

Check out my recipe on how to make a Summer Berry Smoothie! You can make any variation of a fruit smoothie with simple changes in which kind of fruit you use. I always buy organic, frozen fruit in bulk. It is more cost-effective this way, and frozen fruit gives your smoothie better texture. The whole family loves them, and they are SO healthy! I’ll work on getting some more smoothie recipes up in the next few months if you need some inspiration.

4. Chips & hummus (or veggies)

For those that don’t know, hummus is basically bean dip. Garbanzo beans, also called chickpeas, are like beans and that is what hummus is made out of! I usually make my own hummus, but you totally do not have to do that. Eric loves the Sabra brand that you can find at any grocery store, however keep an eye on the ingredients list- the fewer on the label the better. Bonus points if you can find an organic brand as well! Full disclosure: I almost exclusively eat hummus with chips and salsa. You already know hummus is delicious with fresh veggies too, though!

You can find the recipe that I make for our snacking here: The BEST Hummus Recipe!

5. Muffins

Muffins? (She said muffins.) YES, I did. Carbs are not all bad. (She said carbs are not bad.) YES, I did. My postpartum survival looked like eating hot banana nut muffins smeared with Earth Balance butter every single day. Muffins are easy to grab-and-go, and usually kids love them to!

You can find a yummy recipe for banana nut muffins here: Wholesome Vegan Banana Nut Muffins

6. Fruit

The easiest, travel-friendly snack ever. We are some big-time fruit lovers in my house. I make a point to always have on hand: bananas, oranges, blueberries, apples, avocados, and strawberries. From there I buy 1-2 more fruits for Theo to try out and rotate onto our plates. This week was pineapple and peaches! When possible, try to buy organic fruit! At the very least, check out the Dirty Dozen list below and always buy these produce items organically.

7. PB&J

Who doesn’t love a classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich? If you don’t, we can’t be friends you’re weird. PB&Js are our favorite hiking snacks and car snacks when we will be driving for awhile. Slap some together, throw them in a reusable bag, and you can choose to keep them cool or not. You’ve got healthy fats from your nut butter, carbs for energy from the bread, and a little sweetness with your jelly! What’s not to love? I will save white bread probably isn’t the best choice. We like sprouted wheat bread!

8. Lara bars, fig bars, granola bars, oatmeal bars

This is an easy one! I grab a couple here and there each time I grocery shop depending on what I’m in the mood for that week. I keep some in my work bag, diaper bag, car, hiking pack, etc. There are so many brands and options out there! Look for the brands that have real ingredients and minimal sugar. I limit myself to one/day usually and try to fill my other snack times with fresh or homemade foods. However, these are certainly a better alternative to the traditional junk like a bag of chips, candy bars, or cookies!

9. Trail mix

This is an easy one, too! You can make it yourself, which is more cost-effective, or buy a big bag pre-mixed already. We do a little bit of both. Get creative. Which nuts are your favorite? Do you like savory or sweet snacks? There are so many different combinations out there! Trail mix travels really well, and you can keep it stored in your purse, diaper bag, hiking pack, car, etc. Grab a handful and eat on the way to where you are going.

10. Protein veggie cups

I saved the best for last! I made these once and then I made them a million more times until I couldn’t eat them again for awhile. So. Good. We love these! They are savory, eggy, filling and packed with veggies. The flavor is awesome, and this is also a recipe that I double to make it last longer. We eat the heck out of them! If you are trying to minimize or cut out gluten, they are also gluten-free! I keep them in our freezer and just microwave them for 1-1.5 minutes until they are hot. Give them a try, and let me know what you think!

You can find this recipe here: Vegan Egg Muffins

I always tell people to start with improving one snack and one meal at a time. It’s not just about cutting out the bad stuff, it’s about incorporating more of the GOOD stuff. Then, naturally, there will be less room for junk!

That's all for today! I hope this was helpful and inspirational. If you have friends looking for a way to eat better snacks throughout the day, tell them to start here! 

What if you stopped making excuses and started making time for your health? How would your life change?