45 Tasty, Healthy Vegan Snacks

By: Doug Hay

It’s no secret that I’m a snacker.

I joke about it on the podcast, and my wife pokes fun of my cart additions every time we shop for groceries. Snacks get me through my afternoon cravings, and calm my ravenous post-run stomach.

After exhausting the original 24 options above, it occurred to me that we have several new No Meat Athlete team members who also love to snack. Each with their own favorite go-to options.

So I reached out to our team at No Meat Athlete and together we’ve compiled 45 healthy vegan snack ideas. Can you hear my stomach rejoicing?

Vegan Snacks to Help You Avoid the Vending Machine

Though the snacks served by machines may be convenient, the vegan options are often lacking in the nutrients you need. They’re also not the best sources of energy required for your workout. Prep some of these recipes ahead of time (Sunday afternoon is a great time to do this!), and keep them on hand for noshing:

1. Basic baked kale chips or almond crunch kale chips

2. Roasted chickpeas

3. Sweet or savory hummus

4. Baba ganoush

5. Veggies with green herb & yogurt dip

6. Herbed cashews

7. Air-popped popcorn (make it extra special with homemade seasoning)

8. Guacamole

9. Homemade energy bars or granola bars

10. Homemade granola

11. Chipotle black bean dip

12. Miniature soft pretzels with peanut butter or mustard

13. Smoothies, like a homemade super food concoction or my favorite, the mango-lime hot pepper smoothie from Thrive

14. Fresh fruit and vegetable juice blends

15. Raw frozen banana truffles

16. Cashew hemp bars (like homemade Larabars)

And if you don’t have time to make your snacks yourself, here are a few ready-made snacks that get the NMA thumbs-up:

17. Food Should Taste Good chips (especially the sweet potato!)

18. Bearded Bros. raw energy bars

19. Mary’s Gone Crackers gluten-free and vegan crackers

20. Health Warrior chia energy bars

21. Wayfar vegan cheese spreads and dips

22. CLIF Builder and Mojo bars (check ingredients, as not all are vegan)

23. Starbucks Hearty Blueberry Oatmeal (or a similar oatmeal option at your local coffee shop)

24. Unique sprouted-grain pretzel splits

26. Or no bake energy bites (Both are great for pre-run snacks)

27. Apples with peanut butter (A perennial kid favorite)

28. Tortilla chips with homemade salsa (Susan makes her own every summer with veggies from the garden)

29. Momo granola bars

30. Healthy Carrot Cake Power Scuffins (Esther recommends subbing the oil for applesauce)

31. Buffalo hummus, used as a spread or dip for #33.

32. S’nuts

33. Fresh spring rolls with Thai peanut sauce

34. Homemade sweet potato chips

35. Veggies dipped in cashew cream sauce

36. Chocolate-cherry bars

37. Sardinian white bean spread (here’s a recipe Matt likes, adapted from The Blue Zones Solution):

1 medium clove of garlic

½ teaspoon salt

2 cans (or 3 cups cooked) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (almost any bean will work, so feel free to try others)

Juice of one medium lemon (about 3 tablespoons)

1-2 teaspoons dried herbs (any you like — usually an Italian blend plus fennel seeds)

2 tablespoons olive oil (If you don’t mind oil, you can use use up to a quarter-cup for a richer spread. If you want to it to be totally oil-free, substitute liquid from the beans or water.)

Use a food processor or blender to first mince the garlic, then add all remaining ingredients except for oil (or your substitute liquid) and pulse to form a very rough paste. Then, with the motor running, stream in the oil or other liquid with the motor running. Do it quickly so that the spread retains a bit of texture.

Serve with veggies or pita wedges, or spread on pizza crust, bagels, or just about anything else where you want to add some heft and nutrition.

38. Grilled Sweet Potato Fries

39. Chocolate tart-cherty trail mix

40. Dehydrated fruit (A favorite of Matt and Erin’s kids, just don’t forget to brush your teeth soon after)

41. Peanut butter and banana “quesadilla”

Our new favorite store-bought options:

42. Pistachios (Go for the 3-pound bag from Costco to save a few bucks)

43. Pretzels dipped in a spicy mustard (Lusty Monk is our favorite Asheville brand)

44. LARABARs (Check ingredients, many are vegan or even raw, though some are not)

45. Rice cakes (Get them with brown rice, and for variety, try tamari-sesame or seaweed flavors)

Be ready in a pinch

Far be it from me to criticize people who would rather watch football on a Sunday afternoon than cook a bunch of snacks for the week. I’m right there on the couch with ya.

However, if you don’t take the time to stock your pantry and fridge with healthy options, you’ll be buying a questionable-looking bag of god-knows-what at the convenience store … or, worse, spending ten dollars for a banana at Starbucks. And keep a snack stash in your car and your office for emergencies. (Yes, hunger is always an emergency in my book. Isn’t it in everyone’s?)