Easy After School Snacks

Hummus

Hummus is the much loved Middle Eastern dip that's made from a base of garbanzos and tahini. As long as you have a food processor or even a blender, it whips up quickly. This is also the sort of recipe that you can make ahead of time and keep in the fridge. 

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Although you can get creative while making chocolate-covered pretzels, all you really need is shortening, chocolate, and pretzels. This recipe is fun to make with the kids since drizzling, decorating, and dipping are all baked into the process.

Pita Bread Pizza

Easy and fun to make, pita bread pizza is the sort of snack you can throw together with the kids. Pita is the perfect substitution to making your own pizza dough but if
you don’t have it on hand, try using a slice of bread and toasting it first. This will prevent things from turning soggy.  

Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet potato fries offer a sweet and salty flavor combination that’s hard to beat. Even better, this recipe is baked so it’s a much healthier alternative to the classic French fry. You can use cooking spray as called for, but aerosol cans are difficult to recycle. As an alternative, try lightly brushing on an oil of your choice. 

Ham Roll-Ups

Ham roll-ups are a fun and easy snack to make for the kids, simply requiring pickles, cream cheese, and ham. If your kid doesn’t like the flavor of a classic dill pickle, you can easily swap in another variety, like bread and butter or cornichon pickles.

Peanut Banana Cinnamon Smoothie

Smoothies are delicious and portable, so they can readily be taken to any after-school activities. What's more, this peanut butter banana smoothie is also easily customizable. If your kid’s not a fan of cinnamon, toss in a few shakes of cocoa powder. You can also nix the bananas and use dates instead.

Hummus Avocado Wrap

This hummus avocado wrap is as easy as spreading on the hummus, laying on the toppings, and rolling it up. What’s more, you can create many iterations on this recipe, depending on what’s available. Don’t have hummus? How about a black bean dip, cream cheese, or tzatziki? Or instead of sprouts, try spinach or shredded cabbage.  

Roasted Chickpeas With Parmesan

Full of fiber and protein, chickpeas offer a healthy snacking option. They also have a naturally mild and slightly nutty flavor, making them great for dressing up with spices, cheeses, or other seasonings. Enter these roasted chickpeas with parmesan, which can be easily altered to fit preferences.

Oven-Baked Quesadilla

If you want to sneak in some veggies on your kid’s plate, tossing them in a vegetarian baked quesadilla is the way to go. This recipe calls for diced bell peppers, but torn spinach, onion, tomatoes, and corn are also delicious additions. 

Vegan Chocolate Pudding

This vegan chocolate pudding isn’t a last-minute recipe, but it is easy to prepare and can be stored to snack on all week. Also, it’s generally a healthier option than store-bought pudding since it’s made with plant milk and you can control how much sugar you use. If you’d like, you can add some crunch by throwing in chopped nuts or coconut flakes.

Guacamole

This guacamole uses a few additional ingredients like Mexican crema and tomatoes, but a good guac can be pared down to just three ingredients: avocadoes, lime, and salt. This makes it a great dip for last-minute, reasonably healthy, snacking. Serve with tortilla chips or any other chip, like plantain or pita.

Nooch Popcorn Seasoning

Popcorn is a convenient, tasty snack but many bagged, microwave popcorn options contain harmful chemicals, so you may want to pop yours with a popcorn maker instead. Once popped, add some nooch popcorn seasoning, which is made with nutritional yeast for a cheesy, nutty flavor.

Grilled Cheese

A basic grilled cheese sandwich is hard not to like and what’s more, it comes together in minutes. Though if your kid is an adventurous eater, you can also spruce it up with a variety of toppings, cheeses, and bread options. Take a look at our grilled cheese idea grid for some inspiration.

One-Bowl Oatmeal Jam Bars

The crunchy crust and unctuous filling of these one-bowl oatmeal jam bars make for a delicious, kid-friendly snack. There’s no fancy equipment required and in fact, this recipe even recommends using your hands. This creates a great opportunity for the kids to pitch in and have fun.

Snacks You Can Pick-Up at the Store

No matter how simple or fast, cooking isn't always feasible. For this reason, we'd like to provide some snack ideas that you can find at the store. Because one-time use packaging waste is so damaging to the environment, we also encourage you to first check out our piece on sustainable snacking, which provides plenty of store-bought snack brands to select from.

Grab and Go

• Jerky
• Granola Bars
• Fruit
• Nuts
• Fruit Leather
  

Study Time

• Trail Mix
• Veggie Chips
• Freeze-Dried Fruit and Veggies
• Seaweed Snacks