33 Creative & Healthy Snacks Kids Can Make

Inside: 33 healthy and creative snacks for kids of any age. Included in the list are a lot of healthy sweet treats and tasty veggie snacks that school-age kids can make themselves.

It never fails. My kids are always hungry for a snack. looking for snacks. Sometimes I feel like I just opened the door to a group of hungry wolves as they scavenge every nook and cranny looking for any signs of food.

I was finding that a quick bar or piece of fruit was not doing the trick. What would happen was they would eat a snack, then another snack, then grab a bowl of cereal then not be hungry for dinner.

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I needed to find healthy fulfilling after school snacks that would satisfy their growing bodies until dinner. Also, I wanted to find snacks that they could easily make themselves. Since my boys have been busy in the kitchen since they were toddlers, there’s not a whole lot they are incapable of making.

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33 Creative & Healthy Snacks for Kids

Here are many different kinds of snacks that kids will like and can make themselves. Some need to be made ahead and others can be done in 10 minutes or less as soon as your little ones get home.

Sweet Snacks

It’s no secret that kids love sweet food. Instead of candy or high-sugary foods, here are some sweet and fruity snacks for kids!

1. Mini Apple Pizzas

What a smart idea! Take a common kid-favorite food of pizza, and transform it into something healthy and delicious. Pre-slice apples before your kids get home, set out a nut butter, an array of fruits such as berries and bananas, (plastic or metal, depending on age) butter knife and wa-la, your kids now have an apple pizza-making station. (Veggie Desserts)

Cookie Dough Energy Balls

Balls are everything! LOL! In all seriousness though, healthy snacks for kids like these are always well-liked and well-eaten in this house. (Key To My Lime)

Strawberry Yogurt Bark

Frozen yogurt is such a great after school treat. It’s filling, very nutritious and tasty. (Flavours Treat)

Cheerio Bars

Here’s a twist on traditional bars that kids love. For us, we don’t do traditional Cheerios but instead would probably do Mom’s Best or Kashi. Super easy to make and a total winner. (Hunny I’m Home)

Dark Chocolate Date Balls

Another ball recipe. They really are easy to make and usually get eaten fairly quickly. My boys love chocolate so adding that ingredient makes it more appealing. (Earth Food and Fire)

Applesauce & Spinach Brownies

Yep, you read that right. You can put apples AND spinach into brownies. These are perfect for my son who loves to bake and use the food processor. (Food Meanderings)

Orange Creamsicle Protein Balls

Now, this is a different spin on protein balls. Love the addition of oranges especially because that is a fruit we grow a lot of around here. (Spabettie)

Vegan Fruit and Oatmeal Bars

Here is another recipe for bars that kids can easily make minus the oven part. We love making bars that have a few steps. Throw all the ingredients into a food processor, then into a greased pan and pop in the oven. These bars are also loaded with vitamins. (Food Meanderings)

No-Bake Granola Bars

Another great no-bake bar with great ingredients and that can last a while. (Rhian’s Recipes)

Morning Glory Muffins

Muffins are always a winner for both snacks and lunches. We can make a few batches at once, freeze or keep in the fridge to use throughout the week. I love that this recipe includes cranberries because my boys can’t get enough. (Erheardts Eat)

Raspberry Instant Pot Applesauce

We love our Instant Pot and applesauce. All we need to do is add some raspberries and we have another super healthy yummy snack. The best way we have found to cut apples is by using one of those apple peeler things. The boys love doing that part! (Radical Strength)

Strawberry Bean Smoothie

This smoothie recipe had me take a double-look. Beans? In a smoothie? We’ve added avocados, but haven’t tried beans yet. The more protein we can add to their diet, the better! (Nutritiously)

Light and Fluffy Blueberry Muffins

Every day we leave the gym, my boys want a blueberry muffin. I’ve been looking for a recipe we can make so we spend a lot less and know what ingredients are inside. (Sustain My Cooking Habit)

Vegan Oat Bars

More bars! I love recipes like this because when buying bars from the store, the price sure adds up. These are made with bananas and cinnamon. Yum! (Nutriciously)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Who doesn’t love chocolate and peanut butter? Thankfully we don’t have any nut allergies in this family because we love both! (Daily Vegan Meal)

Strawberry Rhubarb Popsicles

I need to dust off our popsicle makers. Living in Arizona, these are the best kind of after school snack because it is hot here! Love the added rhubarb! (Urban Bliss Life)

Homemade Go-Gurts With Fruits & Veggies

Because our boys can’t have a lot of artificial anything including dyes and processed sugars, we’re always on the hunt for alternatives to snacks for kids. Love that you can add veggies with fruit without any pushback. These yogurt bags work great and last a long time since there are so many in one shipment. (Freebie Finding Mom)

Oat & Banana Applesauce Muffins

The moister the better when it comes to muffins. And because of the bananas and applesauce, they are super sweet. (Simplify Create Inspire)

Pan-Fried Cinnamon Bananas

My ten-year-old has been cooking on the stove for over two years. He loves finding recipes like this. And my other boys love their sweets so this is a great alternative to candy which we have banned from our house! (Freebie Finding Mom)

No-Bake Fruit Pizzas

Making after school snacks into a pizza is more fun. This recipe gives a ton of options and ideas such as using pita or whole wheat tortillas as the base and yogurt or peanut butter as the sauce. As with any pizza creation, kids can get creative with the toppings. Berries, grapes and kiwi are always easy and yummy choices. (Two Healthy Kitchens)

Non-Sweet & Veggie Snacks

I sometimes wonder if my kids only eat sweet food all day. Because of this, I try to mix it up and add non-sweet healthy snacks for kids that incorporate protein or vegetables. A dash of salt usually helps too.

Bagel Chips and Easy Homemade Hummus

Hummus is definitely a go-to in our house. Once I learned how to make it myself, I never went back to buying it from the store. (Radical Strength)

Homemade Goldfish Crackers

These are genius! If you look over this ingredient list, it doesn’t have any of the long words you’ll find on the store-bought package. If you don’t have a goldfish cutter (which she does link to one), I’m sure any shape would do. (Strength and Sunshine)

Vegan Cucumber Hummus Bites

I love yummy vegetable snacks for kids that are also fun to look at! These are easy to make. With this child-proof knife set (and gloves), cucumbers are a great vegetable to use when teaching kids how to cut in the kitchen. The toppings are super easy for kids to put on as well. (Drive Me Hungry)

Air-Fryer Chickpeas

Do you have an air-fryer yet? If not, the Ninja Foodie is AH-Mazing. I use it at least three times a week. My kids don’t like chickpeas out of the can, but they do like when they are roasted or air-fried. It takes the texture from gritty to crunchy and oh so delish. How much easier can a kid snack get? Throw oil, chickpeas, and seasonings in the air fryer then boom! a high-nutrient protein-packed snack. (Little Sunny Kitchen)

5-Minute Vegan Queso

We love queso in this house. The cheesier the better. We like to use whole wheat chia tortilla chips to dip or even carrots and cucumbers. (Karissa’s Vegan Kitchen)

Vegetable Train

I had two thoughts when I saw this recipe. One, that looks like a lot of work for an after-school snack. And two, but it’s so cute! Then I realized this is the perfect snack to create a connection while we make the trains together. (The Inspiration Edit)

Oven-Baked Beets

These may be hard for kids to cut, but not hard for them to eat! I was never a fan of beets until I was an adult and realized they are tasty when baked. I’m all for snacks that are loaded with vitamins. (Pink Fortitude)

Keto Cheese Chips

We love cooked cheese. These are super simple to make with only 4 ingredients. (How 2 Do Keto)

Healthy Seed Crackers

These should be called “healthy loaded seeds crackers” because they have a ton of different seeds including pumpkin, chia, hemp, and sesame seeds. (In the Kids Kitchen)

Avocado Fries

The only way I can get my kids to eat avocado is if I put it in a smoothie. I’m hoping they like this crunchy version. (In The Kids Kitchen)

Crispy Baked Kale Chips

We love kale chips! This is a very simple recipe that the boys can easily prep. (The Soccer Mom Blog)

Parmesan Spinach Balls

This is a twist on ball recipes! We love spinach dip so putting it into an easy-to-eat ball makes total sense. (Momables)

Zucchini Pizza Bites

We have made zucchini pizza boats before and really enjoyed the flavors, but never thought to make them into bites. Again, this is another recipe kids can practice their kitchen cutting skills. (Momables)

What are your favorite go-to snacks for kids? Comment below. And if these look yummy, don’t forget to share with your friends!

Adriane (Raising Kids With Purpose)

Hello!!! I’m Adriane. I’m a mom to three loud boys, am a research-a-holic and very passionate person who writes at Raising Kids With Purpose. Parenting can feel so hard sometimes but with mindset shifts and understanding, it can be very enjoyable. My hope is to inspire parents like you to create lifelong connections with your children and enjoy the journey along the way!