Great Back to School Snack Ideas (Some Healthy and Delicious Options!)

We’re already more than halfway through August, and you know what that means: school is right around the corner. For some in certain areas of the country, it may already be under way!

Still, September, for most of us, is “back to school” season, and that means parents around the country are scrambling to make sure their kids’ backpacks and lunch boxes are stuffed with what’s needed for a few first successful days back.

Speaking of that, planning for back to school snack ideas is part of the process. Here we have a few unique and practical ideas that are more or less perishable, and many of which are healthy snacks, too.

For a Sweet Treat: Walker’s Shortbread Snack Packs

For the kids with a sweet tooth, Walker’s Shortbread snack packs make great back to school snack ideas and the best part is that they’re conveniently packaged for easy portability and freshness.

Check out our full collection of shortbread snack packs at the previous link, where you’ll find fingers, rounds, Highlanders and even chocolate chip shortbread that’s a treat for those chocolate lovers out there.

Trail Mix (Plus You Can Make Your Own)

Trail mix is another great back to school snack idea for several reasons. One is that you can customize the mix, so it can either be sweet, savory and salty, or healthy. Another is that it’s made primarily with dry ingredients that are more or less imperishable, which makes them great for packing for back to school.

There are plenty of commercial trail mixes out there that make great back to school snacks, but you can make your own by mixing and matching any of the following ingredients:

• Peanuts
• Cashews
• Almonds
• Pecans
• Macadamia nuts (rich in unsaturated fats, minerals, vitamins and fiber)
• Walnuts
• Granola
• Pepitas (which are high in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals)
• Dried cranberries
• Dried cherries
• Dried currants
• Raisins
• Sunflower seeds (which are rich in vitamin E and antioxidants)
• Dry cereal
• Chocolate chips
• Peanut butter chips
• Small marshmallows
• Candied fruit/peel
• Popcorn
• Dried peas/wasabi peas
• Dried/fried corn

For a sweeter touch, trail mix can also be spruced up with candy. Trail mix can also be seasoned (depending on what you put in it) with salt, black pepper, white pepper, garlic and onion powder, paprika, and other seasonings, for extra flavor.

Popcorn (and Season It How You Like!)

Popcorn, like trail mix, makes a great dry back to school snack idea, and one that is also shelf stable with a long shelf life.

Also, if you pop your popcorn at home (you can get a lot of popcorn kernels for a great price, and it’s easy to pop at home in a pan) you can season it the way you like, making it either savory or sweet.

Cheese and Crackers

It’s hard to beat a classic, and cheese and crackers is a great back to school snack option, despite the fact that cheese should be kept chilled.

Crackers are great as a back to school snack because they are easy to pack and don’t require any cold pack or anything of that nature.

Cheese does need to be kept cold, but it is a nutritious snack that is rich in calcium and protein, which means it’s great for countering hunger. Some cheeses are even high in CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) which is an anti-inflammatory.

Freeze-Dried Fruits

Fresh fruits make a great back to school snack, but the truth is that they don’t last long. Freeze dried fruits might be a little more expensive, but they offer most of the nutrition (if not all) of fresh fruit, and are easy to pack, not to mention lighter.

Some great options are strawberries, banana chips, blueberries, blackberries, and mangos and apple chips - but there are others, too.

Fruit Leather (the Real Stuff)

Fruit leather, made from real fruit, is also a great snack, one that’s easy to pack and will appeal to kids with a sweet tooth.

Now, store-bought fruit leather is not only expensive but tends to have a ton of sugar. If you make it at home, you can save substantially, not to mention cut out the added sugar.

To make it, just choose a fruit - many fruits work for this, including bananas, peaches, mangos, strawberries, plums, apricots, and kiwis. You’ll need about a pound.

If the skin is edible, you can include it for extra fiber. If not, remove it, then remove any pits or seeds (if the fruit has them), give the fruit a rough chop, then drop it in the blender and process until smooth.

At this point, you will want to add about a teaspoon of lemon juice, which thanks to its acidity will help preserve the color and flavor of the fruit leather.

Pour out and smooth the mix on a baking tray in a thin layer (don’t use foil or it will stick). Preheat the oven to 250℉, then cook the fruit leather for 2 to 3 hours, or longer, until it is dry to the touch and doesn’t feel sticky.

Cool the fruit leather, then peel it and cut it up into strips. Store in an airtight container and enjoy within a week (although you may be able to refrigerate it to extend its shelf life!).

Explore Back to School Snack Ideas Here!

We hope you enjoyed some of these back to school snack ideas and take us up on some of them - whether you pick up a few shortbread snack packs or make your own trail mix or fruit leather.

Variety is the spice of life, as they say. Perhaps this back to school season you can send your kid off with a few new snack ideas!