52 Dietitian-Approved Vegan Snacks Ideas for Kids

A little while ago, a few readers requested dietitian-approved vegan snack ideas for kids. So in this article, I’ll share a few of my favorites!

I rarely have time to make intricate, creative, Pinterest-worthy looking snacks.

So first, I’ll share with you the five vegan snacks that I consistently rely on to feed my preschooler. They’re simple, super quick to make, and require only a few ingredients. 

These kid-friendly vegan snacks are a great complement to my children’s meals and contribute and help them meet their nutrient needs on a vegan diet.

If you keep scrolling past my five go-to options, you’ll discover 47 additional healthy vegan snacks for kids.

These are perfect if you have a little extra time on your hands, or simply wish to get more creative with your children’s snacks.

As a bonus, all of the recipes shared in this article are sourced exclusively from vegan recipe creators. So hopefully it’ll help you discover a few new sources for vegan recipe inspiration!

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Table of contents

• My go-to, quick and simple healthy vegan snacks for kids
• Easy vegan snack ideas for kids
• Vegan snack ideas that are high in protein
• Gluten-free healthy vegan snacks for kids
• After-school vegan snacks made with whole foods
• Homemade vegan snacks for on the go
• Healthy vegan snacks for road trips or school trips
• Store-bought healthy vegan snacks for kids
• Nut-free vegan snacks for kids

1-5. My go-to, quick and simple healthy vegan snacks for kids 

In the video below, I share with you five of my go-to, quick and easy vegan snack recipes.

These are the work-horses of my vegan snacks. They’re the ones I heavily rely on during busy weeks.

They also use staple ingredients I always have on hand. So they happen to also be great for those days when I’m running out of fresh groceries.

VEGAN SNACK IDEAS FOR KIDS ● Simple, quick & dietitian-approved

6-11. A few more easy vegan snack ideas for kids

Here are a few additional snack ideas that you can put together in under 5 minutes.

• Vegan guacamole, sprinkled with flaxseeds and with a side of vegetable sticks to dip. 
• Fruit with a peanut butter and chia seed dip, or alternatively, a peanut butter chia seed pudding.
• Hummus topped with flaxseeds and served with a side of pita chips.
• Pumpkin, spice and walnut pudding – feel free to replace the sugar with dates. 
• Banana nice cream topped with ground nuts and fresh fruit.
• Toast covered with avocado and hempseeds or hazelnut butter and strawberries.

12-16. Vegan snack ideas that are high in protein

Protein is an important nutrient to get enough of on a vegan diet. Yet, it’s also one that many parents tend to forget to include enough of into snacks. Here are a few high-protein plant-based snack ideas to help you add a little more protein to yours.

• Tofu fingers with a salsa dip – a great way to reuse your leftovers and easily add some plant-based calcium to your child’s snack!
• Soy yoghurt topped with fruit and ground nuts and seeds .
• Spinach and sesame crackers, served with a black bean dip.
• Tofu pizza sticks – I’d personally add some vegan pesto and olives to mine.
• Vegan yogurt bark, made with your choice of fruit!

17-21. Gluten-free healthy vegan snacks for kids

It can be difficult to find snacks for kids that are both plant-based and gluten-free. Here are a few options you can easily make at home.

• Fruit skewers with a vegan caramel dip topped with ground coconut and chia seeds. 
• Homemade corn chips with this vegan cheese dip.
• Pistachio pudding, you can mix in some silken tofu for extra protein. 
• Banana oat cookies with a plant-milk babyccino.
• Rice crackers with peanut butter and chia jam.

22-28. After school vegan snack ideas made with whole foods

If your little ones come back from school feeling ravenous, you can try serving them some of these nutrient-rich and filling plant-based snacks to fuel them up.

• Mini corn nachos topped with black beans, salsa, guacamole, onions, diced peppers and cashew sour cream.
• Whole wheat crackers topped with avocado and chickpea “egg” salad. This is a great way to infuse your child’s snack with a good dose of plant-based iron.
• Vegan sweet or savory toast.
• Homemade popsicles (it’s the first recipe in the video, starting at 0:37).
• Dates stuffed with nut butter and sprinkled with flaxseeds.
• Plant-based yogurt with homemade granola (maple syrup optional).
• Baked apple chips with a cashew cinnamon dip. 

29-34. On-the-go vegan snacks

Here are a few portable snack ideas you can easily stuff in your diaper bag or purse, to feed your littles while you’re on the go. Having these on hand will help you avoid relying on less nutritious options when out and about.

• Roasted chickpeas or edamame beans with a shelf-stable individual portion of calcium-fortified plant milk. Alternatively, stop by a cafe and ask for a babyccino made with calcium-fortified plant milk for a warm alternative to this beverage option. 
• Trail mix. Depending on your child’s age, you may need to roughly chop or grind it to reduce the risk of choking.
• Homemade fruit and vegetable smoothies.
• Tahini coconut energy balls. 
• Flax crackers with some fresh fruit.
• Fruit roll-ups (I suggest replacing the syrup with dates) and a handful of walnuts. 

35-41. Vegan snack ideas for school or road trips

School trips and road trips have one thing in common; no access to a fridge. In this case, a thermos can come to the rescue and allow you to pack a few more interesting (and nutrient-rich) options for your little one besides the usual granola bar and crackers.

• Savory vegan muffins with a shelf-stable individual portion of calcium-fortified plant milk.  
• Chia pudding (in a thermos).
• Raspberry almond squares with a side of calcium-fortified plant yogurt (in a thermos) 
• Kale chips or, actually, any of your favorite vegetable chips with some nuts and seeds.
• Energy bars.
• Mini caramel crumbles (delicious, sweet, and gooey snack which is mostly naturally sweetened, with minimal amounts of added sugar from maple syrup). Serve with a shelf-stable calcium-fortified plant milk. 
• Homemade popcorn topped with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast or powdered peanut butter, for some added protein.

42-46. Store-bought healthy vegan snacks for kids

As busy parents, we don’t always have the time or energy to make a snack from scratch. Luckily, there are increasingly more nutrient-rich store-bought vegan snack options to choose from. Here are a few options for you to consider.

• Nut bars or trail mix.
• Fruit and veggie smoothies made with calcium-fortified yogurt or plant milk. Sprinkle in some ground flaxseeds or chia seeds if you wish.
• Nut butter pouches, whole grain crackers and a calcium-fortified fruit juice.
• Fruit purees – bonus points if you can find some that also contain a source of protein and fat, such as chia seeds. Otherwise, simply sprinkle in your own.
• Plant-based yogurt pouches with apple chips.

47-52. Nut-free vegan snacks

Vegan snack ideas that are also nut-free are a combination that’s often hard to avoid. Here are 6 vegan nut-free snack ideas to gather inspiration from if you are trying to avoid nuts and nut-based products.

• Vegan chocolate hummus, which is great on its own, but even better as a protein-, fiber-, and iron-rich dip for crackers and fruit.
• Chocolate chia cherry granola bars, which are super easy to grab-and-go.
• Vanilla bean cookies – the white beans in this one are not only unexpected, but also a great way to add protein and nutrients to these chewy cookies. I’d experiment with replacing the maple crystals with dates or raisins if you wish to reduce the amount of added sugar in this recipe.
• Pumpkin power bites, for an easily portable and energy-rich option.
• Sweet potato and lentil samosas, for a slightly more intricate, but lovely savory option.
• Red lentil granola, for an interesting, and protein-rich take on the typical granola. Enjoy as is, or serve together with some calcium-fortified plant-based yogurt or milk.

To sum it all up

Children have smaller stomachs than adults do. This generally means that they need to eat more frequently than we do to meet their nutrient needs. 

This is why snacks are especially important for your child. And why you might as well pack as much nutrition in them as possible. 

I hope that this list of vegan snack ideas for kids provides you with some inspiration. Above all, I hope it convinces you that while creativity is an option, it’s absolutely not a requirement for serving your child a tasty and well-balanced plant-based snack. 

So if you’re short on time, simply pick a few quick or easy-to-make options to cycle through. Reserve the more creative snacks for weekends, holidays, or whenever your kiddos can help you make them!

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