35 Top Healthy Snack Ideas in 2023

Many people struggle to come up with healthy snack ideas. When those hunger urges strike between breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it’s easy to reach for a bag of chips or cookies.

But snacking is where many of us get into a lot of trouble because of the excess of refined carbs, fat, and salt found in most packaged, processed snack foods.

Healthy snacking is actually pretty easy: add more fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and whole grains to your diet instead of junk food.

By eating the right types of snack foods between meals, you can actually lose weight. Why? Because first, you take in less calories and more nutrients with these snacks. And second, you’ll feel more full and less likely to eat more when lunch or dinner rolls around.

Variety of Healthy Snacks For You

Below you’ll find a variety of healthy snack ideas along with nutrition information for each. Feel free to experiment and mix and match some of these. Also, adding fresh herbs like basil, parsley, dill, rosemary, chives, and thyme can help spice up many of these healthy snacks. And lastly, watch your salt intake when snacking. Choose no- or low-sodium options whenever possible.

Dairy Snacks

There are plenty of dairy products that are great options for healthy snacks. Choose plain, low fat yogurt over flavored yogurt, which is filled with sugar. And, opt for low fat milk and cheese over the full fat alternative. Here are some healthy snack ideas from the dairy food group:

1 Hard Boiled Egg: Calories: 77, Fat: 5 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Carbs: 1 g, Protein: 6 g

1 Egg White: Calories: 17, Fat: 0 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Carbs: 0 g, Protein: 3.5 g

1/2 cup Cottage Cheese: Calories: 80, Fat: 1 g, Saturated Fat: .5 g, Carbs: 5 g, Sodium: 410 mg, Protein: 13 g

1 Stick Sargento Reduced Fat String Cheese: Calories: 50, Fat: 2.5 g, Saturated Fat: 1.5 g, Carbs: 1 g, Protein: 6 g

1 cup Fage Fat Free Greek Yogurt: Calories: 120, Fat: 0 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Carbs: 9 g, Protein: 20 g

Vegetables Snacks

For the most part, eating vegetables as a healthy snack is a no-brainer. But, you can still get into trouble if you combine healthy veggies with cheese- and ranch-based dips. Hummus is a great alternative to these unhealthy dips. There are plenty of vegetables you can eat raw or with a little bit of hummus. Try snacking on broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, peppers, snap peas, tomatoes, and zucchini. Here are a few  ideas:

7 Celery Sticks: Calories: 15, Fat: 0 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Carbs: 2 g, Protein: 1 g

10 Baby Carrots: Calories: 40, Fat: 0 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Carbs: 9 g, Protein: 1 g

1 Medium Tomato: Calories: 25, Fat: 0 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Carbs: 1 g, Protein: 1 g

1 cup Sliced Cucumbers: Calories: 16, Fat: 0 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Carbs: 3 g, Protein: 1 g

1/2 cup Chopped Red Peppers: Calories: 13, Fat: 0 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Carbs: 3 g, Protein: .5 g

1/2 cup Avocado: Calories: 120, Fat: 22 g, Saturated Fat: 3 g, Carbs: 13 g, Protein: 3 g

8 oz. Low Sodium V8 Vegetable Juice: Calories: 50, Fat: 0 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Carbs: 10 g, Protein: 2 g

Fruits Ideas

Eating a piece of fruit is one of my go-to healthy snack options. Problem is, many people think fruit snacks, juices, and frozen fruit bars count as healthy snacks. They don’t. Stick to real fruits and you’ll be in good shape. Here are some of my favorites:

1 Gala Apple: Calories: 80, Fat: 0 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Carbs: 22 g, Fiber: 5 g, Protein: 0 g

1 Banana: Calories: 90, Fat: 0 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Carbs: 23 g, Fiber: 2 g, Protein: 1

1 cup Strawberries: Calories: 50, Fat: 0 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Carbs: 11 g, Fiber: 3 g, Protein: 1 g

1 cup Raspberries: Calories: 64, Fat: 0 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Carbs: 15 g, Fiber: 5 g, Protein: 1 g

1 cup Blueberries: Calories: 84, Fat: 0 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Carbs: 21 g, Fiber: 3 g, Protein: 1 g

1 Orange: Calories: 64, Fat: 0 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Carbs: 16 g, Fiber: 3 g, Protein: 1 g

Meat Ideas

Most cuts of beef and pork are high in fat and sodium. Choose lower-fat, reduced-sodium brands of turkey, ham, and roast beef when you’re in the mood for a more carnivorous snack, and eat a smaller portion than you would for lunch or dinner. Here are some healthy meat-based snack ideas:

1/2 can Tuna: Calories: 75, Fat: 2.5 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Carbs: 0 g, Protein: 16 g

1/2 cup Cubed Chicken Breast: Calories: 127, Fat: 5 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Carbs: 0 g, Protein: 19 g

2 oz. Low Sodium Turkey Breast: Calories: 50, Fat: 0 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Carbs: 1 g, Sodium: 270 mg, Protein: 11 g

2 oz. Low Sodium Roast Beef: Calories: 80, Fat: 2.5 g, Saturated Fat: 1.5 g, Carbs: 1 g, Sodium: 80 mg, Protein: 15 g

Nuts

Yes, nuts are high in calories but they’re also high in belly-filling fiber and healthy fats. A palmful of raw nuts is a great snack that offers plenty of healthy benefits. Try these:

1/4 cup Walnuts: Calories: 164, Fat: 16 g, Saturated Fat: 1.5 g, Carbs: 3 g, Protein: 4 g

1/4 cup Almonds: Calories: 156, Fat: 14 g, Saturated Fat: 1.5 g, Carbs: 5 g, Protein: 5 g

1/4 cup Pumpkin Seeds: Calories: 170, Fat: 11 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Carbs: 5 g, Protein: 11 g

1 oz. Peanuts: Calories: 160, Fat: 14 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Carbs: 5 g, Protein: 7 g

1/4 cup Cashews: Calories: 160, Fat: 14 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Carbs: 7 g, Protein: 5 g

1/2 cup Pistachios (in shells): Calories: 160, Fat: 20 g, Saturated Fat: 1.5 g, Carbs: 8 g, Protein: 6 g

2 T Reduced Fat Peanut Butter: Calories: 190, Fat: 12 g, Saturated Fat: 2.5 g, Carbs: 15 g, Protein: 8 g

2 T Almond Butter Butter: Calories: 190, Fat: 17 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Carbs: 6 g, Protein: 8 g

Grains

Eating grain-based snack foods like chips, crackers, and snack cakes is where most people take in too many excess calories If you have a craving for crackers, make sure they’re the whole grain variety. I stay away from packaged, processed snack foods for the most part but if you’re looking for a healthier way to eat these types of foods I suggest reading my article on how to read a food label.

Another tip: take out a single serving from the box (read the side panel to determine the serving size) and put the box away. Don’t just mindlessly eat until you’re full. Baking whole wheat pita bread and eating it with hummus is another easy way to satisfy your snack craving. Here are a few more healthy snack ideas in the grains food group:

2 T Hummus: Calories: 60, Fat: 3.5 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Carbs: 5 g, Protein: 1 g

1 Whole Wheat Pita: Calories: 150, Fat: 2.5 g, Saturated Fat: .5 g, Carbs: 29 g, Protein: 8 g

Clif Z Bar: Calories: 120, Fat: 3 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Carbs: 22 g, Protein: 3 g

Kashi Granola Bar: Calories: 15, Fat: 5 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Carbs: 19 g, Protein: 7 g