Best Healthy Toddler Snack Ideas
These are the best healthy toddler snack ideas you will find! Lots of store bought snacks and homemade treats so you are sure to find something your little one enjoys!
During mealtime, I make sure my toddler has protein, fat, starch, fruit, and vegetables at every meal. For snacks, I try to follow a similar approach to ensure he is getting a filling, nutritious snack. While I am not serving each of the 5 components during snacktime, I do aim for 3 of the 5.
For example, if he is eating toast, crackers, or a rice cake for his snack, I “dress” his carbs with fat or protein. When I make him a smoothie, I include a protein source, high quality fat, fiber, and fruit. If he is having snap pea crisps, I will serve them alongside cheese cubes. It is rare that he is having just fruit or crackers for a snack as I know he will just be hungry 30 minutes later!
This is the same approach I follow myself when it comes to eating. It’s so important to build your meals and snacks in a way that is not only satisfying to your tastebuds but also fills and properly fuels your body. You can read more about that in my Redefining Wellness E-Book.
This list of healthy toddler snack ideas covers everything from 5 ingredients smoothies (no blender required!) to 3 ingredient muffins. Grab some of these nutritionist-approved store-bought snacks next time you’re grabbing ingredients for dinner or one of these super simple recipes!
The Best Healthy Toddler Snack Ideas:
HEALTHY TODDLER MUFFINS
3 Ingredient Muffins
3 ingredient vegan baby banana muffins have no dairy, no salt, no sugar added. All you need is bananas, prunes, and self-rising flour for this easy vegan baby led weaning breakfast recipe!
Spinach Banana Muffin
Spinach Banana Muffins are one of my favorite healthy toddler snack ideas! They are such a nutritious way to start the day! They may be super green in color, but they are still kid-approved and are an easy breakfast idea!
Both of these recipes are great for snacking or breakfast! I like to add nut butter to them when serving them for breakfast to make them even more filling.
HOMEMADE BARS FOR TODDLERS
Banana Breakfast Bars
My Banana Breakfast Bars start your day off right, with extra protein, the perfect amount of sweetness combined with my favorite ingredient…peanut butter!! Let’s not forget, they are vegan-friendly and gluten-free!
These bars have a super soft texture that is great for all ages. I serve them for breakfast or a snack. My 15-month-old gobbles them up! Omit the chocolate for a healthier treat.
No bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
Using less than ten clean ingredients, the pickiest of eaters won’t even realize these oatmeal bars are healthy! Omit the chocolate to make them even healthier and swap the honey for maple syrup to make them vegan!
STOREBOUGHT BARS FOR TODDLERS
Lara bars
Lara bars are my favorite healthy snack bars for my toddler. Why? Because they have MINIMAL ingredients with no added sugar!
I love the cashew cookie because it has no salt added and is just 2 ingredients!
The peanut butter cookie is another favorite over here! It has only 3 ingredients but does have sea salt added.
If your toddler likes fruity flavors I definitely recommend the apple pie or blueberry muffin! All made with 6 whole food ingredients or less and no sugar added making them GREAT healthy toddler snack ideas!
Simple Mills Soft Baked Bars
We love these simple mills bars because they have awesome ingredients, are allergen friendly, and are soft baked. They are grain-free and gluten-free but they do have nuts though so be careful!
The nutty banana bread is a favorite over here but we also like the spiced carrot cake bars as well! Go ahead and grab a variety pack so you can decide which ones are your toddler’s favorite bars!
Cerebelly Smart Bars
Isaiah isn’t the biggest fan of veggies so I love serving these Cerebelly smart bars when it’s snack time.
So far we have tried the apple kale bar and strawberry beet bar. He loves them both but I have added the blueberry banana sweet potato bar to my amazon cart and know he will be a huge fan of that one as well!
CRACKERS/PUFFED SNACKS
Snap pea crisps
If your toddler isn’t a big fan of veggies, I can’t recommend these snap pea crisps enough! Made with only a handful of simple ingredients and lightly salted. Great for on the go and you can find them at most grocery stores!
Bambas
These bambas peanut butter puffs are my toddler’s number one favorite crunchy snack!! He would eat the whole bag in a day if I let him. We prefer buying them at Trader Joe’s but you can also find them on Earth’s Best or Puffworks Peanut Butter Puffs on amazon. Puffoworks also sells almond butter puffs if your toddler has a peanut allergy.
You can find these snacks online or at most grocery stores like Publix, Kroger, and Whole Foods. Such a yummy healthy toddler snack idea that I enjoy as well!
Rice cakes
There are so many different flavors of rice cakes to choose from. There are cheddar, apple cinnamon, ranch, and more. To keep things healthier, we stick to organic, lightly salted rice cakes.
If you want to make it more filling, try adding a spread of natural almond butter or avocado on top! You can also add applesauce, greek yogurt, or cream cheese as a topping, too. Get creative!
CEREAL
Cereal is a great on-the-go snack to put in a snack container for the park, running errands, or when traveling. These are my favorite cereals because they have minimal sugar added, are low in sodium, and offer a good crunch!
Cheerios
1 cup of cheerios contains 1 gram of sugar, 3 grams of protein, and 3 grams of fiber.
Chex
1 cup of rice chex contains 2 grams of sugar, 2 grams of protein, and 1 gram of fiber.
Kix
1 1/2 cups of Kix cereal contains 4 grams of sugar, 3 grams of protein, and 3 grams of fiber.
BREADS + SPREADS
4 Ingredient Sourdough Pancakes
I made these over on my YouTube channel for my Day In The Life with My 14 Month old. It is just banana, egg, sourdough pancake mix, and cinnamon. You can also throw in a handful of spinach!
Avocado packets
If you have a Costco membership, be sure to grab a big box of good foods avocado mash! It contains avocado, lemon, salt, and pepper. Super flavorful but also clean ingredients.
You can also find packets of mashed avocado at kroger from the brand Simple Truth. They have 1 ingredient: avocado.
If your toddler is more adventurous, I recommend Good Foods gucamole packets.
Waffles
I usually buy my toddler Greenwise Whole Wheat waffles in the frozen section but recently he has been loving blueberry protein waffles.
I don’t offer protein waffles frequently because I prefer him to get his protein from other sources instead of added whey protein. This is a personal preference but waffles are a great option for a snack!
Top with cream cheese, butter, almond butter, peanut butter, or Greek yogurt.
Hummus
There are SO many hummus flavors to choose from! We always have carrot hummus, garlic hummus, and roasted red pepper hummus in our fridge.
Some other great options to try for your toddler are edamame hummus, black bean hummus, and lentil hummus. These flavors are all high in protein and fiber!
More bread and spread ideas:
- Buttered Blueberry English muffin
- Peanut butter toast
- Pizza toast
- Avocado toast
- Cream cheese toast
- Greek yogurt toast
- Applesauce and butter toast
FRUIT
Freeze dried fruit
is such an easy and healthy snack for toddlers! Freeze dried strawberries and freeze dried apple are my toddler’s personal favorites but you can find just about any fruit.
When it comes to traditional fruit, Isaiah will eat just about anything.
Isaiahs favorites are ALL berries. Blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries.. he also loves quartered grapes, bananas, and thinly sliced apples
TIP! Pack frozen fruit in your toddler’s lunchbox so it helps keep the other food cool. By lunchtime, it will be thawed and perfect for eating!
CHEESE
Cheese Cubes, String Cheese, and Cheese Rounds
He LOVES cheese cubes so we do a lot of cheddar cubes or slices. Babybel or string cheese is also great for on the go.
Cottage Cheese
If you aren’t on the go then cottage cheese is a great snack as well. You can serve it with fruit or crackers. Check out this post on 23 ways to enjoy cottage cheese!
YOGURT/SMOOTHIES/POUCHES
Smoothies (No blender required!)
A super easy “smoothie” that requires no blender is mixing full fat Greek yogurt, unsweetened applesauce, ground flaxseed, and natural almond butter to serve in a silicone straw cup.
Pouches
I like to make my own refillable pouches (check out this blog post to find out how to make your own toddler pouches!) or my favorite brands to purchase are Cerebelly, sprout organics, and plum organics.
A word on pouches:
A lot of pouches will try to rip you off BIG time by being mostly comprised of applesauce. Check the ingredients to see if “apple” is the first ingredient listed. If it is, try to find a different pouch that has other ingredients listed first. I look for veggie-based pouches with grains or beans included. This means they will be higher in protein and fiber; therefore, more filling.
I hope you found this list of healthy toddler snack ideas helpful! What am I forgetting!? Would love to know what your toddler’s favorite snacks are so I can add them to the list!
