It’s no secret that kids love snacks—especially the fun, packaged ones! But many of those convenient options are loaded with sugar, artificial ingredients, and empty calories that don’t do much to keep them full or fueled. The good news? There are plenty of easy, better-for-you swaps that taste just as delicious but offer way more nutrition.
Here are some simple swaps to upgrade your snack game while keeping your little ones (and yourself!) happy.
1. Swap Fruit Snacks for Real Fruit Options
Instead of: Gummy fruit snacks (which are often just sugar and gelatin with little real fruit)
Try:
- Fresh Fruit! My kids are always happy with strawberries or apples. Make it fun with a yummy dip like whipped cream or melted chocolate chips and coconut oil.
- Frozen wild blueberries or frozen cherries are also fun, especially when it’s hot out. Be prepared for messy fingers!
- Freeze-dried fruits. Our favorites are strawberries, bananas, and apples.
- Fruit leather (made with 100% fruit)
If you do want some easy-grab fruit snacks, just look for ones with lower added sugar and at least some fiber. Here are my favorites:
Best Healthier Fruit Snacks
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3g Fiber
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No Added Sugar
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One Ingredient
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2. Swap Popsicles for Homemade
Instead of: Sugary store-bought popsicles
Try:
- Frozen bananas. Cut a banana in half, stick a popsicle stick in the ends and throw them in the freezer. My 4 year old actually prefers these plain, but you could also spread with peanut butter and dip it in chocolate before freezing for a special treat!
Homemade popsicles (blend fruit + yogurt or coconut water and freeze)
You can sometimes find popsicles that are only made from fruit juice, or for a special treat I like to buy the Yasso Greek Yogurt bars. But they are more expensive and harder to find at my grocery store.
Best Popsicle Molds
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My Pick
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Kid's Pick
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$19.99
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$19.99
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Description: I love these because it's easy to pull out one at a time and leave the rest in the freezer. |
Description: Perfect size for babies and toddlers! |
Description: These are super fun for the kids. There are lots of shape options. The kids love them. |
I love these because it's easy to pull out one at a time and leave the rest in the freezer.
Perfect size for babies and toddlers!
These are super fun for the kids. There are lots of shape options. The kids love them.
3. Swap Ice Cream for "Nice" Cream
Instead of: Traditional ice cream, which is packed with sugar and additives
Try:
- Ninja CREAMi! I love my Ninja CREAMi Deluxe. You can make ice cream out of anything. I make lower-sugar, higher protein ice cream and my kids can’t even tell the difference. I also love making sorbet that is just fruit and water. There are tons of recipes online for the CREAMi. I have the Deluxe, which uses a larger container than the standard, so keep that in mind when looking at recipes.
- Blended frozen bananas. All you need for this is a high-power blender (hello Vitamix). Cut your bananas into chunks, freeze, then throw in your blender. Top with nuts and simple-ingredient chocolate syrup!
- Greek yogurt. Okay, let’s be honest, my kids won’t eat this as an ice cream alternative. But as a mom, this sometimes hits the spot, especially if you make it into a dessert. Here are my favorites:
- S’mores – Mix in 1/3 – 1/2 scoop of protein powder (Clean Simple Eats Toasted Marshmallow flavor is the best), 2-4 Tablespoons Cool Whip, melted low-sugar chocolate chips and 1 Caramel rice cake. Diced strawberries also work really well in this. It’s mine and my husband’s favorite night time treat.
- Cherry Cordial – Mix in 1/3 – 1/2 scoop vanilla or marshmallow protein powder, 2-4 Tablespoons Cool Whip, a drop of almond extract, 1/2 cup frozen cherries, cut in half, and low-sugar chocolate chips.
- Peach Crisp – Mix in 1/3 – 1/2 scoop vanilla or marshmallow protein powder, 2-4 Tablespoons Cool Whip, 1 fresh peach sautéed with brown sugar (or substitute), topped with granola. Homemade is best for flavor, but Purely Elizabeth brand is the next best thing!
4. Swap Chips for Crunchy, Nutrient-Dense Snacks
Instead of: Potato chips full of unhealthy fats and artificial flavors
Try:
- Air-popped popcorn. Add some Popcorn Seasoning for extra flavor! I find I’m way more likely to do this if I use this Salbree Silicone Microwave Popcorn Popper instead of an air popper.
- I love these SkinnyPop Original Popcorn Individual Snack Size Bags and theLesserEvil Himalayan Pink Salt Organic Popcorn
- Roasted beans (crispy, protein-packed, and delicious!). Try The Only Bean Crunchy Roasted Edamame or The Good Bean Crunchy Chickpeas
- The Good Crisp chips are a cleaner, better-for-you version of Pringles! I like to buy the smaller size. Otherwise my kids will down an entire container in one sitting. (Or me!)
- Seaweed. I personally hate these, but for some reason kids love them. And they’re technically a vegetable! My go-to is Gimme Seaweed – Sea Salt & Avocado Oil, but there are other flavors as well. Costco also sells seaweed packs, but they are bigger and the kids don’t usually get through a whole pack so some ends up getting wasted.
- For a sweeter snack with the crunchiness of chips, these Bare Baked Crunchy Fruit Chips are great. 0 added sugar for most flavors, and 2-3g of fiber!
5. Swap Sugary Granola Bars for Protein-Packed Snacks
Instead of: Granola bars with lots of added sugar and processed ingredients
Try:
Homemade energy bites or granola bar (made with oats, nut butter, and honey)
Whole grain crackers with nut butter
Single-serve bag of favorite nuts. My kids both love pistachios, so these Wonderful Pistachios No Shells are perfect for single portions and on-the-go snacks.
If you are looking for healthier packaged granola bars, be mindful of marketing tactics! Some products look healthy, but really aren’t any better than your standard granola bar. I always look for less than 10g of added sugars and at least 1g of fiber for every 10g of carbs. These Kodiak Cakes Protein Chewy Granola Bars are a decent option. 8g of added sugar, but has 2g of fiber and 7g of protein.
6. Swap Soda & Sugary Drinks for Healthier Hydration
Instead of: Juice boxes and soda, which are packed with sugar
Try:
- Plain water. My 4 year old prefers water, my 8 year old does not. But the more you can get them to drink water, the more they’ll get used to it. You can slowly phase out sweeter drinks, or only offer them on limited occasions.
- Infused water – make it fun! Add berries, cucumber, or mint.
- Sparkling water with a splash of juice.
- Better-for-you soda option like Poppi and Olipop.
Even 100% juice and sparkling fruit drinks contain sugar but lack fiber, making water the better choice. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends no more than 6 ounces of fruit juice per day for children ages 4 through 6, and no more than 4 ounces per day for children ages 1-3 (source). But if my kid insists on juice, I’ll often water it down 50/50. These Honest Kids juice boxes are pretty good in a pinch.
Final Thoughts
Making small swaps can make a big difference in your family’s health! With these easy alternatives, you can still enjoy fun, tasty snacks while giving your kids the fuel they need to grow, play, and thrive.
Looking for even more healthy snack ideas? Check out my Healthy Snacks for Kids post for an easy formula to build balanced, satisfying snacks!
If you found this helpful, share it with another parent looking for healthier snack options!
Want an easy way to stock up on healthy snacks? Check out my curated list of kid-friendly snack swaps on Amazon!
