Skip the gas station junk and pack delicious, satisfying snacks that won’t leave you feeling bored mid-drive. No matter how long the road ahead is, these healthy road trip snacks will keep you energized and happy!
After living on the road for over two years and driving thousands of miles, we put a a lot of Thinking about what makes a good road trip snack. From hunger meltdowns to energy slumps, we’ve learned that snacking is truly a Road trip essentials——Without them we would never be on the road (especially Now we have a baby! ).
The best road trip snacks keep you energized, alert, and happy, turning even the dullest journey into a moving feast. Below, we’re sharing our top road trip snack ideas to make your next adventure smoother (and tastier).
What snacks should you bring on a road trip?
The best road trip snacks are accessible, easy to eat, and will keep you energized, alert, and satisfied. While personal taste plays a big role, there are definitely some foods you need to avoid to keep things tidy and enjoyable.
here are some worst criminal For long road trips:
- fragile food
- Powdered snacks (think Cheetos powder)
- greasy or greasy food
- anything with a strong smell
- Perishable food
- Overpackaged snacks
Read on for our favorite road trip snack ideas that check all the right boxes!
The best road trip snacks
Every snack on this list has been road tested and approved by us. We’ve eaten them all ourselves and can confirm they’re seaworthy and top-notch snacking!
1. Sandwich: Premade sandwiches come in hard-sided containers to prevent messes and make a great car snack with some staying power. PB&J or peanut butter with honey and banana slices are both classics. If you’re traveling with a small cooler or an insulated tote, sliced cheese and cold-cut sandwiches will provide you with plenty of protein.
2. Granola: Whether eaten on its own or layered with dried raisins, cranberries, and nuts for a richer snack mix, granola is easy to find (or make!) and will satisfy those crunchy snack cravings , without excessive intake of salt.
3. Boil eggs: Hard-boiled eggs make a great road trip snack. They’re easy to prepare ahead of time, portable in a small cooler, and the perfect portion size for on-the-go. Containing a solid dose of protein, they can help control mid-course hunger pangs.
4. Energy bars: There are a million different types of energy bars, so our advice is to have a variety of options. Stay away from the super fragile ones like Nature Valley. Look for solid bars with whole-food ingredients, like Bobo, RX Bars and GoMacro.
5. Fig Newton: fig newton By far our favorite road trip cookie. They’re soft, don’t yield a lot of crumbs, and are absolutely delicious – we love that they have just the right amount of sweetness that makes them feel like a treat.
6. Nut Butter Buns: Yum butter Nut butter packets are road trip gold. Serve straight from the bag or serve with apple slices or bread while resting. This resealable squeeze pack means you don’t need to get a dirty knife or spoon to get it out of the jar.
7. Chocolate Espresso Beans: Those caffeine and sugar bursts at the same time. We like to save these people for the end of the trip when we are probably most fatigued.
8. Yogurt raisins: These are a real treat and can easily be found in the bulk bin at most grocery stores. If you are able to refrigerate these in a cooler, we highly recommend doing so!
9. Peanut Butter Pretzels: We love these things. We often buy gluten-free versions from Trader Joe’s and Quinn’s, and you can find them at prosperous market. We find that the bags tend to split in the middle, so we like to repackage them into sealable containers. These are great too Hiking Snacks!
10. Mixed route: choose Assorted fruits with chunks. You don’t want to deal with handfuls of chopped nuts and small seeds. They just leave the car all over the place. The bigger the pieces, the better.
11. Fresh peelless fruits: Grapes, apples, and pears are perfect for road trips—no peeling, no mess. For oranges or clementines, peel and segment them ahead of time and store in an airtight container.
*Please do not throw fruit cores (or any other related items) out of the window. Just because something is biodegradable, doesn’t mean it will break down on the shoulder of the highway. It only attracts wildlife, which leads to more road accidents and more accidents.
12. Fresh vegetables: Fresh vegetables are one of the healthiest road trip snack options. Baby carrots, cucumber slices, celery sticks, cherry tomatoes, and green pepper slices are all easy to eat while driving.
13. Dried fruits: Store-bought dried fruits like apricots, mangoes, and banana chips are great. If you’re dehydrated at home, try these apple slices, Dried pineappleor Dried kiwi fruit——They are like natural sour children!
14. Dried meat/meat strips/meat sticks: Unlike many of the high-carb options on this list, jerky and meat sticks are very sticky. We’re big fans of Epic Provisions, Wild Zora, and other meat products without tons of additives (looking at you, Slim). Want to DIY? Do it yourself Using a dehydrator to dry meat!
15. Nuts: Almonds and cashews are ideal – they’re easy to grab and don’t require shelling. Peanuts, pistachios and sunflower seeds are a little too small and messy for us.
16. Cheese: Pre-sliced cheese, string cheese, and babibels are road trip favorites. Place them in a cooler or insulated bag to keep them fresh. No cooler? Cheese crackers like Trader Joe’s Baked Cheese Bites or Parmesan Whisps are also great road trip snacks.
17. Gin: If you or your road trip companions tend to feel a little nauseous on winding roads, ginger is a natural way to soothe an upset stomach without causing drowsiness like over-the-counter medications. We like to keep a bag Golden Juniper Ginger Chewable Tablets In our snack box for this very reason.
18. Chewing gum: Need help staying alert while driving? In addition to the common caffeine-containing remedies, there are many scientific evidence This suggests that the act of chewing gum can help focus and increase alertness. Chewing (the act of chewing) increases blood flow to the head, helping to improve cognitive abilities and concentration. So if you often get sleepy while driving, consider picking up one a pack of chewing gum.
Best Road Trip Snacks for Kids
When taking a road trip with kids, a reliable snack game cannot be ignored. Snacks may not stop every meltdown, but they can definitely buy you some valuable time.
Since your kids are strapped in the back seat, the snacks you choose must be easy for them to handle on their own.
Here are some of our top snacks for kids (tested and approved by our two-year-old) that come in small containers that fit perfectly in car seat cup holders.
19. Vegetable slices: Sliced bell peppers, carrots, celery or peas are a great snack option for kids because they are healthy and don’t make a mess or leave crumbs everywhere.
20. Fresh fruit: Likewise, pre-sliced fruit makes a great snack for kids. Choose fruits that are not too juicy or soft. Apples, pre-peeled oranges, and cut grapes (for older kids) are all great places to start.
To prevent apples from browning, try soaking them in a bath of water and lemon juice for a few minutes before wrapping.
21. Freeze-dried fruits: We prefer to package freeze-dried fruits instead of fresh juicy fruits like berries and mangoes while our kids like them. Sweet and crunchy! We’re at Trader Joe’s and Target.
22. Roasted Peas: While not as healthy as fresh peas, they are generally popular with our toddlers and don’t produce as many crumbs.
23. Shredded cheese: Kids love these and they are a great way to add some protein into their diet. Ideally these should be kept refrigerated in a cooler or insulated lunch bag.
24. Mini Pretzels: They’re perfect for little hands and sturdy enough to toss around in a snack bag without turning into crumbs. They offer satisfying savory pretzels to keep kids happy without the sugar rush of sweet snacks.
25. Organic Fruit Tape: Okay, fruit roll-ups might not be at the top of every parent’s “healthy road trip snack” list, but they’re so nostalgic to us! this version It’s organic, made from real fruit and not much else, so it must be healthier than anything we were eating in the 90s, right?
These can also be used (leverage?) as rewards or as a last resort if things start to go really bad.
26. Homemade Fruit Leather: Another option is to make Homemade fruit leather. The flavor combinations are endless, like these Tie-Dye Mango Strawberry Leather or Apple Ginger Peel!
27. Annie’s snack mix: You might be able to clean this stuff between your car seat cushions, but This is a very popular snack – Especially if your kids like salty and crunchy things. For young children, pair these snacks with a snack-catching cup, e.g. This is a Munchkin one.
28. Annie’s Rabbit Graham: anne bunny graham Usually a crowd favorite! Since they are bite-sized graham crackers, they don’t leave as many crumbs as full-size graham crackers.
29. Mini Peanut Butter Sandwiches: bite size Mini Peanut Butter Sandwiches Great for little hands. They’re the perfect balance of carbs, protein, and fat to help you satisfy your backseat companions.
30. Energy Bars for Kids: If the kids see mom or dad eating an energy bar, you can bet they’ll want one too! These “kid-sized” bars are a great way to include them without having to break up your own bar! Cliff Minnis and Lala Mini Bar is a good starting point.
31. Fruit bag: Fruit and vegetable bags are great to have on hand. we like these Plum Organic Power Bagmany of which contain beans and yogurt for protein (and they actually taste great!). For very young children, these are best served as supervised rest stop snacks.
Best Road Trip Drinks
This is where a small soft-sided cooler really comes in handy. After driving hundreds of miles, a cold drink can really rejuvenate you.
32.Iced coffee: A can of iced coffee or even nitro cold brew can be a great pick-me-up to help you get through those final days.
33. Sparkling water/Soda water: Trust us, it’s really easy to become dehydrated on a long drive. So be sure to drink water along the way. There is a world of sparkling waters out there, but our favorite brand is Spindrift!
34. Kombucha: Another lightly carbonated, non-alcoholic option, kombucha is another one of our favorite drinks on the road.
Useful Snack Tips
- Set up your cab ahead of time to ensure safe snacking on the road – food should be within easy reach and without taking your eyes off the road.
- In general, you should choose road trip snacks that don’t require refrigeration. But there is a way to keep certain items cold, especially cheese, cold cuts and drinks. one Insulated Soft Sided Cooler Perfect for the job.
- we like to keep one mini trash can or a nearby sealable container to help us keep the front cab area clean and tidy. don’t let this be you. A clean, tidy car can really improve your overall driving experience.
- An insulated mug with a lid will keep your morning coffee or afternoon kombucha cold for hours. It really expands the scope of your beverage enjoyment. It’s also reusable, so you don’t have a car full of paper coffee cups.
- Sticky, greasy fingers are the worst. have something easily available wet wipes Convenience is a good idea.
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