25+ Healthy Road Trip Snacks for Kids (and adults!) (2024)

We’ve done a few road trips in our day. While we like taking lots of opportunities to get out and stretch and grab a snack, sometimes there’s just nowhere to stop (I’m talking to you, Wyoming). So we’ve had to often pack our own food and snacks in the car to hold ourselves over and, honestly, to help pass the time. After lots of practice, here are some of the top health road trip snacks for kids and adults alike that will help your road trip go more smoothly!

From fresh products, produce, and protein filled snacks, these road trip snacks will hold you over without making you feel sick. Say goodbye to Doritos and donuts and hello to healthy, satisfying snacks for the car.

There are many healthy options for road trip snacks. Below, I’ve compiled a list of healthy and healthier options. Even when it comes to crackers, picking the right brand and variety can help you feel the difference between bloated and satisfied. So make sure to read the suggestions within each snack!

Tips for Traveling with Road Trip Snacks in the Car

• First, grab a cooler. It doesn’t matter if it’s a top of the line Yeti or a freebie you won at work. Grab a few ice packs to put in the cooler. This will extend the freshness and safety of your food.
• Second, pack lots of napkins or paper towels (or regular towels, to be more Earth-friendly, though your destination may not have anywhere to wash them).
• Third, and even more important, throw in a pack of wet wipes. I honestly just keep wet wipes in my car at all times, and my kids are well beyond the diaper years. I always buy these generic brand wipes. It’s a lot, but the kids’ schools are always requiring them on the supply list, so they are never wasted.
• Fourth, pack some sort of garbage bag. This helps keep the mess to a minimum.
• Last, make sure to pack plastic utensils. We drove through Wyoming once and when we realized there was nowhere to stop, I ended up making PB&Js in the front seat and handing them out. Luckily I had lots of paper towels and plastic knives to spread with.

Bonus Tip: Pack lightweight towels that the kids can put on their lap if they are eating something messy. This will save time and effort later from cleaning.

Top Healthy Road Trip Snacks for Kids (and adults)

Here is the list! Pick your favorites and see how much better and more satisfying your next road trip is.

Fruits and Vegetables

1. Apples

Apples are fresher when you leave them whole and bite into it when you’re ready.

2. Bananas

My kids love bananas. Just make sure to pack them on top so they don’t get brown or mushy. And throw the peels away at the next stop you make so them smell doesn’t overtake the car.

3. Clementines

A little messy but tasty and refreshing. These are typically easy enough for kids to peel themselves. Toddlers may need an adults help to peel. Plus, then your car smells amazing!

4. Grapes

Wash and pack into a hard storage container so they don’t end up as grape juice. If you are road tripping with a toddler, make sure to cut them up first.

5. Berries

Blueberries, raspberries, cut up strawberries are all a refreshing snack on the go. Wash and pack them in a storage container.

6. Baby Carrots

Baby carrots don’t require any peeling, making them a great grab-and-go snack.

7. Cherry Tomatoes

One of my daughter’s favorite snacks! Rinse and pack them into a hard storage container so they don’t get smashed. You can even pack a little side of ranch.

8. Celery Sticks

Wash, cut, and put in a small tupperware or bag. Pack a little side of ranch along to make this crunchy treat even more tasty.

Packaged Foods that make Healthy Road Trip Snacks

While fresh is always best, you can still find some healthier options for road trip snacks at the grocery store. Here are a few picks:

9. Fruit Pouches

Brands like Go-Go Squeeze have different flavors of applesauce (banana, mango, strawberry) to make snacking more exciting. Costco even has some Kirkland pouches if you’d like 100.

10. Trail Mixes

Every combination is available, but I personally like the Second Nature mixes. They have a mixture of nuts, and a few pieces of chocolate. But they aren’t overrun with M&Ms like some brands.

Any trail mix will do though. The nuts inside pack a bit of protein to help keep blood sugars steady.

11. KIND Bars

For another way to get some protein, grab a few KIND bars. Not the granola bars or breakfast bars, which can have a lot of sugar in them.

12. String Cheese

This is one for the cooler, but a road trip snack that has a nice, cold, refreshing texture to it. Plus, it packs some protein as well.

13. Hippeas Puffs

I personally love Hippeas. They are a chickpea based puff, made as a rival to a Cheeto, but with less salt, more fiber, and more protein. They come in a few flavors, too.

14. Country Archer Beef Sticks

Most stores carry these little protein power jerky sticks. We discovered them one summer while visiting family and my kids have loved them ever since. These ones are made of grass-fed beef, and don’t require refrigeration.

15. Fruit Crisps

While fresh is always best, these fruit chips are a great alternative when you can’t have fresh. The Bare Fruit crisps are crunchy and while the coconut adds sugar and salt, the apples and bananas have nothing added.

16. Popcorn

Popcorn can be a healthy treat when it’s not slathered in butter. To take it as a road trip snack, grab these Skinny Pop bags which only add sunflower oil and salt to taste.

17. Pistachios

Grab individual bags of pistachios in multiple flavors. This gives you a nudge of protein without the high sugar.

18. Chips and Guac

This is a healthier idea if you buy the right chips. Don’t go buying a bag of potato chips full of salt and bad oils.

Opt for a better brand like Late July which uses a better oil and less salt than the leading potato chip. Or Siete, which offers grain-free chips and avocado oil instead of soybean and vegetable oil.

Then, add in individual cups of guacamole, available in the produce refrigerated section at your local grocer.

19. Yogurt

This is a great road trip snack for kids and adults since it adds a little sweetness, but still stays high in protein. Keep your favorite flavors in a cooler and enjoy when you’re ready.

20. Hard Boiled Eggs

I’ll admit, this is the one thing we haven’t packed before because I wasn’t sure how it would smell. But eggs are a great source of protein, and they would make a great breakfast if you are starting your trip in the wee hours of the morning.

21. Crackers and Hummus

Just as with chips, the kind of crackers you buy makes a difference. According to Women’s Health magazine, the healthiest crackers you can buy at the store are these super seed crackers. I’ve had them before and actually love the flavor and spices in them.

Throw in some individual cups of hummus so each kid can have their own tasty snack!

22. Cheese and Crackers

Using the same crackers as listed above, you can also slice up some cheese and eat cheese and crackers together for a satisfying snack.

23. Cereal

Grab some individual packs of cereal or use the big box and pour into individual serving bags. Kids will love to snack on dry cereal, especially if they get to pick their flavor. For less sugar options, stick with a classic: Cheerios.

Road Trip Snacks to Make and Pack

24. Hearty Roll Ups

This one blurs the line between road trip meals and road trip snacks. It’s a hearty snack, but could be used as a meal in a pinch with a few things alongside it.

Grab a tortilla and layer on your favorite deli meat and cheese. Then roll it up and cut it into two. Make a few of them and pack them into a container or bag, then throw them in the cooler!

25. Protein Balls

We love these protein balls and make them year round, whether on the road or at home. We use this simple recipe from Gimme Some Oven. While we’ve tried all sorts of varieties over the years, we always come back to these ones.

All you need is Oats, peanut butter, honey, flax seed, chia, vanilla, shredded coconut, and chocolate chips.

26. Muffins

Muffins always sound good, and what better snack for a road trip than a freshly baked muffin? When you bake it yourself, you skip all the ingredients you can’t pronounce, plus you can monitor the amount of sugar.

Some of our favorite muffins are these Greek Yogurt Banana muffins from Fork Knife Swoon.

27. Granola Bars

Granola bars typically sounds like a good, healthy snack. But my previous health coach pointed out, most are full of sugar and not much else beneficial. That’s every good reason to make them yourself. There are a million recipes on Pinterest to find your flavor and monitor your ingredients.

28. Peanut Butter Cheerio Bars

We have loved these since the kids were toddlers. They are SO simple to make, and yet so yummy. Mix 3/4 c peanut butter and 1/2 c honey together. Add in 3 cups cheerios and mix. Spread in a 8×8 and stick in the fridge until set. Then cut them up and bring them on your trip. (Keeping them in the cooler will make them less droopy!)

Healthy Road Trip Snacks for Families

Hopefully you now have a few great ideas for healthy road trip snacks that the whole family will love. Sometimes the choices are right in front of you and you don’t realize it.

These snacks will make you feel more energetic at the end of your trip, rather than the sluggish feeling you get when sitting in the car all day eating junk food.

Make sure to also plan for some great travel meals that are easy to pack or make at your destination!