Best Healthy Road Trip Snacks
No need to worry about what to eat or toss out your nutritious eating habits while traveling. There are lots of amazingly delicious ways to plan ahead for the road, and we have some of the best Healthy Road Trip Snacks to share with you!
We all love to snack and when we’re traveling or on the road, simple healthy snacks are harder to come by. While you are trying out the vegan snacks in this list, be sure to also try our homemade Chex party mix.
How do you eat healthily on a road trip?
Many of us work hard to nourish our bodies with the foods we know promote health, prevent disease, make us feel good, and help keep our weight within a normal BMI (body mass index). So do the normal rules simply go out the window when we hit the road? No way!
Just because you need something portable and easy doesn’t mean you have to chuck out all your wholesome eating habits out the window.
Eating healthy on the road all boils down to one thing–planning ahead. By bringing your own healthy on-the-go snacks, you can avoid falling to the mercy of only what’s available at gas stations, convenience stores, and fast food chains along the way.
That’s easy to say, but how do you actually make it happen when there is so much temptation? Easy! Just make sure the food you have on hand is deliciously healthy, stay hydrated, and don’t let yourself get too hungry.
The good news is that we are here to share some of our favorite healthy road trip snacks to eat while you’re traveling that will keep you feeling full, nourished, and able to enjoy the beautiful road that lies ahead.
Here’s what you need to pack food for your road trip
- good travel-size cooler
- ice packs (frozen water bottles work great)
- storage containers (glass, plastic, stainless steel)
- ziplock bags
- paper towels and/or paper plates
- wet wipes
Healthy snacks on-the-go
The list below will give you some great inspiration for choosing which healthy snacks to include on your trip. Recipes can be found in the last list at the bottom of the page.
- Fruit– The best portable food ever includes apples, oranges, pears, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, peaches, nectarines, cuties, mangos, pineapples, and anything else you can think of.
- Celery sticks with peanut butter– Simply cut celery into small pieces and top with natural peanut butter or other nut butter.
- Veggies with hummus and dips– We love carrots, celery sticks, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, and colorful bell pepper strips dipped in hummus or spinach dip. Great hummus and dip recipes are included below.
- Kale chips– These are terrific, and Minimalist Baker has a delicious recipe for making them that I will share below.
- Sandwiches make terrific hearty snacks that will keep you full, and we aren’t just talking about a PBJ (peanut, butter, jelly). Take a peek at our chickpea salad, vegan egg salad, and hummus veggie options included in the list below.
- Air Popped Corn– This is a family favorite, and we’ve included instructions and 20 different varieties of toppings below.
- Trail Mix– There are so many different ways to combine ingredients, and we will share one of our favorites.
- Nuts– So many to choose from–almonds, walnuts, cashews, Brazil nuts, and more. Matt with No Meat Athlete shares his S’nuts recipe in the list below. Another of my favorites is DateNuts.
- Wraps and Pita Pockets make great hand-held snacks for adults and kids alike, and we have some filling ideas to share with you.
- Roasted Chickpeas make excellent crunchy flavorful snacks on the go, and you will find two great recipes below.
- Potato Chips– Yes, you can easily make oil-free low-fat chips, and a link to the instructions can be found in the list. Also included, are baked tortillas from PlantPure Chef.
- Muffins, Snack Bars & Cookies– Not the processed, prepackaged kind, but healthy options like the ones shared by some great plant-based bloggers that are included below.
Easy emergency food kit
If you are interested in keeping an emergency supply of food in your car at all times or just want a stash of small meals available for any occasion, Little Blue Plates has an inspirational article called Vegan Road Trip! Just take a look at these photos to see what great ideas they have.
Always keep an EMERGENCY FOOD BOX in your car, because you never know when you are going to get stuck in traffic, or are running late, or you are just too hungry to wait until you get back to a plant-based safety zone.
But with your food box fully stocked, it’s super easy to just open up some pop-top cans and bowl of sealed, pre-cooked brown rice, and you’ve got a delicious, FILLING meal ready to eat RIGHT NOW!–Little Blue Plates
The photos show ingenuity and creativity with their simple meal and snack ideas. Everything has a pop-top type, or the peel-back kind, so there’s no need to worry about finding a can opener. None of the items need refrigeration. You can open just one of the cans for a quick snack, or combine the cans, bowls, and cups to make a full meal. Brilliant!
Now, take a peek at these delicious healthy recipes that are great on-the-go snacks to take on the road. And, if you need a little picnic inspiration, take a peek at these 35 Easy Vegan Picnic Ideas.
Ready for the ultimate road trip with lots of food and fun? Take some of these amazing foods along on the trip to keep you satisfied and feeling great! Click on each of the photos, recipe titles, or 'Get the Recipe' buttons to see full recipes with ingredients, measurements, instructions, and a print button. This simple recipe for Granola Bars happens to be gluten-free, oil-free, and dairy-free which makes them a super healthy option for breakfast or a snack. Never waste leftover cranberry sauce again with this easy recipe! These vegan cranberry crumble oatmeal bars are so good and a perfect day after Thanksgiving snack. If you're like most people, you find it hard to wait for your next meal, but you don't want to blow your healthy diet. If you have a handful of this high protein trail mix, it'll help you over the hump and stop cravings in their tracks! Sometimes you just need a little something sweet that doesn’t require a lot of effort. Whether you’re making a snack for yourself or for a crowd, these easy stuffed dates are the perfect healthy dessert or snack. Tired of a boring sandwich? Let me help you fix that with this Ultimate Veggie Hummus Sandwich that is piled high with crunchy vegetables and creamy hummus and can be ready in 15 minutes or less. These bite-sized colorful sandwich pinwheels make terrific little appetizers or a quick tasty lunch, and they are very kid-friendly! Rice Krispie Treats – made vegan – and made healthier! These healthy rice Krispie treats do not use butter, margarine… or marshmallows! Yes, you can make vegan rice Krispie treats – and make them healthier! If you love crunchy tortillas, these are full of flavor and easy to make! We love to serve these for taco night, as a snack, or dipped into our favorite plant-based cheese sauce, guacamole, or salsa. Dark, moist, and scattered with raisins and fresh apple bits, these applesauce vegan muffins are perfect for breakfast or a snack. So scrumptious and easy to make, no one will ever guess they are actually healthy. Make ahead of time and freeze for quick breakfasts on the go! Chickpea Avocado Salad is by far my favorite vegan sandwich of all time. Something about the flavors of lime, avocado, and cilantro just thrill my taste buds. A batch disappears within hours at my house — due in no small part to our son, who is as picky in his eating habits as any three-year-old. S’nuts are a good way to get him to eat something besides his normal sustenance of bananas, hummus, and Ezekiel bread. These kale chips are foolproof. By baking at a low temperature for a longer period of time, the kale gets crispy without browning or burning, yielding perfect chips every time. Nine ingredients and less than 30 minutes to incredible healthy peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies. Crispy edge and melt in your mouth middle, perfect for breakfast or a healthy snack! The ultimate snack for traveling! We are loving this little crunchy, tangy, protein-packed roasted chickpea snack. Warning, you will need to make more than one batch! This easy vegan hummus takes only about 10-minutes to make and requires absolutely no cooking. It also happens to be completely gluten-free. Popcorn is one of the world’s healthiest and most popular snack foods. Whether binge-watching your favorite TV show or sitting down to a movie with friends, air-popped popcorn is a great snack. These are our favorite healthy vegan popcorn topping options. This Vegan Egg Salad is super simple to make without even needing to boil or peel eggs. Great for lunch, dinner, and picnics! Kid-friendly, dietitian-approved these treats are perfect for when you're on the go. Healthy meals just don’t get any easier than with these easy veggie wraps layered with hummus or mayo and piled high with fresh veggies like lettuce, spinach, carrots, cucumbers, and anything else you can think of. Thought you couldn’t eat potato chips on a healthy vegan plant-based eating plan? Me too, but thankfully we were wrong! These healthy homemade vegan potato chips are easy and delicious! This oil-free vegan roasted red pepper hummus recipe requires only a handful of ingredients and a few minutes to make. If you have 10 minutes and a blender or food processor, you’ve got a delicious healthy snack. This vegan spinach artichoke dip is sure to be a hit at any pot-luck or game night! The recipe is so versatile, it can be made with white beans or cashews. Ridiculously crunchy & addictive Cheese & Onion Crispy Roasted Chickpeas. The perfect savoury snack, soup or salad topper, but just a warning, once you start eating them you just can't stop! Fluffy and moist sweet potato batter swirled with apple sauce, raisins and cinnamon makes a dozen muffins that are packed with beta carotene and fiber. These vegan Sweet Potato Muffins are a welcome addition to any breakfast! Make ahead of time and freeze for quick breakfasts on the go!Healthy Road Trip Snacks
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…