It’s a common misconception that vegans are limited when it comes to diet, just because we don’t consume animal products. However, it’s actually never been easier to be vegan than it is now! There are so many vegan-friendly versions of our favourite foods available. It’s super easy to live your best veggie life whilst enjoying a healthy and varied diet. The best part? We have the best snacks! Check out our shortlist of the best vegan snacks!
Whether you’re vegan or you just want to incorporate more plant-based goodness in your daily diet, you can enjoy these delicious snacks. They’re all extremely easy to make and many of them can be made in batches. Therefore, you can take a couple of hours on a Sunday evening to potter about the kitchen, prepping your snacks for the week to come. Many of them hold really well so you’ll have a fully stocked fridge for whenever you’re in need of a quick snack.
Making sure you have plenty of healthy snacks to hand can help boost your energy between meals, keeping you from picking at other slightly less healthy snacks, and they can even help you boost your protein intake!
1. Homemade Granola
As is the case with a lot of the best vegan snacks, there are store-bought options but we prefer making them at home. The same goes for granola too! Many of the options available in supermarkets contain very high levels of sugar and oil so we prefer making a healthier version at home. Plus, it’s super easy and your kitchen will smell amazing!
All you need to do is grab a large bowl and chuck in some rolled oats, flax seeds, chia seeds, raisins and other dried fruits, pumpkin seeds, and a wee pinch of ground cinnamon. Next, you'll need to melt some coconut oil and maple syrup and add it to the bowl. You just need enough so that everything sticks together. Make sure your nuts and seeds are evenly coated and spread them out on a lined baking tray. Then, you can bake your granola in the oven for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until everything is golden brown.
You can sprinkle some granola over vegan-friendly yoghurt or you can add it as a topping to your overnight oats (we’ll come back to that later). Alternatively, you can pop some in a bowl to keep on your desk so you have a snack ready when the mood strikes!
2. Fruit and Nut Bars
Our homemade granola recipe is one of the best vegan snacks because you can also use it to make delicious fruit and nut bars. All you have to do is add some more dried fruits and a little bit more maple syrup. This will make sure the ingredients really stick together and hold their shape.
Instead of using a baking sheet, you can line a baking tray with slightly higher sides. Then, you should really pack in the granola mix to make sure it sticks together. You can bake it for about the same time as the granola mix, or until it’s golden brown.
When the fruit and nut slab is ready, you can slide it off the baking sheet using the baking parchment underneath. We recommend cutting it when it’s still slightly warm as it will become drier and crumbly as it cools down. Using a sharp knife, cut it into equal sections and leave it to cool completely before wrapping. We like to use parchment paper and twine to wrap each bar up to keep them fresh.
3. Homemade Trail Mix
Trail mix is a classic amongst hikers (hence the name) and it can be an incredibly nutritious snack. Nuts and seeds are a wonderful source of protein, making them one of the best vegan snacks. Many store-bought mixes are high in sugar or salt so we like to make our own at home.
All you need to do is grab a big bowl and mix your favourite nuts, seeds, and dried fruits. You can shake things up by adding in mini chocolate chips or some of your homemade granola from earlier too. You can also add a little spice by adding chilli-coated peanuts or sesame sticks!
4. Chilli-Roasted Chickpeas
Legumes are a staple of many vegan diets because they’re just so packed with protein. Did you know that just 1 cup of chickpeas offers over 14 g of protein? Of course, you can add them to a wide range of dinner-time dishes, but you can also use them to make one of the best vegan snacks – chilli-roasted chickpeas!
If you’re a salty, crunchy kind of snacker, these are the best swap if you want to opt for something slightly healthier than crisps.
All you need to do is open a tin of chickpeas and drain off the liquid. The liquid is called aquafaba and it’s super useful when it comes to vegan baking as an alternative to eggs. You can store it in the fridge for use another time. Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and generously season with sea salt flakes, olive oil, smoked paprika, lemon juice, and chilli flakes. Next, you’ll need to spread them out on a lined baking tray and roast them in the oven for about 40 minutes at 200° C, or until they’re crunchy.
If you’re stuck for time, you can also pop them in the air fryer. Just make sure to give them a good shake every so often to make sure they’re all equally crispy.
5. Hummus & Pitta
Another one of our favourite vegan snacks to make with chickpeas is hummus! All you have to do is drain the aquafaba from the chickpeas and pop them into a food processor, with a blade attachment. Next, you can add olive oil, lemon juice, tahini and garlic according to your personal preferences. Pop the blender on “high” and let the magic happen.
Hummus is readily available in most supermarkets but they often contain a lot of salt and sugar. Plus, we find that homemade hummus just tastes better! You can use your hummus as a dip for tortilla chips and crackers. Our favourite thing to pair with hummus is pitta though. Simply pop your pitta in the toaster to warm it up, and then cut it into fingers. Then, get dipping!
6. Edamame with Sea Salt
Edamame beans are just immature soybeans, still in their pod. They’re delicious and a wonderful source of protein. They’re also one of the best vegan snacks for beginners as they’re super easy to prepare, and they can help you boost your protein intake.
To prepare them for snacking, all you have to do is steam or boil them until they have softened slightly. When they’re cooked, sprinkle them with sea salt flakes and pop them into a bowl. You can eat them by chewing the pods to remove the beans inside.
7. Guacamole and Tortilla Chips
Avocados, along with nuts, are packed with unsaturated fats which are essential for maintaining brain health along with transporting fat-soluble vitamins and supporting healthy cell membranes around the body. Unlike saturated fats found in animal products, unsaturated fats are mainly found in plants, and they don’t contribute to cholesterol levels.
To make some guac to enjoy with your tortilla chips all you need to do is wait until your avocado is soft and pray to the avocado gods that it’s not soft because it’s overripe (why are they only perfectly ripe for 2 seconds?). Remove the avocado from the outer skin and use the back of a fork to mash it up in a bowl. Add in some finely chopped red onion, garlic, a pinch of salt and a generous squeeze of lime juice. You can also add in a sprinkling of chilli flakes if you want to add a little spice.
Guacamole is one of the best vegan snacks because it will taste good on almost anything – sourdough toast comes to mind. But you can make your own tortilla chips to go with it too. Use scissors or a sharp knife to cut soft tortilla wraps into triangles and bake them until they’re crispy. Hey presto!
8. Pico de Gallo & Tortilla Chips
Another way to enjoy your homemade tortilla chips is to pair them with super simple salsa. To make it, you just need to finely chop tomatoes, red onion, coriander and jalapeno peppers. Chuck them all in together in a big bowl and season with salt, pepper, juice of half a lime and a pinch of dried oregano.
You can enjoy the salsa with the tortilla chips you made earlier or as an addition to fajitas and burritos. Similarly, you can enjoy it with the veggie crisps we’re going to get to in a moment! We recommend wearing gloves when you’re chopping peppers and making sure you wash your hands thoroughly after handling them if you don’t have gloves. No one needs spice in their eyes.
9. Fruit and Nut Butter
We all know fruit is number one when it comes to the best vegan snacks – they’re full of vitamins and minerals that keep us happy and healthy. But bringing nut butter into the mix can be a wonderful way of boosting protein whilst also shaking things up a bit. We get it, there are only so many bananas you can eat in a week.
Nut butters, like almond butter, peanut butter, and cashew butter are extremely easy to make and they hold really well. You can also use them to create a couple of different vegan snacks, as well as adding them to other dishes. They’re the perfect item to add to the meal prep list on Sunday evening, in our opinion.
All you need to do is pop the nuts in the food processor and blend at a high speed. For this, you will need a fairly heavy-duty food processor as nuts can be hard and will put your food processor under pressure.
When the nut butter is nice and smooth you can decant it into a clean jar with a lid and store it in the pantry. You can spread your favourite nut butter on crackers, pitta or toast. Or, you can just add a little to your banana or apple slices!
10. Biscoff and Rice Cakes
Some of the best vegan snacks are firm favourites that are just accidentally vegan – like Biscoff biscuits and their amazingly delicious spread. According to manufacturers, they don’t use any animal products to make their biscuits so they’re suitable for vegans. Their spread is simply made from biscuits with added stabilizers and oils, therefore it’s vegan-friendly too!
Oreos, many flavours of Pringles, and Fox’s Party Rings are some of the best vegan snacks to buy because they’re accidentally plant-based. If you’re hunting for the best vegan snacks your supermarket has to offer just keep an eye out for the little “V” on the back of the products. Most companies clearly mark which products are suitable for plant-based babes.
11. Smoothies
Smoothies are perfect if you’re looking for sweet vegan snacks. They’re a brilliant way of getting your 5-a-day, along with boosting protein and iron intake – both things you need to keep an eye on if you’re not consuming animal products.
You can add in whatever fruits or veggies you like. They’re a particularly handy way of working more dark leafy greens like kale and spinach into your diet if you’re not the biggest fan. Both kale and spinach are packed with iron and you can easily mask the taste with berries or flavoured protein powders. Simply add in your fruit, veg, plant milk, protein powder, and some milled seeds and spirulina and you’re good to go!
Need some smoothie inspo? You can check out our favourite smoothie recipes right here.
12. Stuffed Dates
If you haven’t used up all of your nut butter on crackers and fruit, you can also use it to stuff dates. Dates are one of the best vegan snacks because they’ll satisfy your sweet tooth whilst giving you a burst of energy. They have a caramel flavour and they’re soft and chewy.
To prepare this sweet snack you can cut the side of the date and remove the pit. Add in a little dollop of your favourite nut butter in the middle of the date and enjoy.
13. Overnight Oats
A couple of years ago, everyone was on the overnight oats hype, and we can see why. They’re easy to prepare, and they’re the best vegan snack to get you going in the morning. All you need to do is grab a clean jar with a lid and half fill it with rolled oats. Next, add in just enough plant milk to cover the oats. Close the lid and leave the oats to soak overnight. In the morning, you’ll have sweet, soft oats to boost your energy levels.
To flavour your overnight oats, you can use some of your homemade nut butter or mini chocolate chips. You can add in seeds, berries or fruits too.
14. No-Bake Energy Balls
Energy balls are a great way of boosting your energy and keeping yourself feeling satisfied between meals. They’re also a great way to get a few extra nutrients in too so they’re our favourite snacks for vegans. We have 5 protein-packed energy balls recipes that are all vegan-friendly ready and waiting for you to try them. You can find the recipes here.
15. Cheezy Popcorn
All seasoned vegans know and love nutritional yeast, or “nooch”. It’s a type of deactivated yeast that is particularly high in vitamin B12 and protein. The best part? It tastes like cheese!
If you’re a fan of crisps and all things crunchy, popcorn is probably one of the best vegan snacks for you. Popcorn is quite low in terms of calories but it is packed with fibre. Many store-bought microwave popcorns are packed with salt and oil so if you want a healthy alternative, you can opt for the kernels you pop at home.
Just pop them into a saucepan with a little oil to cover the bottom of the pot, and cover with the lid. Heat on medium heat (or according to the package instructions) and wait for the symphony of popping to begin. When there are about 10 seconds between popping, it should be ready to go. Simply sprinkle with nooch and give the popcorn a good shake.
16. Cinnamon Apple Crisps
If you’re a fiend for crisps but cheezy popcorn isn’t scratching that itch for you, you can try making cinnamon apple crisps! To make them you can use an apple corer to remove the core of the apple, and then use a mandolin to get super thin slices of apple. Next, you’ll need to line a baking tray with parchment paper and lay the slices on it. Make sure that none are overlapping as they won’t go crispy.
Before baking in the oven for approximately 45 minutes at 100° C, sprinkle the slices with some ground cinnamon. When the edges begin to curl, you’re ready to go! You can also use pumpkin spices, chai sources or ground ginger to season your slices.
17. Veggie Crisps
If you like the idea of fruit crisps, why not try your hand at vegetable crisps too? You can use exactly the same method as described above to make crisps out of parsnip, carrot, sweet potatoes, potatoes and even beets! All you need to do is swap the ground cinnamon for a pinch of sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil.
18. Baked Kale Chips
As we mentioned earlier, kale is a wonderful source of iron and it’s one of the healthiest snacks that are vegan. However, we totally get that the super plant-y taste isn’t to everyone’s liking. To which we say, make crisps out of it!
Using a similar method to the one we used to make our veggie crisps, line a baking tray with parchment paper. Just remove the stems break the leaves into bite-sized pieces. You can season generously with sea salt, onion powder, black pepper, and olive oil. Bake them until they’re crispy.
19. Crunchy Roasted Corn
Crunchy corn is also one of the best vegan snacks that can be used as a healthy swap for crisps. They’re perfect to batch bake so you can enjoy a bowl whenever you’re feeling peckish.
To make them all you need to do is soak dehydrated corn in water overnight. Next, you should remove the water and pat them down with kitchen paper. To season, we love using olive oil, smoked paprika, chilli powder, and salt. Make sure they’re evenly coated by giving them a wiggle about in the mixture and bake them until crunchy and golden.
20. Homemade Ice Cream
Who doesn’t love ice cream? Luckily, one of the joys of being an adult is that you’re not just limited to enjoying it as a dessert if you’ve finished your dinner. You can enjoy ice cream whenever you want. But isn’t it made from dairy? Not if you make it at home! Our vegan-friendly ice cream recipes are fool-proof and we promise they’re one of the best vegan snacks around! You can find our recipes here.
Summing Things Up
So, whether you're new to the vegan life, you're a seasoned vegan just looking to switch things up a bit, we're sure that our extensive list of snacks has got you covered. Can you tell we're big snackers around here? You can find all things food-related on our food page. Bon appétit!
