The resolve to eat a bit healthier is strong, and we’re swapping our weekly takeout for hearty home-cooked meals, fresh fruits and veggies, and nutritious snacks. Just like adopting a plant-based diet, holistic health isn’t about deprivation, starvation, or the elimination of foods you love—it’s about creating a sustainable lifestyle, and this includes snacks.
What does healthy mean?
Health is a relative term, but generally speaking, enjoying minimally processed foods derived from plants is a solid place to start. While going completely whole food, plant-based—think produce, nuts and seeds, beans and legumes, and whole grains—is a noble idea, it’s not always easy in a world of craveable snacks and treats. Even doctors and dietitians admit that there is some wiggle room to enjoy some plant-based processed foods.
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Joel Fuhrman, PhD, founder of the Nutritarian Diet and author of seven New York Times best-selling nutrition books, allows for 10 percent of one’s diet to include processed foods or other foods not considered “whole.” That being said, a healthy diet isn’t a perfect diet. It’s eating whole, plant-based foods most of the time and enjoying a few delicious modern innovations every so often.
If it’s vegan, is it healthy?
As with any diet, vegan food is an incredibly diverse category that falls on the wide spectrum between “food is medicine” to fast food. Whole foods such as nuts and seeds, fruit and vegetables, legumes, and grains are vegan and nourishing, but when you get into some processed items like meaty plant-based burgers, chips, packaged baked goods, and frozen appetizers, you fall off the wholesome wagon.
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Sugar, processed inflammatory oils, additives, and lab-made ingredients like methylcellulose are all vegan, but one wouldn’t advocate for their health benefits. As Fuhrman notes, a little every now and then won’t derail your health, but it’s seminal to note that not all vegan food qualifies as health food, and that’s okay.
We’ve made a list of the better-for-you snacks—snacks that provide more satisfaction than crunching on carrot sticks but also keep calories, harmful fats, and processed ingredients in check.
12 healthy vegan snack swaps
From chips to sweets, here’s what to reach for when the snack craving calls.
Doughy
1Doughy cookie dough
Sometimes, we cope with hard times with an entire tub of cookie dough. Whether you take the extra time to bake into cookies or dive straight into raw dough with a spoon, Doughy’s better-for-you cookie doughs are a must for dessert aficionados. Cashews, maple syrup, vanilla, and sea salt are just a few of the wholesome, standout ingredients found in the brand’s simple formulations.
GoodPop
2 GoodPop frozen treats
Frozen ice cream novelties are ladden with dairy and sugar, but GoodPop has reimagined dessert time for the better. What began as a frozen fruit bar brand that eschewed artificial everything, GoodPop now boasts a deliciously natural line of popsicles, creamy frozen treats, and even novelty items like ice cream cookie sandwiches and Mickey Mouse-shaped treats. The brand stays true to real food ingredients and uses organic when possible.
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Drizzilicious
3Drizzilicious mini rice cakes
Not a fan of plain rice cakes? Drizzilicious is here to help. The brand takes crispy, bite-sized, popped rice cakes and gussies them up, transforming this plain snack into a dessert-forward treat. Flavors include Strawberry Chocolate, Lemon Cake, Very Berry, Cinnamon Swirl, S’mores, and more. Guaranteed to satisfy sweet tooth cravings, Drizzilicious snacks are made with minimal sugar and boast good-for-you ingredients such as quinoa and chia seeds.
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Maxine’s Heavenly
4 Maxine’s Heavenly cookies
While not entirely advised, you can eat an entire bag of these soft, crumbly, chocolate-studded cookies and not feel a sugar slump afterward. Made with simple ingredients and devoid of gluten and refined sugar, these tender cookies will satisfy your sweet tooth without causing belly bloat the next day. The flavors range from decadent Chocolate Chocolate Chunk to homey Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin.
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Smash Foods
5Smash Foods protein balls
Looking for a protein-rich snack made with whole-food ingredients? Reach for Smash Foods’ Jammy Protein Bites. Featuring nut butter and chia-fruit spreads, these protein balls pack up to 10 grams of protein and four grams of fiber per serving. Choose between Peanut Butter Grape, Cashew Butter Blueberry, Choc Peanut Butter Raspberry, and nut-free Sunflower Butter Strawberry.
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Every Body Eat
6Every Body Eat crackers
Reminiscent of Cheez-Its, these cheesy crackers from Every Body Eat transform the classic school yard snack into a wholesome treat without sacrificing any of the flavor. Brown rice flour, potato starch, extra virgin olive oil, nooch, paprika, sea salt, garlic, and white pepper are combined to create these crispy, savory crackers that pack a punch of cheesy flavor without the dairy. Every Body Eat also boasts additional flavors including Sea Salt Pretzel, Chive and Garlic, and Fiery Chili Lime plus a line of sweet options.
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Unreal
7 Unreal candy-coated peanuts
Yes, this is still candy and should be enjoyed in moderation, but what qualifies these addictively good chocolate-coated peanuts for this list is the use of real food ingredients and lack of preservatives, natural and artificial flavors, and questionable food colorings. They’re colored with beet juice and spirulina extract, and organic ingredients are used where it counts (like organic cane sugar). Plus, they’re free from animal products, which puts them a league above their inspiration: peanut M&Ms.
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Popadelics
8 Popadelics mushroom chips
Crisps are fine, but some crave more than a dainty light bite—they need some major crunch. These boldly seasoned mushroom chips deliver that and more, using whole mushrooms as the vessel. These snacks do contain some processed ingredients in the flavoring elements, but they also deliver a whopping six grams of fiber and a moderate three grams of protein per serving. Stock up on all three vegan flavors—Rad Rosemary and Salt, Trippin’ Truffle Parm, and Twisted Thai Chili.
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Snacklins
9
Snacklins root and vegetable vegan pork rinds
Made from yucca, mushrooms, and onion powder, these light-as-air, delightfully crispy and grain-free snacks remind us of pork rinds, without the grease or heaviness. Sunflower oil helps to achieve that addictively crunchy texture while keeping fat and calorie content in check—Snacklins contain 50 percent less fat and calories than traditional potato chips. The brand’s Garden Variety line boasts added better-for-you goodness with the addition of carrots, broccoli, beets, and cabbage. Flavors indulge savory cravings with options like Sea Salt & Vinegar, Teriyaki, and Garden Variety Ranch.
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10Soom chocolate spreads
When the craving possesses you to dig into a tub of brownie batter, reach for a satisfying spoonful of dessert spread instead. Soom’s Chocolate Sesame Spread boasts five grams of protein and just seven grams of sugar per serving. Enjoy with crunchy pretzels for a sweet and savory snack.
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Lärabar
11Lärabar fruit and nut bars
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the constant innovation of vegan products—it seems like there is a new tasty temptation every day. Sometimes we forget about one of the original vegan staples: Lärabar. The true fruit-and-nut bar, these energizing nibbles are as wholesome as biting into a piece of fruit with a side of nuts. We don’t know how they create dessert-inspired flavors such as Peanut Butter Cookie, Cherry Pie, and Banana Bread with nothing but fruit, nuts, and spices, but we’re happy these bars exist to calm our candy bar cravings.
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Simply Delish
12Simply Delish pudding
Most days, we don’t think about pudding. But when we’re sick or feeling nostalgic for our childhood, it’s all we can think about. Ditch the processed plastic pudding cup and whisk up a batch of smooth Chocolate, Strawberry, or Vanilla Simply Delish. Feeling inventive? Mix up all three flavors and layer them in a tall glass to create a sugar-free Neopolitan treat! The all-vegan brand boasts additional decadent flavors including Banana, Salted Caramel, and limited-edition flavors like Pistachio and White Chocolate.
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Tanya Flink is a VegNews writer and runner living in Orange County, CA.
Here at VegNews, we live and breathe the plant-based lifestyle, and only recommend products we feel make our lives amazing. Occasionally, articles may include links where we might earn a small commission, but in no way does this effect the editorial integrity of VegNews.
