Getting ready to hit the road? Fuel up for your big adventure with thebest road trip snacks for kidsthat the whole family will love!
This article was first published on March 10, 2020. It was updated with more recipes, new content, and some updated photos and republished on July 22, 2023.
More than 100 million Americans plan to take a family vacation this year, according to AAA. If you're like more than half of Americans, at least one of those vacations will be a family road trip.
We love family road trips. And honestly, the favorite part? The road trip snacks!
[feast_advanced_jump_to]🚙 Family road trips
When the kids were younger, the husband, the kids, the dog and We would do at least three road trips a year. If you live on the West Coast like we do, there are so many great road trip options!
Some of them are shorter road trips, like to the Oregon Coast (1-3 hour drive) or Southern Oregon (3-5 hour drive).
Some are mid-range road trips, like to Yakima, Washington or Walla Walla, Washington (4 hours).
About once a year, we'll take a longer 6-13 hour road trip to Vancouver BC Canada, Montana, Idaho, or further south in California.
Growing up, our family vacations usually consisted of family road trips. They will always have a special place in the heart. And packing family road trip snacks for kids (and us older kids!) is one of the favorite parts about preparing for a family road trip!
🍎 What are good snacks to bring on a road trip?
The length of your road trip, age of your kids, and the weather might best determine the best snacks to bring. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when choosing the best road trip snacks for the whole family.
- Choose food that is non-perishable, or packs easily into a small cooler. You want to choose ingredients that won't spoil quickly, and can be kept fresh for long trips.
- Protein-rich ingredients are great for long road trips. Some of the best road trip snacks contain super foods that pack a lot of energy-building protein into each bite. Snacks like energy bites/energy balls and healthy snack mixes with nuts are a great option.
- If you have a few minutes, homemade truly is best. Homemade snacks like granola, energy bites, muffins, homemade cheesy crackers, and snack mixes are great options. They often take simply a few minutes to make. And these healthy snacks can be made the day before you head out on your big adventure.
🧊 Road trip snack tools and equipment
Make sure you are road trip ready with these items:
- Small cooler
- Ice packs
- Water bottles or thermos that can keep cold liquids cold for hours and hot liquids hot for hours.
🫐 Road trip snacks for kids
The favorite road trip snacks for kids and adults alike are fresh fruit and veggies. Wash them, slice them, pack them into portable containers with some ice packs, and you're ready to go! This simple fruit salad is a great road trip snack.
Also consider these portable snacks that you can easily stock up on at gas stations and convenience stores along the way if you need to:
- string cheese
- hard-boiled eggs
- fruit leather (little kids and older kids alike seem to love these!)
- sunflower seeds
- nuts (almonds, peanuts, cashews are all great snacking)
- dry cereal
- peanut butter/almond butter
- dried fruit
- beef jerky
In addition to these healthy travel snacks, here are 50 healthy road trip snacks that the whole family will love that you can make the day before you embark on your big road trip.
These are all vegetarian snacks, too!
Best Road Trip Snacks
Here are some of the best road trip snacks! This list is full of simple recipes for adventurers on-the-go.
Muffins
Muffins are great road trip snacks the whole family will love! You can bake them up to two days in advance, then they're simple to pack up into airtight containers for grab-and-go breakfasts and snacks.
Blueberry Chocolate Chip Muffins
Bursting with blueberries and sweet chocolate chips, these Blueberry Chocolate Chip Muffins are tasty treats the whole family will love on any road trip!
Pumpkin Banana Muffins
Fall flavors shine in these Pumlin Banana Muffins. So simple to make and great to take on your next family road trip!
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Got some overripe bananas to use up? Make these delectable Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins!
Best Chocolate Chip Muffins
When you need a sweet treat while hitting the open road, these Best Chocolate Chip Muffins will surely satisfy. They are simple to make with simple ingredients you can find in any grocery store.
Dairy Free Blueberry Muffins with Lemon
Zingy citrus and bright berries make these Dairy-free Blueberry Muffins with Lemon a taste sensation. The bright flavors are great for your next road trip adventures!
Healthy Apple Cinnamon Muffins (with carrots and zucchini!)
The kids have declared these the best muffins ever! Packed with veggies in the batter, these Apple Cinnamon Muffins are healthy, tasty, and perfectly portable for road trips!
Photo Credit: sabrinacurrie.comQuick Simple Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
One Bowl Blueberry Muffins are great for a road trip. Healthy with oatmeal and ricotta, quick and simple to make and best of all, these aren't too crumbly so they won't make a mess in your car!
Photo Credit: www.bucketlisttummy.comGluten Free Almond Flour Banana Muffins (Video)
Almond Flour Banana Muffins are gluten free and the perfect portable snack, ideal for before or after a workout or for the kids. You can whip these simple banana muffins up in less than 30 minutes without any oil or added sugars!
Double Berry Chocolate Chip Muffins
These Double Berry Chocolate Chip Muffins are bursting with juicy summer fruits and sweet chocolate morsels. They're tasty healthy muffins to pack for family road trips!
Photo Credit: emmaeatsandexplores.comLemon & Poppy Seed Muffins
These lemon and poppyseed muffins are gluten and refined sugar free. A healthier version that packs a huge protein punch from the almond flour used to make them. The perfect light, zesty springtime snack.
Photo Credit: itsavegworldafterall.comZucchini Carrot Oat Muffins
These healthy Zucchini Carrot Oat Muffins make it simple to get some veggies and fruit in, even when you're on the road!
Bars
From protein bars to cereal bars, snacks in bar form are handy to take with you on road trips.
Lucky Charms Cereal Bars
These Lucky Charms Cereal Bars are magically tasty and simply the sweet treat to keep road trippers of all ages happy and satisfied on the road!
Funfetti Cookie Bars
With colorful sprinkles and sweet white chocolate chips in every bite, these Funfetti Cookie Bars are a fun road trip snack everyone will love!
Photo Credit: www.ihearteating.comHomemade M&M Granola Bars
Homemade M&M Granola Bars make a tasty on-the-go snack!
Photo Credit: www.thesimplegreen.comNo Bake Salted Caramel Omega Bars [Gluten-free]
A naturally sweetened gluten-free granola bar for when you're on the road or enjoying a break. This recipe offers a healthy dose of omega 3 from the addition of ground flax seed. Absolutely tasty…sweet and salty goodness in chewy bar form, with a light drizzle of dark chocolate.
Chocolate Chip Bars
These chocolate chip bars are chewy, chocolatey, yummy bars that are perfect to pack for road trips!
Photo Credit: julieblanner.comNo Bake Granola Bars
These Peanut Butter Granola Bars are the perfect make-ahead breakfast or snack that you'll feel good about. They are packed with protein and easily made gluten-free.
Chewy Apple Granola Bars
These chew apple granola bars are tasty grab-and-go road trip snacks!
Granola
Granola is a classic road trip snack. Homemade granola is even better because you know exactly what ingredients are in those tasty treats!
Photo Credit: elkeliving.comSimple Spiced Coconut Granola
This simple spiced coconut granola comes together quickly to make the perfect snack on the go.
Protein-Packed Brown Butter and Almond Homemade Granola
This Homemade Granola Recipe with Brown Butter and Almonds is sweet and crunchy, packed with protein and Omega-3s. It's a tasty make-ahead snack for long road trips!
Energy Bites
Simple to make from scratch and perfectly portable, energy bites are ideal snacks to take with you on road trips.
Photo Credit: thekitchengirl.comChocolate No Bake Energy Bites
Chocolate No Bake Energy Bites are made with 6 superfood ingredients. They're soft, chewy, naturally sweetened and they take 15 minutes to make…that's it! They taste so rich and indulgent, you truly won't believe these energy bites are vegan and gluten-free!
Photo Credit: www.tessadomesticdiva.comCollagen Cookie Dough Keto Protein Balls
In minutes, you can whip together these nutrient dense, raw, collagen-filled keto protein balls for ANY time you need a quick and satisfying treat! Loaded with healthy fats and collagen, these no bake keto fat bombs are super addicting!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bites
Tasty Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bites are super simple to make, and pack well for long road trips! The whole family will love these!
Photo Credit: www.earthfoodandfire.comPeanut Butter Protein Balls
Loaded with chia seeds, hemp protein powder, ground flaxseed, and of course peanut butter, these little energy balls will help stop your food cravings in their tracks.
Photo Credit: eatwithclarity.comToasted Coconut and Chocolate Bliss Balls
These toasted coconut and chocolate bliss balls are the ultimate mid-day pick me up! They're perfectly sweet, gluten free, vegan and double as an simple dessert recipe. Perfect for on the go fuel, for school lunches, or late night snacking!
Cookies
When you truly simply want something to satisfy your sweet tooth on your next road trip adventure, bake a batch of one of these tasty cookie recipes.
Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
These Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies are made with boxed cake mix and are especially fun and festive for holiday road trips!
Butterscotch Cookies
One of the kids' favorite cookies, these Butterscotch Cookies have sweet butterscotch chips and oats in every bite.
Lavender Shortbread Cookies
Elegant enough for tea, but simple and tasty to bring with you on road trips, these Lavender Shortbread Cookies taste tasty and offer a bonus of aromatherapy on road trips as you inhale that lovely lavender scent.
Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Ritz Cracker Cookies Recipe
Super simple to make with inexpensive ingredients you can find at any grocery store, these Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Ritz Cookies are kid-friendly treats that they can help you make before you hit the road for your next family adventure.
Chocolate Chip Espresso Cookies with Brown Butter
When you crave chocolate chip cookies with even richer flavor, try these Chocolate Chip Espresso Cookies with Brown Butter.
Strawberry Crinkle Cookies
Made with boxed cake mix, these Strawberry Crinkle Cookies are simple and fun to make. They're light, fluffy, and perfect road trip snacks!
Photo Credit: www.asweetalternative.comMaple Walnut Cookies
These maple walnut cookies are a nutritious snack the whole family can enjoy. They're simple to make and perfect for munching in the car.
Matcha Crinkle Cookies
If you love matcha, you'll love these chewy Matcha Crinkle Cookies! Bake some up and then enjoy them with your tea or coffee on the road.
Ube White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ube is a purple yam that lends a subtle sweet & savory flavor to these bright and colorful, super tasty Ube White Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Banana Bread Cookies
When you can't decide if you want to bring cookies or banana bread, make these Banana Bread Cookies! They are soft and fluffy like banana bread muffin tops, but in the shapes of cookies.
Photo Credit: veganonboard.comIncredibly Simple No Bake Chocolate Cookies
These incredibly simple no bake cookies have simply three ingredients. Perfect for a sweet treat on a long journey.
Key Lime Cookies
Bursting with bright citrus flavors, these Key Lime Cookies are great snacks for your next road trip!
Photo Credit: jenniferbanz.comKeto Breakfast Cookies
These low carb and keto breakfast cookies are filled with almonds and hemp hearts and are so tasty! They are perfectly sweet and the perfect grab and go keto breakfast.
Photo Credit: www.keepingthepeas.comNo-Bake Vegan Snowball Cookies
These no-bake vegan snowball cookies made with almond flour, and sugar-free coconut flakes are a healthy winter treat that are also paleo and gluten-free.
Trail mix
Whether your road trip adventures involve hiking or you'll be in a car for hours at a time, trail mix is a great snack with a variety of foods and flavors in one.
Photo Credit: freshaprilflours.comCake Batter Puppy Chow
A crunchy, cake-battery take on the classic Puppy Chow!
Photo Credit: recipesfromapantry.com5 Minute Sweet and Salty Snack Mix
Looking for a quick last minute sweet snack mix recipe for a long journey? Then this 5-Minute Sweet Snack Mix with pretzels is the one you need.
Photo Credit: foodfolksandfun.netSimple S'mores Snack Mix
This simple S'mores Snack Mix satisfies your (or your kid's!) s'more cravings while driving to fun spots like hitting the beach, visiting the zoo, or simply out and about running errands.
Photo Credit: www.cookingwithcarlee.comPeanut Butter Maple Snack Mix
This peanut butter maple snack mix is loaded with yummy coated cereal coated in an simple peanut butter maple mix, then extra peanuts, raisins and candies are mixed in to make it a super fun treat.
Crackers
You need a little savory to balance out the sweet snacks while traveling! These crackers are great to make for road trip snacking.
Photo Credit: www.shugarysweets.comRanch and Dill Oyster Cracker Snack
With simply four ingredients, Hidden Valley Ranch Oyster Crackers are an simple way to shake up snack time! Perfect for parties or road trips!
Photo Credit: frydae.comSpiced Cheddar Star Crackers
These savory little crackers are cheesy, spicy and flaky and make a great party snack…or anytime snack. Full of cheddar cheese, herbs and spices, they're like Cheez-Its, Goldfish and Cheddar Bay Biscuits all wrapped up into one.
Photo Credit: sweetpealifestyle.comDilly Ranch Cheez-Its
Dilly Ranch Cheez-Its are a three-ingredient snack that will have you covered for every binge-watch, car ride, football game, and poolside party.
Homemade Cheez-Its Crackers
These homemade Cheez-It crackers are so cheesy, crunchy, and yummy. They make awesome road trip snacks for the whole family!
Fruit and vegetable snacks
Fruits and veggies are an important part of anybody's daily diet. Here are some fun ways to sneak more fruits and veggies into your road trip food!
Photo Credit: downshiftology.comSimple Apple Chips Recipe
Apple chips are light, crispy, simple to make, and surprisingly full of flavor! Turn them into a sweet snack with a dash of cinnamon, or crumble them into bits as a topping for a tasty fall salad.
Photo Credit: alwaysusebutter.comSimple Vegetarian Wraps with Avocado & Halloumi
These vegetarian wraps are the perfect food to bring along for a road trip! Served cold and filled with avocado, arugula lettuce, red pesto and halloumi cheese they're topped with walnuts and an instant favorite with kids & adults alike.
Photo Credit: littlesunnykitchen.comKale Crisps
Crunchy, salty, healthy and tasty kale crisps! A quick and simple snack that you'll find yourself making over and over again. Post includes oven and air fryer instructions.
Make some of these simple road trip snacks ahead of time and enjoy your time on the road! These healthy snack options are much better than the junk food you'll find at a fast food restaurant along the way.
Did you make any of these recipes? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and comment below letting us know which one you made and how it turned out. Thank you!
More road trip tips
Whether you're doing a short road trip to one of our favorite Oregon Coast towns, or doing a longer road trip, here are more travel articles to help you have the best road trip ever.
- Fall Road Trip List of Essentials
- 35+ Day Trips from Portland
Road Trip Tips + Free Travel Printable
Free Printables: Road Trip Games
More summer recipes
This article was first published on March 10, 2020. It was updated with more recipes, new content, and some updated photos and republished on July 22, 2023.
