30+ after school snacks that are quick and easy to make. Includes healthy snacks, veggie snacks, dips, fruit snacks and so much more!
"What should I eat?"
When my kids were younger, that was the first question they would ask when they got home!
Does that question sound familiar to you?
Having healthy, quick, easy and delicious snacks ready on hand for kids to eat everyday doesn't have to be difficult. I found some of the best kid snack recipes from the internet and put them in this post.
Navigate This Post
- Tips for after school snacking
- Fruity snacks
- Chips and dip snacks
- Hidden veggie snacks
- Snacks for teenagers
- Bite-sized snacks
- Sweet snacks
Tips for After School Snacking
- In addition to fresh fruits, I also try to have dried fruits on hand just in case they don't eat the fresh fruits.
- I try to make snacks where I can hide the healthy ingredients in them. All the kids see are the ingredients kids like. That means, behind the cheese and chocolate, there just might be some cauliflower. 🙂
- I used to feed my kids right as they came home. This way, they had enough time to digest the snacks and be hungry at dinner time.
- If I didn't have time to make something in advance, I make sure I have string cheese or veggie chips in the pantry. This way, they can snack on something good instead of reaching for candy or cookies.
- Whenever possible, I try to prepare the snack the night before or do a full-week snack prep on Sunday night. It'e never a good situation if I have to scramble at the last minute to get all the snacks ready!
- Chances are that one of my kids would have a friend (or friends!) over after school, which would cause me to scramble to make extra snacks. So, I learned very early to have extra snacks on hand.
If you love these after school snacks, check out my 60+ Kid Favorite Dinners that are ready in under 30 min.
Another great resource is this list of over 25 recipes for busy moms for more great dinner and snack ideas!
30+ After School Snacks
Here are some of my favorite after school snack ideas for kids. They all have one thing in common - they are quick and easy to make!
Which one is your favorite?
Fruity After School Snacks
Pan Fried Cinnamon Bananas
Take overripe bananas and turn them into this sweet treat. It's ready in 10 minutes. If you have picky eaters, this is one snack they won't be able to resist.
I speak from experience! My kids hated fruits, especially bananas. But, these pan-fried bananas always got their attention.
Raspberry Frozen Yogurt
My homemade frozen yogurt is made with just 5 ingredients and doesn't include artificial sugars. I put all the ingredients into a blender and mix it up. An ice cream maker is not needed.
It's ready to eat right out of the blender, or you can freeze it overnight and serve the next day. If you want to make it even more appealing, top it with chocolate chips!
Mini Apple Pizza
Making healthy after school snacks that kids will actually eat is a challenge that most parents struggle to win. Veggie Desserts has a fruit recipe that parents are happy to serve kids.
She includes fresh fruits, cereal, and nuts in these mini pizzas. The best part is that this recipe takes only 10 minutes to put together!
2 Minute Mini Apple Crunch
Snacks don't get any easier than these apple crunch made in mugs. It's as simple as putting the ingredients into a mug and microwaving them.
The apple crunch has only 4 ingredients and these ingredients are probably in your pantry as you read this post.
So run into the kitchen and make it right away!
Apple Graham Cracker Nachos
Chances are, your kids will only hear the word "nachos" when you name this recipe. There is a special bond that kids have with nachos and they can't get enough of it.
The Lean Green Bean knows kids' diets all too well and that's why she made this super simple, quick appetizer recipe using fresh ingredients. Calling them nachos is a brilliant idea.
Chips and Dips as After School Snacks
These are not your run-of-the-mill chips and dip combos. That's why I love these recipes - because they are unique, easy, and on the healthier side.
Potato chips are too easy to feed the kids. These recipes offer a wonderful alternative to them. Veggie chips and dips are perfect after school snack ideas. No kid is going to be able to resist them.
Baked Eggplant Fries
These eggplant fries are a huge hit in my home. It has made eggplant lovers out of my family, which is a hard to thing to do.
The fries have very little oil which makes them delicious. They are the perfect after school snack recipe!
Baked Pita Chips
These pita chips look just like tortilla chips, which is a good thing because the kids will eat them up. Cook It Real Good uses whole wheat pita bread to make these chips.
Serve with my jalapeno artichoke dip or an avocado dip.
Cinnamon Apple Chips
Apples chips are sweet and crispy snack that can be made in the oven with almost no effort.
This is one of those after school snacks that I make over the weekend because it takes a while to bake in the oven. Once the apples are turned into chips, I put them in an airtight container.
They stay good for a couple weeks, so they are long lasting. Serve with caramel sauce or just by themselves!
Baked Cheesy Kale Chips
Good Life Eats puts quotes around the word "cheesy" in her recipe title. That's because she uses nutritional yeast instead of actual cheese.
Do you think your kids will notice the difference?
Turmeric Hummus
This might not be a hard sell to your kids. The yellow color of the turmeric hummus can get a kids attention.
Dip veggies in it or give them pita chips to dip in it.
After School Snacks with Hidden Veggies
Getting kids to eat their veggies is worse than pulling teeth, am I right? Put broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, or peas in front of them and watch them throw a temper tantrum.
But, what if you could hide the veggies in recipes? These after school snack ideas do just that. No kid can resist them and they won't see the hidden veggies.
Pepperoni Twirls
Pizza is always popular with kids, so how do I make it into an after school snack? I made pepperoni twirls using pizza dough and tomato sauce.
There is spinach in it which is hidden in plain sight. With the cheese, pepperoni and pizza dough, the kids are not going to notice spinach.
Creamy Ranch Tortilla Pinwheels
I whipped up the cream cheese mixture quickly and added coleslaw mix, bell peppers and olives to it.
This cream cheese mixture spreads easily on a tortilla. Then, I rolled it and cut small pin wheels out of it. This is a snack that no kid can resist and they never eat just one.
Hidden Vegetable Cream Cheese Bagels
Is there a kid who can resist a bagel with the top decorated like Hello Kitty?
The answer is a huge NO! The Inspired Eat smartly hid some veggies in the cream cheese spread which is very creative, if you ask me.
There are carrots and celery in the spread, but don't tell the kids. Shhhh!
Queso Dip with Hidden Veggies
Along with cheese and other ingredients, this dip has a very special hidden veggie in it. I put cauliflower in the dip which no one noticed!
I serve this with tortilla chips, but it also works well with other types of chips, too.
Do your kids like cauliflower?
After School Snacks for Teens
Do you know what I find absolutely amusing? Brooding teenagers who don't speak to me and pretend that they can't hear me when I am talking to them.
Yet, they can eat just about everything under the sun! Put food in front of them, and all of a sudden, they have a huge mouth! It always makes me laugh.
Here are a few recipes that can please even the moodiest of teenagers. You might even get lucky because it's possible they will say a quick thank you after they eat it!
Zucchini Bacon Cheese Bites
There are only 5 ingredients in this zucchini bacon cheese bites. I made sure it was easy to make because teenagers can be fussy eaters.
They won't notice the zucchini in it which is a good thing. The bacon and cheese do a good job of making this recipe appealing to teens.
Zucchini Pizza Bites
Oh So Foodie topped zucchini rounds with cheese and pepperoni. That is sure to get the attention of your teenager.
The best part is that you can also put them in school lunches for any kid. My kids would absolutely eat these pizza bites.
English Muffin Pizza
Cheap Recipe Blog calls this a Healthy, Cheap, and Kid-Friendly Pizza! I tend to agree with her. The English muffins are perfect pizza base because she used whole wheat English muffins.
She gives you tips on how to not have a soggy, messy pizza that I followed to the tee. Her tips are always very useful.
I am sure there isn't a teenager who won't love this muffin pizza!
Easy Mini Pigs in a Blanket
A puff pastry snack is favorite among adults and teenagers. Masala Herb rolled mini sausages into puff pastry and serves it to kids of all ages.
She made 35 pigs in a blanket in under 30 minutes! How much are you willing to bet that your teenager can eat the whole batch in one sitting?
Cheeseburger Rollup
Leftover ground beef can come to good use the next day. It can be put into a snack recipe. Make a cheeseburger rollup from the beef using Dancing Through The Rain's recipe.
She made this using only 5 ingredients and it's ready in 40 minutes.
Banana Muesli Bars
Your teenager, like mine, is always on the go. Their schedules are so packed after school that, many times, I only see a blur of them as they zip in and out of the house.
When they don't have time to sit down and enjoy good after school snacks, Claire Creations has an idea for a snack that they can grab and go. All you have to do is grab their hand for a split second and put the bars on their palm.
Easy peasy, right?
Bite Sized After School Snacks
If dinner time is not far off and yet your kid is hungry, here are some quick bite-sized snacks that they can eat quickly.
It will satisfy their hunger and yet, it won't spoil their dinner appetite
Sesame Pretzel Cookie Bites
These pretzel cookie bites are a family favorite recipe and they also happen to be award winning bites.
I made these cookie bites about 3 years ago using Simply Sesame's roasted sesame. They pack quite a nutritious punch and its perfect snack for kids.
Pretzel Bites with Olives
When my kids were younger, I would take them to the mall after school. What was the reason to take them to the mall?
It was only for the huge pretzels. They loved eating them and I could never resist eating them myself.
When I started making them at home, my kids loved them just as much as the mall pretzels. For me, it saved me a trip and I also got to choose what goes into these bites.
Energy Bites for After School Snacks
This no-bake energy bites are all vegan and easy to make using just a few ingredients. Healing Tomato used tahini and za'atar spice to make these energy balls.
Coat them with chocolate and it will make the snacks very appealing to kids. They also pack a huge protein punch which is always a good thing in after school snacks.
Sweet After School Snacks
No after school snacks list is complete without a little sweetness in it. These snacks have chocolates, cookies, and everything kids love.
Cookies are always a perennial favorite with kids. I know my kids loved chocolate chip cookies and they would instantly go for the cookie jar right after walking into the door.
Berry Swirl Frozen Yogurt Bark
Yogurt bark was my favorite snack when I was growing up. My mom made a variation of it and I still think of it today.
So, when I saw this yogurt bark by Celebrating Sweets, I knew I had to include it in this after school snacks list. She use berries in her bark and they look so colorful.
Easy Banana Graham Cookies
Here is another recipe which uses overripe bananas. I take overripe bananas to put into this cookies recipe. I finish by coating them with graham crackers.
If you don't like graham crackers, you can omit them because the cookies will taste just as good.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Rollups
I know my kids got tired of eating PB&J recipes all the time. So, I love finding variations of it, like this recipe.
Dancing Through The Rain made a rollup using PB&J sandwich by baking them in the oven. They look absolutely scrumptious to me, so, I am sure kids everywhere will devour it
No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
I love after school snacks that I don't have to bake. Baking can be time consuming and requires attention to every detail of the baking process. But for me, after school snacks should be easy and no-fuss!
When I see no-bake cookie recipes, I immediately bookmark them because I can never have too many of them. These no-bake chocolate peanut butter cookies by Joy Food Sunshine made my list because they are easy and delicious.
Chocolate Covered Bananas
Show me a kid who will not devour these bananas! I doubt there is a kid on the planet who wouldn't love them.
These irresistible chocolate bananas are the brain child of Know Your Produce. She includes a few healthy elements like berries, nuts and coconut oil in the recipe.
Blender Chocolate Pretzel Bars
Savory Spin puts all the ingredients into a blender and then bakes it into bars. These bars look like they took hours to make, but, it takes only 40 minutes.
The bars have a drizzle of chocolate that makes me drool. What is your favorite part about these chocolate pretzel bars?
Double Chocolate Crunch Cookies
Cake mix can be used to make cookies! It surprised me too, but, I am so glad I experimented with it. Cookies made out of cake mix are soft and moist.
These double chocolate crunch cookies came out so good. Double chocolate may have something to do with it too.
To get a little crunch, I added crispy rice cereal.
Elf Nibbles
I like to make these sweet and salty nibbles as gifts for coworkers. Inevitably, I make a huge batch and that means the leftovers are turned into snacks for my kids.
My kids are only to happy to eat this when they come home. They know I made them because their heavenly aroma is always looming in the kitchen long after I made them.
Do you like healthy after school snacks? Sweet after school snacks? Fruity after school snacks?
It's your turn to tell me what snacks you like to make for your kids when they come home from school. Share any tips or tricks you use to feed your kids!
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Happy cooking!
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