30 Clean Eating Snack Ideas That Actually Hold You Until Dinner
When it comes to healthy eating, dinner isn’t usually the challenge — there’s generally some kind of plan in place. Four in the afternoon, on the other hand, can be a whole other story.
That’s when you’re standing in front of the open fridge not really sure what you’re going to do. Whether you’re successful at making it to dinner without more snacking (or whether you’ll still be hungry an hour later) likely has little to do with calories and a lot to do with a snack’s protein and fiber content.
In a 2020 review of randomized controlled trials, researchers found that consuming protein increased satiety and decreased hunger for the hours after eating. They also found that it alters appetite-regulating hormones.
Another review found that eating soluble fiber increased feelings of fullness, likely due to its ability to slow gastric emptying.
Both of these reviews focus on the short term — it’s important to note that neither paper makes any claims about weight loss long term. That said, for the purposes of a snack, short term is what matters. These foods aren’t going to change your life, but they might help you make it to dinner without snacking.
We’ve put together 30 ideas here, organized by what you’re in the mood for. All values are pulled directly from the USDA food database rather than estimated.
The ones that actually hold you
Protein-packed snacks will help you feel satisfied between meals.
1. Greek yogurt with berries
With a handful of berries, three-quarters of a cup of plain nonfat Greek yogurt delivers 18 grams of protein—that’s more protein than two eggs. The catch: the flavored varieties. To avoid picking up sneaky sugar, buy a big container of plain yogurt and sweeten it yourself with fruit. Bonus: it’s less expensive per ounce, too.
2. Edamame with flaky salt
In addition to 18 grams of protein, a cup of edamame has 8 grams of fiber. Just boil frozen edamame for three minutes. Season it with flaky salt while it’s still damp from boiling and the seasoning will stick.
3. Tuna salad on cucumber rounds
A stand-in for the typical protein-and-carb lunchtime combo of tuna salad and crackers—with a veggie standing in for the cracker. Light tuna is a lean protein: three ounces has 16 grams of protein. For a lighter, more protein-rich tuna salad, try stirring in plain Greek yogurt in place of some of the mayonnaise.
4. Two hard-boiled eggs with flaky salt
They have 13 grams of protein, and they’re quick and easy (if you make six on Sunday, they’ll be ready to go when you need them). Older eggs are easier to peel than fresher ones, and steaming for 12 minutes instead of boiling can help with tearing.
5. Turkey roll-ups with cucumber
Two ounces of sliced deli meat wrapped around a cucumber spear has 8 grams of protein. No bread, plate or crumbs. For less sodium, get the turkey from the deli counter instead of in a container.
Sweet, with something to slow it down
6. Apple slices with almond butter
Two tablespoons of almond butter has 7 grams of protein and 3.3 grams of fiber, the combination of which makes the apples feel more snack-like, and less like eating nothing but fruit. Toss sliced apples with lemon juice to keep them from browning, and pack ’em in a lunch bag.
7. Cottage cheese with pineapple
Half a cup has 12 grams of protein, and the pineapple keeps it from feeling like you’re eating a health food. Try several brands, as cottage cheese ranges from 2 to 5 percent milkfat, and the textures are vastly different.
8. Peanut butter banana smoothie
The peanut butter adds heft, and, with two tablespoons providing 7 grams of protein, is the key ingredient. Blend it with a banana, and freeze the banana first for a thicker smoothie.
9. Two dates stuffed with peanut butter
Medjool dates are super sweet, and with 1 gram of protein and 3.2 grams of fiber in a pair of them, they’re basically sugar with a little fiber.
Stuffed with peanut butter, they have 8 grams of protein, which is what holds all that sugar up. If the dates are hard, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes to soften.
10. Chia pudding
An ounce of chia seeds has a whopping 9.6 grams of fiber, more than any of the other snacks on this list, as well as 5 grams of protein. For the pudding, mix three tablespoons of chia seeds with a cup of milk, stir, wait five minutes, stir again, and refrigerate overnight.
When what you want is dessert
11. Frozen grapes
Freezing them doesn’t change their sugar content, but it does slow you down, and a bowl of grapes that you’d normally inhale in ten seconds can take ten minutes, and that’s often the difference between a smart afternoon snack and not-so-smart. Freeze grapes individually on a cookie sheet before transferring to a bag, or you’ll end up with one giant frozen glob instead of, say, thirty grapes.
12. Dark chocolate with strawberries
Two squares and a small bowl of strawberries is a real dessert that doesn’t need a rule attached. Seventy percent cocoa and up is generally where the sugar content starts to decline. The lower it goes, the more you’re basically just eating a candy bar, no matter how noble the intent.
13. Banana with cinnamon
Sweetness with nothing added: slice and sprinkle. Bananas that are freckled digest faster and are naturally sweeter than ones that are still tinged green, which is worth remembering the next time you’re making an afternoon snack.
14. Mango slices with lime and chili
The idea comes from the mango carts in Mexico, but it can work with pretty much any fruit you’d normally describe as blah. Acid and heat make sweetness more intense, which means you can eat less of it. Frozen mango is much less expensive than fresh, too. Let it sit for five minutes so that it is chilled but not frozen when you toss it with lime and chili.
15. Frozen yogurt bark with berries
Same basic yogurt as in No. 1. Spread it out on parchment in a layer about ¼ inch thick (any thinner and it will crumble; any thicker and you won’t be able to crack it into pieces), sprinkle berries on top, and freeze until hard.
Crunch that is not empty
Crunchy doesn’t necessarily mean nutritious. Often, it’s the exact opposite. That’s why most of the crunchy snacks below are paired with something more filling.
16. Roasted chickpeas
These are the exception, since they come with their own crunch as well as 8 grams of protein in half a cup. Rinse and drain a can, make sure they’re very dry (otherwise they steam instead of crisp), toss with olive oil and roast at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through, until the chickpeas sound rattly in the pan.
17. Hummus with carrots and bell pepper
The veggies are the best part of this snack, especially if you’re dipping them in hummus as opposed to, say, pita chips. A quarter cup of hummus with bell pepper and carrot has 5 grams of protein and 3.3 grams of fiber. Blend a can of chickpeas with tahini, lemon, and garlic and you have your own in about four minutes, for a lot less than the tub.
18. Pumpkin seeds
They have more protein than most nuts (8 grams in an ounce). Buy them raw and toast them in a dry skillet until they start to pop, just four minutes, shaking the pan the whole time.
19. Air-popped popcorn with olive oil
It’s a whole grain (before you smother it in butter), with 3 grams of fiber per bowl—and by bowl we mean a truly enormous bowl, 3 cups. Pop a quarter cup of kernels in a paper bag in the microwave until the time between pops lengthens, about three minutes.
20. Seaweed snacks with cashews
Not so much a snack as a way to assuage the need for salty-crunchy for as little as possible. An ounce of cashews has 5 grams of protein so that, well, at least you’ll be eating something.
When the crunchy thing is only the delivery system
In this category, the crunchy component is the vehicle and the other component is the snack.
21. Rice cakes with smashed avocado
Half an avocado has 4.6 grams of fiber, and mashed with salt and lemon juice it will keep in the refrigerator for a day with the pit left in.
22. Whole-grain crackers with guacamole
Same concept, with added flavor. To make sure you’re getting the real deal, check that “whole grain” is the first ingredient on the list, not the third, not preceded by enriched, and not just on the front of the box.
23. Cucumber rounds with everything bagel seasoning
This is a sneaky-low calorie snack that is oddly satisfying, perfect for when you want to be eating but don’t need much. Everything bagel seasoning is just salt, dried garlic, dried onion, poppy seed and sesame seed; a homemade batch will cost you a fraction of the price of those tiny jars.
24. Snap peas with Greek yogurt ranch
This one replaces sour cream with Greek yogurt, and adds protein to the mix. Made with yogurt, dried dill, garlic powder, onion powder and lemon juice, it will keep for about a week.
25. Smoothie bowl with a spoonful of granola
It belongs here because granola is not a breakfast, it’s a topping. Use a spoonful instead of a bowlful and you get all the crunch with about 20 grams less sugar. Portion control at its finest.
For the desk, the car, the gym bag
These have to survive a day of neglect. The other requirement for portable, plate- and fork-free snacks: they’ll last a day in a bag at room temperature, no apologies owed to the poor soul at the desk next to yours.
26. Pistachios in the shell
The shells are the point, so don’t toss them as you go along; the pile of empties is your portion control. In an ounce, there are 6 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber.
27. Trail mix with nuts and dark chocolate
Make your own, otherwise the chocolate-to-nut ratio skews heavily in favor of raisins and candy pieces, and keep it to four ingredients.
28. Cheese cubes with grapes
The OG of this list, and still one of the best options: an ounce of cheddar contains 7 grams of protein, cubing a block at home will cost you about half as much as buying cubes in a container, and it won’t dry out within a day of opening.
29. Homemade energy balls
Combine oats, nut butter, dates and a pinch of salt in a food processor, roll into balls and chill; they’ll last you a week in the fridge, and they’re made of four ingredients you can pronounce.
30. Overnight oats with almond butter
Combine half a cup of oats and two-thirds of a cup of milk and let chill overnight, then eat straight out of the jar. The oats contain 5 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber, and if you make four on Sunday you’re mostly set for the week.
What all thirty have in common
Try four that you like. That’s the beauty of having 30 healthy snack ideas – you don’t have to try them all!
Pick your favorites and stock up on those ingredients this week. Keep your favorite healthy snacks visible and you’ll be less likely to reach for something else. There’s a pattern that you may have noticed with these healthy snack ideas – almost all of the snacks are combinations of ingredients instead of a single ingredient. Dates on their own are just a source of sugar and fiber, but dates and peanut butter can keep you full for an hour.
An apple is just an apple, but apple slices and almond butter can make a healthy snack. Yogurt is the base, but it’s the addition of the berries that makes it worth eating. Want to see this concept applied to meals? Check out our 7 day clean eating meal plan and healthy breakfast ideas!
