In the United States, road trips are a part of the culture. Teenagers and adults alike hit a period in their life where they get in their car and travel across several states. This could just be a trip for the fun of it, to go see a once-in-a-lifetime experience, or to visit family.
Of course, while on the drive, you’re going to need food. There’s always fast food just a few minutes away in any direction, but why not make it even more of an adventure with some amazing road trip snacks?
11 Best Road Trip Snacks
Whether you want sweet, savory, junk foods, or health foods, this list has you covered with any type of road trip snack you could want. See if one of the options below appeals to you, or gives you ideas for your own unique snack.
1. Fruit and Vegetable Puree Pouches
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It doesn’t matter if you have children in the car, or are a little nervous about trying to eat and drive at the same time, fruit and vegetable puree pouches make for an amazing road trip snack. Most pouches come in single-servings that you just pop open and squeeze into your mouth. There’s no need to chew or look away from the road.
Happy Baby is a great option to get fruits, vegetables, and even some oats. GoGoSqueez and Plum Organics also offer great options, some of them even come with meats like chicken to give you a little burst of protein to get you through the drive.
If you like the idea of pouches but want something more filling than just fruits and vegetables, consider the Munk Pack or Mamma Chia. They offer filling oatmeal and chia seeds in a squeezable pouch. Both are full of nutrients and fiber to keep you going.
2. Dried Fruits
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Dried fruits are another delicious and nutritious option for a road snack. They offer most of the same nutritional benefits of fresh fruit in a smaller package and without the hassle. It’s hard to eat even an apple or banana on the road, and there’s lots of trash buildup when you can just buy some dried, pre-sliced versions of the same fruit.
Just make sure that you find healthier options if you want to treat them as a nutritious snack and not candy. Some brands add extra sugar, oils, and dyes to their ingredients. While these aren’t necessarily bad, they do push the snack more into a treat rather than healthy food.
Consider brands like Bare or Mavuno Harvest that provide a mix of fruits, while containing no extra sugar or preservatives. If you want a bit of a crunch, get something like Crispy Green that not only dries the fruit but puffs it up – sort of like a Cheeto, but healthy.
3. Pastries and Baked Goods
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If you’re someone that doesn’t miss out on breakfast, then buying a couple of boxes of pastries or baked goods might be a good idea. They offer a nice sweet meal in the morning and are a bit more filling than just packs of snacks. Plus, they may make the gas station coffee you’re getting every morning just a little more tolerable.
If you want to save a little money, it might be a good idea to visit a grocery store and buy a pack of treats to last you through the trip. However, if you want variety, just pick up a pastry or two at whatever gas station you stop at in the morning for gas and coffee.
There are often plenty of options. Choose between danishes, muffins, loaf cakes, cinnamon rolls, donuts, and much more. Of course, if you’re next to a bakery wherever you stop, it’s better to get them nice and fresh. Who doesn’t like a freshly made donut in the morning before starting their drive?
4. Snack Bars
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Some sort of snack bar is a great option for a road trip, but only if you pick the right ones. You don’t want messy granola bars like Nature Valley bars that crumble to dust every time you open them.
If you’re going to be on the road for a while and want to feel full while driving, look for something more like a protein bar. You can find ones that taste more like candy while keeping you full thanks to the protein and fiber in them, like the Kind Bars. They come in a bunch of different flavors, have a good amount of protein, and aren’t messy. You can also check out companies like RXBAR, Aloha, and Think.
There are also bars full of fruit and nutrients like the Luna Bars, or sweeter ones like Kate’s Real Food Organic Energy Bars. With so many options out there, it’s easy to find some bars that are full of nutrients and have a flavor that you will enjoy.
5. Your Favorite Candy
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It’s recommended you avoid chocolate unless you have a cooler in your car. Chocolate is quick to melt and will create a huge mess for you and your car if you aren’t careful. Instead, choose gummy candies or hard candies like Werther’s Hard Caramels, Swedish Fish, or Sweet Tart Ropes.
If you don’t have enough space to pack all of your snacks initially, it may be fun to pick out some candies when you stop for gas. It always seems that gas stations offer unique types of candy you can’t find anywhere else. You may find a candy you’ve never tried before and that will be your next favorite, you never know.
You probably don’t want the majority of your road trip snacks to be candy either. Consider just buying a bag or two, at least initially. The sweet treat makes the drive a little more tolerable, but too many can just make you feel sick.
6. Local Snacks
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If you’re going on a trip far away from your home, it’s imperative you get snacks that you can’t find locally in your area. Buc-ee’s is a gas station mostly found in Texas, though it’s spread east. They have a staple snack called Beaver Nuggets which are sweetened corn puffs. If you’ve never been, stopping in one and grabbing a variety of snacks is a must.
Look for other local gas stations or grocery stores in your area to check out. Another example is Publix. They are a grocery store located only on the east coast. If you’re traveling from somewhere further out west, swing by one of the grocery stores and pick out one of their specific snacks you’ve never tried before.
Wawa is another. They originally started in Philadelphia, though they have spread to a few other states. They’re most known for their hoagies. So if you need a proper meal instead of just snacks, it might be worth finding one on your trip and seeing what all the fuss is about.
7. Pre-Made Snack Trays
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Looking for something fresh? A great option is to stop in a grocery store before you leave and grab a few food trays. Fruit, vegetable, and meat and cheese trays are all great options. They provide you with the nutrients you need and are already cut up into bite-sized pieces.
If you have a cooler, you can grab a few trays and throw them in there. They keep for a few days and make for a great morning or mid-day snack when you’re tired of all the dried and unhealthy food you have in your car.
Otherwise, make a plan to stop about halfway through your trip and pick up some trays. By this time, you’re likely craving something fresh, and you can snack on it for a few hours while you drive. Just pick smaller trays so you aren’t wasting as much.
8. Air-Popped Popcorn
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If you want something a bit more like a chip, but not quite as unhealthy, consider air-popped popcorn. Depending on the brand you get, they’re not very greasy at all and can have quite a bit of flavor.
Skinny Pop is a popular brand you can find in most stores. Popcornopolis’ Nearly Naked popcorn is an excellent alternative and is often for sale at Costco. Boom Chika Pop by Angie’s is another great option.
They still pack the salt, and a bit of the crunch, but aren’t as greasy, nor as messy to eat as potato chips would be. Popcorn also has a lot of health benefits like lowering cholesterol, improving digestion, and even providing energy; all perfect for a road trip.
9. Nuts
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Nuts are a great way to get fats and proteins while on a drive. They fill you up too, so you don’t feel tempted to stop and get food at every fast food place you drive by. There are all sorts of nuts out there like almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, and pecans. Pick one or two of your favorites and stock up.
The best part is that there are different flavors as well. The Blue Diamond Sweet Thai Chili Almonds offer a mix of sweet and spicy with a molasses and garlic flavor to them, or you can get chocolate-dipped or blueberry-flavored nuts for a sweet treat that’s a little healthier than candy. Most of them even offer a bit of a salty or acidic treat, like the Lime Twist Karma Wrapped Cashews.
Want an even bolder flavor? Try out the Wasabi & Soy Sauce flavor from Blue Diamond. They give you the salty fix you get from chips, without the greasy feeling after, and the spicy, face-numbing kick of the wasabi keeps you going even when you’re a bit tired.
10. Jerky
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Do you like getting some protein, and enjoy eating a bit of meat every once in a while? Jerky is a classic road trip snack. It provides a savory bit of delicious umami flavors and is packed with protein. Go for the classic Jack Link’s Peppered Beef Jerky, or try something new like Brooklyn Biltong Original Air Dried Beef.
If you’re avoiding red meats, there’s plenty of turkey jerky out there as well. Wondering what makes jerky so expensive? Jack Link’s offers a Turkey Jerky option, as does Kirkland. Perky Jerky offers some amazing different turkey flavors as well to rival even the best beef jerky.
If you want the umami and rich protein but could do without the meat, there’s also plenty of vegan jerky out there. Try the Louisville Vegan Jerky Company which uses soy and contains no GMOs, while still delivering several different amazing flavors. Want to try something a little sweeter but still get the chew? Wild Joy Goods offers banana jerky.
11. Homemade Snacks
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There are plenty of reasons to make snacks before going on a road trip. You might want healthier options, be a picky eater, or have allergies that make pre-made foods a little scary. Whatever the reason, homemade snacks make a great road trip snack.
You can always stop to pick up a few extra things along the drive if there’s something you have to try. This is a great option as well if you’re trying to save a little money as pre-made foods tend to be a bit more expensive than traditional foods or items you make yourself.
There are an endless number of recipes online for road trip snacks from granola balls, chocolate bark, date bars, crackers, pretzels, and more. Whether you want sweet, savory, nutritious, or spicy, there’s a recipe out there for you. Some of the snacks are easy to make too, just adding a little extra flavor to already-made foods.
