Skip the gas station junk and pack snacks that are tasty, satisfying, and won’t leave you feeling blah halfway through your drive. These healthy-ish road trip snacks will keep you energized and happy, no matter how long the road ahead!
After living on the road for over two years and having traveled thousands of miles, we’ve put a lot of thought into what makes good road trip snacks. From hangry meltdowns to energy slumps, we’ve learned that snacks are truly a road trip essential—and we never hit the road without them (especially now that we have a toddler!).
The best road trip snacks keep you energized, alert, and happy, turning even the most monotonous stretches into a moveable feast. Below, we’re sharing our top road trip snack ideas to make your next adventure smoother (and tastier).
What snacks should you bring on a road trip?
The best road trip snacks are easy to grab, easy to eat, and keep you fueled, alert, and satisfied. While personal taste plays a big role, there are definitely some foods you’ll want to avoid to keep things mess-free and enjoyable.
Here are a few worst offenders for long road trips:
- Crumbly foods
- Powdery snacks (think Cheetos dust)
- Greasy or oily foods
- Anything with strong odors
- Foods that spoil quickly
- Snacks with excessive packaging
Keep reading for our favorite road trip snack ideas that check all the right boxes!
The Best Road Trip Snacks
Every snack on this list has been road-tested and approved by us. We’ve personally devoured them all and can confirm their roadworthiness and top-notch snackability!
1. Sandwiches: Packed in a hard-sided container to prevent smushing, pre-made sandwiches are a great car snack with some staying power. PB&J or peanut butter with honey and sliced banana are both classics. If you’re traveling with a small cooler or insulated tote, sliced cheese & cold cut sandwiches will give you a boost of protein.
2. Granola: Whether eaten alone or bulked out with dried raisins, cranberries, and nuts to make a more substantial snack mix, granola is easy to find (or make!) and can satisfy that crunchy-snack craving without the salt overload.
3. Hard Boiled Eggs: Hard-boiled eggs are a great no-fuss road trip snack. They’re easy to prep ahead of time, travel well in a small cooler, and are perfectly portioned for grab-and-go eating. With a solid dose of protein, they can help keep those mid-drive hunger pangs in check.
4. Energy Bars: There are a million kinds of energy bars, so our advice is to go for variety. Just stay away from those super crumbly ones like Nature Valley. Look for sturdy bars with whole-food ingredients like Bobo, RX Bars, and GoMacro.
5. Fig Newtons: Fig Newtons are by far our preferred road trip cookies. They’re soft, don’t generate a lot of crumbs, and are absolutely delicious—we love that they have just the right amount of sweetness to feel like a treat.
6. Nut Butter Packets: Yum Butter nut butter packets are road trip gold. Eat straight from the packet or pair with apple slices or bread during a rest stop. This resealable squeeze packet means you don’t have to dirty a knife or spoon to scoop it out of a jar.
7. Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans: These are a great little caffeine and sugar burst all at once. We like to reserve these guys for the end of our trip when we’re likely at our most fatigued.
8. Yogurt Covered Raisins: These are a real treat and can easily be picked up at a bulk bin in most grocery stores. If you are able to keep these chilled in a cooler, we highly suggest it!
9. Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels: We love these things. We often pick them up from Trader Joe’s and Quinn’s makes a gluten-free version you can find on on Thrive Market. We find that the bags tend to split down the middle, so we like to repack them into a sealable container. These also make great hiking snacks!
10. Trail mix: Opt for trail mix with large pieces. You don’t want to deal with a handful of finely chopped nuts and tiny seeds. They’re just going to get all over the car. The bigger the pieces, the better.
11. Fresh No-peel Fruit: Grapes, apples, and pears are perfect for road trips—no peeling, minimal mess. For oranges or clementines, peel and segment them ahead of time and store in a sealed container.
*Do not throw fruit cores (or anything else for that matter) out the window. Just because something is biodegradable doesn’t mean it will decompose sitting on the shoulder of the freeway. It just attracts wildlife, which leads to more roadkill and more accidents.
12. Fresh Vegetables: Fresh vegetables are one of the healthiest road trip snack options out there. Baby carrots, sliced cucumbers, celery sticks, cherry tomatoes, and sliced bell peppers are all easy to eat while driving.
13. Dried Fruit: Store-bought dried fruit like apricots, mango, and banana chips are great. If you dehydrate at home, try these apple chips, dried pineapple, or dried kiwi—they’re like all-natural Sour Patch Kids!
14. Jerky/Meat Bars/Meat Sticks: Unlike a lot of the carb-heavy options on the list, jerky and meat bars have some serious sticking power. We are big fans of Epic Provisions, Wild Zora, and other meat products that don’t have a ton of additives (looking at you Slim). Want to DIY? Make your own jerky using a dehydrator!
15. Nuts: Almonds and cashews are ideal—they’re easy to grab and don’t require shelling. Peanuts, pistachios, and sunflower seeds are just a little too small and messy for us.
16. Cheese: Pre-sliced cheese, string cheese, and Babybel are road trip favorites. Keep them fresh in a cooler or insulated bag. No cooler? Cheesy crackers like Trader Joe’s Baked Cheese Bites or Parmesan Whisps are also good road trip snacks.
17. Gin Gins: If you or your road trip buddies tend to feel a little queasy on those winding roads, ginger is a natural way to settle your stomach without causing drowsiness like over-the-counter meds can. We like to keep a bag of Gin Gins ginger chews in our snack bin for this reason.
18. Gum: Need help staying alert while driving? In addition to the usual caffeinated remedies, there has been a lot of scientific evidence that suggests that the act of chewing gum can help focus and alertness. Masticating (the act of chewing) increases blood flow to your head and helps increase cognitive ability and focus. So if you often get drowsy when driving, consider picking up a pack of gum.
Best Road Trip Snacks For Kids
When road tripping with kids, a solid snack game is non-negotiable. Snacks might not stop every meltdown, but they can definitely buy you some precious time.
Since your little ones are strapped in the backseat, the snacks you choose need to be easy for them to manage on their own.
Here are some of our go-to snacks for kids (tested & approved by our two-year-old), which can be packed in small containers that fit perfectly in a car seat cup holder.
19. Sliced vegetables: Cut slices of bell pepper, carrot, celery, or snap peas are a great snack option for kids since they are healthy and don’t have the potential to become a mess or leave crumbs everywhere.
20. Fresh fruit: Likewise, fruit that has been pre-sliced makes a great snack for kids. Choose fruit that isn’t overly juicy or soft. Apples, pre-peeled oranges, and cut grapes (for older kids) are good places to start.
To keep apples from browning, try soaking them in a water & lemon juice bath for a few minutes before packing them.
21. Freeze-Dried Fruit: In lieu of fresh, juicy fruits like berries and mangos, we like to pack freeze dried fruit—and our kiddo loves them. Sweet and crunchy! We find these at Trader Joe’s as well as at Target.
22. Baked Snap Peas: While not as healthy as fresh snap peas, these are usually a hit with our toddler and don’t create a lot of crumbs.
23. String cheese: Kids love these and they’re a great way to add some protein into their diet. Ideally, these should be chilled in a cooler or insulated lunch bag.
24. Mini Pretzels: These are perfect for little hands, and they’re sturdy enough to survive being tossed around in snack bags without turning into crumbs. They offer a satisfying salty crunch that keeps kids happy without the sugar rush of sweeter snacks.
25. Organic Fruit Tape: Ok, fruit rolls might not make it to the top of every parent’s “Healthy Road Trip Snacks” list, but they are just so nostalgic for us! This version is organic and made from real fruit and not much else, so it’s gotta be healthier than whatever we were eating in the 90’s, right?
These can also be used (leveraged?) as a reward or perhaps as a last resort if things start to really go sideways.
26. Homemade Fruit Leathers: Another option is to make homemade fruit leathers. The flavor combinations are endless, like these Tie-Dye Mango Strawberry leathers or Apple Ginger fruit leathers!
27. Annie’s Snack Mix: You’ll probably be cleaning these out from between the car seat cushions, but this is just such a popular snack – particularly if your kids like salty & crunchy things. For toddlers, pair this type of snack with a snack-catching cup, like this one by Munchkin.
28. Annie’s Bunny Grahams: Annie’s Bunny Grahams are usually a crowd favorite! Since they are bite-sized graham crackers, there won’t as many crumbs left behind as there would with full-sized graham crackers.
29. Mini Peanut Butter Sandwiches: Bite-sized mini peanut butter sandwiches are perfect for little hands. They are a nice balance of carbs, protein, and fats to help satiate your backseat companions.
30. Kid-sized energy bars: If the kids see mom or dad partaking in an energy bar, you can bet they’re going to want one too! These “kid-sized” bars are a great way to include them, without having to split your own bar! Clif Minis and Lara Bar minis are a good place to start.
31. Fruit pouches: Fruit and veggie pouches are nice to have on hand. We like these Plum Organic Mighty Pouches, many of which have beans and yogurt in them for protein (and they do taste really good!). For really little ones, these are better left as a supervised, rest-stop snack.
Best Road Trip Drinks
This is where having a small soft sided cooler really comes in handy. After a couple of hundred miles, a cold drink can really make a big difference to revive you.
32. Iced coffee: A can of iced coffee or even nitro cold brew coffee can be a great pick-me-up to carry you through that final stretch.
33. Sparkling water/seltzer: Take it from us, it’s really easy to get dehydrated on long drives. So be sure to drink water along the way. There’s a world of sparkling water out there, but our favorite brand is Spindrift!
34. Kombucha: Another lightly carbonated, non-alcoholic option, kombucha is another one of our favorite drinks on the road.
Helpful Snacking Tips
- Set up your cab beforehand to ensure safe snacking on the road—food should be within easy reach and not require you to take your eyes off the road.
- Generally speaking, you should select road trip snacks that don’t need refrigeration. But having a way to keep some items cold can be very helpful—particularly for cheeses, cold cuts, and drinks. An insulated soft-sided cooler is perfect for this job.
- We like to keep a mini trash can or sealable container nearby to help us keep the front cab area clean and tidy. Don’t let this be you. A clean, uncluttered car can really improve your overall driving experience.
- An insulated cup with a lid can keep your morning coffee hot or your afternoon kombucha cold for hours. It can really extend the enjoyability range of your beverage. It’s also reusable, so your car doesn’t fill up with paper coffee cups.
- Sticky, greasy fingers are the worst. Having some easily accessible wet wipes handy is a great idea.
