20+ Easy, Convenient & Cheap Snacks for Kids

Single-ingredient snacks

Keep snack time from becoming overwhelming or burdening by offering apples, bananas, slices of cheese, dried fruit, or nuts. These single-ingredient snacks come in handy on super busy days when you don’t have time to throw something together or you need to grab it and go on your way out the door.

Convenience foods

They’re not all bad. Things like rice cakes (cheddar, caramel, or salted), pita chips, and even store-bought granola bars are useful, inexpensive choices for your pantry. However, sometimes those pre-packaged items don’t always hit the spot.

Apple and peanut butter

This is an amazing combination. This is an easy go-to snack everyone will enjoy. I know some people have nut allergies. Slice apples and spread the peanut butter. You can peel the apple for smaller kids to eliminate any choking hazards. Sprinkle on raisins, shredded coconut, banana slices, or chocolate chips to jazz up the snack.

DIY trail mix

You can do so many things with trail mix. I’m going to throw some ingredients together to give you ideas. No need to measure! I use peanuts, raisins, cranberries, sunflower seeds, and semi-sweet chocolate chips, and maybe some coconut.

Put some into individual baggies and it will stay fresh all week. This is a delicious, nutritious, protein-filled snack with little effort and minimal cost.

Popcorn

It can’t be any more simple! Get a popper for the stovetop. Our Whirley Pop Popcorn Maker has stood up for years and years. A lot of people like air-popped but we love the flavor of olive oil-popped popcorn on the stove. 

Saltines

It doesn’t get any cheaper than saltine crackers. Spruce them up with peanut butter and make sandwiches. Make a PB&J cracker sandwich. Put cheese in saltines to make cheese crackers. The box of crackers was $1. 

Smoothies

This is healthy and filling. If you have a blender, it’s so easy. Add some milk, half an avocado, a handful of frozen spinach and kale, frozen pineapple chunks, half a banana, and a tablespoon of honey. Whip it up and you have a green smoothie. 

Apple juice popsicles

Get a popsicle mold, and pour apple juice into the molds up to the line (you can dilute the juice). Freeze for four hours and there you go–popsicles! I decided to make my own popsicles once I read the list of ingredients on store-bought pops. Four dollars for four healthier popsicles is crazy, but the cheaper ones have a ton of artificial dyes and sweeteners. This is a huge money-saver.

Roasted chickpeas

Here is a super easy recipe. I take two cans of drained and rinsed garbanzo beans (chickpeas) and pat them dry with a clean towel. Pour the chickpeas into a bowl and add two tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle salt on the beans. You can use any seasoning, including chili powder, garlic powder, and cumin.

Mix the chickpeas and seasoning to fully coat everything. Pour the chickpeas on a cookie sheet and spread them out. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for about 25 to 30 minutes. While they are cooking, stir and rotate them every five minutes or so. They are done when they are crispy and golden brown. 

Dill pickle dip

It may sound awful, but I tasted it at a party and no joke, it’s one of the best dips I’ve ever had. Here’s the recipe:

Put all the ingredients in a bowl:

• 1 block of cream cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 ½ cups of chopped dill pickles
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 ½ tablespoons of dill
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of dry milk powder
• 4 tablespoons of pickle juice

Stir the ingredients in the bowl. Then blend with a mixer. This is a serious hit. It’s perfect for lunch with some carrots, pita chips, tortilla chips, or even potato chips.

Cheap snacks for kids

I hope some of these snack ideas for kids and recipes are a hit with your family. Let me know if you’ve tried the roasted chickpeas and the dill pickle dip and how it went over with your family! Did you change any of the ingredients? Please, let us know in the comments.