These tasty snacks are low in saturated fat and sodium, making them a great choice to support heart health. Plus, they’re high in fiber, with at least 3 grams per serving, which can help with healthy weight management and lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Try options like our Crunch Bar-style Energy Balls and Roasted Buffalo Chickpeas for heart-healthy bites that will keep you energized and satisfied until your next meal.
Crunch bar style energy ball
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lindsay Lower
Mimicking a crunch bar, these energy balls have a chewy milk chocolate flavored center stuffed with crunchy puffed brown rice cereal. The dark chocolate topping gives it an even stronger chocolate flavor. Cashew butter has a mild, neutral flavor that doesn’t overpower the other ingredients, but you can substitute it with a nut butter if you prefer.
Cottage Cheese Snack Jar
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco
This creamy, crunchy snack packs 20 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber in one small mason jar. Add the chickpeas just before serving to keep them crisp. If you’d prefer to store everything in one jar, use 1/4 cup washed canned chickpeas instead.
Roasted Buffalo Chickpeas
Soaking chickpeas in a vinegary hot sauce adds mouthwatering flavor before crisping them in the oven. The result? An addictively crunchy snack that’s actually good for you.
Blueberry Cobbler Energy Balls
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell, Food Stylist: Emily Neighbors Hall
These blueberry energy balls are made with dried blueberries, oats and pecans to give you the taste of blueberry cobbler in bite-sized pieces. You can use almond butter for a nuttier flavor or sunflower butter for a mellower flavor to hold the balls together. This portable snack can be made in just 30 minutes and can be stored in the fridge or freezer for a quick snack.
Lemon, Mint and White Bean Dip
Eat well
This quick and healthy dip is an easy appetizer or snack to make. If you don’t have cannellini beans, you can use chickpeas instead. Serve this delicious dip with veggies, crackers, pita, or pretzels.
Anti-inflammatory Energy Balls
Photographer: Stacey K. Allen, Props: Christina Brockman, Food Stylist: Lauren Odum
Inspired by the flavor Cherry Garcia, these Chocolate Cherry Date Energy Balls are a delicious tribute to the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor named after the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia. Filled with dark chocolate chunks and dried tart cherries, they’re not only delicious, but also packed with polyphenols, a nutrient found in cherries that helps reduce inflammation.
Lentil and goat cheese toast
This simple goat cheese toast is topped with lentils and walnuts and is delicious and satisfying.
Breakfast Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cake
Alexandra Sitzman
Peanut butter is the star ingredient in this oatmeal cake, not only for flavor but also for its high plant-based protein. A fun thing to do is hide a little in the center of the muffin to ensure there’s peanut butter in every bite.
Cranberry Almond Granola Bars
There are plenty of granola bar options at the grocery store, but making them at home is also easy (and often healthier). Vary the toppings to suit your tastes: Instead of the dried cranberries and nuts in this version, try a mix of 2 cups of small (or chopped) dried fruit, nuts, seeds, and chocolate chips.
Rice Cake Snackwich
Elevate your mochi snack with almond butter and sliced apples. This easy sandwich has 5 grams of fiber and protein to help keep you full.
Date nut bread
Dates are naturally sweet, so no extra sugar is needed in this quick bread recipe, the toasted almonds add a nice crunch, and the optional coarse sugar topping isn’t necessary for sweetness but does look nice.
Crispy chickpeas made in an air fryer
Air fried chickpea snacks are rich in flavor and incredibly crispy. Drying the chickpeas is essential to achieving a good crispness, so don’t skip this step. If you have the time, let them dry on the counter for an hour or two before frying.
Chocolate Peppermint Energy Balls
These no-cook energy balls are packed with all the flavor you love about peppermint chocolate bark, but in a healthy snack form. Try making them for the office or as an after-school snack, or bring them to a holiday cookie swap.
Cinnamon Sugar Microwave Popcorn
This easy cinnamon sugar microwave popcorn recipe adds a touch of sweetness to a whole grain snack that’s easy to enjoy.
Tequila Guacamole
Margarita lovers will love this take on the classic guacamole. The addition of tequila to the guacamole gives it an extra boost of flavor, and it pairs deliciously with the fresh lime juice and jalapeño. This guacamole is for adults only, but feel free to omit the tequila if serving it to kids.
Fig and honey yogurt
This Mediterranean snack features dried figs and honey served over plain yogurt – if you have fresh figs available, try using them instead.
Cinnamon Sugar Roasted Chickpeas
Canned chickpeas are roasted until crispy for a simple, healthy snack. In this version of Candy Nuts, the chickpeas are coated in cinnamon sugar for an irresistible taste. This snack is best eaten the same day it’s made.
low carb blueberry muffins
Just because you’re watching your carbs doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a classic breakfast pastry. Substituting nutty almond and coconut flour for all-purpose flour results in fluffy muffins that are lower in carbs, and a little brown sugar balances the tartness of fresh blueberries. Make these ahead of time for a convenient breakfast for the week.
Homemade microwave popcorn
Make your own microwave popcorn. This is the easiest way to make popcorn at home, requiring only some popcorn kernels and a brown bag, resulting in a perfectly fluffy and light snack every time.
Banana Oat Muffin
Enjoy these diabetic friendly banana oat muffins as a quick and easy snack or add to a balanced breakfast. These muffins can be enjoyed over a few days or frozen for up to a month.
Avocado & Salsa Crackers
Avocado and salsa add a tangy Southwestern flavor to whole wheat crispbread in this snack that’s packed with fiber, veggies and healthy fats and takes just minutes to prepare.
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
This healthy smoothie recipe gives you all the flavor of a Pumpkin Spice Latte without all the sugar. Made with real pumpkin and frozen bananas, it’s a creamy, delicious, and easy breakfast (or snack) that’s ready in just 5 minutes.
Peanut Butter, Blueberry and Oat Energy Squares
These one-bowl, no-bake energy squares are a quick energy boost for a long meeting, a hard workout, or when you’re low on energy in the afternoon. Feel free to replace the blueberries with your favorite dried fruit and the pistachios with your favorite nuts, but leave out the maple syrup. I find that using less than 1/2 cup results in crumbly bars.
