RD.COM Travel Vacations Experiences
Katy Spratte JoyceUpdated: Jan. 13, 2023
From protein-packed bites, to veggie-powered goodness, to crunchy chips and refreshing drinks, these are the ultimate road trip snack ideas.
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Snacking on the go
Sure, you could toss in whatever you have handy in the pantry or that’s about to spoil in the fridge. But just like with planning the perfect routes to reach beautiful road trip destinations, selecting good road trip snacks is half the fun. We’ve found the best options that are individually wrapped, extra portable, easy to eat, and that won’t leave a slew of crumbs across your back seat. Read on for the definitive list of road trip snack ideas—because eating well on the road should be on everyone’s American road trip guide.
Note: Prices listed were accurate as of press time; pricing fluctuations may occur.
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Best kid-friendly snack: GoGo Squeez Fruit on the Go
$24.76 for 48
Whoever invented squeezable fruit deserves a medal in our book. These pouches of 100 percent real pureed fruit are the perfect healthy road trip snack that will satisfy your child’s growling tummy without any added sugar, gluten, nuts, or dairy. Choose from a number of flavors including apple, apple cinnamon, apple banana, apple berry, and more. Another benefit to this good road trip snack is that the pouches are resealable and don’t need to be refrigerated until after they’ve been opened. Make the time pass faster by playing these car games for kids even grown-ups will love.
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Best dried fruit: Bare Simply Pineapple Chips
$23.99 for 6
This simple but tasty healthy road trip snack is made from one ingredient and one ingredient only: baked pineapple. The result is a delicious, sweet, crunchy bite that’s gluten-free and fat-free, with no added oil, sugar, or preservatives. Each serving delivers a healthy four grams of good-for-you fiber. And, they come in a handy small bag perfect for sharing on the road. If pineapple isn’t your favorite, consider Bare’s baked apple, banana, or coconut offerings. Don’t forget to take a look at these 20 best road trip games to play.
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Best egg snack: Three Bridges Bell Pepper & Cheese Egg Bites
$3.99
Sous vide is a fancy French cooking term, but all you need to know is that these egg bites pack a flavor punch in every bite-sized morsel. With 17 grams of protein in each serving, this road trip snack will keep you fuller longer while satisfying your on-the-go breakfast needs. The egg bites come fully cooked in two per box and can be enjoyed right out of the cooler, or you can pop them in the microwave right before you head out on your epic daytrip.
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Best homemade road trip snack: Baked Chili Lime Chickpeas
$15.47 for 12
Perfect for travel, these roasted chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) offer a protein-packed boost, perfect for long haul car rides. Plus, they’re flavored with the classic combination of chili powder and lime, which offers an approachable zest and refreshing bite of citrus.
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Best snack that tastes like your canceled vacation: St. Pierre Crepes
$3.99 for 8
Handmade in the heart of France, these chocolate and hazelnut crepes come individually packaged for perfect on-the-go snacking. Each bag contains eight crepes, which makes them great for a crowd or for those with a sweet tooth who won’t be able to stop at just one.
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Best keto-friendly snack: Whisps Cheese Crisps
$3.99
For a low carb, high protein good road trip snack, you can’t do better than Whisps Cheese Crisps. Whether you’re following a keto diet or not, the munchable bites of real baked cheese are totally addictive. Plus, they are lactose-free and can be enjoyed straight out of the bag for convenient car snack time. Add these to your road trip essentials checklist.
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Best soda alternative: Health-Ade Booch Pop
$19.99 for 8
The gut health benefits of kombucha meet the classic refreshing sip of pop in these refreshing Health-Ade’s Booch Pop. The slim, individual serving cans come in three tasty flavors: Pom-Berry, Lemon Lime, and Ginger Fizz. And at only 40 calories per serving, you can enjoy it without the high-calorie count found in sodas.
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Best healthy swap: Galaxy Eat Me Guilt-Free Brownies
$34.99
For an indulgent taste with no guilt, try the aptly named Galaxy Eat Me Guilt Free Brownies. These high protein treats, designed by a longtime nurse, will satisfy your sweet tooth without increasing your waistline. And, even better, there are a ton of flavor options currently available for your next road trip. Consider trying the Red Velvet, Tuxedo, Pistachio, Galaxy, Blondie, Birthday Cake, or Coconut. Need some help planning your trip? Try one of these road trip planners.
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Best taste of fall: Kind Caramel Almond Pumpkin Spice Bars
$14.22 for 12
With heart-healthy almonds, these Kind bars clock in at five grams of sugar and five grams of protein per serving. This gluten-free, low glycemic index snack is high in fiber but low in sodium. And with the combination of classic fall flavors like caramel and pumpkin spice, it makes viewing foliage on your next road trip even tastier. Find out the best places to see the New England fall foliage.
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Best popcorn: Safe + Fair Drizzled Popcorn
$5
This vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO, crave-worthy popcorn comes in large bags perfect for passing and sharing making it a top road trip snack idea. It’s available in a range of flavors including Birthday Cake, Strawberry Shortcake, Dark Chocolaty, Key Lime Pie, Blueberry Cobbler, and more. It’s a tasty and sweet way to snack on the road, without all the guilt that can be associated with unhealthy snacking.
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Best protein-packed snack: Homemade Chia Seed Protein Bites
These Chia Seed Protein Bites are a delicious homemade road trip snack that will properly fuel your body. They come together quickly, with just six ingredients and 60 minutes total of cooking time (most of it inactive cooking). Pack them in your cooler for easy on-the-go snacking.
Best nuts: Karma Wrapped Cashews
$9.99
These tasty cashews, which are wrapped in their natural skins for added crunch, make for the perfect healthy road trip snack. They come in either a large plastic container or individually sized snack packs. And with flavors like Lime Twist, Golden Turmeric, Cocoa Dusted, Peri Peri, Cinnamon, Toasted Coconut, and the classic Sea Salt, there are plenty of choices to satisfy your every craving. Did you know that peanuts aren’t actually nuts?
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Best paleo-friendly snack: Stretch Island Fruit Leathers
$11.97 for 48
With ¼ cup of real fruit per strip, Stretch Island Fruit Leathers make for a great paleo-friendly road trip snack choice. Zero grams of added sugar means these minimally processed treats are a healthy option for your next adventure. Each flavor, like cherry, apricot, apple, grape, strawberry, and raspberry includes between two to five total ingredients. Another reason to pick some up? Fruit leather is on the list of best kids foods you should still be eating.
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Best jerky: Country Archer Provisions Grass-Fed Beef Jerky
$26.44
Jerky is a tasty savory treat, but unfortunately, so many varieties are packed with bad-for-you ingredients. Not so with this no MSG, no added preservative version from Country Archer that hits all the high notes with its 100 percent grass-fed beef jerky.
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Best chips: Frito Lay Variety Pack
$16.98 for 40
Get the best of all snack worlds with chip giant Frito Lay’s crowd-pleasing variety pack. With longtime favorites like Fritos, Lays, Ruffles, Doritos, Funyuns, and more, every member of your road trip squad will have a chance to sample multiple options. This variety pack is also conveniently packaged in individual servings, so no one will ever complain that they ruined their appetite for dinner. Or, for even more chip choices, check out the best potato chip brand, according to a taste test.
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Best chips alternative: Flock Chicken Chips
$29.00 for 8
Have you ever craved the crispy goodness of fried chicken? How about enjoying it in a convenient on the go form? Enter the stuff of dreams, Flock Chicken Chips. Made with just two ingredients—chicken and seasoning—this individually packaged snack pack is a perfect accompaniment on your next road trip. With a satisfying crispy crunch just like potato chips, this protein-packed natural chip is a great alternative to traditional chips. They come in three flavors, Sea Salt & Vinegar, Original, and BBQ. Hungry for the real thing? Check out this fried chicken recipe that’s been viewed close to 2 million times.
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Best trail mix: Kar’s Nuts Trail Mix Snacks
$25.99 for 24
With two fun flavors, a sweet and salty mix and PB and dark chocolate, Kar’s Nuts Trail Mix is ideal for a road trip. Single serving packs make it easy to enjoy without overdoing it on the portion size, plus the multiple flavors help you not get sick of the same old snack.
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Best granola alternative: Clusterbucks Buckwheat Clusters
$8.99
Harness the power of superfoods with this next addition to our best road trip snacks list: Lil Bucks Clusterbucks. These apoptogenic buckwheat clusters include fiber, protein, and stress-reducing adaptogens in every bite. They can be enjoyed as-is on the go or on a road trip stop on top of yogurt as grain-free granola. Flavors including turmeric lemon myrtle and chocolate reishi are sure to please any palate.
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Best chocolate bars: K’UL Chocolate Bars
$14.99 for 3
All made with at least 70 percent cacao, these bars are made with four ingredients or less and support women’s businesses around the world. Plus they’re also certified organic, soy-free, GMO-free, vegan, and gluten-free. Enjoy the toasted coconut, pure dark chocolate, and Himalayan sea salt varieties found in this three-pack. This little something sweet is the perfect addition to any road trip snack list, especially because it feels good to eat a responsibly-sourced, charitably minded item—and dark chocolate is good for you, to boot.
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Best protein bars: Aloha Plant-Based Protein Bars
$34.99 for 12
Non-GMO, vegan, and organic are just three words that aptly describe Aloha plant-based protein bars, another two words that can be used are delicious and healthy. With 14 grams of protein and tasty flavors like Caramel Sea Salt, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Chocolate Mint, Vanilla Almond Crunch, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough these bars are a winning option for a road trip snack.
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Best cookies: Arlana’s Gourmet Cookies
$12.95 for 6
These individually wrapped gourmet cookies make for an easy to enjoy travel snack. Flavors like Chocolate Chip Walnut, Sugar, Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin, and Peanut Butter mean there are endless snacking options and there’s even an eggless choice, a Maple Walnut cookie. Arlana’s Cookies are made by hand in Southern California by a civil engineer turned baker business owner. Foodies will want to try one of these epic foodie road trips.
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Best dip: Sabra Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
$5.19 for 6
Packed with protein and the perfect accompaniment to veggies or crackers, hummus is an easy and healthy road trip snack—and it’s even more portable with these individually packaged pots. It’s not only high in fiber and protein, its mild and approachable flavor profile means everyone can enjoy it.
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Best breakfast: Quaker Overnight Oats
$16.64 for 12
Hitting the road early to beat the traffic? Quaker’s Overnight Oats are an easy on-the-go snacking option for breakfast on your next road trip. With individual cups, there’s no clean up needed and no mess with this healthy choice. Multiple flavors are available including Orchard Peach Pecan, Blueberry Banana Vanilla, Toasted Coconut Almond, and more. Simply add milk to these oats, let them sit in a refrigerator overnight, then enjoy. They even come in their own handy, disposable container. Considering hitting the drive-through? Find out the truth about McDonald’s oatmeal before you do.
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Best budget snack: Emerald Nuts Variety Pack
$9.98
At roughly $10 for 18 individual servings of this snack, Emerald Nuts Variety Pack is an on-budget winner. Road trippers can pick between Dry Roasted Almonds, Natural Almonds and Cashews, and Roasted and Salted Cashews. These handheld packages make for an easy and filling between meals pick me up. For a bit more money, multiple other flavors are available as well.
Originally Published: August 13, 2020
Katy Spratte Joyce
Katy Spratte Joyce is a lifestyle journalist who covers food, travel, wine and design. Born and raised in the Midwest, she is passionate about her home region and other less-explored spots around the globe. Besides Reader's Digest, Katy has written for Travel + Leisure, Veranda, Hemispheres, the New York Times, Fodor's Travel, Time and more. She is based in Omaha, Nebraska, where she lives with her husband, Skip, and baby, Bob.
