If you’re headed on to the open road, you know one of the most important things to think about is bringing the best road trip snacks!

What makes for the perfect road trip snack? It’s all about taste, convenience, and a balance of nutrients to keep you satisfied.

Sure, you could grab something during a rest stop and run into gas stations, but making a grocery store list and packing ahead of time is so much more convenient (and cheaper!).

As a Registered Dietitian and snack lover – I have plenty of options for your whole family whether you’re prepping for long road trips or just some easy healthy snacks for the car.

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High-Protein Snacks

When it comes to staying satisfied and keeping a steady blood sugar, protein is your friend. Here are some of my favorite snacks high in protein to bring for road trips that will stay great at room temperature.

• Dried Edamame: crunchy and packed with protein.
• The Only Bean Edamame Beans: Crunchy edamame beans in fun flavors! One serving has 11 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber.
• Bada Bean Bada Boom Crunchy Broad Beans: Crunchy broad beans with 4 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein that come in lots of different flavors!
• The Good Bean Crunchy Chickpeas: Crunchy chickpeas in several delicious flavors! These single packs have 8 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber per serving.
• Flavored Tuna Packets: These flavored tuna packets are high protein and you can eat them with crackers or straight out of the packet!
• Flavored Chicken Packets: If you’re not into your car smelling like tuna, these are great too!
• Vermont Beef & Pork Sticks: Convenient meat sticks, so tasty and perfect for travel!
• Lorissa’s Kitchen Beef Jerky: Beef jerky is also a great option for a quick protein source on the go.

Protein bars + shakes

Protein bars and shakes can be a great way to get a quick and convenient boost of nutrition. I find that these are much more filling than granola bars, too!

• Built Protein Bars: These are my favorite! They have a unique chewy texture and I find them to be really satisfying. Ideally I like to look for protein bars that have 15 or more grams of protein and 3 or more grams of fiber.
• Barebell Protein Bars: These are another tasty protein bar option that has plenty of protein and tastes like a candy bar.
• RXBAR Bars: Made with simple ingredients and have about 12 grams of protein per bar. A little lower in protein but a great ingredients list and tasty!
• Fairlife protein shakes: These protein shakes have 26g of protein per bottle and use 100% milk protein for the protein source. That means there’s no weird chalky flavor. This is my favorite shake and tastes like chocolate milk!
• Premier protein shakes: These shakes are another great high protein option that I love, they come in lots of great flavors so there’s really something for everyone.
• Evolve protein shakes: If you need a plant-based protein shake, this one is an easy favorite. It’s creamy, doesn’t use any artificial sweeteners and has 20 grams of protein per bottle.

High protein snacks for the cooler

You’ll need a small cooler or lunch box with an ice pack for these, but these are great options too!

• Cheese Sticks or String Cheese: A crowd favorite; high in protein, portable and minimal mess.
• Deli Meat and Sliced Cheese: Perfect for making sandwiches or making a personal charcuterie board.
• Hard-boiled eggs: Simple, nutritious, and easy to pack.
• Yogurt Cups and Drinkable Yogurts: Quick and easy for a simple healthy snack.
• Sandwiches on whole grain bread (here are my favorite breads)
  • High Protein Cottage Cheese Chicken Salad
  • 4-Ingredient Chicken Salad
  • Healthy Buffalo Chicken Salad (High Protein & Easy!)
  • Peanut butter sandwiches! (Or any nut butters you like)

You can also make your own adult lunchables and pack them in here!

Salty Snacks

If you prefer a salty snack, this will cover any salty craving! The best part? Salty snacks make great road trip snacks because there’s so many non-perishable options.

• Skinny Pop: A great pre-popped popcorn option to take on the go.
• Boom Chicka Pop Popcorn: Another delish pre-popped popcorn option. 
• Moon Cheese: Crunchy cheesy snacks made with 100% cheese.
• HIPPEAS Organic Chickpea Puffs: Crunchy plant-based curls with a little more protein and fiber than your typical cheese curl.
• Triscuit thins: These are hands down my favorite cracker to pair with sliced cheese or chicken salad. The jalapeño flavor is a must try!
• Roasted Nuts: a classic choice that provides protein and healthy fats.
• OLOVES Natural Whole Pitted Olives: These salty little gems are individually packed into single-serving pouches without any liquid to make a mess; perfect for pairing with cheese and crackers.
• Blue Diamond Almond Nut-Thins: A gluten-free crackers option with 3g of protein per serving, woo!
• Mary’s Gone Crackers Originals: A nutrient-dense cracker with 3 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein per serving!
• Simple Mills Almond Flour Crackers: Gluten-free crackers made with almond flour and a blend of seeds. Each serving has 2 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein!
• Trail mix: These trail mix bags are good road trip snacks because they’re easy and convenient! Technically they’re salty and sweet!
• Off The Eaten Path Veggie Crisps: Yummy veggie crisps made from whole foods and 5 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber per serving!
• Love Corn Crunchy Corn: Salty and crunchy corn made with simple ingredients and fun flavors!
• Harvest Snaps: Crunchy pea-shaped snacks made of wholesome ingredients like lentils and green peas. About 4 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein per serving!

Sweet Snacks

Need some sweet treats too? These are my go-to snacks when I’m in the mood for a sweet snack.

• Simple Mills Honey Cinnamon Sweet Thins: Crunchy sweet crackers made from seeds and nuts.
• Siete Grain Free Cinnamon Chips (Churro Strips): Grain free churro strips that taste like a dessert! So yummy!
• Bobo’s Peanut Butter & Strawberry Jelly Oat Snack: PB & J snacks are ready to go, portable and they happen to be gluten-free if that is helpful for you and your crew. 
• Purely Elizabeth Ancient Grain Granola: A lower sugar granola option made with wholesome ingredients like quinoa and amaranth.
• Safe + Fair Granola: Allergy-friendly granola that comes in several fun flavors like birthday cake and blueberry cinnamon!
• GoGo Squeez Applesauce pouches: Convenient applesauce pouches that are tasty and come in different flavors, too
• Larabars: Gluten and dairy-free bars with a variety of flavors to choose from.
• Dino Bars: Perfect for kids and adults; these bars come wrapped in edible paper to minimize mess.
• Freeze-Dried Fruit: Freeze dried fruit is one of my favorite road trip snacks because it’s crunchy, sweet and has no added sugar!
• Bare Baked Crunchy Apple Chips: Crunchy apple chips with a fiber boost!
• Fresh fruit like apples, oranges, and bananas don’t need a cooler and are a great sweet high fiber road trip snack! If you like fruit like apple slices or berries, just make sure to pack them in a cooler.
• Dry cereal! Here’s a list of my favorite high fiber cereals.

Homemade snacks to bring on your trip

Have some time to prep your own snacks to go? Here are some of my faves!

• ​​No Bake Peanut Butter Pretzel Date Bites (Take 5 Date Bites): Calling all candy bar lovers; this recipe is going to be your next favorite sweet treat!
• ​​No Bake Peanut Butter Oat Cups (4 Ingredients!): peanut butter and chocolate paired with high-fiber oats for staying power: what more could you need?
• Healthy Blueberry Chocolate Chip Muffins: Who doesn’t love a muffin with a tasty addition of chocolate chips? Try these as mini muffins for easier nibbling in the car with fewer crumbs. 
• High Fiber Chocolate Chip Cookies with Oats and Flax: This recipe is made with simple ingredients, is perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth and the fiber boost is helpful when you want your #2 routine to stay on track. 
• Easy Delicious 4-Ingredient Chicken Salad: perfect to make at home and then to enjoy on a driving break as a sandwich, scooped onto crackers, or rolled into your favorite wrap. 
• Egg bites
• Pumpkin Protein Balls (No Bake Energy Bites): What’s not to love with these sweet and spiced energy bites? Perfect for year-round snacking.
• ​​The Best 10 Adult Lunchables (Easy + Healthy!): these balanced snack boxes are going to keep you energized and satisfied as you cruise down the highway. 

Road Trip Snack Storage Necessities

Here are some of my favorite containers to keep your snacks in!

• Favorite water bottle: My Owala 40 oz water bottle is hands down my favorite stainless steel water bottle. It keeps drinks cold for hours and isn’t bulky despite how much liquid it holds!
• Cooler bag: If you’re packing snacks that need to be kept chilled with an ice pack, this one is perfect and holds a ton of food! It’s also a great size for the car to keep all kinds of snacks in easy reach.
• Snack Containers:
  • Rubbermaid Brilliance 1.3 cup Containers: These are a crystal clear sealable container, they don’t leak and they’re the perfect size for portioning out stacks.
  • 8-Compartment Snack Container with Lid: This fun snack container is great for kids (and adults) who like to have a lot of different options!
  • 4-Compartment Snack Container with Lid: This is a favorite in my house! It’s perfect for snacks or even small meals.
  • Snack Box Memory Game for Kids: This is a great option if you’re traveling with kids- snack time and entertainment in one! Family road trips can get wild so it’s always nice to have another activity!
• Reusable Snack + Storage Bags: Eco-friendly and perfect for portioning out snacks.
• And don’t forget a roll of paper towels or napkins!

Let’s hit the road!

A well-planned selection of road trip snacks can make your journey more enjoyable and stress-free (and keep you out of the fast food drive through!).

By choosing snacks that nutritious, convenient and satisfy your taste buds- you’ll be more energized and fueled for your next trip.

So, next time you’re hitting the road, remember this ultimate guide to the best road trip snacks. 

Whether you prefer something sweet, salty, or high in protein, there’s something here for everyone.

If you loved this list, make sure you’re following along on social media, I’d love to hear from you on Instagram!

And PS- if you’re looking for more help making balanced choices, grab my step-by-step nutrition guide, The Balanced Basics Handbook!