10 Best Energy Snack Brands for Kids

We all need a quick and easy snack, especially when we’re on the road or short on time. These energy snack brands for kids are great for kids and parents alike!

Healthy Snacks for Kids

How to create a healthy snack for kids

Look for snacks with high-fiber carbohydrates plus a protein or healthy fat. There are lots of healthy snack options that can be made at home but sometimes we just need the convenience of packaged snacks.

When choosing a prepackaged snack for your kids, look for main ingredients like:

• whole grains
• fiber
• no artificial sweeteners
• little or no added sugars (no high-fructose corn syrup)
• protein

Examples of Healthy Snacks for Kids

Besides prepackaged energy bars, granola bars, and fruit snacks, there are lots of healthy options to create snacks for you kids at home. Some good options include

• apples and peanut butter
• cheese sticks
• yogurt
• smoothies
• cottage cheese and fresh fruit
• vegetable sticks and hummus
• hard-boiled eggs
• cereal and milk
• fruit and yogurt
• muffins
• pancakes or waffles
• veggie fritters
• fruit and a yogurt dip
• fruit and dark chocolate dip
• energy balls (nut butter, chia seeds, flax seeds, extracts, spices)
• for salty snacks try pretzels, trail mix, or whole grain crackers and cheese

Do my kids’ snacks have to be organic?

No, you do not need to spend the extra money to have an organic ingredient or ingredients. It is more important to find healthy snacks that provide your kids with quick and sustaining energy.

Some families enjoy buying organic when they can, and that’s great! But do not feel that you’re providing inferior options by not purchasing organic, because it’s not true. Nonorganic food is still nutritious and a perfect option for you and your family. Washing produce before consuming greatly reduces pesticide residue.

What if my kid has braces?

Avoid hard and sticky foods if your child has braces. Examples of these foods would be popcorn, hard candy, pretzels, bagels, nuts, corn chips, taco shells, ice, and gum. When choosing an energy snack brand for kids with braces, look for soft, chewy bars and snacks.

Energy Snack Brands for Kids

These brands aren’t in any specific order. When buying prepackaged snack foods, know that you will usually be getting a product with some added sugar, with the exception of the date and nut bars below.

When you’re creating your own snacks at home sugar is something that can be avoided. However, there is a time and a place when convenience is necessary and sometimes our kids just need an energy bar! These are my top 10 energy snack brands for kids:

Serenity Kids

Serenity makes products that are USDA organic and full of whole foods. Their smoothie plus protein pouches offer an easy option that satisfies kids’ energy needs.

Kodiak

Kodiak is a great brand for snacks. Most people may think of breakfast items when they think of Kodiak but they also have snacks that are an excellent choice for kids and adults. I like the contents of Kodiak’s ingredients lists more than CLIF’s. Kodiak uses 100% whole grain oats as the first ingredient in many products compared to CLIF often uses tapioca syrup (a sweetener) as their first ingredient. This tells you most CLIF products mostly contain some variation of a sweetener. Kodiak is also known for providing a good source of protein. Kodiak’s Crunchy Bar Chocolate Chip has 10 grams of protein per bar making it a yummy and filling snack option.

KIND

KIND also has delicious and healthy ingredients to make snack time filling and enjoyable. All their products taste amazing but I especially love their Healthy Grains bars and Breakfast Bars.

Good & Gather Date and Nut Bar

I love Target’s Date and Nut Bar. The ingredients don’t get much simpler than this- dates, nuts, and a couple other natural ingredients such as lemon juice or cherries for flavor. They taste amazing, have a good amount of fiber, and a good source of carbohydrates from the dates for fast energy.

Zeek Bar

Zeek Bar advertises having 50% less sugar than the leading kids snack bar. I personally haven’t tried their protein bar but it looks like a great option that kids would like. It has a good amount of protein and has more natural flavors and ingredients than other snack bars.

Perfect Bar

Another one of my favorites for snack time. I love that they’re basically nut butter. However, they are sweet for my taste and I wish they’d reduce the amount of added sugar. Another downside is that they have to be refrigerated.

LARABAR

These bars are basically just like Date and Nut bars but with the LARABAR brand. One is not better than the other in my opinion but if you’re shopping at a grocery store other than Target, the LARABAR will get you a good date and nut bar option.

CLIF Kid Zbar Protein

These snack bars are popular among kids and offer a good choice when needing an energy bar that you can find at most grocery stores. They have whey protein concentrate as the protein source (so they are not dairy free), oat flour, cane sugar, cane syrup, vanilla extract, cocoa butter, and other ingredients.

CLIF Nut Butter Bar

This product is not promoted specifically for kids but can still be a good option from CLIF with nut butter being the first ingredient. These provide healthy fats, protein, and fiber (in the form of rolled oats and oat flour) which make for a filling snack.

Luna Bar

Luna Bars are also within the CLIF company and are basically a dessert granola bar but with 7-8 grams of protein and 2-4 grams of fiber. What kid wouldn’t like that?

Are you starting solids with your baby soon? Be sure to snag the free download of 10 Nutritious Baby Meals for more balanced meal ideas! You may be in the beginning stages of starting solids or maybe haven’t quite started, in either case, check out the baby-led weaning supply list to shop all the feeding supplies you’ll need for starting solids.