36 Snacks That Taste Better Homemade

May 02, 2019
Becky Luigart-Stayner
Don't be tempted by a snack wall in the check-out line again. Snack foods (especially the healthy ones) seem to be getting more expensive as the quantities get smaller and smaller. Save your money and give these staple snacks even more flavor by making them at home. Perfect for travel, lunchboxes, or just an afternoon craving, these easy snacks are ready to grab whenever hunger strikes. 
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No-Bake Chewy Granola Bars

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen
No-Bake Chewy Granola Bars Recipe

These bars are a perfectly portable snack you can prep on Sunday and enjoy throughout the week. Wrap leftovers tightly in plastic wrap, and store in the fridge. The bars will continue to firm up as they chill.

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Sour Cream & Onion Potato Chips

Photo: Annabelle Breakey; Styling: Randy Mon
Sour Cream & Onion Potato Chips Recipe

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Birthday Cake Puppy Chow

Photo: Emma Crist; Styling: Emma Crist
Birthday Cake Puppy Chow Recipe

Sprinkles and white chocolate are the only mix-ins you need to create this birthday cake-inspired treat. Sugary-sweet, colorful, and fun, it makes an easy, portable snack for a birthday party or holiday celebration. Pro tip: For a festive July 4 treat, use red, white, and blue sprinkles instead. You can change up the colors for any holiday.

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Peach-Strawberry Fruit Leather

Photo: Oxmoor House
Peach-Strawberry Fruit Leather Recipe

This kid-friendly fruit snack recipe requires just 4 ingredients. 

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All-Purpose Entertaining Crackers

Photo: Sheri Giblin; Food Styling: Margaret Dickey; Prop Styling: Amy Stone
All-Purpose Entertaining Crackers Recipe

Why buy something that you can make easily and more deliciously at home? Make these all-purpose crackers as they are, or top with Asiago cheese, sea salt and black pepper, Italian herbs, or sesame seed oil after rolling the dough and before cutting it into desired shapes. Note that if you choose to make larger, 2" crackers, the yield is around 60 crackers, which serves 30 people.

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Cereal and Milk Bars

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford
Cereal and Milk Bars Recipe

These crowd-pleasers deliver flavors that take you straight back to childhood bliss.

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Crispy Parmesan Chickpeas

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine 
Crispy Parmesan Chickpeas Recipe

Dry your chickpeas as thoroughly as possible before cooking to ensure a satisfyingly crisp result. If you're planning to pack these flavor-coated, fiber-filled poppers as a to-go snack, be sure to allow them to cool completely on a flat surface first.

 

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Double-Chocolate Cereal Treats

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen
Double-Chocolate Cereal Treats Recipe

Skip your boring breakfast and opt for these decadent chocolate-on-chocolate cookies that boast full satisfaction and a dose of whole-grain goodness. Rich, decadent, and ultra-crispy, these healthy, bite-size snacks are the perfect start to the day. And they're ready to eat in a fraction of the time needed to prepare typical sweet treats.

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Sesame-Soy Nut and Pretzel Mix

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Catherine Crowell Steele; Prop Styling: Thom Driver
Sesame-Soy Nut and Pretzel Mix Recipe

Full of salty nuts, pretzels, and cereal and doused with a butter- and Worcestershire-based glaze, the classic snack mix racks up sodium quickly (and who honestly stops at the barely 1/2 cup serving suggestion?). Our Asian-inspired mix saves 160mg sodium per serving with plenty of crunch and bold, salty flavor in a more generous 3/4 cup portion.

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Coconut, Almond, and Goji Bars

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Kira Corbin
Coconut, Almond, and Goji Bars Recipe

These homemade fruit-filled, nutty-flavored bars are perfect for an after-school snack. Packed with antioxidants and superfoods like coconut, almonds, and goji berries, these healthy, portable bars are way better than what you'll find at the store. Make a batch at the beginning of the week and carry this hearty snack around with you to have when you're running low on energy.

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Cheddar Cheese Snack Crackers

Photo: Oxmoor House
Cheddar Cheese Snack Crackers Recipe

Skip the store-bought version and create your own cheesy snack crackers for afternoon snacking. 

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Miso-Caramel-Tamari Popcorn Mix

Jennifer Causey
Miso-Caramel-Tamari Popcorn Mix Recipe

A slightly thicker caramel and the addition of whole roasted almonds turn traditional caramel popcorn into gift-worthy popcorn mix. We use less sugar in the glaze and cut the sweetness with mild white miso (fermented soybean paste) and tamari (a richer, wheat-free soy sauce) for a salty-savory note that makes the snack incredibly addictive.

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Make Your Own Fancy Granola and Become a Person Who Likes Mornings

Gif by Lauren Kolm, Photo by Anna Pustynnikova via Getty Images
Make Your Own Fancy Granola and Become a Person Who Likes Mornings Recipe
Nothing better than granola exactly how you like it

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Pimiento Cheese Crackers

Stacey Ballis
Pimiento Cheese Crackers Recipe

What if the pimiento cheese... WERE the cracker?

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Sesame Seaweed Snacks

Sesame Seaweed Snacks Recipe

Prized for its oceany umami flavor in sushi and miso soup—and now a popular packaged snack item—nori is dried Japanese seaweed that offers new possibilities for cooks.

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Cheesy Pita Chips

Photo: Brian Woodcock; Styling: Claire Spollen
Cheesy Pita Chips Recipe

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Marshmallow Popcorn Treats with Dark Chocolate Drizzle

Photo: Jason Varney; Styling: Lindsey Lower
Marshmallow Popcorn Treats with Dark Chocolate Drizzle Recipe

Reminiscent of classic popcorn balls, these salty-sweet treats make for awesome low-fat, lunch box-friendly snacking. Make a batch with the kids this weekend to enjoy throughout the week.

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Togarashi-Spiced Snack Mix

Greg Dupree
Togarashi-Spiced Snack Mix Recipe
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Peanut Butter-Chocolate Bars

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Kira Corbin
Peanut Butter-Chocolate Bars Recipe

These homemade bars combine peanut butter and chocolate to make a tasty after-school treat. 

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Coconut-Pecan Caramel Popcorn

Photographer: Gina DeSimone; Prop Stylist: Kashara Johnson; Food Stylist: Briana Riddock
Coconut-Pecan Caramel Popcorn Recipe

With the addition coconut flakes and pecans, this is the amped-up version of your traditional caramel popcorn is all kinds of addictive. Once you make a batch, chances are it will disappear before the day is out—so consider doubling the recipe. The combination of caramel and pecans delivers delicious praline vibes, while the coconut’s subtle chew adds a hint of tropical joy. The recipe calls to make the caramel sauce from scratch, but you can substitute with store-bought caramel sauce for ease. Make a large batch and bag this decadent snack up to give as gifts or as party favors at your next holiday gatherings.

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Pistachio-Apple Bars with Chia Seeds

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Kira Corbin
Pistachio-Apple Bars with Chia Seeds Recipe

These homemade bars combine fruit and nut flavors to make a tasty snack. 

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Crispy Potato Chips

Photo: Alison Miksch; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller
Crispy Potato Chips Recipe

Slice potatoes as thin as possible.

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S'mores Trail Mix

Thomas J. Story
S'mores Trail Mix Recipe

The name says it all--now you can enjoy the flavors of the classic campfire treat when you're on the go. The recipe comes from our book Camp Sunset: A Modern Camper's Guide to the Great Outdoors (Oxmoor House, 2016; $25).

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Spicy, Barely Sweet Supercrunch Granola

Photo: Greg DuPree
Spicy, Barely Sweet Supercrunch Granola Recipe

Our supremely crunchy, irresistible granola almost feels more like party mix (but still contains all those great whole grains). It stores well at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week. Aside from eating out of hand, you can also try this on your morning bowl of yogurt, an ice cream parfait, or a hearty salad (think of it as a replacement for croutons). For folks with gluten allergies or sensitivities, be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.

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All-Time Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

Photo: Aaron Kirk; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck; Food Styling: Pam Lolley
All-Time Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

When it comes to making cookies from scratch, these crispy-chewy chocolate chip cookies represent the best of the best. Simple ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions make this a recipe you'll come back to again and again. Whip up a batch of these all-time favorite cookies and they won't last long. Pro tip: Bake 10 minutes for a softer cookie or up to 14 minutes for a crispier cookie.

After you've made these craveworthy cookies, don't forget to try our fun variations. All sorts of goodies—from crushed white-chocolate pretzels to toffee candy—can be added to the batter to create other signature cookies.

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Brown Sugar-Spiced Nut Mix

Photo: Brian Woodcock; Styling: Paige Hicks
Brown Sugar-Spiced Nut Mix Recipe

From the Kitchen of…Cheryl Slocum, Senior Food Editor

A bowl of nuts in their shells was a coffee table staple for Thanksgiving snacks when Cheryl was young. "Operating the nutcracker was a real draw for us little kids," she says, "but our tastes have evolved to this sweet-hot crispy mix."

Achieve a bronzelike patina on these candied nuts by keeping a close watch near the end of their roasting time. Too long and they'll overdarken and take on a bitter flavor.

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Soy and Sesame Kale Chips

Photo: Annabelle Breakey
Soy and Sesame Kale Chips Recipe
The secret to getting these crisp is to avoid crowding the leaves on the baking sheets. Also, keep an eye on them—they can scorch quickly.
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Crispy Whole Wheat-Maple Crackers

Photo: John Kernick
Crispy Whole Wheat-Maple Crackers Recipe
These sheets of pastry are made with maple syrup and sprinkled with maple sugar, then broken into shards.

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Spicy Crunchy Chickpeas

Photo: Ryan Benyi; Styling: Stephana Bottom
Spicy Crunchy Chickpeas Recipe

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Smoky Oven-Baked Potato Chips

Smoky Oven-Baked Potato Chips Recipe
Potato chips are no longer forbidden when you're trying to lose weight.  These crisp and tasty chips are made from thin slices of russet potato that are tossed in a small amount of oil and baked.
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Rustic Applesauce

Photo: Karry Hosford
Rustic Applesauce Recipe
A combination of sweet Braeburns and tart Granny Smiths gives this applesauce a pleasant balance. Mashing the apples creates a chunky sauce; for a smoother version, process part or all of the apple mixture in a food processor or blender. Crème fraîche gives the sauce a smooth, rich finish; substitute full-fat sour cream if your market doesn't carry it.

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Parmesan-Rosemary Flatbread Crackers