The Best Gluten-Free Snacks – Top Homemade and Store Picks

Whether you’re committed to a gluten-free lifestyle or just exploring, this guide offers a variety of delicious store-bought and homemade gluten-free snack options, giving everyone options for their snack cravings.

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Our love of snacking is universal, but for those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance, the hunt for the perfect bite can be tricky. Making your own gluten-free snacks is always ideal, but thankfully, the search for the best store-bought, gluten-free snacks is becoming more accessible, too, partly thanks to brand awareness.

Rice cakes and nut butter

Peanut butter on rice cakes is an easy and nutritious snack choice that’s also delicious. Adding peanut butter takes a bland rice cake to the next level. This is a great kid-friendly option to satisfy their hungry after-school stomachs.

Opt for rice cakes made exclusively from rice without additional ingredients to guarantee a gluten-free snack. You can also use another type of nut butter, such as almond butter, or keep the snack nut-free by using seed butter.

Popcorn

Popcorn is a great gluten-free snack and often a universal stand-in for many processed snacks that use gluten-containing flour. Pop your own and portion into baggies when on the go, or choose from one of the many popcorn brands that line convenience store shelves. Chocolate-covered popcorn makes a dessert-like snack that satisfies any sweet tooth, whereas popcorn topped with the right salt and spices is perfect for savory lovers.

Try this easy stovetop coconut oil popcorn for your next movie night.

Granola bars

Granola bars have come a long way since the crumbly, hard-as-a-rock packaged stuff our parents used to fill our lunch boxes. Thankfully, there are many gluten-free granola bars to choose from in stores these days. Many use oats, a naturally gluten-free grain, as the base and branch out with different add-ins and flavors.

Kate’s Real Food Bars offers an organic, non-GMO, gluten-free energy bar in multiple flavors that is an excellent choice for busy lives. The bars are soft and chewy, and I personally love how many varieties include chocolate to make this snack taste like a real treat. I also appreciate the bars’ balanced macronutrient content. The fat from whole food ingredients, like coconut and almond butter, helps keep me satisfied much longer than carbohydrate-dominant snacks.

Making your own bars is also easy to do. This homemade chocolate granola bar recipe uses accessible ingredients and can be easily customized to your preferences.

Eating gluten-free has really been very impactful for my family due to autoimmune conditions such as celiac and Type 1 diabetes. With three teenagers in the home, having good snacks around is not only important but a requirement. What I have found with many store-bought gluten-free snacks is that they skyrocket blood sugar for diabetics with the replacement ingredients that are often used. Having mastered the art of making homemade gluten-free granola bars has been a lifesaver for us.

Trina Krug, Trina Krug

Our favorite gluten-free bar recipes include:

• Pecan Pie Larabars
• Chewy Vegan Granola Bars
• No Bake Sunbutter Energy Bars
• Toasted Cashew Coconut Bars
• Honey Oatmeal Bars

Potato chips

The fact that potatoes are naturally gluten-free might seem like divine intervention for those with a salty tooth. Potato chips are an excellent replacement for other snacks like crackers and pretzels that may be off-limits on a gluten-free diet.

Fruit chips and bars

The world of chips doesn’t end with potatoes. Fruit chips are popping up in convenience stores, airports, and grocery stores as an easy choice for healthy snacking, and they’re naturally gluten-free as well.

Everything from apple chips to banana chips and most fruits in between is becoming popular among the gluten-free snack options. If you own a dehydrator or air fryer, making these fruit snacks yourself is simple and cost-effective.

Fruit bars are similar to chips except that the fruit isn’t dehydrated. They consist of just one ingredient — or multiple fruits mixed together— and are then shaped into a bar and individually wrapped. If you can’t find whole fruit, these bars and chips make an excellent substitution with a similar nutritional profile.

A tasty example is these homemade banana bread Lara bars that feature fresh dates and banana chips.

Tortilla chips

Authentic tortilla chips are made with 100% corn, which is naturally gluten-free. Read the label carefully before indulging — some brands will sneak in other wheat-based flours — but tortilla chips make a great salty snack and pair perfectly with gluten-free friendly dips like salsa, guacamole or hummus.

You can also use tortilla chips in gluten-free dinner recipes like this delicious ground beef taco salad.

Energy Balls and Protein Snacks

Energy balls and protein snacks are great for gluten-free diets because they give lasting energy without using wheat. They’re handy, packed with nutrients, and perfect for folks who can’t eat gluten but still want a tasty snack that keeps them going.

With the high price of store-bought gluten-free snacks and the sometimes long ingredient lists with questionable ingredients we’d prefer to avoid, we almost always opt for homemade. Things like energy balls and bars freeze great, and it’s convenient to have them on hand at all times in case a snack is needed last minute. They also travel well, making them perfect for traveling.

Erin Dooner, Texanerin Baking

The Best Gluten-Free Energy Balls and Protein Snacks Recipes

1. Chocolate Chia Balls
2. Protein Fudge
3. Maple Pecan Energy Balls
4. Protein Cookie Dough Balls
5. Vanilla Chia Protein Balls

Dips

With the abundance of gluten-free crackers now available, dips like hummus, guacamole, and salsa are also popular among gluten-free dieters.

These dips are naturally gluten-free and can be purchased in-store or easily made at home with simple ingredients.

Cheese sticks

Cheese sticks may seem like a throwback to childhood, but they’re a delicious and simple gluten-free snack that everyone can enjoy. They’re an excellent choice for those seeking a quick, nutritious, higher-protein option naturally free from gluten.

Their portability and individual packaging also make them a perfect on-the-go treat for any time of the day.

Jerky

Meat sticks and jerky are the preferred snacks for those seeking a higher protein option without gluten. Individually wrapped meat sticks offer great portability.

Both often come in a variety of flavors with a combination for everyone.

Roasted chickpeas

This gluten-free snack has become popular lately thanks to some mainstream brand awareness and marketing. A surprising find to most, once roasted, chickpeas become the perfect snack to satisfy a crunchy craving.

They can be spun into various savory flavors like BBQ, herbed, curry or taken in a sweet direction. Once you try these cinnamon toast roasted chickpeas, you’ll quickly become addicted to their sweet taste and crunchy bite.

Want something with more zest? These spicy roasted chickpeas have a crunchy, spicy vibe we love.

Dried veggies

The dried vegetable category of gluten-free snacks can encompass a variety of options, such as kale chips and snap pea crisps.

You’ll find both made by mainstream brands and available in almost any snack aisle these days, but there are also recipes that can be made at home, either in your oven with some patience or with a dehydrator.

Wrapping it up without the gluten

The world of gluten-free snacking is vast and varied, offering something for everyone, from the sweet tooth to the savory seeker. With the increasing availability and variety of store-bought and homemade options, those with celiac disease, gluten intolerance, or simply a preference for gluten-free eating have an abundance of choices.

This article originally appeared on Food Drink Life.