Do you struggle to have gluten free snacks? Here are 10 insanely easy gluten free snacks that are store bought that you need to have on hand!
Snacks…. We all love snacks! They often are thought of as villains but not all snacks are bad. Sure there are our favorite sweet or salty indulgences that need to be enjoyed in moderation, but what about gluten free snacks? When beginning to eat a gluten free diet snacks can be a source of anxiety rather than providing a sense of enjoyment and satisfaction. Thankfully just because you need to eat a gluten free diet does not mean that you no longer can snack. The best snacks are quick and easy and this list of store bought gluten free snacks will help to satisfy your snack cravings.
Gluten free snacks – store bought
Fruits and Veggies
Fruits and veggies are some of the easiest (and healthiest) gluten free store bought snacks you can get. Not only are they healthy, but the options are also plentiful. Think of all the different types of fruit, all naturally gluten free…
- Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries
- Apples and Pears
- Oranges, grapefruit, mandarins
- Plums, peaches, nectarines, and apricots
- Bananas and Mangoes
- Watermelon, honeydew melon
That is just to name a few! There is also an incredibly robust variety of veggies to take for snacks. Add a little veggie dip and you have yourself a real treat! The best snacking veggies on the go or with dip are:
- Cucumber and carrot sticks
- Red, green, or yellow pepper slices
- Chickpeas come in amazing flavors and even have snack-sized packages
- Green peas, snow peas, snap peas
- Cherry tomatoes
- Broccoli and Cauliflower
The options are truly endless. Your health will thank you for reaching for these easy gluten free store bought snacks
Cheese strings or cheese packets
Cheese is a wonderful and insanely quick snack. The store bought options are limitless. For quick work or school lunches, the prepackaged snack-sized varieties make your life so incredibly easy. Babybel, cheddar packets, laughing cow, and cheese strings are the favorites to try. There are so many varieties suitable for kids, Babybel even puts out a swirly string that kids love!
It is also fun to buy multiple varieties of cheese to chop up into bite-sized pieces and throw a variety onto your plate. By buying a piece, your options are endless. Gouda, jack, cheddar, marble, Havarti, smoked, spicy, brie. The options are huge. Check out your favorite deli section to get your cheese snack vibes flowing!
Made Good products
Made Good products are so delicious and not only are they Gluten Free but they also are certified organic and are vegan. Plus they hide veggies inside every snack. Yum! They are a quick and easy item to keep in your bag, throw in your lunch or send to school with your kids. Plus, knowing they are peanut free also helps with school snacks as so many schools ban items with nuts in them.
A favorite Made Good gluten free snack in our house is the granola bites. Easy on the go and for school lunches.
Popcorn
Popcorn is a simple and delicious snack. Grabbing some popcorn while watching a movie is a must but you can enjoy this gluten free snack even if you are not sitting down to watch your favorite flick. You can use the convenient microwave bags for a quick snack. Have you heard of the microwave pop-corn bowls? You simply put popcorn seeds in the bowl, put the cover on, and put it in the microwave. This method is super cost effective and you get to control the toppings. If you don’t have one of these bowls, you need to check them out.
Another option is to create popcorn ahead of time and then put it into baggies for school lunches. Kids love it!
Potato chips
Are you going to a party and looking over the table of snacks laid out? The great news is that most potato chips are gluten free. You just need to watch for a couple of flavored varieties that contain malt vinegar. Yep, that mistake has been made and my daughter was “glutened” by the salt and vinegar chips I gave her… oops. It’s always easy to quickly ask the host what type of chips they are (hosts are used to this because people ask about flavors all the time). You can then make sure you are grabbing the chips that are safe to eat.
Chips are also a fun treat to send to school with your kids. My daughter loves taking them when they have in class movie day. She feels part of the class without the awkwardness of people knowing she is gluten free
Tortilla chips
A handful of tortilla chips with a piece of cheese is a great go to gluten free snack when running out the door and knowing you are hungry.
Or when having friends over for drinks, a plate of fully loaded nachos with all the fixings is a great and indulgent treat. As long as you buy tortilla chips made out of corn (avoid the ones that say “whole grain”) you can create a masterpiece. Just add your favorites; beans, corn, jalapenos, peppers, chicken or beef, cilantro, tomatoes, and of course cheese. Now isn’t that drool worthy and so simple for a snack? Add a bowl of sour cream and salsa and you will be set for anything from a movie night to your epic Super Bowl party.
Yogurt
So easy! Grab a carton and add some fruit for a quick snack at home. Or put some in a little to go container and have it at work.
There are also great options for kids’ lunches. And fun flavors too! Tubes, drinkable, mini cups are the perfect store bought gluten free snack. The flavors are endless, even cotton candy!!!
The options are endless with yogurt. You can choose to go traditional plain yogurt, flavored, fruit chunks at the bottom, probiotics added. You won’t get bored with the variety of yogourts out there that can easily be used for a gluten free snack.
Rice cakes
Have you tried eating a plain rice cake as you began your gluten free journey and thought to yourself, this tastes like Styrofoam eating gluten free is so hard. It doesn’t need to be like that! Rice cakes come in all shapes and sizes. There are even fun and zippy flavors. A great snack is to spread peanut butter or Nutella on your rice cake to make it a decadent treat.
A quick hack is to use the thin rice cakes as a substitute for bread and use them as a sandwich. Just grab two rice cakes and throw in your veggies, meat, cheese, and sauces. So easy!
Crispy Mini’s
While we are on the rice cake track, let’s talk about Crispy Mini’s. They are so cute and small, it’s like chips and popcorn had a cute baby. Throw a few into a baggie and you have the perfect gluten free snack on the go or in your or your kiddo’s lunch.
There is a wide range of flavors. Different stores sometimes have different flavors too. Keep your eyes open for fun flavors.
Crackers
A handful of crackers either by themselves or with toppings makes a great gluten free store bought snack. There are now so many varieties of gluten free crackers that just didn’t exist a few years ago. Try a few and pick your favorites to keep on hand!
Suggestion, a fun snack is to take red pepper jelly, your favorite cheese, and put them on a gluten free cracker. You will feel like you just had an appetizer at a fancy cocktail party! You can go all out and build the ultimate gluten free charcuterie using your favorite gluten free crackers.
Final thoughts
You can see it is easy to come up with gluten free store bought snacks to have on hand. This list will help you have an arsenal of suggestions to keep you well-stocked when the urge to snack hits! Do you have a favorite gluten free snack store bought or homemade that you would like to share? Let us know in the comments below.
FAQ’s
What chips can I eat that are Gluten Free?
There are so many options for chips that are gluten free. Potatoes by themselves are gluten free, woohoo! This is great news, but other factors to consider are the ingredients in the chips and also the cooking environment. The short answer is that most chips are gluten free as long as there is no wheat filler added into the chip or seasoning. Also, be aware of any malt vinegar. You can take a peek on the back of the chip bag to see if there are any ingredients listed such as wheat, barley, malt. Lots of companies list the allergens right after the ingredient list, which helps give you assurance as to the gluten free nature of the chips. See our article on Gluten Free Chips in Canada here.
What foods are gluten free at the grocery store?
There are so many gluten free options when shopping at the grocery store. The key is to read labels, buy fresh non-processed ingredients, and slowly get used to the new way of shopping. For tips on stocking a fully gluten free pantry, see our post here
What snacks can I eat gluten free?
The options are endless, for starters, you can grab fruits or veggies. There are also many gluten free products available at major grocery stores. Read the labels and many manufacturers label the products as gluten free clearly on the box. For tips on finding gluten free snacks, check out this article.
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