15 Portable Park Snacks and Tips

Warmer weather means more days at the park and playground! Play prepared with these 15 healthy snacks you can take a long, plus tips for planning and packing nutritious snacks on the go.

Park time with kids never goes out of style! And when kids are running, climbing, chasing, and sliding, they invariably get hungry. VERY hungry.

We’ve compiled three useful tips and fifteen snack ideas to help you make your family’s park snacks tasty, convenient, and super healthy. Read on to learn how to get your kitchen ready for the next spontaneous trip to the park. (If you’re looking for just the snacks, the list starts about halfway down the post.)

Tip #1: Stock Your Pantry

When your pantry and fridge are well-stocked, you can grab healthy snacks and be on your way. Choose at least a few items that have a long shelf life. Some no-prep-needed snacks we like to keep on hand during playground season are…

• cheese sticks
• whole fruits like apples, bananas, pears, peaches, oranges, and grapes.
• peanuts, almonds, or other nuts (we like raw or dry-roasted. Nuts have their own healthy fats and don’t need extra oils.)
• applesauce pouches or cups
• single serving Greek yogurt
• baby carrots with single-serving hummus cups (you can find these at Costco)
• cherry tomatoes or whole baby peppers
• whole grain crackers or pretzels
• popcorn

Tip #2: Stock Your Car

Sometimes the park mood strikes before you can make a pit stop home for snacks. Consider keeping a few supplies in your car like bottled water, healthy granola bars (many Kind Bars have just 5 grams of sugar) and a pack of baby wipes to take care of sticky fingers.

We also keep an old quilt folded up in the trunk to spread out whenever we’re stopping at the park.

Tip #3: Use the Right Container for Park Snacks

Having a couple of options to pack snacks in means you’ll always have a container that fits what you want to bring. Here are a few that we’ve tried and liked.

EasyLunchBoxes Snack Box

We’ve always loved the Easy Lunch boxes for lunch, and now they have the perfect box for snacks, too. These affordable, dishwasher-safe snack boxes have a decently tight seal and four snack-sized compartments.

Jacebox Snack Containers

These stainless steel snack boxes are the best we’ve tried: sturdy, leakproof, easy to clean, and they come in three handy sizes.

Nuby Garden Fresh

These are made to keep baby food, but kids love the different sections filled with snacks and dips. Though each individual section is small, this container lets you provide a ton of nutritional variety.

U Konserve Stainless Snack Containers

These lightweight, convenient snack containers nest in the cupboard, and come in three sizes for various appetites and snack types.

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15 Portable Park Snacks

Roasted Chickpeas

Make these crunchy, high-protein chickpeas in four delicious flavors.

Homemade Granola Bars

Chewy whole grain granola bars are chock full of nuts and seeds and have less sugar than many store-bought brands.

Pea Pods and Ranch

Apples and Homemade Sunbutter

High in protein and healthy fats, this nut-free butter tastes great on apple slices. Store the fruit and sunbutter in separate containers and let kids dip.

Tuna and Crackers

Fruit Leather

Dried Apple Chips

Mini Muffins

These mini bran muffin bites provide fiber and energy in a tasty little package.

Carrots and Cheese Wedges

Pita with Hummus

Trail Mix

Our Ultimate Trail Mix Guide can help you find the combo your kids love.

Guacamole with Dippers

Protein Energy Bites

Popcorn

We like this air popper.

Frozen Grapes