20 Irresistible Vegan Snack Options We Absolutely Love

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Vegans may love their fruits and veggies, but you can bet that those who follow special diets still get snacky from time to time. You can still enjoy your sweet and savory snacks, even when eating a vegan diet. The best options fit into the vegan lifestyle and don’t include animal products, such as meat, eggs, and milk — but even snacks that you might think are vegan can have things like gelatin, which is animal-based. You can take a microscope to ingredients lists at the store, but who has time for all of that analysis?

Fortunately for vegans, there are plenty of options out there at mainstream and specialty grocery stores, and we’ve rounded up some of our favorites. You can get your fill of salty snacks like popcorn and chips that work within vegan parameters. Sweet treats like ice cream and candy also come in vegan-friendly versions. We’ve compiled a list of all types of snacks that we have on repeat on our grocery lists.

Swap out a dairy-rich chocolate snack with a vegan version when you go with Justin’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups. It still has the killer combo of peanut butter and rich chocolate, and it made it toward the top of our best store-bought dark chocolate bars. 

These are organic and made with high-quality ingredients, including Rainforest Alliance-certified chocolate. They’re also individually-wrapped, so you can put them in your bag for a sweet pick-me-up anytime. With a thick chocolate shell and a richer flavor compared to other peanut butter cups, these might even be better than some of the more popular brands available. Justin’s is gaining an enthusiastic following and we’ve seen these offered at numerous stores, which is important if you get a snack craving, but don’t want to hunt for something vegan-friendly.

Siete Foods cashew queso dip is perfect for those who love a creamy, cheesy flavor. However, it’s made with cashews instead, which work for vegans. It’s loaded with garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and cayenne pepper for tons of flavor, but it’s the nutritional yeast that brings in tons of salty goodness. There’s also a zing from pickled carrots and pickling liquid that helps with the texture as well.

Queso is traditionally made with cheese, which isn’t vegan-friendly, but you can get a similar creaminess from ground cashews. The nutritional yeast helps replicate the cheesiness as well. Fold in chilis and fire-roasted tomatoes for extra texture and flavor. You can pair it with Siete Foods’ chips for a tasty snack.

You can still get your ice cream fix with a Ben & Jerry’s non-dairy flavor. The chocolate chip cookie dough is a crowd-pleaser that features large chunks of cookie dough mixed in.

It uses almond milk rather than animal-based dairy, but still has that creamy and sweet flavor that you want in a great ice cream. The cookie dough and fudge chunks are also vegan-friendly and plentiful throughout each pint.

Ben & Jerry’s will be replacing the almond milk-based recipe with a similar oat milk one. You’ll still be able to find the same flavors, including chocolate chip cookie dough, Cherry Garcia, Americone Dream, and many others — now, they’ll be even creamier and nut-free. For now, you can choose between almond milk and oat milk non-dairy ice creams when you want a sweet snack.

For a salty snack, turn to the vegan aged white cheddar puffs from Earth Balance. They are similar to the popular Pirate’s Booty, but made without cheese. Instead, this version is made with cornmeal and white bean powder. There are also onion powder and garlic powder, plus a bit of sugar. You can get the taste of white cheddar without the actual dairy.

This snack is also gluten-free and perfect for those who have a lot of sensitivities or just want to avoid these ingredients. It comes in a large bag, so be ready to share or store the extra later. We love it for school lunches, as it is nut-free. The puffs are very light, which makes them easy to snack on as you work, study, or play.

Nutritional yeast is a vegan secret that everyone should know. It can substitute for salty cheese like Parmesan, giving snacks like popcorn a boost of vegan-friendly flavor. The BjornQorn nutritional yeast popcorn has cheesy flavor, but it’s still dairy-free. The light, airy popped kernels are coated with sunflower oil, then tossed with nutritional yeast and salt. The result is a salty and savory snack in the classic version. 

Other flavors include spicy, which adds jalapeño pepper to the mix, and black truffle. If you can’t decide, just go with a mix pack or a build-your-own box option. You can subscribe to get a small savings, plus a periodic shipment of this tasty popcorn. It comes with free shipping to some regions, although others require paid shipping. If you want to grab it at the store, you’ll likely have to swing by a store with specialty products like Whole Foods Market.

You may think that marshmallows are easy to incorporate into a vegan diet, but many include gelatin — an animal-based product — for texture and consistency. Dandies vegan marshmallows are made without gelatin, but still maintain the pillowy sweetness that you expect from a good mallow. The vanilla flavors come in standard and mini sizes, but flavored options are seasonal. You can pick up pumpkin and maple versions in the fall, peppermint marshmallows in the winter, and jumbo campfire marshmallows during the spring and summer. 

Add these to s’mores, hot cocoa, or desserts. They’re also delicious to eat on their own as a sweet snack. Not all grocery stores carry them, but you can find them at some mainstream spots like Safeway and Giant, as well as natural foods stores.

If you love Combos and salty snacks, the plant-based stuffed pretzel nuggets from Quinn’s will work great. The Quinn’s pizzeria cheezy pretzel nuggets are bite-sized hard pretzels stuffed with pizza-flavored filling. Unlike Combos, this snack is gluten-free and dairy-free. There are also plenty of sweet options, such as the PB&J berry version, but the Pizzeria flavor gets a special call-out.

Tomato, sea salt, garlic, oregano, onion, basil, red pepper, and marjoram are responsible for the flavorful filling. It doesn’t include any synthetic food dyes, getting the rich red color from paprika instead. Overall, this is the perfect snack when you’re craving a combination of salty and savory but want to keep your ingredients vegan-friendly and free of synthetic dyes.

The Louisville vegan jerky works for those who like a more savory snack. There are plenty of flavor options, like smoked black pepper, pepperoni pizza, and buffalo hot wing. This jerky uses soy protein in place of meat, but it’s the seasoning and spices that really puts it over the edge. Louisville Vegan Jerky Co. manages to nail the chewy texture of traditional jerky, and it does it in a number of popular flavors. The Carolina gold barbecue flavor has tanginess and a little bit of zest that earns rave reviews, but all of the options have their own unique spin on jerky.

Get a six-bag bundle if you want to try a sampling of the most popular flavors, including Carolina BBQ, maple bacon, and more. If you know what you like, stock up on that kind or build a box with your favorite flavors. If you want something a bit more unusual, check the lineup of small batch varieties.

For another dairy-free ice cream option, look at one of the many unusual flavors from Jeni’s. The frosé sorbet gets a special mention for its fruity flavor that is perfect for summer. It also has a little bit of tartness from watermelon and pear, plus plenty of strawberry flavor. It uses rosé as the base, so you’ll get tropical and refreshing sangria vibes when you enjoy this sweet snack.

If you want a more traditional flavor, stick with decadent chocolate Texas sheet cake, which gets a creamy base from coconut cream. Lemon bar is a nice balance of creamy sweetness plus tart bursts of lemon, but honestly, any of the flavors from Jeni’s dairy-free line will be a big hit. In general, Jeni’s ice cream has a reputation for its deliciously rich flavor combinations and it ranks high on our list of chocolate ice cream.

Want something crispy and salty to work with vegan-friendly dips or on their own? Siete Foods vegan tortilla chips fit the bill. The lime flavor brings some zesty bright flavor to a classic chip. These don’t use any animal-based products and get flavor from avocado oil. if you’re sensitive to other ingredients, such as gluten or soy, you can also indulge in this snack guilt-free. Dip these in a vegan queso for a power snack with a lot of flavor. 

The cinnamon chips are a good alternative for something a bit sweeter. They can act as crispy versions of churros to scoop up extras like a sweet glaze dip. If you want something classic to go with salsa or guacamole, it’s hard to beat the grain-free dip chip. It has the perfect shape for maximum scoopability.

Unreal dark chocolate coconut bars taste, well, unreal. They have a perfect blend of sweetness and rich chocolate without being too overpowering on the coconut flavor or texture. These should be a snack that vegans and non-vegans alike put in their carts. They are delicious with a tropical coconut twist. You can also grab Unreal dark chocolate peanut butter cups, which are vegan.

Unreal chocolate bars have less sugar than most other brands, but still manage to keep from being too bitter, thanks to cassava syrup and a small amount of sugar in the dark chocolate shell. You can get full-size bars or smaller snack bars, all packaged individually. They’re convenient, vegan-friendly, and tasty, three top criteria for good snacks in our book.

Lesser Evil popcorn has deliciously rich flavor, thanks to Himalayan pink salt. It’s made with air-popped popcorn for a light and airy flavor, and then coated with coconut oil and salt. The bags are perfect for portable snacking. They have a savory element because of the generous amounts of oil and salt, but it’s overpowering. The individual bags have plenty of popcorn inside and they still fit in most lunchboxes.

You can also get a variety pack of popcorn that comes with two flavors, both of which are vegan. It’s great if you’re worried about getting stuck in a snack rut. Once you fall in love with this tasty snack — and we’re guessing that you will pretty quickly — grab a larger family-sized bag for your pantry as well.

Bobo’s sandwich bars are a more substantial snack with the classic peanut butter and jelly flavor combo. You can get strawberry, jelly, or a variety pack. These are vegan as well as wheat-free and gluten-free. The exterior is made with rolled oats, and the inside filling doesn’t include any gelatin. Keep in mind that they do contain peanut butter, however, so they might not make a great school snack if your child can’t bring peanut products.

Each one comes individually-wrapped, so all you need to do when a snack craving hits is grab a package and enjoy. If you’re looking for a lunch option on-the-go as well, you can grab one of these for something super easy. They might not be filling enough to keep you going all afternoon, but they’re a fantastic fuel up when you need it.

For something that combines creaminess with bring ingredients and a little zing, grab a tub of the vegan tzatziki dip from Trader Joe’s. It’s hard to believe that a yogurt-based dip can be vegan, but Trader Joe’s has figured out how to use plant-based cream cheese to create the same consistency. It’s full of flavor with cucumbers, lemon, and dill.

The tzatziki dip also made our list of “buy it” dips from Trader Joe’s. It has a strong pickly dill flavor, so make sure that you enjoy that before you indulge. Serve it with vegetable crudité or some tasty pita chips for a deliciously filling snack. It also upgrades chicken salad, so don’t be afraid to get a tub or two.

Apple sauce pouches are easy and portable, perfect for younger snackers. The GoGo SqueeZ version is made with 100% fruit and great for those who want a vegan-friendly snack. They are literally made for snacking, featuring a squeezable pouch, a resealable top, and a perfectly-portioned amount. If you’re an adult or hungrier kid, it may not be a significant snack to keep you going, but for younger kids, this amount is just right.

There are a few flavors, but the apple cinnamon is a personal favorite. Other fruit flavors include apple peach, apple banana, and apple strawberry. The colorful labels — plus the adorable fruit characters on the front of each pouch — identify which flavor it is. These are virtually leak-proof before they’re opened and easy reseal if your child doesn’t finish the whole pouch in one sitting. So far, that hasn’t happened to us, and our kids grab these out of the snack bag before just about anything else.

You can still get a brownie fix with a vegan lifestyle. The Nature’s Bakery brownies are double chocolate, super rich, and very chewy. They’re made with whole wheat flour and other plant-based ingredients. This is a great alternative for vegans who still want to enjoy some sweet desserts. They make a nice snack, but dress them up with some sliced berries or a scoop of vegan-friendly ice cream for a truly decadent treat.

These make great additions to kids’ lunchboxes as well, and they are sweetened with dates rather than a ton of sugar. Each box comes with six individually-wrapped servings. All you have to do is toss one in the lunchbox and go. It can replace other treats that are higher in sugar or contain animal products.

Not all of the Harvest Snaps flavors are vegan, but the lightly salted version is. It has a nice crisp that works well for a snack. If you like salty chips but want an alternative, stick with this green pea instead. They’re baked instead of fried and particularly light. Each bag has around three servings, but you can also find sharable larger bags as well. Just be sure to pay close attention to the ingredients list and labels on the front, since not all flavors are vegan.

The peas also provide 5 grams of protein in each serving. While it may not be considered a high-protein snack, these are still a good way to get a boost of energy in your day.

Salty, tangy, pickled — these snacks have it all. Oh Snap! Dilly Bites are snacking pickles that come in individual containers in the refrigerated section of the supermarket. If you grew up sneaking pickles out of the jar in the fridge for snacks like we did, these are the perfect answer.

The Oh Snap! Dilly Bites come in convenient snack-sized portions in multiple flavors, including dill, sweet, and hot. The only downside is that they need to stay refrigerated, so they don’t make a good snack if you’ll be out and about in the heat without a cooler. Fortunately, these crisp pickles are carried in a lot of mainstream stores, so you can always pop in and grab a snack during your day.

Seaweed has a lot of helpful nutrients, plus a salty flavor and satisfying crunch that makes it an excellent snack. Gimme roasted seaweed snacks come in tasty sheets that are packaged in cartons to keep them protected from breaking. They are quite fragile, but you can snack on them just like chips or crumble them up to put over pasta, rice, or other dishes.

Roasted seaweed has a nice briny flavor that you’ll appreciate if you like pickles, but it is distinctly more reminiscent of the actual ocean. This version is organic and coated in a generous amount of sea salt to enhance the natural flavor. It makes an excellent replacement for chips, but it provides extra nutrients, and it’s vegan.

You don’t have to give up candy when you become a vegan. If you have a super sweet tooth, you can turn to brands that cater to vegan lifestyles like SmartSweets. Unlike some other candies, SmartSweets sweet fish are made without gelatin and considered vegan. They are also much lower in sugar, containing only 3 grams in the entire bag. Compare that to Swedish Fish, which have 23 grams of sugar in just five candies, and it’s clear which ones work best for those trying to avoid high-sugar snacks.

These are plant-based and free of artificial dyes as well. They rely on corn fiber and other plant-based ingredients to replicate candy consistency without gelatin. Fruit and vegetable juices provide the vibrant red color.