25 Nut Free School Snacks
With more schools becoming nut-free it’s essential you are stocked up on nut free school snacks this school year. These 25 snacks are easy to make, highly nutritious, but also delicious so your little one will eat them up!
Nut Free, Peanut Free
Disclosure: This blog post is sponsored by SunButter. Thank you for supporting the brands that make the Chelsey Amer Nutrition blog possible.
Back to school season is upon us again… which means if you’re a parent of school-aged kids you’re looking for as many nut-free snacks as possible!
Today I’m sharing 25 Nut Free School Snacks your kids will love!
With food allergies on the rise, more schools than ever are now nut-free.
But the good news is that it’s easier than ever before to send your kiddos to school with nut-free snacks, thanks to the variety of nut-free products available on supermarket shelves.
Not to mention, many whole foods are naturally nut-free, so this is a great way to incorporate more whole foods in your kiddos’ diets instead of highly processed snacks that don’t really resemble (or taste like) real food.
What makes a good school snack?
I have several criteria for a great school snack…
- Portable
- Travels well
- Contains 2/3 major nutrients (carbs, proteins, or fats)
- Bonus points for including a vegetable or fruit!
Of course these criteria will also depend on when snack time is… for example, will yogurt stay cold? These are just some general guidelines I play around with.
What’s the best way to transport a school snack?
Since my school snack criteria includes traveling well as a top criteria, of course I’m going to provide some examples of my favorite transportation methods! When possible, I try to reduce single-use plastic.
Of course, it depends on your child’s needs, child’s age, and what the snack is, but here are some of my favorite on the go containers:
Just don’t forget to practice opening the container, no matter what it is!
What makes a school snack nut free?
A safe snack for school includes those that are allergy-friendly. If your child doesn’t have food allergies or you’re new to navigating food allergies, however, it can be overwhelming to read food labels.
The most important is that you read the ingredient list. Do NOT go based off signage in the grocery store or whatever the front of the box says.
If a food product comes with a label, reading the ingredient list is a nonnegotiable step to ensure your snack is nut-free.
But buyer beware!! Some food labels can be tricky to read. For example, did you know that “arachis” is the Latin word for peanut. In America you are NOT allowed to use the Latin word on the label instead of peanut, but if a product is foreign, you may see it. This list from Kids with Food Allergies can be helpful.
What does “May contain…” mean?
Another common question I receive from allergy parents is what does it mean if a product may contain peanuts or almonds or any allergen?
According to the FDA, some manufacturers use “’may contain’ or ‘produced in a facility,’ on their labels when there is a chance that a food allergen could be present.”
If your child is NOT allergic, this product is likely safe, but check with your school regarding the rules about bringing these products into nut-free schools.
If a product has a “Contains…” statement, this means the allergen is present in the food. For example, “Contains cashews” means that cashews are present in a product.
What about “Manufactured in a facility that contains…”
This statement alerts consumers that the manufacturing plant contains the allergens you may be avoiding. For example, if a nut-free granola and nut-containing granola are produced in the same building, the nut free granola may have a warning “Manufactured in a facility that contains almonds, pecans, and cashews,” for example.
Although reading a food label is key, there are plenty of allergy-friendly snacks you can pack your kids that do NOT come with a food label (think of the produce section!).
Here are 25 Nut Free School Snacks your kids will love:
1. Ants on a log made with celery, SunButter squeeze packs, and raisins
Is there a more classic snack combo? To switch things up, you can try using dried cranberries instead of raisins.
2. Hummus and whole grain pita
3. SunButter squeeze packs with sliced apple or pear
4. Apple nachos
Sliced apples drizzled with SunButter and sprinkled with granola and mini chocolate chips.
5. Air popped popcorn and string cheese
6. Greek yogurt + nut-free cereal
7. Crispy roasted edamame
8. Healthy cookie dough + peach slices
9. Chia pudding – any nut-free flavor!
10. Bean-based tortilla chips with individual guacamole packs
11. Protein pancakes
Personally I love these Green Sheet Pan Protein Pancakes, but you could always go with the classic too!
13. Sweet Potato Fries with SunButter
(Don’t knock this combo til you try it!!)
14. Popcorn trail mix with nut-free chocolate chunks and pumpkin seeds (if your child is old enough to safely eat this!)
Like this mix would work too!
15. High Protein Blender Muffins – like these!
16. Banana “sushi”
Spread SunButter on banana and roll it in chia or hemp seeds. Slice horizontally so it resembles sushi.
17. Jerky sticks with apple
18. Fruit bars with SunButter squeeze pack
This is a great option to always have in the pantry in case of an emergency when you don’t have fresh fruit!
19. Cheddar cheese slices with grapes and whole grain crackers
20. Crispy chickpeas
You can use store-bought or DIY!
21. No Bake SunButter Oatmeal Bars
22. Cheese Quesadilla
They’re great as a snack… even room temp/cold!
23. Hummus and Turkey Pinwheels
Wrap up hummus and turkey in a tortilla and cut into pinwheels
24. Pumpkin cookie dough + apple slices
25. SunButter Banana Quesadilla
Spread SunButter on a tortilla with sliced bananas. Fold over, and voila!
What nut free school snacks would you add to the list?
XO