Let’s talk about one of my favorite topics on the planet: Snacks.
I am a person who snacks, a lot. Part of it is I think I’m a grazer at heart. I love eating, but there is just something about snacking that is so satisfying. Plus, I’m an educator. The days I get to sit down and have a full meal before dinner, are few and far between. Most of my work days are spent noshing on random things whenever a random five minutes pops up.
Being gluten-free has created some challenges in my normal snacking life. A lot of the snacks I normally would grab are things I can’t eat anymore. Like, I was known as the counselor who always had little snack packs of Goldfish in her office (and typically in her hand), along with other various crackers and some sweeter options (like Oreos) available, too.
Were all of my snack options healthy? No. But, it wasn’t necessarily a top requirement for me either, especially when I’m too busy to realize what I’m eating.
Being someone who enjoyed a lot of snacks like crackers or pretzels or cookies, it was so hard when I had to go gluten-free since most of that stuff is made entirely out of gluten products.
Happily, in the past year or so since going completely gluten-free (or at least attempting to, because I don’t admit to being perfect every moment of my life, but I try), I’ve found a few snack-type things that work for me and taste really good.
Most of these are also healthier than what I was eating before which is a bonus; not a requirement, but a bonus.
All of these finds I’m going to list, obviously, aren’t just for people who have celiac or eat gluten-free, but if you are like me, you might want to give them a try. I am VERY picky about my snacks, so if I’m on board with these, then I think they’re delicious.
The best part is you can find all of these on Amazon and are usually available in most grocery stores. Under each item, I’ll mention where I usually pick them up and how much they cost, because as most people know, gluten-free foods are more expensive. But, I don’t think any of these are outrageously expensive.
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve met my love of these cookies. These are the only brand of cookies that makes wheat-free versions of classics, that actually taste like the classics. These fudge stripes, TASTE LIKE KEEBLER FUDGE STRIPES! They’re so good. They have so many varieties now. They even have a “chocolate cream cookie sandwich” AKA Oreo version that I really need to try. I haven’t found them at my stores so I think I just need to get them off of Amazon and be done with it already.
I typically find these at Whole Foods, but I’ve also seen places like Target, Wegmans, and even Walmart starting to carry them, which is AMAZING! When I started buying them a few months ago they were pretty hard to find, so I’m glad they’re getting easier. They are about $4/box, which is about twice the price of the traditional cookies (and for fewer cookies in the box), but I promise they are absolutely worth it. I’d buy these even if they were $8/box (though, please don’t ever do that).
Did you know Rice Krispies treats have gluten in them? I didn’t at first either. Then I was sad. But these are delicious and taste almost exactly like the original bars. They are the perfect little treat when I need a little sweet pick-me-up in the afternoon. I will warn, though, the bars are pretty small, and there is only five in a box so they can be a bit pricey. They’re typically around $4/box, but I have seen them go on sale a lot recently. o, when I see them for 50% off (or if I have any Annie’s coupons) I usually grab a few boxes. Since Annie’s a is a pretty well-known brand, I’ve seen these at pretty much every grocery store as well as Target and Walmart, so you should find them easily.
Quaker Buttermilk Ranch Rice Crisps
I will admit, these are new to me, but I love them. You do kind of have to at least appreciate rice cakes to really enjoy these, more than likely. But if you just want a crunchy snack that is coated in all the deliciousness that is ranch flavored dust, then this will be your life. I love ranch all things, so when I saw these at Wegmans a few weeks ago, I was intrigued. Turns out my intrigue led to amazingness. They’re around $3/bag and its a pretty big bag, I think. It lasted me about a week because I just snack on them randomly at work. They aren’t filling, at all, which they probably aren’t supposed to be, so I could probably easily eat half a bag in one sitting if I was mindlessly eating, but I also really like ranch flavored things, so that could be part of that.
Simple Mills Jalapeno Sprouted Crackers
I’ve tried a lot from Simple Mills recently, but this particular variety is pretty new to me. I will admit, I’m not a huge fan of their cookie line, but their crackers are delicious. They’re a bit heartier than your average crackers and have a bit more flavor, which I enjoy. I’ve found that some crackers can leave you with a bit of an aftertaste which isn’t pleasant, but these don’t do that. Personally, I think these can be a little pricey, depending on where you buy them from. You can get them from almost any grocery store, Whole Foods, Target, etc. If you’re going to a “higher-end” store, you’re going to pay $4-5/box. I’ve found them at Wegmans for $3.50, which is better and they do have a tendency to go on sale for around $2, which is when I stock up on them.
Trader Joe’s Creamy Tomato Soup Crackers
Obviously, these are the one item I’m featuring that isn’t available on Amazon, but they are definitely worth a trip to Trader Joe’s. I’ve mentioned them on Instagram, also, about a million times. They do sound a little weird, initially, but if you enjoy tomato soup, you will enjoy these crackers. I kind of want to try dipping them in tomato soup and see how they taste, maybe that’s too meta? I don’t know. The best part is these are $1/box…actually 0.99 cents a box, so I don’t feel bad when I down half a box in one sitting because they are anything but expensive. Again…also definitely worth the special trip to Trader Joe’s.
I’m not the biggest nut eater; I don’t hate them nor am I allergic (Devon is allergic to peanuts though), but I don’t actively seek them out. These having nut in the name, I think, made me initially against tryng them. I expected them to taste a lot like nuts and I wasn’t really feeling it. To my surprise; they actually just taste really good. They come in a bunch of different flavors/varieties and I have yet to try a flavor I don’t like. They have a pepperjack flavor which is nice and spicy that I really like. They also have a ranch flavor that I really like, too (yes, I know you’re surprised). I find these everywhere, Target, Wegmans, Sprouts, Walmart, etc. They are around $3.50/box and usually go on sale often. I also often find $1.00 off coupons for them, so they’re a really good value.
Lance Gluten-Free Sandwich Crackers
I miss Ritz Bits sandwiches, you know the little Ritz crackers with either cheese or peanut butter in the center of them? I ate those all the time. Since Ritz doesn’t make a gluten-free version, I’m glad someone does. These taste so much like the gluten-filled version I barely notice that I’m eating something gluten-free. I do feel like these are a bit harder for me to find than most other things; maybe it’s just where I live. I typically find them at Wegmans, sometimes Target, but I don’t really see them anywhere else, but you can buy them in bulk on Amazon. They’re about $3.50/box, so it might actually be better, cost-wise to buy them in bulk on Amazon.
I will be honest, up front, and say that these don’t fully taste like the traditional pretzels, we’re all used to, but they do taste really good. I really have to be in the mood for pretzels, so they aren’t something I necessarily buy regularly, but definitely worth a try if you need a pretzel fix. I know they also make popcorn, but I haven’t tried that, I’d be interested to see if anyone else tried it and liked it, however. Like most things I’ve mentioned, a bag of this is about $3-4. I’ve honestly, most easily found this at Walmart. It may sound odd, but I either haven’t been looking or I haven’t managed to find them anywhere else.
While I have tried other snacks that are gluten-free, these are my favorite ones and the ones that I keep buying more of. I’m always on the hunt for new snacks that I can eat with my “special diet”, so if you also eat gluten-free and have some snacks that you love, feel free to leave them in the comments so I can check them out, too!
