The first thing you’d notice if you were to walk into the Women’s Health test kitchen is the view (when you’re on the 29th floor overlooking Central Park, it’s hard not to). But the second thing you’d notice is the snack stash.
At any given moment, there are dozens of options that companies have sent us to try out, some of which aren’t even available in stores yet. And that’s only the test kitchen. Our editorial office around the corner (while lacking in the picturesque view department) holds its own when it comes to food freebies.
So we can say with confidence that when a new healthy-snack trend is on the rise, we’re among the first people to know about it. (Case in point: we saw the CBD-infused invasion coming way before it peaked.)
This year has had a lot of fun new snacking moments so far, from the influx of meat-alternative products to new picks that use cheese as the main (and sometimes only!) ingredient. Here, the top crazes to make room in your pantry for.
1. More And More Protein
This of-the-moment macro is being added to tons of snack foods, from chips to sweets. And the old standby energy bars are packing even higher levels of protein than they did previously. Also exciting: Manufacturers are using new sources (think: peas or egg whites), offering you more ways to load up on filling and muscle-building protein between meals.
Roasted Fava BeansEnlightened Crunchy Broad Beansamazon.comSHOP NOW
Protein From Peas And NutsLÄRABAR Protein Barsamazon.comSHOP NOW
Made With Egg WhitesProMix Nutrition Protein Puff Baramazon.comSHOP NOW
Pea ProteinSimplyProtein Crunchy Bitesamazon.comSHOP NOW
2. Mushroom-Based Snacks
Snack manufacturers love ‘shrooms because they’re naturally vegan, gluten-free, and low-carb (so! many! buzzwords!). WH eds love them because…all of the above. And they’re crazy-tasty, of course.
6 FlavorsMUDLRK Shiitake Mushroom Chipsamazon.comSHOP NOW
Slightly SweetPan’s Mushroom Jerkythrivemarket.comSHOP NOW
Whole Flavored MushroomsChunyu Mushroom Shiitake Mushroom Crispsamazon.comSHOP NOW
Uses Mushroom PowderVegan Rob’s Wild Mushroom Kettle Potato Chipsthrivemarket.comSHOP NOW
Danielle Daly
3. Puffs
Old-school cheese puffs have some (much better for you) competition these days. No matter which flavors or ingredients you’re into, there’s a puff product for you—and a lot of them come with added bonuses, like being vegan or high-protein.
Gluten-FreeHippeas Chickpea Puffsamazon.comSHOP NOW
Sweet And Savory FlavorsSPUDSY Sweet Potato Puffsamazon.comSHOP NOW
Non-GMOpopchips Nutter Puffsamazon.com$44.99SHOP NOW
6 G ProteinBiena Chickpea Puffsbienasnacks.com$23.94SHOP NOW
Danielle Daly
4. Lower-Sugar Yogurts
Remember when almost every label touted that your favorite yogurts were “sugar-free”…and that was code for “contains artificial sweeteners”? The new trend is using the OG stuff in smaller quantities—so you don’t blow your daily sugar budget in one snack.
Just 2 G SugarTwo Good Greek Low-Fat Yogurtgoodyogurt.comSHOP NOW
99% Lactose-FreeYQ by Yoplait Yogurtamazon.comSHOP NOW
Vegetarian-FriendlyChobani Less Sugar Greek YogurtChobaniamazon.comSHOP NOW
OG Low-Sugar OptionSiggi’s Skyr Icelandic Style Strained YogurtSiggi’samazon.comSHOP NOW
5. Probiotics
Yogurt isn’t the only snack packing good-for-your-gut bacteria these days. Tons of products now come with a dose of probiotics—so you can help your gut by munching on chips, bars, puffs. Take your pick.
Vegan Strain Of ProbioticsKIND Breakfast Bars With Probioticsthrivemarket.comSHOP NOW
Light Garlic FlavorVegan Rob’s Probiotic Cauliflower Puffsworldmarket.comSHOP NOW
Made With Fair Trade ChocolatePurely Elizabeth Probiotic Granolapurelyelizabeth.comSHOP NOW
Uses Non-GMO FruitThat’s it. Probiotic Fruit Barsamazon.comSHOP NOW
Danielle Daly
6. Healthy Chips 3.0
First, there were baked chips. Then, kale chips answered your crunch-salty craving prayers. Now, the latest wave of better-for-you chips are here in the form of quinoa chips, rice chips, lentil chips—the list goes on.
Contain Chia SeedsLundberg Family Farms Bold Bites Tortilla Chipsthrivemarket.comSHOP NOW
10 G ProteinSafe + Fair Pea Protein Chipssafeandfair.comSHOP NOW
Made With Spinach And KaleForager Project Organic Leafy Green Tortilla Chipsthrivethrivemarket.comSHOP NOW
Gluten-Free And VeganEnjoy Life Lentil Chipsamazon.comSHOP NOW
7. Faux Meat
With the rise of the Impossible and Beyond burgers, it makes sense that between-meal bites are getting into the meat alternative game, too. In the snack-food aisle, it’s less about imitating meat and more about satisfying plant-based swaps.
Made From Ocean-Farmed KelpAKUA Kelp Jerkythrivethrivemarket.comSHOP NOW
Contains Yuca And MushroomsChesapeake Bay Snacklinsthrivemarket.comSHOP NOW
Upcycled Coconut MeatForeal Foods Vegan Coconut Jerkythrivemarket.comSHOP NOW
Tofu-BasedViana Vegan Snack Sausagesthrivemarket.comSHOP NOW
8. Granola Bites > Granola Bars
While granola and granola alternatives may not completely own this scene—you can also find cookies, jerky, and fruit snacks in bite form—they do dominate it. WH eds like granola bites because they mean your hunger level can dictate how much or little you have in one go, not snack manufacturers. Plus, they’re just fun!
Ayurveda-InspiredOjas Studio Date & Grain Energy Bitesamazon.comSHOP NOW
Comes In PouchesBear Naked Granola Bitesamazon.comSHOP NOW
Peanut- And Tree Nut-FreeMade Good Granola Minisamazon.comSHOP NOW
Sweet TreatNature Valley Granola Bitesamazon.comSHOP NOW
9. Stealth Veggies
First, cauliflower raided the frozen food aisle at Trader Joe’s in the form of new versions of “rice” and gnocchi. Now, snacks have been hit by the cauli’ craze, too—see: cheese crackers with cauliflower added as an ingredient. Other veggies are being added to the mix now, too.
Cauliflower’s The First IngredientHippie Snacks Cauliflower Crispsamazon.comSHOP NOW
Uses Beet SugarFarm & Oven Beet Dark Chocolate Bakery Bitesamazon.comSHOP NOW
Contains Peas And Black BeansPopcorners Flourish Greens & Beans Veggie Crispsamazon.comSHOP NOW
Gluten-FreeFrom the Ground Up Cauliflower Crackersamazon.comSHOP NOW
Danielle Daly
10. Cheese-Based Snacks
There’s never been a better time to be a cheese lover. Snacks that contain cheese—and sometimes only cheese—are huge. You can find options that are crispy and crunchy, sweet, or savory—and everything in between.
4 FlavorsJust The Cheese Bars Crunchy Baked Low Carb Snack Barsamazon.comSHOP NOW
Keto FavoriteMoon Cheese 100% Natural Cheese Snackamazon.comSHOP NOW
Made With rBGH-Free-MilkWhisps VarietyCheese Crispswhisps.comSHOP NOW
Flavored Ricotta CupsRifRaf Ricotta Cups
rifraf.com
Shop Now
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