31 Vegetable Snacks That Will Hold You Over Until Dinnertime
Those few hours between breakfast, lunch and dinner can feel like centuries when you’re hungry. If you’re anything like us, you usually solve the problem with a bag of cheese balls, a slice of pizza or your secret desk-drawer candy stash—and then you hit that 3 o’clock slump, post-sugar high. Try these 31 healthy vegetable snacks instead. They’ll satisfy your cravings and give you a boost of energy without bogging you down before mealtime.
RELATED: 11 Tasty Vegetarian School Lunches If Turkey Isn’t Your Kid’s Thing
1. Easy Zucchini Chips
Sorry, spuds. You’ve been dethroned. All you need is a few sliced zucchini, olive oil and salt. The pieces crisp up beautifully after baking in the oven and blow bagged potato chips away.
2. Roasted Edamame
Soybean pods turn dangerously poppable after roasting in the oven for 20 minutes. Better yet, their outsides char as they cook, which gives them an addictive smoky quality.
3. Spring Crudités with Romesco Sauce
Raw snap peas, radishes, cucumbers and beyond are super crunchy and refreshing on their own. But this roasted red pepper sauce made with almonds, garlic and sherry vinegar steals the show.
4. Green Smoothie with Avocado and Apple
The easiest way to get your veggie count up for the day? Drink them. One glass of this sipper is loaded with spinach and avocado, plus tart Granny Smith apple and sweet banana.
5. Sweet Potato Hummus
Two of your favorite foods, united in creamy harmony. It’s as easy as puréeing chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice and baked sweet potato in the blender or food processor.
6. Easy Homemade Pickles
Pickling vegetables is easier than you may think. Our apple cider vinegar brine is garlicky, tangy and prime for using with every veggie, from Kirby cucumbers to beets.
7. Eggplant Parm Bites
These little gems are coated in crispy Parmesan breadcrumbs. The only way to make it even more delicious is with a side of marinara.
8. Veggie Sushi
Making homemade sushi is totally in your wheelhouse, but raw fish can be intimidating to work with. This veggie-happy twist stars carrots, European cucumbers, scallions and avocado instead.
9. Chilled Cucumber Salad
Meet the most refreshing snack ever invented. There’s no cure for a hot day like thin-sliced cukes dressed in rice vinegar, garlic and dill.
10. Easy Homemade Potato Chips
Bet you didn’t know your broiler could do this, huh? We’ll have ours with an extra shake of Old Bay, please.
11. Beet Hummus
Isn’t she gorgeous? Cooked, chopped beets turn this savory dipper deep pink.
12. Roasted Poblano and Corn Guacamole
Hello, summer. Charred corn and peppers give traditional lime-kissed guac a smoky kick.
13. Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Meet a quintessential fall snack that boasts iron, protein, magnesium and calcium. Make sure not to throw out the hulled pumpkin—it’s perfect for carving into a jack-o’-lantern. Or making this soup.
14. Roasted Veggie Chips
Trade potatoes for beets, turnips, radishes and parsnips, which roast beautifully in under half an hour. A dusting of salt, black pepper and fresh herbs, et voilà.
15. Crispy Green Bean “Fries”
If eating vegetables always feels like a chore to you, these six-ingredient beauties can change that. After being coated in Parm and paprika, the beans will turn crunchy in the oven in just 15 minutes.
16. Vegetarian Sushi Cups
Skip the rolling mat business. Your trusty muffin tin will do all the heavy lifting.
17. Rainbow Vegetable Skewers
These are brushed with lemon-parsley dressing before getting nice and charred on the barbecue. Pro tip? Stick to one veggie per skewer so they cook evenly without burning.
18. Turnip Fries
Have you been sleeping on this root vegetable? A blend of Old Bay and garlic powder should wake you up.
19. Roasted Winter Vegetable Platter with Miso Aioli and Romesco Sauce
Kabocha squash, carrots and cauliflower transform into the fanciest veggie platter of all time alongside umami-rich aioli. Think Dijon mustard, lemon juice, pasteurized egg yolk and white miso paste.
20. Spicy Avocado Hummus
This cross between guac and hummus will only take you 10 minutes to whip up. The hardest thing you’ll have to do is decide between tortilla and pita chips.
21. Cauliflower Fried Rice
Try your best not to fill up before dinner. The minced ginger, soy sauce and Sriracha make this grain-free dish pretty darn irresistible.
22. Crispy Parmesan Brussels Sprouts
In a word, epic. TBH, we could bathe in the lemon-Dijonnaise dipping sauce.
23. Rainbow Collard Wraps
Lean, mean and totally vegan. Start by blanching the collard leaves so they keep their vibrant color, slather them with hummus, add the veggies and roll. P.S., the wraps will keep for two days in the fridge.
24. Zucchini “Fries”
A blend of Panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder and cayenne take this summer veggie over the top. No deep frying required.
25. 15-Minute Gazpacho with Cucumber, Red Pepper and Basil
Soup is generally off limits come summer. But this ridiculously easy meal doesn’t need a second at the stove—just a spin in the blender or food processor. Try this yellow tomato gazpacho next.
26. Carrot Pigs in a Blanket
Your favorite hors d’oeuvre just got a whole lot healthier. We promise you won’t miss the hot dogs (especially with a generous drizzle of green goddess dressing).
27. Mini Spinach-Ricotta Calzones
It doesn’t get simpler than store-bought pizza dough, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses and frozen chopped spinach.
28. Summer Rolls
Thanks to rice noodles and shrimp, this snack packs 9 grams of protein per roll. Have ’em plain or go wild with sweet chili sauce.
29. Baked Sweet Potato Fries
These just never get old, do they? All it takes is garlic cloves, olive oil, fresh rosemary and a stint in the oven.
30. Easy Veggie Quesadillas
Sweet potatoes, red onion, corn, beans and jalapeños nestled in ooey-gooey cheese? Sign us up.
31. Mini Taco Salad Cups
OK, these couldn’t be more adorable if they tried. Trade tortillas for wonton wrappers before filling with beans, romaine lettuce, tomato, olives and cheese. Top one with a generous drizzle of sour cream and devour.
