With 1 out of 13 children diagnosed with a food allergy and schools becoming increasingly allergy aware, more and more families are on the search for allergy-free snacks to send to school. Having a daughter with peanut and tree nut allergies, I know that it can be a major challenge — and I can only imagine if you’re a family not used to dealing with food allergies.
To help everyone keep all kids safe and healthy at school, I’ve rounded up my favorite allergy-free snacks from the supermarket. Because I know that making your own allergy-free snacks from scratch can be a pain, especially if you don’t otherwise keep an allergy-free home. These nutritious grab-and-go snack options are free of all eight of the most common food allergens, making all the difference.
Related: 7 allergy-friendly snack recipes for a safer back-to-school lunch season.
Before we get to the snacks: On occasion, the list of ingredients in a food product or the foods that are manufactured at a facility can change, so please make sure to check the website and/or packaging carefully each time you make a purchase to be sure that it’s safe for your kids and/or the other kids at school.
Allergy-free snacks: SunButter On the Go Single Cups
I’m a huge fan of SunButter as a peanut butter alternative, because in my opinion, as a former peanut butter lover, it comes closest in taste. I truly love their On the Go Single Cups, which contain 1.5 ounces of smooth creamy goodness that pair beautifully with crackers, pretzels, celery sticks, or fruit slices.
Also, I find it helpful that the individual packs are clearly labeled since teachers can easily confuse SunButter for off-limits peanut butter. It’s clear: no contraband here!
Allergy-free snacks: SkinnyPop Popcorn
Popcorn is a healthy snack, but when it’s made from non-GMO corn, is preservative-free, and is popped in healthier sunflower oil, it’s something you can feel especially good about packing in your kid’s lunchbox — that is why I love SkinnyPop. The other thing I love: SkinnyPop is peanut-, soy-, tree nut-, and gluten-free. While some flavors contain dairy, many of them don’t. Score!
Oh, and watch out if you buy the SkinnyPop dusted with dark chocolate: You may get hooked faster than the kids!
Allergy-free snacks: Enjoy Life Seed and Fruit Mix
I love Enjoy Life Foods, because their snacks are free from the eight most common food allergens, sulfites, and sesame, and — most importantly — are just really tasty. For snack time, you can’t go wrong with their Seed and Fruit Mix packs. The nut-free trail mix is made with sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, dried fruit, and dairy-free chocolate chips, and is packed with lots of protein and fiber to keep energy levels up. You can get it in single serving pouches, too, which is perfect for back-to-school.
Related: 7 gluten-free and allergy-friendly school lunch ideas every kid will love.
Allergy-free snacks: GoGo Squeez Applesauce Pouches
My kids love GoGo Squeez applesauce pouches and I love how convenient it is that they can be kept at room temperature. Talk about healthy on-the-go! The pouches are free of the eight most common allergens and also made in a facility that is free of allergens — which is big and hard to find.
They come in a wide variety of flavors, some even with veggies mixed in. If dairy is not an issue, their Yogurtz pouches are pretty good, too, and can also be kept a room temp, which is a lunchbox game changer! UPDATED: Thanks to one of our fantastic readers, we’ve learned that, though nut free, the Yogurtz pouches are not made in a nut-free facility like the apple sauce pouches. Important to know!
Allergy-free snacks: MadeGood Granola Bars and Minis
We featured MadeGood as one of our favorite peanut- and nut-free granola bars and they still are, especially since they make the perfect lunch box snack. MadeGood products are produced in a dedicated facility that is free from the eight most common allergens and they contain vegetable powder (spinach, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, beets, shiitake mushrooms) to make them super healthy. (Don’t worry: The kids will never know about the veggies unless you tell them.)
The bars are small — much smaller than typical granola bars — which I love, especially as a snack that’s part of a larger school lunch. The Minis are fun little pop-in-your-mouth bites of granola that come in individual pouches and are a perfect snack for the bus ride home.
Allergy-free snacks: Bobo’s Bites
Bobo’s Bites are tasty, perfectly portioned oat bars that are vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO, and soy-free. They’re delicious enough that we’re including them here, though it’s very important to note that some flavors do contain nuts. While Bobo’s has an allergen program in place to prevent cross contact, they — and we — recommend that those with allergies nuts and tree-nuts exercise caution when eating their products.
But if soy, dairy, or gluten are all you worry about, these snacks are a great find.
Allergy-free snacks: Ruby Rockets Non-Dairy Yogurt Tubes
Ruby Rockets make convenient non-dairy yogurt tubes made with fruits, veggies, creamed coconut, chia seeds, and pea protein, with no sugar added! They are also gluten-free, vegan, and kosher, making them a great snack for almost everyone (unless coconut is an issue, of course).
Throw these into your kid’s backpack or lunch box as you would a regular yogurt squeeze tube or freeze them for an after school treat. Be aware that other products from Ruby Rockets are made in a different facility — one that also process nuts — so only this non-dairy yogurt makes the cut for this particular round up.
Related: 10 allergen-free food blogs for fantastic tips and family-friendly recipes.
Allergy-free snacks: SeaSnax Seaweed Single Packs
My youngest daughter is addicted to seaweed snacks and I love SeaSnax brand single packs because they are made with the best organic ingredients and are free of the eight most common food allergens. They roast their seaweed with olive oil instead of the more common sesame oil, and because the company only produces seaweed products, there aren’t any concerns of cross-contamination from peanuts or tree nuts, all of which can be difficult to find in Asian food products.
Unfortunately the Yogurtz pouches by go go squeeze are NOT made in a nut free facility, even though the apple sauce pouches are. The info can be found on their website.
Thanks for the info. We’ve updated the post to be more clear!