Healthy snacks at Trader Joe’s are easy to find. Whether you’re craving something crunchy, protein-packed, or naturally sweet, there are loads of options for road trips, lunchboxes, and 3 pm hunger pangs.
Trader Joe’s is often known for indulgences like cookie butter and Joe-Joe’s cookies. But they also have a whole lot of healthy snacks that don’t come replete with a cream filling.
With crunchy raw veggies, fresh and dried fruit, nuts, seeds, and protein-packed noshes, you can make it through your afternoon slump without popping open a bag of salt and pepper potato chips. (Mmm, salt and pepper potato chips…)
All of the snacks in this post are vegan, and many are gluten-free.
The term “healthy” can be subjective. So when you’re shopping, turn product packages around to check the nutrition facts and ingredient lists.
Depending on your own dietary needs, you may want to consider things like portion sizes, protein, fiber, sodium, added sugars, saturated fat, and oil.
In this post:
Nuts and seeds
A handful of nuts is a quick, grab-and-go snack that’s rich in protein and fiber to help keep you satisfied.
Trader Joe’s has a huge variety of nuts and seeds – including those that vary by roasted or raw, unsalted, salted, and reduced salt. My pantry must haves are cashews and peanuts.
Other options include:
- Almonds
- Walnuts
- Pistachios
- Pecans
- Macadamia nuts
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sunflower seeds
You can also get flavored and mixed varieties like:
- Marcona almonds (rosemary or truffle)
- Sweet and spicy pecans
- Everything But the Bagel nut duo (with almonds & cashews)
- Garlic & onion pistachios
- Chile & garlic cashews
- Thai lime & chili almonds or cashews
- Olive & herbs mixed nuts
- Mesquite smoked almonds
- Salt & pepper pistachios
- Candied pecans
- Elevated mixed nuts
When looking for vegan nut options, check the ingredients, and steer clear of those with honey or milk products (as in the case of Ranch seasoned cashews).
Trail mix
Who doesn’t love a crunchy treat with a mix of salty and sweet?
Trail mix is a standard for throwing in your backpack before a hike, but it’s also a good pantry staple for anytime snacking.
Options include:
- Almonds, Cranberries, Cashews Trek Mix
- Cashew Macadamia Delight Trek Mix with pineapple, cranberry, and almond
- Omega Trek Mix with dried cranberry and roasted nut blend
- Go Trek Mix with raisins and mixed nuts
- Simply the Best Trek Mix with almonds cashews, pineapple, tart cherries, and cranberries
- Happy Trekking Trek Mix with almonds, chocolate chips (non-dairy), cashews, pistachios, dried cranberries and cherries
Read the ingredient label: Some trail mixes at Trader Joe’s contain dairy.
Make your own trail mix: For variety, simply grab handfuls of whatever nuts, seeds, and dried fruit you have on hand (like almonds, cashews, peanuts, and dried cranberries).
Then put them into one container. For more sweetness, you can even add semi-sweet chocolate chips.
It’s a good way to work through your stash of dried fruit and nuts. Plus, it offers immediate variety.
Dried and freeze-dried fruit
For a naturally sweet snack, dried fruit offers the intense sweetness of fruit, along with a pleasing chewy texture.
Soft and juicy mango is very popular, and dried apricots are surprisingly succulent for something dried.
Other options include:
- Dried baby bananas
- Dried apple rings
- Banana chips
- Raisins
- Dried cranberries
- Candied ginger
- Prunes
- Dried cherries
- Dried mandarins
- Dried figs
- Chile spiced pineapple
- Chile spiced mango
- Apple Chip Duo (Crunchy and oil-free)
- Dates (Great filled with nut butter)
If you grew up on fruit rollups, then you know all about dried fruit snacks that are fit for a lunchbox.
These kid-friendly dried fruit snacks are sold in a mix of flavors and shapes.
- Fruit leather buttons in grape mango and strawberry mango flavors can be peeled away from a paper backing
- Fruit bars come in organic mango, apple & coconut, apple & mango, and apple & banana
- Fruit leather wrap flavors include apple raspberry and apple wildberry
If you prefer a bit of crunch, snack on freeze-dried fruit instead. Because the water has been removed, the fruit’s flavor becomes concentrated.
Freeze-dried options include:
- Fig slices
- Strawberries
- Tart cherries
- Blueberries
- Banana slices
- Mango
- Raspberries
- Berry medley
Snack-sized veggies
As snacks go, it doesn’t get healthier than veggies. To make them easy for noshing, grab mini versions, or cut full-sized vegetables into slices or sticks.
Options include:
- Cherry tomatoes
- Mini cucumbers
- Sugar snap peas
- Baby carrots
- Mini bell peppers
- Celery (Cut into sticks and fill with peanut butter and raisins for a classic snack)
- Jicama sticks (Sprinkle with lime juice, chili garlic seasoning, or dip in Trader Joe’s guacasalsa)
Enjoy these veggies on their own or dunk in a dip. (Onion garlic salad dressing is my go-to.)
Crunchy snacks & chips
Obviously the healthiest products at Trader Joe’s are in the produce aisle. But no Trader Joe’s snack roundup would be complete without some of the store’s crunchy favorites.
Trader Joe’s always has unique flavors of popcorn, including seasonal options like Popcorn in a Pickle in the summer and Thanksgiving Stuffing Seasoned Popcorn in the fall. (They’re two of our household favorites.)
For year ’round options, grab a bag of Popcorn with Herbs and Spices, or pop your own in an air popper or on the stove using their packaged popcorn kernels.
Other classic crunchy options include:
- Mini pretzel twists (Great on their own or dipped in vegan honey mustard)
- Inner Peas (A mildly-flavored baked green pea snack)
- Pink Lady Apple Chips (They taste like apple pie!)
- Crunchy Curls (A good match with hummus)
If your afternoon hunger pangs require chips and salsa, consider veggie and flaxseed corn tortilla chips or quinoa and black bean infused tortilla chips.
Old school classic brown rice cakes can be topped with a slathering of nut butter and bananas or berries. They’re also good with sliced avocado and a sprinkling of Everything But the Bagel seasoning.
Savory Squares were briefly discontinued from Trader Joe’s, but they’re back. This vegan and gluten-free answer to Cheez-its can be enjoyed on their own or topped with nut butter.
Trader Joe’s has seaweed snacks in a bunch of different flavors. Although they’re not my cup of tea, this iodine-rich snack is wildly popular.
Dips and spreads
To keep you fuller longer, pair raw veggies, crackers, flatbread, crostini, or chips with a protein-packed dip like hummus or nut butter.
Trader Joe’s has several hummus flavors like roasted garlic, crunchy chili onion, roasted red pepper, olive tapenade, and Mediterranean.
For everyday snacking, pick a full-sized container. Or if you’re planning for a lunchbox, you may want one of the small multi-packs. (One variety comes complete with pita chips.)
Other dip options include:
- Bruschetta sauce
- Vegan tzatziki dip
- Vegan cashew & kale basil pesto
- Zhoug sauce
- Almond chipotle dip
- Guacamole
- Salsa
Trader Joe’s has 17 different kinds of salsa. See my complete Trader Joe’s salsa round-up to choose which type to try first.
Nut butters are an MVP in snacking. They’re terrific spread in celery, slathered on crackers or toast, or used for dunking with apple slices.
From the many options they have at TJ’s, I always have jars of crunchy salted peanut butter and creamy almond butter on hand. If you can’t have nuts, Trader Joe’s also offers sunflower seed butter.
To keep your spread vegan, avoid any nut butters that include honey.
Savory & protein-packed snacks
Protein-packed snacks are my favorite, because they are so filling and satisfying.
Lately, I’ve been gravitating towards salted edamame, found in the frozen section. It can be enjoyed hot or cold.
To prepare it, simply thaw in the fridge, use the defrost function on the microwave, or steam. Then add a pinch of salt, if you like. (It’s not strictly necessary, because their edamame is salted already.)
Just graze your teeth over the pod to pop out the soybeans inside. (The pods aren’t edible.)
To take them up a notch, make spicy edamame with chili crisp.
Trader Joe’s has two kinds of baked tofu – teriyaki (my usual) and sriracha. Packed with flavor, enjoy a slab right out of the fridge, or slice, warm, and pile on top of avocado toast.
Balela is a Middle Eastern chickpea salad in the refrigerated section. You can just dig in with a spoon, or scoop it up with pita chips or crackers.
When your hunger pangs have you craving something salty and briny, grab one of these options:
- Just a Handful of Olives
- Marinated Artichokes on the Go
- Dill pickle spears
- Dolmas (stuffed grape leaves)
Snack idea: Put these options together with one of Trader Joe’s vegan cheeses, crackers, and some raw veggies for a simple snack board.
If you don’t mind a little cooking, four or five Thai vegetable gyoza make a terrific and filling snack.
While you cook these frozen potstickers, make a quick gyoza dipping sauce.
For similar ideas, check out my easy Trader Joe’s meals. In that post, I share more Asian-inspired appetizers that would work equally well as a snack.
You can also turn a can of Greek chickpeas into a crunchy snack by air frying them at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes or until they reach your desired level of crispiness. (Stop occasionally to shake the air fryer basket.)
Be aware that Greek chickpeas are packed in oil. If you prefer a less oily option, make air fryer chickpeas using the regular canned chickpeas.
For another legume-based snack option, make bruschetta lentils. Get all the details in my Trader Joe’s steamed lentils idea guide.
Fresh fruit
Sweet and juicy fruits are nature’s perfect snack.
When my stomach starts growling, I’ll often munch on a banana with peanuts, grab an apple, or pluck a few grapes from the fridge.
Pay attention to the ever-changing grape options at Trader Joe’s. They get some really fun, candy-inspired flavors like cotton candy and gummy bear grapes.
Depending on what’s in season, here are some more fruity ideas:
- Oranges
- Mandarins
- Pineapple
- Peaches
- Nectarines
- Melon
- Kiwifruit
- Persimmons
- Figs
- Mangos
- Cherries
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
For more Trader Joe’s finds, be sure to check out my complete list of Trader Joe’s vegan favorites.
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