If your kids are anything like ours, they come home starving after school, no matter how big their school lunches are. All that learning is hungry business! Be prepared for those afternoon munchies, we keep a load of healthy after school snacks ready to go for when the kids get home.
HEALTHY AFTER-SCHOOL SNACKS FOR KIDS
Some of these delicious recipes also make great lunch box fillers, while others are better eaten at home. Either way, there are loads of great recipe ideas your kids will love to fill the gap between school and dinner for hungry kiddos.
Here are some quick no bake ideas that don’t require a recipe to put together easy after school snacks in around 5 minutes or less:
- Fruit platter – Cut up some fruit and put it on a plate with some Greek yoghurt for dipping. Fresh fruit such as bananas, fresh strawberries and other berries, apple slices, oranges… pretty much any fruit is a refreshing way to give your kids an extra daily serving of fruit.
- Vegetable sticks – carrot, celery, cucumber or capsicum sticks are all great for dipping in hummus or tzatziki.
- Fruit Kabobs – Alternate chunks of fresh fruit on a skewer for a fun and easy snack.
- Tuna and crackers – A can of tuna, some whole wheat crackers and low-fat mayo is a favourite for many kids. Just mix together and serve
- Cheese and crackers – A classic snack that is easy to prepare and most kids love. Try different types of cheese or crackers to mix it up a bit.
- Peanut butter and banana sandwich – Peanut butter is a great source of protein and when paired with a banana makes a satisfying snack. You can use any nut butter instead, like almond butter or cashew.
- Popcorn – A small bag of popcorn is a great afternoon snack and much healthier than chips.
- Smoothie – If your kids are always on the go, blend up a quick smoothie with some fresh fruit, yogurt and milk. They can drink it on the way to their next activity.
- Trail mix – A mix of nuts, chia seeds and other seeds, dried fruit such as sultanas and dried cranberries and whole grain cereal is a filling snack that will give your kids sustained energy.
- Avocado toast – For kids that love a smashed avo, this is a filling snack full of healthy fats that is great for kids who do afternoon sport and need something extra filling between school and dinner.
- Apple nachos – A fun twist on nachos that kids will love. Slice up apples and top with melted chocolate, peanut butter, yoghurt, granola or whatever else you like.
Check out more healthy snack ideas for after school below:
Sweet Healthy After School Snacks
Reaching for the sweets is an easy option, so making sure those sweet treats in your house are healthy options are a great way of teaching your children to make good food choices and to appreciate the natural sweet alternatives, such as fruit and yoghurt… with a few sometimes foods mixed in! These healthy After School Snacks are sure to be winners with the whole family.
HEALTHY CHOCOLATE RICE BUBBLE SLICE
This healthy chocolate rice bubble slice tastes just as good as a chocolate crackle, but without any of the bad stuff! It needs to stay refrigerated or in the freezer, so it works better as an after school treat rather than a lunch box filler.
This is often my go-to for curbing my sweet cravings too, as we often keep a batch in the freezer for those desperate times when a treat is needed. A far better option for my work at home snacking!
PEAR & WALNUT MUFFINS
These delicious pear and walnut muffins are sweet and crunchy and a favourite in our household! Use up excess pears or switch out the walnuts for sunflower seeds to make them lunchbox friendly too!
CHOCOLATE CHIP NO BAKE GRANOLA BARS
Homemade snack bars are such an easy option to make in bulk and they can go quite well in school lunch boxes too. These chocolate chip no bake granola bars are super easy to make up a batch, slice up and store for after school or during.
APPLE STREUSEL MUFFINS WITH MAPLE GLAZE
These apple streusel muffins with maple glaze work not only as a great afternoon tea option, but they also look fabulous enough to take to events and morning tea with your grown up friends too! They will be a hit with all ages! The kids will no doubt be impressed with your healthy afternoon snacks skills!
NO-BAKE CHOC CACAO BLISS BALLS
These nut-free protein balls with a fudgy chocolate flavour, rolled in coconut make a healthy afternoon snack idea for the kids. You can freeze them in bulk too.
FROZEN YOGHURT BARK
This frozen Greek yoghurt fruit bark takes 5 minutes preparation. Chill for a couple of hours then serve as a frozen treat on hot days. This treat is loaded up with good stuff, and a far better alternative to ice cream or ice blocks!
ZUCCHINI CARROT AND APPLE LOAF
This simple recipe makes two loaves so you can have one for now and one to freeze, having you covered for a load of tasty snack sessions! Zucchini, carrot and apple loaf is a great way to increase your kids’ veggie serves if you are struggling to get them to eat enough vegetables each day too!
YOGURT MANGO BANANA MUFFINS
These yoghurt mango banana muffins are a favourite with my kids and they are easy to make and freeze for later. You can use fresh mango or frozen pieces. They are a yummy sweet treat loaded with fruit.
NEED LUNCH BOX IDEAS? CHECK OUT THESE EASY, HEALTHY LUNCH BOX RECIPES
CHOC CHIP WEETBIX BISCUITS
While this yummy cookie recipe with Weet-bix cereal, oats, coconut and honey may not be the healthiest on this list, it will quickly become a favourite and give a great energy boost to kids after school. Find the Weet-bix biscuit recipe.
YOGURT WAFFLE BOWL SUNDAES
Imagine how delighted the kids will be to make their own healthy sundaes after school. These yogurt waffle bowl sundaes are a fun super simple snack the kids can help make by selecting their own fruity toppings and mix ins. It will feel like a special treat without the sugar-loaded ice cream of a traditional sundae.
BANANA OAT APPLE MUFFINS
These moist applesauce muffins with banana and oats are a delicious after school snack that kids will enjoy. These low-calorie muffins also make a great option for breakfast on busy mornings before school or work.
PEANUT BUTTER HONEY CHEERIO BARS
Peanut butter and Cheerios are some of my kids favourite things, so mixing the two together with honey and coconut oil makes for a super simple 4 ingredient after school recipe they will love.
These peanut butter honey Cheerio bars are a fun way to serve up some breakfast favourites together into a sweet afternoon snack. They may even make a good breakfast on the go substitute if you are running late before school too!
HEALTHIER CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI MUFFINS
If you want a sweet prep ahead snack that still sneaks some hidden veggies into your kids, these healthier chocolate zucchini muffins are sure to be a hit, loaded with chocolate chips. Not many kids would turn down a chocolate treat, and they will likely have no idea about the sneaky zucchini added in!
NO BAKE ENERGY BITES
Anything that is no bake and keeps in the freezer is a total winner for a quick afternoon snack option. These no bake energy bites are a great make ahead in bulk recipe you can freeze and grab out as you need. They would also go well in lunch boxes too. A couple of energy bites make a great high energy snack before getting started on homework.
READ NEXT: Recipes using Greek yogurt
Cranberry chocolate chip cookies
These cranberry chocolate chip cookies are a sweet treat, loaded with flavour and puffed rice cereal to give kids an afternoon snack that is easy to make and surprisingly filling.
HEALTHY CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER DIP
Dipping fruit pieces is a yummy way to fill up little tummies after a big day of school, and is sure to keep them occupied for at least 5 minutes as you get organised with your afternoon to do list! This healthy chocolate peanut butter dip is easy to make ahead and serve up with different things to dip in, like apple slices, melon, mandarin, grapes and berries.
CARROT CAKE BLISS BALLS
Carrot cake bliss balls are a fantastic alternative to an actual carrot cake for an afternoon snack. It is a quick recipe to make plus you can freeze it for later too. Bliss balls are also a perfect lunchbox recipe too and a sweet treat for mum and dad when the naughty food cravings kick in!
GREEK YOGURT CHOCOLATE BANANA MUFFINS
Greek yogurt and banana are such a perfect combination for making moist, delicious muffins, just like these Greek yogurt chocolate banana muffins. This is a great recipe to use up over ripe bananas or yogurt at the end of its use by date too, plus you can freeze a batch and just pop one or two in the microwave to defrost, ready for afternoon snack time!
MUFFINS ARE AN EASY MAKE AHEAD SNACK – GET LOADS OF HEALTHY MUFFIN RECIPES
EASY 3 INGREDIENT RAW ALMOND PROTEIN BARS
These easy 3 ingredient raw almond protein bars are loaded up with nutty goodness and are perfect for active kids heading to after school sports and activities for an energy boost. They also make great take to work snack bars too for adults!
MANGO MACADAMIA ICE BLOCKS
When the warm weather rolls around, nothing quite beats an afternoon treat that will cool the kids down and fill them up! These mango macadamia ice blocks are the perfect make at home chilled snack for summer, with no refined sugar included.
MAPLE OATMEAL MUFFINS
These maple oatmeal muffins have no added sugar, getting their sweetness from the maple syrup instead. They are a yummy afternoon tea option or an anytime snack really. Serve with the delicious maple butter for what tastes like an indulgent treat minus the indulgence!
HOMEMADE PEANUT BUTTER GRANOLA BARS
Bars are a great afternoon snack for active kids who are always on the go, even after school. These peanut butter granola bars are a great make ahead afternoon snack for home or taking for after school sports practice and dance class.
GRAB MY FREE PRINTABLE SCHOOL LUNCH BOX LIST FOR THE FRIDGE:
Savoury Healthy After School Snack Ideas
Sometimes savoury is the perfect way to finish the school day, especially in the cooler weather when looking for an afternoon snack that can be served warm like so many of these savoury options can be.
HAM AND CHEESE TEA SANDWICHES
These mini sandwiches are seriously cute and are sure to be a hit with the kids! You can mix and match with sandwich cutters or different shaped cookie cutters for a fun look, and try out some different fillings too, or stick with the simple ham and cheese tea sandwiches like this recipe.
AIR FRYER PIZZA SCROLLS
Kids love pizza and these air fryer scrolls take around 15 minutes to make from scratch using puff pastry and your favourite pizza toppings or anything else you have at home. Load them up with some extra veggies instead and you will have an afternoon snack kids will love. They can even help you make them.
AIR FRYER HARD COOKED EGGS
Recently I have been loving the different things you can do in an air fryer, after having neglected it for so long. One thing I never would have thought to try was hard cooked air fryer eggs.
This is a super quick afternoon or lunch box snack, if your child does not have any egg allergies. Quick way of making egg salad or other egg dishes too now that I’ve discovered this easy air fryer alternative!
AIR FRYER SWEET POTATO CHIPS WITH YOGURT DIP
While we are on air fryer recipes for after school snacks, one of my favourite quick afternoon fillers or weekend light lunches are these air fryer sweet potato chips. Serve them up with a quick and easy greek yoghurt dip or a salsa. For my kids, its tomato sauce though!
SMOKEY MAPLE ROASTED CHICKPEAS
These smokey maple roasted chickpeas are also made in the air fryer and are an easy grazing snack for toddlers as well as older kids, with those smokey flavours to keep them coming back for another handful. Yum!
CARROT, HAM & CHEESE MUFFINS
My favourite type of kid friendly recipe is one you can make in bulk ahead of time and these savoury carrot, cheese and ham muffins are a great option for baking in bulk and freezing for later. They taste great… yes, even I love defrosting a few in the microwave for quick lunches at home too.
GARLIC CHICKEN BALLS
If your kids love chicken kiev, or garlic in general, these garlic chicken balls are a great snack size way to enjoy their favourite main meal. Make in bulk and freeze a batch and just pop a couple in the microwave in the afternoon for the kids to snack on. They aren’t as healthy as some of the other recipes but they are great in the cold months when you can serve them warm and dip in a homemade chunky tomato sauce.
MINI WHOLEMEAL PIZZAS
Pizza is a winner no matter what. There aren’t too many kids who don’t love pizza and these mini wholemeal pizzas are a healthier alternative and a super cute winter warmer satisfying snack idea. Serve with their favourite toppings, straight out of the oven on a cold school day!
AIR FRYER TORTILLA CHIPS
If you have a craving for some corn chips, but don’t have any in the house, turn your flour tortillas into the perfect crunchy alternative. This easy tortilla chips snack takes less than 10 minutes to make and is delicious served warm with dip for an afternoon snack.
LUNCHBOX QUICHES
Taco boats are such a versatile option and there are so many things you can do with them beyond just tacos. Skip taco Tuesday this week and go instead for some lunchbox quiches which double as a great grab and go afternoon snack. Flavour with your favourite fillings and let the kids grab one before getting into their homework for the afterno
on.
These healthy after school snacks recipes are sure to keep your kids happy after school to help them fight off the after school hunger and give themselves a brain boost before they get into their homework or after school activities.
Having easy snacks like these prepared and ready for when the kids get home is going to make your afternoon routine so much easier than dealing with hungry and tired little people who have had a huge day of learning!!
Keeping your refrigerator organised will help your kids easily grab healthy snacks too!
If your child has a birthday coming up and wants to celebrate with their class, these non-cupcake birthday snacks for school are great alternatives.
For more kid-approved recipes, check out these delicious lunch box recipes by clicking below:
