Entertaining Kids All Summer? Here Are 9 Snacks They’ll Love
From frozen treats to pizza-flavored potato cups.
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Summer with kids can be a lot. I love it, yes, but it can still be just a lot. The boys are home more and they are hungry basically ALL THE TIME. Are all of us parents spending a large portion of our time just trying to keep them full between meals?!
What I’ve figured out over the years is that the best kid snacks have a few things in common: they’re easy to make, they don’t require a lot of ingredients, and they need to actually taste good and not just be technically nutritious. A snack that a kid won’t eat isn’t a snack—it’s a waste of time.
This list is everything I make when I want to keep them happy without just throwing a bag of chips at them. Some of these can be made ahead and put in the freezer so they are ready to grab whenever. Almost all of them take very little time to make. But all of them are kid-approved and all of them are delicious and simple.
A popsicle mold. You’ll need one for the chocolate banana protein pops. Make a batch, pop them in the freezer overnight, and they’re ready to grab all week.
A high-speed blender. For the shaved ice especially. Also great for any smoothie-style snacks or sauces.
A fruit chopper. One of my favorite kitchen tools and it makes chopping the fruit for the fruit salsa incredibly fast and uniform.
A muffin tin. Essential for the pizza potato cups. A standard 12-cup tin is all you need to get those perfectly crispy hash brown bases.
A baking sheet (plus parchment paper). For the cinnamon sugar chips, the onion ring chips, and the pretzels. A good sheet pan that heats evenly makes a real difference in how crispy everything gets — and parchment means no scrubbing after.
Airtight containers. A staple in my kitchen for a reason. The fruit salsa stores great in one, and the blueberry yogurt clusters and frozen grapes both need a container in the freezer to stay fresh.
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Growing up I loved eating fudgesicles in the summer (these were non-negotiable) and these Chocolate Banana Protein Pops are the version I feel good about handing to the boys on a hot afternoon. Cottage cheese, banana, cacao powder, maple syrup, and protein powder all get blended together until silky smooth. Make a batch, freeze overnight in popsicle molds, and they’re ready to grab whenever someone comes in from outside asking for something cold.
This Viral Tiktok 1-Ingredient Shaved Ice is exactly what it sounds like — one type of fruit (I used watermelon) and condensed milk, blended, frozen in a shallow dish, and scraped into fluffy, icy shaved ice that is more satisfying than anything you’d get at an actual stand. Mango, strawberry, pineapple — whatever fruit your kids are into this week — it all works. This requires about three minutes of effort and is super fun!
For these Sour Patch Strawberry Frozen Grapes, grapes get coated in lime juice and strawberry Jello mix, then frozen until they’re cold, tangy, and slightly crunchy on the outside. They taste exactly like a Sour Patch Kids but they’re just fruit, which means I don’t have to think twice about putting them out as a snack. Kids love these and you can feel a bit better about what they’re eating!
If you’re looking for a delicious, sweet, and healthy snack that is not only packed with protein, but is PERFECT to grab and go, then look no further because this recipe is IT! These Viral Blueberry Yogurt Clusters are a crunchy, creamy, and delicious snack that is perfect any time of day. They are made with four simple and easy ingredients, and can easily be made vegan-friendly to satisfy all palates. My boys and I absolutely LOVE this recipe, and I know you and your family will, too!
Ready to meet your new favorite fruit-forward snack? My Fruit Salsa with Baked Cinnamon Sugar Chips is anything but boring. Made from juicy cut fruit, sweet honey, and a hint of lemon, this fruit salsa is the best thing to happen to fruit since the fruit salad. Plus, it’s served with deliciously sweet baked cinnamon sugar chips (also known as Buñuelos) that perfectly compliment the sweetness of the fruit. If you’ve been looking for a fun way to use up all that fruit, then look no further because this is it!
While these can also be used as a breakfast option, these Crunchy Pizza Potato Cups are also the perfect snack option this summer. Hash brown cups get baked in a muffin tin until golden and crispy, then filled with pizza sauce, mozzarella, and mini pepperoni — and the result is basically pizza in snack form. Six ingredients, ready in under 30 minutes, and they travel well, which makes them perfect for beach days or afternoons on the go.
Looking for your family’s newest snack obsession? These Viral Crispy Onion Ring Chips are it. Onion rings get coated in grated parmesan and Italian seasoning, baked until perfectly crispy, and served with warm pizza sauce for dipping. They come together with just four ingredients and taste like pizza-flavored onion rings, which means kids will eat them without any convincing whatsoever.
Four words: Dill Pickle Ranch Pretzels. Truly, is there anything better than that? These Baked Dill Pickle Ranch Pretzels are salty, briny, and are truly the perfect snack. I love preparing a big batch of these at the beginning of the week, so I can have them on-hand for my kid’s lunch boxes all week long or all week long during the summer. But these aren’t just for kids – even adults will love them, too!
These Summertime Chicken Nachos with Corn Salsa are loaded nachos with seasoned shredded chicken, melted cheese, and a fresh summer corn salsa piled on top. This one is more of a full snack situation, perfect for a late afternoon when everyone is starving and dinner is still two hours away. The corn salsa is bright and fresh and honestly good enough to eat on its own with chips.
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