Easy After School Snacks

These easy after school snacks are simple, nutrient-packed bites that will curb any afternoon appetite. Neither of us has kids, but we do occasionally get sleepy and/or grumpy in the afternoons and start to look for snacky foods to perk us up. If you’ve got a kid in school or you’re heading back to school yourself, or if you’re like us and just like snacks, these easy after school munchies are guaranteed to cure any post-lunch and pre-dinner blues.

None of these is super complicated, and we know that we didn’t invent the combo of fruit with tajin or PB & J. But hopefully, they inspire you to make some easy bites whenever you or your kids are feeling sleepy or a little hungry in the afternoon. Make these as they are, or play around with different ingredient combinations. 

Each of these after school snack recipes serves 2 people. We suggest making one of these snacks at a time unless you’re serving a crowd, in which case, make them all!

Why You’ll Love These After School Snacks

• Easy to make, with no cooking required. These recipes are all made without cooking, so they’re perfect on even the hottest days. They’re also super easy to put together, so you can make them in a flash to feed hungry kids or adults.
• Nutrient-rich. Each of these snacks has good nutrients, whether it’s protein in the peanut butter or hummus, healthy fats in the avocados, or vitamin C in the fruit. 
• Customizable. You can easily change any of these snacks according to your own preferences. Hate or are allergic to peanut butter? Use almond butter. Don’t like olives? Leave them out of the hummus stuffed peppers. Easy snacks like these are meant to be customized to your liking, so have fun!
• No measuring required. While we included measurements below, these snacks are so simple that they don’t really require strict amounts. We provide the details so that you have something to start with, but you can also just use these recipes as guidelines for how to put them together.

Basic Ingredients Needed for These After School Snacks

PB & J Crackers

• Peanut butter – you can use creamy or crunchy peanut butter. If you are allergic to peanuts, feel free to change this to almond or cashew butter instead.
• Jam – any kind of jam will do. We’re big fans of apricot, cherry, and blackberry varieties.
• Crackers – you can use store-bought or homemade crackers. For store-bought, we like the buttery, slightly sweet, savory flavor of Ritz, but you can also use Saltines or any other basic cracker. Just don’t use crackers with a lot of onion or garlic flavor in them or it won’t taste good with the PB & J.

Avocado Mash Rice Cakes

• Rice cakes – keep it simple by using a lightly salted variety. 
• Avocados – fresh, ripe avocados add healthy fats and creamy texture to the basic rice cakes.
• Chipotle chili powder + salt – these season the avocados and add a little spicy flavor.

Everything But the Bagel Cucumber Bites

• Cucumbers – we like using English cucumbers or another variety with few seeds and thinner skin.
• Cream cheese – whipped cream cheese is the easiest to spread. You can use plain cream cheese or any savory flavor you like.
• Everything bagel seasoning – you can make your own, or use your favorite store bought variety. We like the Trader Joe’s version.

Hummus Stuffed Bell Peppers

• Baby bell peppers – these are sweeter and more snackable than large, regular sized bell peppers. Plus, they make a great cup for holding hummus.
• Hummus – we prefer to use regular hummus, but you can use any savory variety.
• Green olives – make sure to use pitted olives. If you don’t like green olives, you can use kalamata, black olives, or another kind.
• Feta cheese – a little feta adds savory briny flavor to these stuffed peppers.

Sweet and Sour Fruit

• Watermelon, mango, or other fresh fruit – we love watermelon and mangos in this snack, but any sweet, bright fruit will work, like pineapple, oranges, or honeydew melon.
• Tajin seasoning – Tajin is a seasoning blend of dried chile peppers, lime, and salt. The savory, tart, and slightly spicy flavor balances so well with sweet fruits.

How to Make These Easy After School Snacks

PB & J Crackers

1. Spread about 1 teaspoon of peanut butter on top of each cracker. 
2. Spread about 1 teaspoon of jam on top of the peanut butter. 

Avocado Mash Rice Cakes

1. Using a fork, mash up half of an avocado on a plate. 
2. Spread half of the mashed avocado onto one rice cake, and the other half onto the other rice cake. 
3. Season the avocado mash on top of each rice cake with a pinch of salt and a sprinkle of chipotle pepper powder, to taste. Note: this snack is best eaten immediately. If it rests too long, the avocado will cause the rice cake to get soggy.

Everything But the Bagel Cucumber Bites

1. Spread about ½ tablespoon of whipped cream cheese onto each cucumber slice. 
2. Sprinkle the salmon with everything bagel seasoning.

Hummus Stuffed Bell Peppers

1. Cut each baby bell pepper in half lengthwise and remove the seeds in the middle. 
2. Fill each halved bell pepper with your favorite kind of hummus.
3. Place a slice of green olive on top of the hummus in each pepper half. 
4. Add about ½ teaspoon of crumbled feta cheese on top of the hummus and olives in each bell pepper half.

Sweet and Sour Fruit

1. Sprinkle your desired amount of Tajin on top of each wedge or slice of fresh fruit.
2. Serve immediately for best results.