Less Is More: 10 Snacks with Less Than 6 Ingredients

The average snack chip contains over 25 ingredients with a list of additives you can hardly pronounce. Um…shouldn’t chips just be potatoes, salt, and a bit of oil?

We already know that processed foods are more addictive than foods that don’t have added ingredients like sugar and fat, but what’s a person to do when nacho cheese-flavored corn chips and chocolate-covered Oreos are getting passed around?

It’s easy—arm yourself with any of these 10 snacks containing six ingredients or less. The shorter the ingredient list, the less likely there are to be fillers, preservatives, and the gnarly chemicals that you can’t pronounce.

All of our picks contain less than 6 main ingredients—we didn’t include salt and natural spices in our ingredient count—and all of them are preservative and GMO free.

Snack on!

Bacon Bites Jerky

Bacon is always a crowd-pleaser, and these bacon jerky bites are no exception. Typically jerky is filled with preservatives, but this naturally cured version only contains three ingredients. The result: A tasty, protein-packed snack that you kids will actually eat.

BBQ Green Peas

Veggies can be hard to sneak into a lunch, which is why these BBQ flavored green peas are the greatest snack invention ever. Crunchy and savory, they’ll squash the craving for BBQ potato chips instantly.

Maple Bacon Popcorn

Salty and sweet with a smoky finish, the marriage of maple and bacon is enough to get you to open the bag yourself to try a handful. Just make sure to save some for your kid.

Taza Almond Crunch Bar

This is one chocolate bar you won’t feel bad about dropping into your kid’s lunchbox–or saving for yourself. Even those who aren’t big fans of dark chocolate will love the crispy almond texture.

Cacao Banana Crisps

These chocolate covered bananas are gluten-free, Paleo, and raw, but you definitely don’t feel like you’re missing anything once you bite into them. Just sweet enough, they’re so good on their own or dipped into nut butter. Plus, they’re super easy to take on the go.

Freeze Dried Raspberries

Nothing but raspberries in this snack! Because they’re freeze dried, they travel incredibly well and will stay good indefinitely, so even when raspberries aren’t in season you can get your fix. Plus, the novelty of this “astronaut” food could launch your kiddos’ imaginations into space.

Clif Kid ZFruit Rope

This looks like a cross between a fruit roll-up and a Twizzler, but Clif Kid ZFruit has none of the added sugar or artificial flavoring that lurks in those snacks.

White Cheddar Power Puffs

It’s time to finally retire cheese puffs from your grocery list. These light and crispy cheddar puffs made of navy beans, whole grain rice, and coconut oil are good enough to devour in one sitting.

Coconut Chips

Your new favorite dessert food, coconut chips aren’t to be confused with coconut flakes. Sweetened with just a touch of natural sugar to satisfy your sweet tooth and packed with fiber to keep you satiated, these goodies are perfect on their own or thrown into trail mix.

Coconut Brownie Bites

If it looks like a brownie, smells like a brownie, and tastes like a brownie, it’s a bona fide brownie, right? Maybe. These brownie bites are vegan, raw, and gluten free, and you’d never guess from the way they taste. Seriously, your kids will be begging you to sneak these into their daily lunches.

When school rolls around, packing healthy lunches will be a breeze. Time to prepare your speech for your “Best Lunch-Maker-Ever” award.

Photo credit: Paul Delmont