This list of Peanut-Free and Tree Nut-Free Packaged Snacks is designed to help parents and caretakers who need to provide allergy-friendly snacks for their own kids or to an entire school class or daycare.
Hi friends!
This roundup of Peanut Free & Tree Nut Free Packaged Snacks for School has been a long time coming. You guys have been asking me for nut-free ideas for YEARS, literally…and to be honest, I’ve been putting it off. I’m not an allergy mama. My kids don’t have allergies and up until recently, they haven’t been in schools that require things to be nut-free so I selfishly haven’t had a whole lot of reason to write this post. But I finally sat down and did it!
A few things to note before we go further:
- This is not an all-inclusive list. There are a lot of options out there. Some of which are not the healthiest. It would be impossible to include them all, and as an RD I approached this list as still wanting it to be filled with snacks that have some nutritional value and not just full of pretzels and potato chips (both of which are fine but not something I give my own kids every day, especially when not paired with a protein or healthy fat, etc. Just know that I did my best to include items that are somewhat healthy, that I would feel good about giving my own kids.
- It’s still your responsibility to do your research. I spent a lot of time on websites and looking at packaging but things can change quickly in the manufacturing process so you still need to check all the labels yourself and check them every time you buy them..not just the first time.
- I haven’t tried them all. Like i said, I’m not an allergy mama so we haven’t had the occasion to buy a lot of these products and therefore neither I nor my kids have tasted a lot of them.
- Some wouldn’t be my first choice nutritionally. But most on this list are things I feel are good choices when packaged snacks are needed.
The best way to determine if foods are allergy-free snacks is to read the label since brands should have a warning statement or allergen list. Be aware of phrases like this:
“May Contain Peanut or Tree Nuts.”
“Processed on shared equipment with Peanuts or Tree Nuts.”
“Manufactured in a plant with Peanut or Tree Nuts.”
“Contains Peanut or Tree Nut Ingredients.”
You can also check the FAQs on the website but packaging should have the most updated info.
Some schools give guidelines that foods must not contain peanut or tree nuts but don’t require them to be from nut-free facilities. Some do. Be familiar with the rules for wherever you’re sending food so you can make sure to choose snacks that comply with their guidelines. And remember that although choosing allergy-friendly options like this can be a pain if your family does not have allergies, it’s important for the safety of a lot of kids and allergy families appreciate you putting in the time and effort to keep their kids safe. My hope is that this list will make your job just a little bit easier.
Here’s my list of peanut-free and tree nut-free packaged snacks from several allergy-friendly brands, many of which are known for keeping their facilities free of the top 8 allergens. You can click the hyperlinked brand name below each image to be taken to their website, use their store locator etc. I’ve also listed some of their products that might make good snacks. Most brands offer more products than the ones I’ve listed and you can use your discretion to choose those as well! And remember that some brands may have some products made in nut-free facilities and other products that are not so read carefully!
Peanut-Free & Tree Nut-free Packaged Snacks
Made Good
Granola Bars
Granola Minis
Safe + Fair
Popcorn Quinoa Chips
Pea Protein Chips
Remy’s Honey Grahams
Granola (add to yogurt)
Enjoy Life
Grain and Seed Bars
Chewy Bars
Lentil Chips
Seed & Fruit Mix
Breakfast Ovals
Protein Bites (not my first choice)
ZEGO Foods
Fruit + Chia Bars
Just Fruit Bars
Seed & Fruit Bars (slightly high in added sugar but still decent)
Mix-ins (mix with cereal to make trail mix, add to yogurt)
88 Acres
Seed Bars
Seed’Nola
Seed Butter
Somersaults Snacks
Crunchews
Crunchy Bites
This Saves Lives
This Bar Saves Lives Kids Bars
Zee Zees
Roasted Sunflower Kernels
Applesauce
Fruit Cups
Mixzees Dried Fruit
Soft Baked Bars
Nutrition bars (higher in calories and added sugar than I’d like for kids)
RW Garcia (peanut-free facility)
Crackers – Lentil Turmeric, Chickpea, Sweet Beet, Sweet Potato
Corn Chips
Tortilla Chips
Pop Chips
Yes Peas
Lundberg Family Farms
(Website says the facility that makes rice cakes is free from peanuts and tree nuts)
Rice Cakes
Thin Stackers
(use a peanut butter alternative for topping)
Bitsy’s
Good Cookies
Smart Cookies
Smart Crackers
Bagel Chips
(Would be good with individual guac or hummus cups for dipping!)
GoGoSqueez
Applesauce
Fruit & Veggie Squeez
Nature’s Bakery
Whole Wheat Fig Bars
(I’d love to know how much of the 10g of sugar in these bars is added sugar.
I actually reached out to the company a while ago but never got a response.
The original fig version as 2g protein vs 1g in the other flavors.)
SkinnyPop
Popcorn
Popcorn Cakes
Popcorn Mini Cakes
Popcorn Puffs
MySuperFoods
Granola Bars
Granola Bites
Super Cookies
Super Pops
GardenLites
Muffins
Veggie Cakes
Hilary’s
Veggie Bites
A few ideas for allergy-friendly treats:
Rule Breaker Blondies
Free2b Sun Cups & Snack Breaks
Made Good Soft Baked Mini Cookies & Crispy Squares
Safe + Fair Abby’s Cookies
Enjoy Life Crunchy & Soft Baked Cookies
Peanut Butter Replacements
(Pair with pretzels, fruit, celery, put on sandwiches etc)
SunButter
(Made with sunflower seeds)
WowButter
(Made with soy)
88 Acres Seed Butter
(Made with pumpkin, sunflower or watermelon seeds)
Don’t Go Nuts Spreads
(Made with roasted soybeans)
Sneaky Chef No-Nut Butter
(Made with golden peas)
Kween Granola Butter
(Made with oats and flax)
There are also some other packaged snacks that I frequently see mentioned on allergy-friendly lists. Some of their websites say the snacks themselves are peanut/tree nut free but the facilities are not. Others I couldn’t find specific info about the facilities so you’ll need to do your own research based on how strict the guidelines are at your school/facility:
- Quaker Rice Cakes
- Triscuits
- Wheat Thins
- Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies
- The Good Bean Roasted Chickpeas
- SunChips
And a few other packaged snack ideas:
(DO YOUR RESEARCH AND CHECK THE LABELS)
- String cheese
- Fruit: fresh, dried, freeze-dried, fruit leathers, dried fruit bars, fruit cups
- Individual guacamole and hummus cups
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Yogurt cups/tubes
- Cottage cheese + fruit cups
- Meat sticks/jerky
- 8oz Lifeway kefir
So there you go! Hope that was helpful.
Please remember – I spent a lot of time and energy on this post, but things change. You are responsible for checking the labels and doing research on the things you choose to buy!
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
Looking for more snack ideas? Check out my list of 60+ Packaged Healthy Packaged Snacks for Kids.
As a mom of a child with food allergies I have learned a lot regarding food labeling. One thing I have learned is that although statements like “Processed on shared equipment with Peanuts or Tree Nuts.” (and the others you listed) are helpful they are not required by law. Companies can decide if they are going to disclose this information on packaging or not. Also, as a long as the allergen is listed in the ingredients companies do not have to have an allergen warning at the bottom of the list. So, while these statements are helpful they do not replace reading the ingredient list and cannot be relied upon to determine if the products is safe or not. Please don’t forget about the other two most common childhood food allergies dairy and eggs. While it’s easy (and trendy for schools) to avoid peanuts and tree nuts these other allergies can be just as, if not more, severe than peanuts and tree nuts.
I love this post especially since school is back in session. It can be super difficult to find peanut/tree nut free snacks for children!