12 Easy Snack Ideas Beyond Chips and Biscuits

A good snack tides you over to the next meal. The simplest ones are built from foods you already have: fruit, vegetables, curd, pulses and nuts.

Chips, biscuits, cakes and sugary drinks are not "banned", but the NHS Eatwell Guide groups them with foods high in fat, salt and sugar that we should have less often and in smaller amounts. The ideas below are easy swaps for everyday hunger.

12 snack ideas

1. A piece of fruit with a small handful of unsalted nuts. An apple, banana, guava or orange with 8 to 10 almonds or a few walnuts. No prep needed.
2. [Roasted makhana with mild spices](/en/recipes/roasted-makhana). Make a jar at the weekend; it stays crisp for days in an airtight container.
3. [Roasted chana chaat](/en/recipes/roasted-chana-chaat). Roasted Bengal gram tossed with cucumber, tomato and lemon, ready in 10 minutes.
4. Plain curd with fruit. A bowl of curd with chopped fruit and a pinch of cinnamon, instead of a sweetened yoghurt.
5. Vegetable sticks with hummus or curd dip. Carrot, cucumber and capsicum sticks with a spoonful of hummus or thick curd mixed with roasted cumin and salt.
6. Moong sprouts with lemon. Lightly steamed sprouts with chopped onion, tomato, lemon and a pinch of chaat masala.
7. A boiled egg. Boil a few at once and keep them in the fridge for up to 2 days.
8. Homemade popcorn. Pop plain kernels in a covered pan with a teaspoon of oil and season lightly, instead of buying butter- or caramel-coated popcorn.
9. [Cucumber-mint chaas](/en/recipes/cucumber-mint-chaas). A savoury buttermilk that is filling and refreshing on a hot afternoon.
10. Roasted corn on the cob (bhutta). Rubbed with lemon and a little salt and chilli.
11. Fruit chaat. Mixed fruit with lemon juice and a pinch of chaat masala.
12. A leftover chilla or small roti roll. Wrap leftover sabzi or paneer in a roti, or reheat a moong dal chilla.

At a glance: prep time

Make the easy choice the obvious one

Most snacking happens on autopilot, so what is in sight matters. The NHS suggests having a fruit bowl at home and keeping chopped, ready-to-eat fruit and vegetables in the fridge.

• Keep fruit where you can see it, on the table or desk, not in a drawer.
• Portion nuts in advance. The NHS notes that nuts and seeds are a healthier snack but high in energy, so a small handful is plenty.
• Prepare one batch snack a week, such as makhana, boiled eggs or chopped vegetables.
• Carry something when you know you will be out for a long time.

Snack or meal? If you are hungry soon after a meal, the meal may have been light on protein, fibre or vegetables. See how to build a balanced plate.

Choosing packaged snacks

Packaged snacks can be convenient. When you buy them, compare labels: the NHS suggests choosing products with more green and amber and fewer red traffic-light colours, and checking the per 100 g column to compare similar products. Our guide to reading a food label explains how.

Watch out for drinks, too. The WHO recommends keeping free sugars, which include sugars added to drinks and those in honey and fruit juice, below 10% of daily energy.