36 Gluten-Free Snacks Your Kids Will Love

If you’re seeking ideas for gluten-free snacks, you’ve come to the right place! Maybe you learned that your child must go gluten-free for medical reasons, or your child would like to support a gluten-free friend during shared lunchtime. Perhaps you just need more gluten-free snack ideas as your child can’t eat any more “ants on a log” (peanut butter and raisins on celery). 

Whatever the reason, understanding gluten—and how to pack snacks that avoid it—can help keep kids safe. Keep reading for our round-up of gluten-free snack ideas for kids.

The Importance of Gluten-Free Snacks for Kids

When it comes to kids’ snacks—gluten-free or not—creating a positive and delicious experience can build healthy relationships with food. Snacks are also essential to help complement the nutrients kids get in their daily meals. 

When creating snacks, Marina Chaparro, MPH, RD, CDE pediatric registered dietitian and founder of Nutrichicos, often recommends following her “FFP rule,” which stands for fat, fiber, and protein.  “Including one to two of these nutrients in snacks can help keep kids feeling satisfied throughout the day, minimize the constant “I’m hungry” requests, and ensure they receive essential nutrients such as protein and carbohydrates, which are crucial for after-school activities,” says Chaparro.

She says this rule also applies to gluten-free snacks. So give the 36 snack ideas below a try, and keep a list of the top 10 your child loves best!

Easy Gluten-Free Snacks That Don’t Contain Dairy

• Hard-boiled egg + strawberries
• Gluten-free soy yogurt + blueberries
• Clementine segments + almonds
• Sunflower seeds + sliced bell pepper
• Pear slices + peanut or almond butter
• Peanuts + Raisins
• Gluten-free corn tortilla chips + guacamole + baby carrots

Easy Gluten-Free Snacks That Contain Dairy

• Cottage cheese + pineapple chunks
• Greek yogurt + sliced strawberries
• Ricotta cheese + blueberries
• Drinkable yogurt + hard-boiled egg
• Chocolate milk
• String cheese or cheddar cheese

Gluten-Free Snacks That Require Some Prep

• Mango smoothie made with full-fat unsweetened kefir, frozen mango, and flax seeds
• Homemade trail mix made with dried fruit (raisins, apricots), nuts (pistachios, cashews, almonds), and gluten-free pretzels
• Mini yogurt parfait made with Greek yogurt, gluten-free granola and blueberries
• In-shell edamame served with a clementine on the side
• Banana sliced lengthwise topped with almond butter and sprinkled with cinnamon
• Celery sticks topped with whipped cream cheese and sprinkled with seasoned salt
• Gluten-free tortilla chips topped with mozzarella cheese, toasted in the oven at 350-degrees for five minutes to melt cheese, served with salsa on the side
• Rice cakes topped with soft goat cheese and thin-cut pear slices, and drizzled with honey
• Gluten-free baked goods (muffins, cookies, granola bars, etc.)

Gluten-Free Snacks That Include Packaged Foods

Malina Malkani, MS, RDN, CDN, owner of Malina Malkani Nutrition and author of Safe and Simple Food Allergy Prevention, emphasizes becoming a savvy food label reader. She says to “check food labels every time you buy a food for your child, as product formulas can change over time.”

When choosing gluten-free packaged products, she also suggests prioritizing fortified options, as important nutrients for kids are added back in. This can help meet your child’s vitamin and mineral needs including iron, folic acid, thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin. 

• Rice cakes + peanut (or other nut) butter + sliced banana
• Gluten-free plantain chips + string cheese + grapes
• Gluten-free popcorn + apple slices
• Gluten-free apple chips + yogurt
• Hummus + carrot and celery sticks
• Gluten-free roasted chickpeas + pear or apple slices
• Gluten-free pretzels + bean dip
• Gluten-free roasted corn kernels + cheese stick
• Gluten-free frozen fruit bars
• Fruit cup + gluten-free pretzels
• Gluten-free cookies + banana
• Fruit leather + baby carrots
• Gluten-free cereal + milk
• Gluten-free granola bar

Understanding a Gluten-Free Diet

There are certain conditions that make gluten-free snacks medically necessary for people. These include celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

What is celiac disease?

Celiac disease is a genetic autoimmune condition that affects the intestine when gluten is eaten. It can occur at any age, but one peak time for diagnoses is during the first 2 years of life. When a child who has celiac disease eats gluten, the finger-like projections called villi that line the small intestine walls become flattened and are unable to absorb food and nutrients properly.

What is non-celiac gluten sensitivity?

People with non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) experience symptoms that are similar to those with celiac disease. The difference is that with NCGS, there is minimal to no damage to the intestines. There’s no specific test to diagnose NCGS, but a diagnosis can be made after a wheat allergy and celiac disease have been ruled out by a health care provider.

Symptoms to watch for

Symptoms of celiac disease and NCGS can vary widely, and there are over 200 reported symptoms. Some of the most common symptoms in children include:

What should you do if you recognize these symptoms or think your child may have an issue with gluten? “Instead of immediately removing gluten from the diet, parents who are seeing these types of symptoms in their child should reach out to their health care clinician right away and ask about having the child tested for celiac disease,” says Malkani.

Malkani explains testing first is important because once gluten has been removed from the diet, it’s difficult for clinicians to distinguish between celiac disease and gluten sensitivity.