Top 12 Gluten Free Snacks Kids Love

Nuts are naturally gluten free, but unfortunately, nuts, nut mixes, and trail mixes are frequently contaminated with wheat during manufacturing. Even nuts from bulk bins at whole foods stores can be contaminated. Blue Diamond makes a nice selection of gluten free almonds. We love the honey roasted flavor. Note the Wasabi and Soy Sauce flavor is NOT gluten free. Wonderful pistachios and almonds also make an excellent gluten free snack. They are nutritious and packed with protein. I would be cautious about nuts that are not labeled gluten free. Peanuts seem especially prone to wheat contamination. I don’t fully trust that Planters of Fisher nuts are gluten free. Planters has one product that is labeled gluten free called the NUTrition nut mixes which we enjoy (we prefer the Men's Health variety). If you are especially sensitive to gluten, I would steer clear of other Planters products until they are willing to put a gluten free claim on the label. Nuts.com is an excellent online company that sells gluten free nuts and you can be assured they are not contaminated with wheat.

Most major brands of peanut butter are gluten free! Can I get an AMEN! Our family's favorite is creamy JIF. Jif is also sold in small travel size disposable dipping containers which I LOVE. You can dip many things in peanut butter but one of our favorites is Snyder's GF pretzels. We also love dipping apples slices and celery sticks in peanut butter. Deliciously satisfying and packed with protein.

Crisp, cold veggies are packed with nutrients and are always a little more appealing with a flavorful veggie dip. We love Hidden Valley Ranch which is always gluten free. Jimmy’s veggie dip is also outstanding. Give it a try. I have to remind the kids to have a few veggies with their dip! Hidden Valley Ranch makes travel size dipping cups that are easy to pack for those on the go!

I celebrate the fact that popcorn is gluten free. My oldest son is addicted. He could not resist it while he had braces and a hull got lodged in the space between his teeth and gums causing an infection. So the orthodontist’s orders really are important. We discovered that the hard way more than once! Most popcorn brands are gluten free. Check the label (don't know how to read the label? Check out this post). Our very favorite varieties are Jolly Time Healthy Pop microwave kettle corn and Boom Chicka Pop by Angie’s. Boom Chicka Pop comes in many flavors and all are DELCIOUS! Angie’s dark chocolate sea salt is frighteningly good. I can’t stop eating it!

Not as nutritious, but the perfect salty treat – chips! There are many varieties that are gluten free. We love chips and salsa. On The Border makes excellent dipping chips and our favorite salsa is Red Cactus mild salsa. It has a little bit of sweetness and is wonderfully delicious. Lay’s does a great job placing gluten free statements on the packaging label. We love the Classic Lay’s potato chips and the Baked Lay’s varieties. Fritos corn chips are also a favorite. Doritos are a popular brand, but I am concerned about possible gluten contamination. Their website lists their gluten free flavors, but the company discloses they may contain traces of gluten through the manufacturing process. I have found that Walmart's Great Value brand makes great alternatives to Doritos. We love their Nacho cheese and Glacier Ranch chips. Great Value also makes a delicious GF Sour Cream and Onion potato chip. The Good Crisp Company makes an excellent gluten-free alternative to Pringles! They come in a can just like Pringles! Even though it’s not really categorized as chips, I must mention Pirate’s Booty. This is an addictive, salty, melt in your mouth puffcorn. My son loves it so much - it is the only thing he asked for on his birthday! Last but not least, Cheetos and Cheetos Puffs are gluten free. HOORAY!

Also not as nutritious but certainly delicious – cookies! Goodie Girl is a company that makes lots of tasty cookies – our favorites are the mint cookies that are a wonderful alternative to the legendary girl scout Thin Mints. Their gluten free fudge striped cookies are very similar to the Keebler version. And these can be used for s'mores as an alternative to gram crackers and chocolate. Just melt the marshmallow and smash it between two fudged stripe cookies! This is sure to make your gluten free friends happy around the campfire! My kids are split regarding their favorite gluten free Oreo alternative. Two votes for the Great Value chocolate cream sandwich cookies and the other two votes are for the Kinnikinnick K Toos. The Glutino vanilla creme sandwich cookies are an excellent choice for those vanilla lovers. Glutino also makes a yummy chocolate-coated wafer cookie. Kinnikinnnick makes a tasty gluten free vanilla wafer. We have not yet discovered a GF alternative to Nutter Butters – darn!

Crackers and cheese is something my kids really missed after being diagnosed with celiac disease. A good friend recommended the Breton original crackers and they are a hit! Crispy, lightly salted, whole grain goodness. These are excellent with sliced cheese. For convenience the cracker cuts are amazing and they stay very fresh in the fridge. The Lance GF original crackers are excellent with cheese or peanut butter. They remind me of a buttery Ritz cracker (not quite as good as the real thing, but a decent alternative). Lance also makes bite-sized peanut butter and cheese cracker sandwiches, very similar to Ritz bits cracker sandwiches. In my opinion, more work needs to be done on a recipe for a good GF graham cracker option. Our first choice is Schar gluten free honeygrams. They are fragile and crispy and have a lighter taste than a Nabisco graham cracker. They work well for s'mores, but they break easily - so be careful when removing them from the package. Lastly, Schar makes an AMAZING gluten free saltine cracker. Many people prefer them over regular saltines. They are so light and crispy. You can cover them with your favorite jam or eat them with soup. YUMMY!

Apples are one of my favorite fruits, and they are even better dipped in caramel. I think everything would taste better with a little caramel! Slice up some of your favorite apples and pick up some Jimmy’s caramel apple dip. This is always a hit for everyone - gluten free friends included!

There is something about cereal that kids just love and there are some great GF options. Cereal and milk is a good way to start the day, but also makes an excellent snack in the middle of the day or at bedtime! Our gluten free family should own half of the Chex company by now. We love these cereals. Most flavors (with the exception of Wheat Chex) are gluten free. My daughter loves the Cinnamon Chex and my son loves crunchy Corn Chex. Cheerios are also gluten free, however, they are made with oats and some people with celiac disease do not tolerate oats. Make sure to ask your gluten free guest if Cheerios are safe for them. Unfortunately, many popular cereals are not gluten free either due to the presence of wheat or malt flavoring. Kellogg's Rice Krispies are not gluten free because of the presence of malt flavoring (malt flavoring is made from barley). Good gluten free alternatives to Rice Krispies are available including Malt-o-Meal crispy rice. We use these to make rice krispie bars and they taste the same as the original. Also, you should know that Crispix are not gluten free, so plan to use Rice Chex if you need to make gluten free puppy chow.

Most yogurt products are gluten free. In addition to the Chex company, our gluten free family should also own half of the Yoplait company. We just love the texture and flavor of Yoplait yogurt and Gogurt. Turn yogurt into a crunchy treat by adding Udi’s gluten free granola. We also love adding fresh or frozen berries. Makes for happy kids every time! Plus you are giving them the calcium they need to grow healthy and strong.

String cheese is low in calories and high in protein and calcium. It is a filling and nutritious snack and is wonderfully portable for folks on the go. There is something satisfying about pulling those little strings off a piece at a time. Maybe you are like my son and gobble it up in two bites – forget about the strings! Best of all, it is gluten free.