Beach Snacks: 17 Easy Recipes for Your Next Beach Day
I absolutely love the beach and these are some of my go-to beach snacks to pack and enjoy. Whether I’m snorkeling over beautiful reefs or building sandcastles, having something tasty to munch on makes the day even better.
I’m always a fan of packing both sweet and savory beach snacks for adults and kids, including a couple healthy bites too. So, there is always something for everyone and every craving.
The main criteria for beach snacks for me are ones that taste great, travel well and hold up in the hot weather or in the cooler without leaving a mess.
So, here are some of my best beach snacks to pack and enjoy.
Easy beach snacks for kids and families
1. Peanut butter oat balls
If your friends and family are peanut butter lovers, this no-bake snack is easy to make ahead. With just 3 ingredients (peanut butter, oats and honey), the balls are the perfect little bite-sized treats.
They are great for kiddies, last really well in the cooler and pack a nice protein and energy hit too.
2. Roasted chickpeas
Crunchy, flavorful and packed with protein, these roasted chickpeas are a great beach snack for families. It’s savory with oregano and mild cayenne flavors.
You can make them the day or two before, pour them into small containers or Ziploc bags and keep them in your bag or cooler. Have them between dips in the water.
3. Hummus and veggies
When it comes to healthy beach snacks, you can’t go wrong with hummus and crunchy veggies. The creamy dip has wonderful protein, tastes amazing and is great with carrot sticks, cucumber and even bell peppers.
Pack the hummus in a jar, add the veggie sticks to a small Ziploc and pop them both in the cooler. You can also pack some crackers too.
4. Mango chow
In the Caribbean, chow is an absolute favorite that doubles as a healthy beach snack. It’s made with fleshy fruits and veggies like pineapple, mango or cucumber and flavored with culantro (chadon beni), garlic, salt and pepper. Swap culantro for cilantro if you can’t find it.
It’s essentially tangy, sweet, salty and spicy all in one and, when kept in the cooler in a sealed container, it is the perfect refreshing snack on a hot day.
5. Pineapple cucumber salad
Cold summer salads also make excellent beach snacks! This pineapple cucumber salad tastes great and you can separate it into tiny cups or go bigger and keep it in mason jars.
The salad stays well in the cooler and can be enjoyed as a side dish too.
6. Frozen fruit
Here’s the easiest beach snack you can make! Wash a couple of grapes and berries thoroughly and pop them in the freezer overnight. When you’re heading off to the beach, pack the frozen fruit into a container and store in the cooler.
The fruit will stay pretty cold in there and be delightfully sweet and juicy when you’re relaxing in the sun.
Beach appetizers and savory bites
7. Goat cheese balls
For something a little fancier in your beach bag, try these crispy fried goat cheese balls. They’re crispy, tangy and taste incredible with sweet and savory dipping sauces.
Store them in a small container and enjoy them as beach snacks for adults especially.
8. Cheese puffs
My cheese puffs are choux pastries stuffed with herby cheddar filling. You can make them the day before and they’re just as good cold as they are warm.
They travel surprisingly well and can work as mini cheese pastries in between meals.
9. Sliders
Sliders or mini sandwiches are great beach snacks for everyone. Instead of separating storebought mini buns, you can take the entire thing out of the bag, carefully slice into the whole thing, add cheese, deli meats, lettuce and sauces like mustard or ranch onto each bun. Pop the tops back on and place the entire mini buns “loaf” back into the bag.
When you’re at the beach, everyone can grab their own sliders and enjoy!
10. Pinwheel sandwiches
Instead of mini buns, you can also make pinwheel sandwiches. Use tortillas, layer on cream cheese, deli meat, and veggies before rolling the tortillas. Cut into 2-inch slices to make pretty pinwheel spirals.
You can make them the night before, add them to a container and pack them between ice packs.
Beach desserts and sweet treats
11. Chocolate zucchini muffins
These chocolate zucchini muffins are soft, chocolatey and pack a sneaky bit of nutrition thanks to the hidden zucchini. Wrap them up individually for easy grab-and-go portions in your beach bag.
12. Apple pie bars
If you love apples and apple pie, then these apple pie bars are a must-try. They have the same flavor profile and are easy to cut into squares for the perfect apple beach snack. They stay well anyway you pack them.
13. Carrot oat muffins
For a gluten-free, sneaky muffin option, these carrot oat muffins are healthy and have a great texture. They are loved by the kiddies and adults alike!
They’re make ahead snacks that you can keep in your bag.
14. S’mores cookie bars
Here’s a fun beach dessert that can turn into a delightful, core memory. You don’t need a campfire to enjoy the marshmallow fluff and chocolatey goodness of these incredibly yummy bars.
They’re better when packed in a container in the cooler to keep the chocolate from melting. But, they stay really well anyway you store them.
15. Banana bread muffins
Banana bread in muffin form! Doesn’t that sound like the best beach snacks ever? My small-batch recipe yields 6 muffins and you only need two extra ripe bananas to make them.
Of course, if you need more, scale up the recipe! Or make banana bread instead. The muffins can be stored in your beach bag in a large container or smaller bags for easy grabbing on the go!
16. Sweet potato brownies
Like the other hidden nutrition beach desserts, these sweet potato brownies are easy to make, taste great and are sure to satisfy the sweet tooth of both kids and adults alike.
17. Cookies!
Chocolate chip cookies to be exact! Double and triple my recipe, make them the day before and have these easy beach snacks to just grab and go.
These are soft, chewy and are sure to disappear as soon as you pull them out of your bag.
So, those are my favorite beach snacks to pack on my beach days. I hope you found some great ideas, fun beach desserts, and new recipes to try.
For more summer recipes that may not work as well for the beach, check out these: