28 Vegan Snacks for Parties & Midday Slumps Alike

There are two camps of vegan snacks—foods that just so happen to be vegan and foods that are very intentionally vegan. We are equal-opportunity snackers! Whether you’re looking to impress guests or make something you can reach for while you work from home or marathon-watch TV, these 28 recipes cover your cravings for snacks that are crunchy, savory, sweet-leaning, or dips you can enjoy with your favorite vegan crackers.

Some of the recipes provided have ingredients that are not vegan, but are easy to substitute. I’ve included one-for-one substitutions in these cases.

1. Renee Erickson's Sautéed Dates

The title is pretty much the instructions to this recipe, minus the directive to shower with flaky salt. It’s perfect over a bed of yogurt, or pierced with toothpicks for a fancy canapé situation.

2. Deviled Avocados

A clever take on an American classic from a Parisian restaurant. The "yolk" here is a quick homemade hummus.

3. Snack Mix-Style Sesame Sticks

“Sesame sticks are the child's play of the DIY snack food world,” writes recipe developer Sarah Jampel. “If you can make crackers (and you can), you can make sesame sticks.” Note: This recipe calls for honey, which can be replaced in equal parts with agave nectar, barley malt syrup, or maple syrup.

4. Blistered Shishito Peppers

Don’t be intimidated by making this restaurant staple at home. All it requires is high heat, a high-burning oil (like vegetable or grapeseed) to match, and a heavy hand with the salt.

5. Vegan Buffalo Chicken Dip

It’s not hummus mixed with hot sauce! This dip gets its base from a mix of artichokes and Great Northerns.

6. Tapenade Taralli

It’s a bit of a project, but oh my the results are worth it. Like bagels, you shape, boil and bake them, but unlike bagels, you want them to be noisily crunchy.

7. Hippie Crispy Treats

Like Rice Krispies treats but there’s more to love (chocolate, mainly).

8. Giardiniera (Italian Pickled Vegetables)

You can eat these right away or put them in sterilized jars to munch on later.

9. Apricot, Date, and Cashew Snack Balls

Use any nut you like here, and enjoy the bright acidity that apricot brings to the traditional date-and-nut formula.

10. Smoky Fried Chickpeas

A tapas-y snack that won our Best Recipe with Paprika contest.

11. Sweet & Spicy Sesame Dumplings

Community member Panfusine adapted South Indian kozhakattai here to be less tricky and more fried, until it became its own wonderful thing entirely.

12. Top-Shelf Trek Mix

This mix is more formula than recipe: "2 cups nuts, 1 cup crunch (seeds or grains or cereal), 1 cup dried fruit, 1 cup surprise, such as cacao nibs, candied ginger, or edible gold flakes." Start with our suggested ingredients then choose your own adventure.

13. Around-the-World Coconut Popcorn Mix

Circumnavigate the world, be the Magellan of popcorn, with this fresh take with coconut, garlic and lime zest.

14. Apple Chips

Simple? Yes. Simplistic? Never—especially if you vary the dusting of spices. The obvious (and great) choice is cinnamon, but something savory like za’atar would make it a sweet-salty sensation.

15. Vegan Sweet Potato Biscuits

You can go savory or sweet with this recipe, and they will always be tender.

16. Roasted Red Pepper & Cauliflower Dip

It started out as something to eat during a 30-day diet change, but ended up being a recipe developer Ella Quittner continues to snack on today.

17. Salty Southern Boiled Peanuts

I was surprised to learn this is a Southern (American) snack, having enjoyed virtually the same thing as a child in (South) India. Think of it as the rent-is-due version of pistachios.

18. Spicy, Smoky Homemade Kale Chips

Though kale chips are not as in vogue as the were in 2011, they continue to be the #1 way to save the kale wilting in my crisper drawer. Curly kale is best here—more grooves to catch all that smoky, spicy goodness.

19. Paula Wolfert's Herb Jam with Olives & Lemon

Speaking of wilting greens, here’s an olive-y way to preserve herbs that is excellent with saltine crackers. (A fantastic hangover cure, if you didn’t already know.)

20. Vegan Mushroom "Jerky" (Slow-Roasted Mushroom Strips)

As someone who’s never tasted vegan jerky, I can’t say how this compares—but I can say that the double-umami of slow-roasted mushrooms and tamari here is exactly what I want on a road trip.

21. Wonder Fries

There are millions of amazing potato recipes out there, so you want to pay attention to the winner of our Best Recipe with Potatoes contest. It’s the miso-mayonnaise that brings the "Wonder" factor, and eggless mayo would be just as wonderful here. (Here’s a recipe for DIY vegan mayo.)

22. Jennie Cook's Zucchini Butter

Picture the infamous Regina George zinger from Mean Girls, but swap carb for snack. ("Is butter a snack?") NOPE. But spread some zucchini butter on toast points and you have a very good, very genius one.

23. Date and Walnut Oatcakes

A filling, back-to-school–type snack that will stave off hanger if you’re out and about; also a good grab-and-go breakfast.

24. Creamy, Zesty "Cheese" Dip

And by that we mean vegan queso, which we suggest you make on a Sunday night and A) invite your friends over or B) keep in the fridge and enjoy with chips throughout the week.

25. Za'atar-Spiced Chickpea Crackers with Maldon Sea Salt

Both vegan and gluten-free, this is a cracker that’s just as good with the za’atar topping as it is without, or use any herb-spice mix you have.

26. Five Minute, No-Bake Vegan Granola Bars

These take 5 minutes to make, then you leave them in the fridge for at least 4 hours before cutting them up into bars. We strongly suggest wrapping them individually so they are ready to grab anytime you need to leave the house in a jiffy.

27. José Pizarro's Salt-Crusted Potatoes with Cilantro Mojo

Salt lovers only. We’re veering into "side" territory here, but if you’re not eating anything else, it is indeed a (filling and somewhat fancy) snack, which keeps well in the refrigerator. Enjoy with cilantro mojo or any acidic, vinegary sauce.

28. Molly Wizenberg's Slow-Roasted Tomatoes with Sea Salt & Ground Coriander

Take advantage of summer’s stellar tomatoes and keep the final results of this recipe in a jar (or jars) you can reach for through the rest of the week.

what are your favorite vegan snacks? Let us know in the comments!