Easy Vegan Snacks for Kids

Kids like to snack. Since their little bellies can only hold so much food at a time,they are natural grazers, typically eating several very small meals a day.How can you provide your child with fun vegan snacks in a non-vegan world?

A vegan is a person who does not consume any animal derived products. This not only means they consume no meat of any kind, buy also no dairy, eggs, gelatin, or honey. Since these things are found in so many store products and typically vegan specialty products are expensive, parents and caregivers need to be creative during snack times. Here are some kid-approved vegan snacks that are sure to please!

Fruit skewers with dipping sauce

Who says fruit is boring? Not when it is put on a stick with a fun dipping sauce made of rice or soy yogurt. Cut fruit and let your child or children spear the fruit themselves. Prepare the sauce by adding pureed fruit to vanilla soy or rice yogurt or by adding a bit of vegan cocoa powder to the yogurt.

Avocado pudding

This snack is full of healthy fats and completely cruelty-free. Place avocado, vegan sugar or agave nectar, some cocoa powder and whizz it in a food processor until creamy and smooth. Refrigerate and serve like pudding.

Tempeh "fingers"

Don't worry, there are no real fingers involved. Tempeh is a fermented soy product which has many health benefits. It can be found at most health food stores and comes in a long, rectangular block. Simply cut into french fry-sized pieces. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and dredge in a bit of flour and spices to taste. Shallow fry in oil of your choice (we like sesame). Serve with vegan sauce of your choice.

Dollar pancakes

My daughter loves these. Pancake batter prepared with an egg substitute (you can use 1ts ground flax seed to 3ts water as an egg replacer). These are great with fruit, maple syrup or with Earth Balance margarine. I typically make a huge batch and keep them in the fridge to heat up. They keep very well refrigerated or frozen. They are the perfect size for little hands too!

Homemade granola

This is so easy to make, the supermarket should be ashamed of themselves for charging so much! There are several recipes online, but it is simply quick cooking rolled oats, oil, salt, sweetener of choice (either fruit or agave nectar or vegan sugar or maple syrup) and baked in the oven. You can make a big batch and it keeps for a long time!

Crispy Garbanzo Poppers

Place garbanzo beans one layer deep in an oven pan (canned/drained or dried/cooked) and drizzle with olive oil and spices of your choice. Bake in a 350F degree oven, turning occasionally until golden and crispy. Makes a wonderful snack that is tasty and healthy!

Some other easy vegan snacks include:

- homemade popcorn
- peanut butter on celery with raisins ("ants on a log")
- toasted-pita wedges with hummus

Happy snacking!