101 Road Trip Food Ideas: Best Fun and Healthy Snacks You’ll Love

Who doesn’t love a good road trip? Better question: who doesn’t love a good road trip snack? Well here’s a mega list of road trip food ideas that you’ll want to pack along.

One of the worst things that can happen on a road trip is running out of food and dealing with a hangry family member. Don’t let that happen! Keep your ride peaceful with these road trip snack ideas!

This list of road trip snacks goes beyond gas station junk food and difficult-to-eat-on-the-go meals. The best road trip foods are convenient, satisfying and healthy (but also sometimes not!)

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On this mega list of 101 road trip food ideas, you’ll find:

• Healthy road trip snacks
• Homemade road trip snacks
• High energy foods on the go
• Road trip snacks for kids
• Vegan road trip snacks
• Ideas for your sweet tooth
• Meals for road trips
• Packing tips and food containers
• Essential supplies you’ll need

Best road trip food

As someone who checks off bucket list locations and takes many road trips every year, I know my road trip food. 🙂 It’s important for food to be portable, easy to eat in the car and it needs to be able to travel well.

Some of the food ideas below you’ll want to prepare and package up at home before you hit the road. Be sure to pack a cooler to keep foods fresh as needed.

Note: stick around to the end of the list for the best packaging solutions and containers. Because it matters when packing food for a road trip!

Healthy road trip snacks

You want something convenient and healthy, right? Well it’s just as easy to grab an apple for a long car ride as a bag of Doritos!

Now, before you head to the store to buy a bunch of fruit, make sure to think through them all. Like bananas…

Bananas are not a good option for road trips, as they get mushy. On my road trip to Moab, Utah, the bananas I packed split open and made a mess of my reusable grocery bag. So skip the bananas, okay?

Here’s the list of healthy road trip snacks

1. Apples
2. Sugar snap peas and ranch
3. Healthy granola (think savory seasoning, not sweet ingredients)
4. Popcorn (my favorite budget-friendly snack using this air popper)
5. Oranges
6. Homemade trail mix
7. Carrots and ranch
8. Strawberries
9. Sugar-free, gluten free muffins
10. Veggie chips (store bought or homemade)
11. Blueberries
12. Basil, tomato and mozzarella salad
13. Rice cakes with nut butter
14. Grapes
15. Cottage cheese and almonds
16. Pita chips and hummus
17. Healthy zucchini muffins
18. Yogurt with mix-ins (just watch the sugar content)

Homemade road trip snacks

Next let’s dive into the things you can make – or bake – from home. My kiddos always ask for a few of these on every road trip. Their favorite on our way to Glacier National Park was # 20 below!

19. Rice crispy bars
20. Or their yummy cousin, fruity pebble bars
21. Other cereal bars – think Cheerios, Lucky Charms…the possibilities are endless!
22. Paleo, keto and Whole 30-friendly nut bars
23. Cheese quesadilla
24. Pretzel hugs (just don’t pack a bunch – they’re addicting!)
25. Ditch the flour with these black bean brownies
26. Sweet trail mix (DIY – just throw pantry staples together!)
27. ‘Cookie’ protein balls
28. Almond bark with mix-ins
29. Spicy roasted cashews
30. Peach oatmeal muffins

High energy foods on-the-go

Sitting in the car can be B-O-R-I-N-G and an energetic snack can help to pick you up. Or if you’re driving an all-nighter like I did from Omaha, NE to Gulf Shores, AL, you’ll need some energy to get you through the long drive.

Here are some of my favorite high-energy snacks for the car:

31. Beef jerky
32. Greek yogurt
33. Ham, chive and cream cheese pinwheels
34. String cheese
35. Cinnamon apple energy bites 
36. Hard boiled eggs
37. Pistachios
38. Energy bars (RX bars are my favorite for road trips and hiking snacks)
39. Salmon in a pouch
40. Mixed nuts
41. Favorite energy drink (as needed) for driving over night

Road trip snacks for kids

Let’s focus for a minute on food for little ones. While most road trip food on this list can be given to kids, there’s just some foods that are naturally designed for kids.

Pro tip: make sure to give the kids healthy road trip snacks first. It’s way harder to get them to eat an orange after having a bunch of chocolate. Don’t ask me how I know. 😉

Just a quick note: many of these food are pre-packaged which isn’t the most eco-friendly way of traveling. However if you balance it with homemade and reusable packaging when possible, it lessens the environmental impact.

Kid-friendly road trip snacks:

42. On-the-go yogurt
43. Homemade double chocolate zucchini muffins (my kids go crazy over these!)
44. Cuties
45. Kid-friendly trail mix
46. Suckers (or any long-lasting sucking candy)
47. Applesauce pouches
48. Pirate’s Booty
49. Fruit snacks (save money by buying them at a bulk bin grocery store)
50. Pepperoni slices and cheese cubes
51. Baby carrots
52. Juice boxes or pouches
53. Kid-friendly pinwheels
54. Fig bars
55. Fun cheeses, like Baby Bell or Laughing Cow
56. Raisins or cranberries
57. Healthy toddler mini muffins

Also make sure out check out the 15 Things to Pack on a Road Trip with Kids

Vegan road trip snacks

If you’re more comfortable with the vegetarian or vegan diet, here are some great options for your next road trip. Many of these will need to be prepared or portioned out ahead of time. (See recommended containers below.)

58. Veggie chips (sweet potatoes, beets, parsnips, etc.)
59. Bell pepper slices and hummus
60. Celery and nut butter
61. Pumpkin cake pops
62. Cherry tomatoes with vegan ranch
63. Cinnamon apple chips
64. Cajun roasted chickpeas
65. Roasted pumpkin seeds
66. Vegan lemon blueberry muffins (homemade)
67. Chocolate-drizzled caramel popcorn

Ideas for your sweet tooth

Okay there comes a point in the road trip where cravings take over. Some of my favorite food to take on a road trip are the special sweet treats. I just try not to pack too many!

68. Yogurt dipped pretzels
69. Puppy chow / muddy buddies
70. Chocolate covered almonds
71. Medjool dates
72. Scotcharoos
73. ‘Crack’ popcorn (candy covered popcorn with sprinkles)
74. Homemade cookies
75. Candied almonds (make them in the crock pot before you leave to save money)
76. Gummy bears, or chocolate covered gummy bears
77. Your favorite candy bar (mini size bags are perfect for sharing)

Meals for road trips

It’s sometimes nice to plan stops for gas or stretching around mealtime. And eating out is nice and convenient when on the road!

But it can also really add up! If you’re on a budget trip, then eating out every meal isn’t always a great option.

Pro tip: make sure to pack items that you won’t mind eating cold or room temperature. I sometimes freeze snacks and to keep them longer and prolong ice in the cooler from melting.

One strategy my family uses for road trips is to pack food for the first meal in a cooler. We’ll stick other road trip snacks in there too, and if it’s a long road trip we’ll pack multiple meals.

Anyways, back to best meals for road trips:

78. Egg salad sandwich
79. Cranberry almond chicken salad wrap
80. Pre-portioned salads (homemade or store bought)
81. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
82. Packaged tuna (not canned) and crackers
83. Fruit salad (misc. fruit with a splash of honey and lime)
84. Deli meat and cheese sandwiches
85. Chips and guacamole (buy the small portion guac so it doesn’t go bad)
86. Banana bread muffins for breakfast
87. Gluten free strawberry oatmeal bars
88. Milk, orange juice or iced coffee

More snacks to pack on-the-go

We’re almost there! Here are a few more ideas to add to your road trip food list:

89. Water (of course this needs to go with!)
90. Peanut butter filled pretzels
91. Store-bought breakfast bars
92. Mints or tic-tac’s (helps to pass the time)
93. Traditional chips
94. Sweet Tarts
95. Hot Tamales (my husband’s favorite!)
96. Yogurt covered raisins
97. Dried fruit
98. Jelly on rice crackers (use jelly packets for this)
99. Mini cheese and cracker sandwiches
100. Almond butter packets
101. Sunflower seeds (what gets me through overnight driving)

Packing tips and food containers

So now that you have a ton of ideas, let’s move onto packaging. Breaking foods up into convenient portion sizes ahead of time saves a lot of headache – not to mention mess – in a moving vehicle.

Here are my favorite packaging solutions that are convenient, eco-friendly and ultimately will save you money.

Coolers – my family usually travels with a small, collapsible cooler in an easy-to-reach spot in the car that’s filled with drinks and snacks. Then we put meals and back-up drinks in the large cooler in the back.

Collapsible containers – great for making meals ahead of time and takes up less space in your car.

Mini containers – perfect for dips, trail mix, salad dressings and kid portions. I love these mini containers for road trips! I’ll even use them for snacks that I buy while on the road.

Reusable water bottles – my whole family has reusable bottles that we use for water on road trips. We usually put filtered water in old milk jugs (that have been cleaned) to refill water bottles throughout the trip. These water bottles are perfect for hiking or beaches, too!

Portable silverware set – perfect for meals, yogurt and to eliminate the need for plastic utensils during drive-through’s.

More supplies for your car

Alright now that you have your food list and packaging solutions, it’s time for the extra supplies that may help on the road. These are items I pack that help with snacks and meal times.

• Paper towels/napkins
• Gallons of filtered water for refills
• Wet wipes for sticky fingers
• Anti-bacterial gel
• Sharp knife for food prep (as needed)
• Plastic bag for trash

Road trip food – that’s a wrap!

Well there you have it! 101 ideas for road trip food! With a huge variety of options, you’re bound to find some you can buy or make ahead for your upcoming trip.

Hope you have a great trip, stay safe and satisfied!

Check out these fun road trip destinations you’ll love:
Perfect Colorado Itinerary: 22 Road Trip Stops You Need to See
16 Midwest Road Trips: Scenic Routes You Can’t Miss
Miami to Key West Road Trip: 22 Awesome Activities You Need to Do
Denver to Moab: 16 Gorgeous Stops Along the Way

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