30 Healthy, Sweet Snacks to Satisfy a Craving (Plus, What Nutritionists Think About ’Em)

It was a lunchbox staple for good reason: It’s tasty and surprisingly filling, thanks to fiber and protein. One serving, complete with celery, peanut butter and raisins, clocks in at about 175 calories with 8 grams of sugar.

"You could swap almond butter or another nut—or nutless—butter, and dried cranberries or cherries can replace the raisins," former PureWow senior food editor Katherine Gillen writes, "or go wild with carrot sticks, hummus and pine nuts for an entirely new take."

• Try It: Ants on a Log

Both dates and nut butter—whether it’s peanut, almond or otherwise—contain plant-based protein, so they’ll fill you up a bit between meals and quell your cravings for something sugary.

Snickers-stuffed dates trended on TikTok back in 2023, and PureWow food editor Taryn Pire tried them to see if they were worth the hype. "The cold, chewy date offers an eerily similar 'pull' to caramel and nougat," she writes. "Its sweet, neutral flavor allows the rest of the ingredients that are in real Snickers bars to shine, so the flavor is pretty on point, too."

• Try It: Snickers-Stuffed Dates

Yogurt is an excellent source of protein, and even more so if you go for the Greek stuff. Adding fruit toppings like sliced berries, chopped apples or cubed pineapple gives it a bump of fiber while also enhancing its sweetness.

• Try It: Roasted Strawberry Rhubarb and Yogurt Parfaits

This classic combination is one of Kelly's favorites when itching for something sweet—and mine too. Reach for natural peanut butter to keep the added sugar to a minimum.

• Buy It: Justin’s Peanut Butter

Instead of buying a box of bars with a bunch of extra ingredients you don’t need, try making your own. You can customize the flavors to your heart’s desire and add as much or as little sweetener as you like. Chocolate chips are a must, if you ask me…but nuts and dried fruit add extra fat, fiber and protein.

• Try It: Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

The key to a smoothie that won’t leave you hungry an hour later is to pack it with plenty of protein, fat and fiber. For this, I prefer yogurt, nut butters and oats over protein powders, which often contain added sweeteners.

• Try It: Green Smoothie with Avocado and Apple

A creamy banana coated in a snappy dark chocolate shell? It’s like an ice cream bar, but better, since there’s way less added sugar and more fiber.

• Try It: Chocolate-Covered Bananas

It’s an oldie but a goodie. Apples contain plenty of fiber (about 5 grams per medium-size fruit, says the USDA), and nut butter is rich in filling fat and protein. Combine the two and you have healthy, sweet snack magic.

• Buy It: Barney Almond Butter

As it turns out, you can do a lot with mere oats and peanut butter. These protein bites contain chia seeds and unsweetened coconut flakes for fiber, plus chocolate chips and a touch of honey to satisfy your sweet tooth.

• Try It: Cookie Dough Energy Bites

Yogurt bark has all the benefits of a regular ol’ cup of yogurt, but in a fun-to-eat format that’s almost like ice cream. Spread a layer onto parchment paper, then top it with fresh fruit (plus nuts or granola, if you’d like) and freeze until hard. Voilà, your new favorite easy snack.

• Try It: Frozen Yogurt Bark

Kelly recommends a few squares of quality dark chocolate to satisfy a craving for something sweet—a smart choice since dark chocolate is lower in sugar than milk varieties. Paired with a handful of almonds, you have a fiber-rich snack for the books.

• Buy It: Green & Black’s Organic 85% Cacao Dark Chocolate

Crisp and salty, popcorn is naturally light (a whopping three-cup serving clocks in at about 100 calories) yet high in fiber, so go ahead and nosh. For a sweet twist, toss your bowl with a tablespoon or two of chocolate chips. (I also like a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.)

• Buy It: Angie’s Boomchickapop Popcorn

Instead of turning those overripe bananas into bread, toss a few in the freezer and whip them into “nice” cream with a tablespoon or two of protein-rich nut butter. The toppings aren’t strictly necessary, but a handful of nuts or granola adds texture and fiber.

• Try It: Morning Soft Serve

If you’re more about Dole Whip than bananas, try making a version in your own kitchen with coconut cream and pineapple. It contains just 7 grams of sugar while satisfying your cravings (plus, it’s naturally dairy free).

• Try It: Pineapple Coconut Whip

If eating yogurt with a spoon puts you to sleep, try freezing it with fruit into homemade ice pops. Even with added brown sugar, these clock in at 15 grams of sugar per serving, and if your fruit is already sweet, you can leave the added kind out.

• Try It: Peaches-and-Cream Ice Pops

Cottage cheese gets a bad rap for being diet food, but it’s so high in protein that I can’t help but love it. Couple it with sliced fruit to transform it into a sweet snack worthy of your healthy eating plan.

• Buy It: Good Culture Cottage Cheese

I’ll save ice cream for special occasions, but sorbet gets the weekday snack seal of approval since it’s lower in calories. Even better, if you make it at home, you can control the amount of sugar that goes in (and you don’t even need an ice cream maker).

• Try It: One-Ingredient Watermelon Sorbet

While traditional dried fruit can sneak in a lot of extra sugar, with freeze-dried fruit, what you see is what you get. It’s crisp and tart with concentrated fruit flavor and plenty of fiber. (Plus, the serving size is usually pretty big, so it feels like a real indulgence.)

• Buy It: Freeze-Dried Strawberries

You could just grab a handful of berries out of the fridge…but freezing transforms their texture into something craveable. It’ll never be the same as popping cookie dough bites with abandon, but it’s the next best thing.

• Try It: 365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Berry Blend

Rich, creamy and intensely chocolaty, this treat is also plant-based, rich in healthy fat and low in sugar. And because I know you’re wondering: It doesn’t taste anything like avocado.

• Try It: Avocado Chocolate Mousse

As long as you skip the sugary stuff in favor of something healthy that's high in fiber, cereal can be a smart snack when you’re looking for something sweet. Pair it with milk to increase the fat and protein content.

• Buy It: Post Grape-Nuts

Nope, your porridge isn’t just for the morning hours. Opt for plain oats instead of the pre-packaged, instant kind and add your own fruit for a healthy sweet snack that’s low in sugar and high in filling fiber.

• Try It: Oatmeal with Healthy Toppings

When baked instead of fried, sweet potato fries make for a snack that’s the ideal balance of sweet and salty. One serving is about 120 calories with 3 grams of fiber and 3 grams of naturally occurring sugar, so you’ll even have room for a little ketchup.

• Try It: Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet-and-savory snackers will appreciate the flavors of these fruity skewers, which contain less than 10 grams of sugar per serving. Feta adds protein and fat, in addition to a briny note. For the sweetest treat, seek out a ripe watermelon at the store.

• Try It: Grilled Watermelon-Feta Skewers

Skip the candy aisle and make your own chocolate nut butter cups at home with dark chocolate and a filling of your choice. Almond and peanut butter are delish, sure, but tahini is an unexpected option that can be sweetened with the tiniest bit of maple syrup.

• Try It: Swirled Tahini Cups

Hey, chocolaty, moist dessert of your dreams. By swapping the usual oil and butter with ripe avocado, you can add fiber and healthy fat to your brownies without them tasting green. These are sweetened with coconut sugar (which is less refined than granulated and adds fiber) and peanut butter.

• Try It: Chocolate Avocado Brownies

Speaking of brownies, have you ever tried making them with sweet potatoes? They’ll still have all their fudgy decadence, but with only 150 calories and 8 grams of sugar per serving. Not to mention, sweet potatoes are high in beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium and fiber.

• Try It: Sweet Potato Brownies with Date Caramel Frosting

I love overnight oats because they have all the benefits of regular oatmeal (filling fiber and complex carbs), but you can make them ahead. Add cocoa powder and sliced fruit to make the meal sweet without a ton of added sugar.

• Try It: Overnight Oats with Chocolate and Strawberry

Cookie dough that counts as a healthy sweet snack? It sounds too good to be true…until you try making it with puréed cashews. They make the raw-dough treat creamy and scoopable. Reduce the sugar to ¼ cup or less to make it even healthier.

• Try It: Macadamia, Brown Butter and Cashew Cookie Dough

Spoonable and refreshing, a smoothie bowl can be a smart choice as long as you ditch added sugar in place of naturally sweet fruit. Hot tip: Go for the ripe, in-season stuff for maximum flavor and sweetness.

• Try It: Triple-Berry Smoothie Bowl