100 + Nut Free Snacks for School

by Alex Turnbull, RD | Sep 9, 2024

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It’s possible that you’ve been asked by your local school district to avoid packing products that contain nuts in your child’s lunch or snack – even if your child doesn’t have a nut allergy.

This is for a very important reason – to save lives. It’s estimated that 1 in 13 children in the U.S. have a food allergy and 40% of children with food allergies have more than one. Both peanuts and tree nuts are two of the most common food allergens.

While peanuts and tree nuts provide a valuable source of nutrition and are often enjoyed by children, it’s simply not worth the risk for some, even when it’s in the same room.

Whether or not your child has a nut allergy, your options can quickly become limited if you have to send snacks without nuts. .

Here are over 100 different nut free snacks for school you can feel good about sending with your child, while also keeping others safe.

*Please note that manufactures often change ingredients and nuts may be found in products that you wouldn’t realize. It’s best practice to always double check the ingredient list to ensure the product is free from peanuts and tree nuts.

Nut Allergies

Nut allergies can really be split up into two different categories; peanuts and tree nuts.

Peanuts are technically a legume that grows underground and is the third most common food allergy with 6.2 million U.S. adults and children with a peanut allergy.

Tree nuts are nuts that grow on trees, hence the name, and while there’s over 18 different varieties of tree nuts, the most common include walnuts, pistachios, cashews, pecans, almonds, brazil nuts, pine nuts, hazelnuts, and macadamia nuts.

Some may have an allergy to one variety of tree nut, but not another, but 40% of children that have a tree nut allergy also have a peanut allergy. Because it’s so common to have both a peanut and tree nut allergy, you’ll often see schools be “nut free” to try and cover all nuts.

How to Identify Nuts in Foods

The good news is that it’s relatively easy to identify if a food or beverage contains any of the common food allergens, including peanuts and tree nuts. The FDA requires food labels to identify the source of all major food allergens used to make the food.

The food allergen will be labeled in one of two ways:

In parentheses following the name of the ingredient – “lecithin (soy)”
Immediately after next to the list of ingredients in a “contains” statement

You most commonly see the second option and can quickly identify the common allergens, including peanuts and tree nuts listed at the end of the ingredient list in bold.

Sometimes a label may not identify a peanut or tree nut in the ingredients, but will state a phrase similar to: “produced in a facility that may also process peanuts or tree nuts.” These statements aren’t required, but extremely helpful for consumers that may be impacted by the smallest amount of cross contact with allergens. It’s also a good manufacturing practice.

To err on the side of caution, I would recognize any product that has these statements as containing the allergen (peanuts or tree nuts) because it’s a possibility and that possibility can be life threatening.

Some products will go above and beyond with their labeling and specifically identify that a product is nut free, which can be extremely helpful!

How to Build A Snack

Before I share ideas for nut free snacks for school, it’s important to know how to build a balanced snack for kids not only to set their brains and bodies up for success, but to help keep them full longer – no one likes a hangry kid in the classroom or when they come home.

As a dietitian and mom, I have a simple strategy when it comes to building snacks.

A minimum of two food groups. Pick a grain or a protein/fat and add a fruit or vegetable to it.

I do tend to lean more into the protein/fat because they’re more filling, but I know kids love grains too!

We know that most kids fall below the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables per day, so adding at least one to their snack is an easy way to help increase their fruit and vegetable intake.

Here’s a friendly reminder – they don’t have to be fresh either. Try leaning on dried, freeze dried, and even canned fruits (in water or 100% juice).

Nut Free Snacks for School

First and foremost you should always double check with your school district’s policy when it comes to packing lunch and snacks for your kids.

Some schools are completely nut free, while others have nut free tables at lunch or go classroom by classroom.

If you’re in need of some inspiration for nut free snacks at school, here are over 100 ideas to pack in their snack and their lunch too! Some are specific to the brand because that particular product or brand has nut free options and some are generic options that almost always come in a nut free option.

Fresh fruit

Fresh fruit is usually a safe option to include in your rotation of nut free snacks for school. Fruit, also knowns as nature’s candy, contains natural sugars (carbohydrates) which can give your kids quick energy while at school. Fruit also contains fiber which will help keep them fuller longer.

Apple slices
Banana
Orange slices
Mandarin orange
Strawberries
Raspberries
Blueberries
Melon
Plum
Peach slices
Pineapple
Grapes
Blackberries
Avocado – guacamole works too!
Kiwi
Mango
Cherries

Freeze-dried fruit

Fresh fruit is great, but freeze-dried fruit is also an option. It’s shelf stable too!

Dried fruit

Like fresh and freeze-dried fruit, dried fruit is also another way to send fruit in your child’s nut free snack for school.

Fruit Bars/Gummies/Strips

While most fruit bars, gummies, or strips don’t necessarily “count” as fruit unless the only ingredients really are fruit, you can still include them as an option for your kids to send to school. Many of these products will contain added sugar, so offer occasionally and look for options with less added sugar if possible.

Canned Fruit

We’re not done with the fruit options yet! Yes, canned fruit is also another shelf, stable fruit option. Look for varieties with no added sugar, in water, or 100% juice.

Pouches

Fruit and veggie pouches are an easy, shelf stable option to toss in their backpack as a nut free snack option.

Fresh veggies

Like fruit, fresh veggies are a great option you should be trying to include in their nut free snack rotation for school.

Carrots – chips, sticks, baby carrots
Snap Peas
Edamame – find it in the freezer section and counts as a protein too!
Snacking peppers
Bell peppers
Radishes
Cherry or grape tomatoes
Celery
Cucumbers
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Hummus

Feel free to add dips like Ranch!

Crackers

While most crackers won’t contain nuts, they may be processed in a facility that also processes nuts. You also have to be mindful of crackers that may be made with almonds and other nuts as a gluten free cracker option.

Beef sticks

Beef sticks and jerky may be high in sodium, but they can certainly be a great shelf-stable protein option to send every once and a while as a nut free snack option.

Cheese

Cheese is an excellent option to send to school as a snack to provide protein, fat, calcium, and Vitamin D. If you’re packing cheese as a snack, you’ll want to make sure you keep it cool. We love using the PackIt Snack Box for fresh snacks like cheese.

Deli Meat

Processed meat doesn’t have the best reputation, but that doesn’t mean you can pack it on occasion as a protein option.

Salami
Turkey
Ham
Mini Pepperoni

Bars

Kids love snack bars, but unfortunately many of them contain nuts or may be processed in a facility that also processes nuts so you have to be extra careful when choosing a nut free snack bar to send to school.

When selecting a bar, I like to look for one that contains less than 8 grams of added sugar if possible. For more snack (not necessarily nut free) bar options, check out the best snack bars for kids.

Grahams

Graham crackers are another option that typically doesn’t contain nuts, but again, always make sure you double check!

Chips

Yes, chips can be included as a snack option for kids. Should they be offered every day? No, but every once and a while is certainly fine.

Cereal

Cereal can be a great option to back as a nut free snack option, as long as you double check the ingredients. To learn what I look for in a cereal, read more here.

Popcorn

Popcorn, minus a puffcorn like Pirate’s Booty, is a great whole grain snack option. However, some popcorns are made with coconut oil, which is technically a nut.

Pretzels

Pretzels are another great crunchy snack option that will provide your child with more carbohydrates (your body’s main source of energy) to get them through the day!

Sunbutter

Because peanut butter or any other nut butter isn’t an option, sunbutter is a great go-to for nut free snacks for school. It will still contain some protein and offers the spreadable, dippable consistency that nut butters do.

Seeds

While nuts are a great shelf-stable food to snack on, they’re not safe at school. However seeds, like pumpkin and sunflower, are just as great!

Yogurt

Many kids enjoy yogurt and it offer’s valuable nutrients like protein, fat, calcium, and Vitamin D, making it a great option to pack as a nut free snack for school. Just make sure you keep it cool!

Hard Boiled Eggs

Packing Cold Snacks

Maybe the snacks you send with your child to school are shelf stable and don’t need to be kept cold. When you’re trying to pack a wider variety of options, especially protein and fresh fruits and veggies, you’ll want to find a way to keep them cool, not only for the safety, but for quality too.

I often pack fresh snacks like cheese sticks, salami, hard boiled eggs, and fresh fruit for my daughter using the PackIt Snack Box. It’s a freezable, collapsible snack box that helps keep the fresh snacks cool for hours. It also easily clips to their lunch box or backpack.

Here are a few of my favorite snack containers:

Packing Nut Free Snacks for School

Whether it’s your child with the nut allergy or your child doesn’t have a nut allergy but it’s your district’s policy to avoid sending products containing nuts to school, your options can quickly become limited.

With over 6.2 million in the U.S with peanut allergies and 3.9 million with tree nut allergies, limiting nuts in schools is one way to keep kids safe.

The good news is that it’s relatively easy to identify if a food or beverage contains any of the common food allergens. The FDA requires food labels to identify the source of all major food allergens used to make the food.

Always double check with your school district’s policies to determine if you need to avoid sending products that contain nuts.

There are many options for nut free snacks for school including cheese, hard boiled eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables, and even many kid-friendly crackers and granola bars. Just make sure to double check the ingredient list to see if a specific product contains nuts.
If you need more inspiration packing a healthy lunch box for your kids, make sure to grab my FREE Super Simple Lunch guide with 30 balanced lunch ideas, tips, and my favorite products.