Flowers and concert tickets are always welcome, but the true way to anyone’s heart is by way of delicious snacks. This year, skip the snowman-shaped mugs, corny key-chains, and patterned socks, and stuff everyone’s stockings with eats and treats, instead.
Everyone from your gym-junkie brother to your eco-conscious sister-in-law will be overjoyed as they sink their teeth into these out-of-the-box snacks. Our top 12 snacking stuffers will satisfy every sweet, salty, and crunchy craving—all without compromising waistlines.
1. Angie’s Boom Chicka Pop Hot Cocoa Marshmallow Kettle Corn, $3.99
Cuddle up with a classic movie or get the party started with this sweet and salty holiday snack. Since Angie’s popcorn is made with simple, real ingredients like cane sugar and cocoa powder, you can feel good about licking every last bit of that chocolate-marshmallow drizzle off your fingers.
2. Kettle Bran Moscow Mule Potato Chips, $3.39
We know what you’re thinking, but trust us when we say that one of these crunchy, thick-cut chips will make you a believer that cocktail-flavored snacks can be a good idea. Every bite is such a perfect explosion of salt, lime, and ginger that you won’t even miss the vodka.
3. Barnana Organic Chocolate Chewy Banana Bites, $53.99 for 12 bags
This potassium-packed snack is a great sweet tooth-satisfier for candy lovers and health nuts alike. Okay, these bites may not count as a serving of fruit, but they sure are a high-quality alternative to our usual chocolatey sweet treats.
4. Quest Cheddar And Sour Cream Protein Chips, $19.99 for 8 bags
For a salty, cheesy snack that doesn’t totally wreck the day’s macros, fit-focused eaters need look no further than Quest’s iconic protein chips. For 120 calories, a bag contains a whopping 21 grams of protein, with just two grams of fat and five grams of carbs. Good luck finding anything in the snack aisle that even comes close!
5. No Cow Vanilla Maple Frosting Almond Fluffbutter, $12.79
No Cow’s fluffbutter makes the perfect addition to any nut butter enthusiast’s collection. Two tablespoons offer 11 grams of protein thanks to a little boost from pea protein, and the vanilla maple frosting flavor is every bit as decadent as it sounds—all for just one gram of sugar!
6. Ostrim Beef Elk Habanero Sticks, $18.99 for 10
When high-protein is high-priority, supplements aren’t your only on-the-go option. Ostrim’s beef and elk sticks are hearty, flavorful, and tender—and easy to stash in your backpack, briefcase, or gym bag. Plus, each 90-calorie stick packs 14 grams of protein.
7. Endangered Species Chocolate Company Extreme Dark Chocolate, $29.99 for 12 bars
This 88-percent cocoa bar is the ultimate pick for dark chocolate lovers—and comes with a purpose. Endangered Species Chocolate Co. uses ethically-traded cacao and donates 10 percent of profits to support endangered animals and their habitats. It’s a do-good, taste-good power combo.
8. Nuts ‘N More Birthday Cake High-Protein Peanut Butter, $11.99
Have your cake and eat it, too, with this sprinkle-filled nut butter. At 14 grams of protein per serving (but the same number of calories as your average PB), Nuts ‘N More’s birthday cake spread is a fun addition to any smoothie or slice of toast—but we usually eat ours straight out of the jar with a spoon.
9. Enlightened Sweet Cinnamon Bean Crisps, $2.99
Add crunch, protein, and sweetness to oatmeal, yogurt, or homemade trail mix with Enlightened’s bean crisps. Made from roasted fava beans, these bad boys are coated in just enough cocoa, cane sugar, and sea salt, and offer seven grams of protein and a solid six grams of fiber per serving. Crunch on that!
10. FlapJacked Double Chocolate Mighty Muffin, $3.19
Baking is hard—unless you’re stirring water into a FlapJacked Mighty Muffin cup, popping it in the microwave, and enjoying a warm, gooey muffin just minutes later. Every 220-calorie muffin comes with 20 grams of protein, six grams of fiber, and a dose of probiotics—so go ahead and spread the joy of baked goods this season!
11. Icon Meals Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Protein Popcorn, $9.99
Chocolate-covered popcorn is one of the most beautiful sweet-and-salty combos out there. Icon Meals’ protein popcorns make this treat a little more balanced by adding 10 grams of protein to every sticky, candy-coated serving. Set this stuff out in the party bowl and it’ll disappear in five minutes flat.
12. Buff Bake Snickerdoodle Almond Butter, $12.99
If our favorite cinnamon-y cookie and go-to nut butter had a baby, it’d be Buff Bake’s Snickerdoodle spread. The high-protein nut butta’ (13 grams per serving) is made with just a few simple ingredients: roasted almonds, whey protein, coconut palm sugar, cinnamon, coconut oil, chia seeds, and flax seeds. We’re so obsessed, we spread it on everything—even snickerdoodle cookies themselves.