Road Trip Snack Boxes

This post contains affiliate links from which we will make a commission from your clicks and/or purchases.

Road trip snack boxes are a fun way to get some nourishment throughout the day on long car rides. By bringing along your own snacks you’ll save money from stopping at gas stations and by divvying them up among passengers you’ll save the worry of fights over the last goldfish cracker in the bag. So how do you make a road trip snack box? And what snacks should you use (and avoid)? Read on to find out!

Road trip snack boxes
SELEWARE Portable Stackable Food Storage Containers for Snacks Formula Powder and Drinks Twist Lock System Airtight Leak-proof BPA and Phthalate Free 4 Piece Jars 31oz Orange
  • Stackable, interlocking containers for carrying Healthy Snacks, Powder, Fruits and Drinks at home or on the go.
  • Includes 4 containers: (1) 5 oz jar, (1) 6 oz jar, (1) 9 oz jar, and (1) 11 oz jar.

How to make a road trip snack box

Snack boxes are easy to make and require very little time or skill. All you need are two things: snacks and a box to put them in!

Pick up a box for each person in the car. You can use multi-compartmental Tupperware, a bento box, or, my favorite, a stacking snack container. Look for any food-grade plastic container that has lots of slots for edible goodies. Then it is time to fill them up with snacks! If your container has four slots for snacks, pick out four snacks, if it has twenty…get twenty! Use one snack per compartment, close it up, and you are good to go!

Snacks to add to road trip snack boxes

The best road trip snack boxes have a variety of treats to choose from. Savory and sweet, fresh and dried, soft and crunchy. You want to satisfy all your senses and tastebuds! Be sure to think about the trip you’re taking when choosing snacks. Foods like pretzels and raisins last longer for longer trips and items like cheese, lunch meat, and fresh fruit should be reserved for shorter distances. You can even make your own snack mixes to bring along! Some of my favorite recipes are a caramel apple snack mix, S’mores snack mix, and Illinois road trip snack mix.

Here are some of my suggestions for the best car snacks to include!

Veggies

Vegetables are a great (and healthy) addition to any road trip snack box. Include hardy veggies that won’t wilt, taste great on their own, and are delicious when eaten raw. Think about what you’d find on a veggie tray at a party. For an extra treat, fill a compartment with hummus or ranch dressing for dipping. Be sure to chop up the vegetables into easy to eat strips, slices, or chunks.

  • cucumbers
  • cherry tomatoes
  • mini carrot sticks
  • bell pepper strips
  • radishes
  • broccoli florets
  • snap peas
  • celery sticks

Fresh Fruits

Fresh fruit is another great road trip snack. Be sure to choose fruits that won’t brown when cut up (like apples). Whole berries, grapes, and balled melons work well!

  • sliced strawberries
  • raspberries
  • blueberries
  • grapes
  • watermelon
  • cantaloupe
  • pineapple

Dried Fruits

A great alternative to fresh fruit is dried fruit. Think raisins, banana chips, and dried apricots. Almost any fruit can be dried and the best part of including dried fruits in your road trip snack boxes is that you don’t have to worry about them spoiling in the way a hunk of apple or banana would.

  • raisins
  • craisins
  • dried pineapple
  • banana chips
  • dried apricots
  • apple chips

Crackers

Crackers are great car snacks on their own, but also complement other treats like meats and cheeses. Get a mix of flavored or sandwiched crackers and plain ones for a balanced box.

  • mini Ritz crackers
  • mini cheese sandwich crackers
  • mini peanut butter sandwich crackers
  • goldfish crackers
  • cheese crackers

Meats

Adding a little meat to your snack box will add some much-needed protein to the mix. Just like you’d choose vegetables for your road trip snack boxes based on a veggie tray, choose meats based on what you’d find on a meat tray. Look for cured meats that will hold up or lunch meats that do not need to be cooked.

  • hard salami
  • pepperoni
  • summer sausage
  • lunch meats

Cheese

Cheeses go great with crackers and meat and provide a savory, salty bite. Avoid creamy cheeses and stinky cheeses (you’ll be confined in a car after all) and go for hard cheeses that you can slice into cubes for easy eating.

  • cheddar
  • colby jack
  • swiss
  • monterey jack
  • string cheese

Chips

You’ll probably want to steer clear of traditional and flavored potato chips that can be greasy and easily crumble. But “chip-adjacent” snacks like cheese balls, mini pretzels, and popcorn make great car snacks that easily will fit in your snack box.

  • mini pretzels
  • cheese balls
  • popcorn
  • Fritos
  • mini tortilla chips

Nuts and Seeds

For some extra crunch, nuts and seeds are the way to go. Pick your favorite nut, go for a variety mix, or choose a trail mix that combines these crunchy treats with dried fruits, chocolate, and more.

  • peanuts
  • cashews
  • walnuts
  • almonds
  • sunflower seeds
  • trail mix

Sweet Snacks

Every road trip snack box needs something sweet. Mini cookies like chocolate chip or Oreos are great choices, as are fruit snacks and candies. Avoid melty chocolates (even if your sweet tooth is as big as mine) but if you cant to include some, go with a candy-coated chocolate that will be less likely to melt all over the box.

  • mini chocolate chip cookies
  • animal crackers
  • mini Oreos
  • fruit snacks
  • Swedish fish
  • candy-coated chocolates

Pin these Road Trip Snack Boxes ideas to save for your next road trip!

Road trip snack boxes are a fun way to get nourishment throughout the day on long car rides. Pack road trip snacks on your adventure for a fun and healthy treat for kids, teens, and adults. How do you make one? And what snacks should you use? Read on!  #RoadTripSnacks #RoadTripSnacksForAdults #Healthy#RoadTripSnacks #RoadTripSnacksForKids #RoadTripSnacksTeens #RoadTripSnacks #EasyRoadTripSnacks #RoadTripSnacksIdeas #RoadTripSnacksList #FamilyRoadTripSnacks
Road trip snack boxes are a fun way to get nourishment throughout the day on long car rides. Pack road trip snacks on your adventure for a fun and healthy treat for kids, teens, and adults. How do you make one? And what snacks should you use? Read on! #RoadTripSnacks #RoadTripSnacksForAdults #Healthy#RoadTripSnacks #RoadTripSnacksForKids #RoadTripSnacksTeens #RoadTripSnacks #EasyRoadTripSnacks #RoadTripSnacksIdeas #RoadTripSnacksList #FamilyRoadTripSnacks
SELEWARE Portable Stackable Food Storage Containers for Snacks Formula Powder and Drinks Twist Lock System Airtight Leak-proof BPA and Phthalate Free 4 Piece Jars 31oz Orange
  • Stackable, interlocking containers for carrying Healthy Snacks, Powder, Fruits and Drinks at home or on the go.
  • Includes 4 containers: (1) 5 oz jar, (1) 6 oz jar, (1) 9 oz jar, and (1) 11 oz jar.

Plan Your Road Trip

Valerie Bromann

Founder & ROad Trip Expert

Valerie Bromann is a a website manager, content creator, and writer from Chicago, Illinois (currently living in Dallas, Texas). As an avid road tripper who has visited hundreds of roadside attractions, Val always pull over for a world’s largest thing. Founder of Silly America and author of The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book, she visits, photographs, and writes about all the weird tourist destinations she visits and offers road trip planning advice and inspiration based on her own travels so you can hit the road for yourself.

World's Largest Mailbox in Casey, Illinois roadside attraction

Follow Valerie & Silly America

Last modified: December 19, 2023
Category: ,

Share this Post ⤵

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book - Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip! By Valerie Bromann

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book

Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip!

BY Valerie Bromann

Enjoy fun games and challenges to pass the time on your next road trip and have a keepsake to look back on for years to come with this entertaining must-have for your next vacation.

The road trip you’ve been dreaming of starts here! Journal about your stops and get to know your fellow passengers with activities and exercises designed to pass the time and bring you closer together. Instead of “Are we there yet?” you’ll find yourself asking, “We’re there already?”. Complete with prompts you can turn to while driving between locations, this journal will one day be a memento of your life-changing trip.