Nut Free Snacks That Use Seeds Instead
Nut Free Snacks For Kids have become an absolute necessity. Peanut allergy and tree nut allergy are two of the 8 most common childhood food allergens. If you have a child with one of these allergies you will of course avoid using either peanuts, tree nuts or both.
Because of the relative common incidence of peanut allergies and tree nut allergies many facilities such schools and day cares have nut-free food policies to keep children safe. This means no more peanut butter sandwiches and that most parents will need a collection of Nut Free Snacks for lunchboxes.
Nutritional Alternatives to Nuts
Nuts are healthy energy dense snacks that provide healthy fats, protein and fibre. Which is why they are so popular as snacks.
This is where ingredients such as seeds can step in to fill this nutritional gap. These ingredients have similar nutritional profiles to nuts.
- Sunflower seeds
- Pumpkin seeds, pumpkin kernels, pepitas
- Chia seeds
- Flaxseeds, Linseeds
- Hemp hearts
- Chickpeas, beans, pulses, and legumes
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25 Nut Free Snacks
A collection of Nut Free Snacks that are packed with the goodness of seeds.
Peanut allergy and tree nut allergy are relatively common in children.
Many schools and child care centres have nut-free food and lunchbox policies to avoid exposing children in their care to nuts.
Nuts are packed with protein and healthy fats, perfect for fueling growing bodies and minds, when you aren't able so use nuts in your snacks, seeds are the perfect alternative.
Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower seeds are rich in unsaturated fats and protein, they are also a good source of Vitamin E.
They are mild in flavour and make an excellent and affordable alternative to nuts.
Sunbutter - Sunflower seed butter
Homemade sunflower seed butter is a great alternative to peanut butter. You can use it in a sandwich, on crackers or in any recipes that call for peanut butter. For example you can make nut free peanut butter oatmeal bars or nut free peanut butter rice krispie bars.
Honey roasted sunflower seeds
These honey roasted sunflower seeds are delicious and can easily be added to a lunchbox. They are also lovely sprinkled on bircher muesli or blueberry yoghurt in the morning.
Nut Free Chocolate Bliss Balls
In this energy ball recipe sunflower seeds are combined with dates, raisins and cocoa to make a nut free snack.
1-Bowl Vegan Sunbutter Cookies
Sunbutter cookies are easy to make in just one bowl.
Nut-Free, Gluten-Free Cereal Protein Bars
These cereal bars are full of the goodness of sunflower seeds, they use both sunflower seeds and sunflower butter.
Sunflower Seed Brittle
Three ingredient sunflower seed brittle is a seedy nut free take on the traditional peanut candy.
No Bake Weetbix Slice
If you have weetbix in the cupboard this slice made with simple ingredients including sunflower seeds is great for lunchboxes or al snack before after-school sports.
Strawberry Bliss Balls
These strawberry bliss bals are made with a base of oats and sunflower seeds.
Peanut Free Snack Bites
These snack bites use sunbutter plus other lovely goodies like hemp hearts and coconut flakes.
Pumpkin Seeds
Punpkin seeds or pepitas are another great alternative to nuts. They contain unstaurated fats and are a source of protein. They are also rich in Magnesium and Phosphorus.
I often use them when I make pesto, but they are great for lunchbox snacks as well.
Roasted Pepitas (Pumpkin Seeds)
Super simple these roasted pepitas are great in a lunch box, in homemade trail mix or sprinkled on salads.
Milo Balls, A fun little snack for the kids to make
These milo balls are made with pumpkin kernels, kids love them,.
Homemade Nut Free Trail Mix (Perfect For Kids!)
This nut free trail mixes combines pepitas, crucnhy chickpeas and dried fruit with pretzles and a few other fun bits and pieces.
Chia Seeds
Chia seeds are very small, but add protein, fibre, unsaturated fats and micronutrients such as calcium, magnesium and selenium to recipes they are used in.
One of my favourite way to use them is in chia seed puddings such as my banana chia pudding or chocolate chia puddings.
No-bake Choc Chia Apricot balls
This is a one ball enegy bite recipe that doesn't need a food processor. Be sure to use sunflower seed butter to ensure they are nut-free.
Fruit Sweetened Cookies- Refined Sugar-Free
Chia seeds have binding property and in this recipe they are used instaed of eggs to hold the cookies together.
Popcorn Bars - Easy to make, fun to eat
These honey popcorn bars are a nut free lunchbox recipe (for older children) that has both chia seeds and hemp hearts included in the recipe.
Lemon Chia Snack Muffins
Chia seed muffins are a lovely way to add some chia seeds into a lunchbox.
All the seeds
Some recipes use not just one type of seed but ALL of the seeds. These recipes combine flax seeds, sunflower seeds, pepitas, chia, and sesame into seed loaded snacks.
Pumpkin Cranberry Flaxseed Crisps
With flaxseeds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds these crisps are lovely by themselves or with your favourite cheese.
Homemade seed crackers
Literally all of the seeds go into making these parmesan seed crackers.
Yummy Homemade Energy Bars
These energy bars are loaded with the goodness of seeds and puffed rice, in the image you will spy almonds, but the recipe explains how to make these energy bars nut free with one quick substitution,
Nut Free Trail Mix for Kids
Cruchy, salty and savoury this trail mix is so good and full of som many good things.
Other Nut Free Alternatives
This post has focussed a lot on seeds, but there are some other very handy substitutes for nuts in recipes
- Chickpeas
- Coconut
- Quinoa
Chocolate Hummus - Nut Free Nutella
Kids love nutella, this chocolate hummus works as a dip, or spread and is a nut free, refined sugar free alternative to chocolate spread.
Banana Bread Bites - Nut Free
These energy bites taste like banana bread but are made with the goodness of chickpeas and rolled oats.
Chickpea and oat crackers
These simple crackers are a source of protein and fibre, easy to make with canned chickpeas and rolled oats.
Crunchy Chickpeas - Great alternative to nuts in lunchboxes
Roast chickpease are the perfect alternative to nuts in a luncbox. Crispy, crunchy and vrey moreish.
Chocolate Quinoa Crunch Bars
Puffed quinoa is cripy and crunchy and the key ingredient in these chocolate crunch bars.
Really fab ideas here. Definitely going to give the seed butter a try. It looks yummy! x
Oh cool! My kids have been enjoying wraps with the seed butter and mashed banana this morning!
These look tasty! I have a little one off to kindergarten and it's a nut free school, so I'll be trying some of these for sure!
Brilliant! Good luck with the kindy transition!