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Summer road trips are great fun but can be expensive, especially if you’re stopping to buy gas station snacks or eat at roadside diners. Buying snacks before your road trip and keeping them in a cooler can save you a lot of money, and there are plenty of tasty summer road trip snacks you can get for under $5.
You only need food that travels well, storage bags or containers, and a cooler.
We’ve assembled some of the best snacks for road trips that won’t break the bank. Happy traveling!
Homemade Granola
The best thing about making granola yourself is that you can make it in bulk a few days before your road trip, and it will keep for weeks without needing to be refrigerated. It also doesn’t need to be kept in a cooler during your treks.
Celery Sticks & Pretzels With Peanut Butter
Both celery sticks and pretzels taste great, but they taste even better with peanut butter. You can make them even tastier by adding some chocolate chips or raisins.
Cherries & Grapes
They are cheap to buy and easy to prepare. You only need to rinse them off and put them in a sealable container. You can make a game of passing the container around so everyone can enjoy the sweet, tasty snacks.
Apple Slices & Cheese or Peanut Butter
Apple slices are easy to prepare and will last a whole day on the road if you add a dash of lemon juice. If you don’t like peanut butter, you can use slightly higher-priced nut butter like cashew or almond. You can also put thin cheese slices on them for a satisfying snack.
Fresh Vegetables
Baby carrots, cauliflower, broccoli—the options are endless. Get veggies that are in season to keep the cost down and cut them up into bite-sized pieces. Take along some ranch dip, and you’ve got a great road trip snack. You can save money by using single-serve plastic containers for the dressing rather than buying single-serve sizes.
Pita Chips & Hummus
This is one of the higher-priced snacks on the list, but it’s so tasty that we thought we’d add it anyway. Pita chips and hummus are delicious and filling; you can buy flavors to suit almost anyone’s tastes. You can even make the hummus at home and save a little money over a store-bought brand.
Dried Fruit
Raisins and cranberries are usually less expensive than other types of dried fruit, but it depends on what you and your family like the best. If you have a food dehydrator, you can make dried fruit at home and save some money.
Nuts
Some nuts can be expensive, but they are packed with protein and easy to store. Peanuts are a favorite, but you can make or buy mixed nuts, including almonds, cashews, and peanuts. You can even buy seasoned options or season them yourself.
Cheese
Sliced, diced, ed, or string, there are plenty of cheese options to choose from. Cheese is delicious, highly nutritious, and easy to pack for a road trip. You can save money by buying a block of cheese and slicing or divinity g it at home, then separating it into serve baggies for convenience.
Cereal
Like most adults, kids love cereal. It doesn’t have to be served in milk; most cereals work great as dry road trip snacks. Separate your favorite cereals into single-serve portions, and you’re ready to go.
Popcorn
Popcorn is quick to prepare, easy to serve, and filling. Just pop a bag before you leave for your road trip and put handfuls in single-serve baggies.
Chex Mix
You can buy it in the store, but making a big batch at home is much less expensive. If you make your own, you can customize it so there’s something for everyone’s tastes. Either store it in a big plastic container or single-serve baggies. Don’t forget to pack bottled water and some wipes or napkins to clean up any messes or spills that can happen along the ride.
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