12 Snack Brands That Use the Highest-Quality Ingredients
When done right, snacking is a true art form. Sometimes it can even be more enticing than indulging in full meals. Why? Maybe it's because snacks can run the entire gamut of savory, sweet, salty, bitter, and even spicy, sometimes all at once. Perhaps it's because snacks curb our cravings throughout the day. Or, it could be that they simply fit into our culture of girl dinner, sports game munchies, and on-the-go fuel.
This would all be well and good…if it weren't for the snack industry's unhealthy reputation. From potato chips to fruit snacks to cookies, foods in this category have been known to not only ruin your dinner but also your diet. They are often chock full of processed ingredients, artificial flavorings, sugar, sodium, and fats, all while providing little to no nutritional value.
Luckily, in 2025, there are many brands out there looking to change this stigma. Following along with the trend of more mindful eating which has been seen across all food categories, these companies are getting back to basics. They are focusing on providing simple recipes made from real ingredients (you know, ones you can actually recognize?) that offer more than just a fleeting amount of taste and enjoyment. We're highlighting 12 of these snack brands that should be on your radar and in your cupboard.
Chomps Beef Sticks
Chomps has taken a huge bite out of the meat stick market. In 2012, the brand set out to make the highest quality and best-tasting meat snacks around, and we'd say it has more than accomplished this mission. Whereas other meat stick options are stuffed with processed ingredients, saturated fats, and next to no nutritional value, Chomps packs its products only with the good stuff. The beef and venison it uses are 100% grass-fed while the turkey is antibiotic-free. This natural base sets each stick up with 10-12 grams of protein. Each one from the original to taco-seasoned to smoky BBQ also only carries 100 calories with zero sugar and low sodium so you don't have to feel guilty chomping away!
Lesser Evil
The brand name tells you all you need to know. Lesser Evil actually started out by making products that made you want to "Snack like a kid again!" but which weren't necessarily "healthy". The company has since graduated to better-for-you snacks that are made from clean ingredients and kick things like seed oils to the curb while maintaining their taste appeal. You may already be familiar with one of its most popular products, the organic popcorn flavored with anything from Himalayan sea salt to avocado and promoted by Homer the meditating guru. But, Lesser Evil peddles other mindful alternatives as well including crunchy Spaceballs, Lil' Puffs, Power Curls, Paleo Puffs, and Moonions so there's a snack for every taste and dietary need.
Hippeas
Hippeas huffed and it puffed and it changed the way we snack. The brand erected a business built entirely on chickpeas and yellow peas, two sources of protein that promote sustainable farming. When they're grown, both use only 10% of the water that other proteins do, they keep nutrients in the soil, and pull nitrogen from the air so less fertilization is needed. That makes Hippeas a true flower child of the snack industry. The product that started it all was the chickpea puffs which now come in various flavors like nacho vibes, bohemian barbecue, sriracha, and vegan white cheddar. You can also now find Hippeas tortilla chips and veggie straws.
Realsy
Dates are the new "It" snack. Who would have thought? And, Realsy is capitalizing on this new fruity trend. Founded in 2017, the brand provides bites that contain ingredients as fresh as produce but with a twist. Its organic packaged dates are free from nearly everything unpleasant including GMOs, added sugars, and seed oils. Plus, they're soy-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan, making them safe for virtually any kind of consumer. The best part, though, is that they come filled with different kinds of creamy nut butter. Enjoy the organic Medjool dates stuffed with almond butter, peanut butter, or indulge even more with chocolate peanut butter dates.
Whisps
A cheese munchie made with real cheese? Unheard of. Whisps breaks the cheesy mold by only using 100% real cheese in its crisps, pops, and pretzel snacks. To make the flagship crisps, different kinds of cheese including cheddar, parmesan, asiago, and pepper jack are grated, baked, and seasoned accordingly. That's it. No extra steps or artificial ingredients are included, making for a snack that is gluten-free, calcium-dense, and loaded with 9-13 grams of protein per serving. The pops follow this same format but in round ball form. Meanwhile, the pretzel option bakes small bits of pretzel right into the cheese for even more crunch.
NUFS
NUFS is a name you should know in 2025. The brand was created just a few years back in 2022 by Canadian sister duo Kristine and Jessica Tran. It only makes one type of product, but it makes it exceptionally well using nuffin' but the best. That product would be crackers. They come to life using real, simple ingredients and no seed oils, soy, dairy, corn, fake flavorings, or gluten. Almond flour, rice flour, cassava flour, and olive oil make up the base for the standard square crackers and the larger plank crackers and then natural seasonings and flavors like cayenne pepper, rosemary extract, or sea salt give each one its individual flair. Nufs said.
Rip Van
Rip Van Wafels helps you satisfy your sweet tooth without the sugar overload. The brand actually makes confections that contain over 80% less sugar than other leading brands. Beyond that, they're gluten-free, non-GMO, high in fiber, and unbelievably delicious. The signature Wafels–modeled after the crispy, waffle-stamped Dutch treat–come in flavors of Dutch Caramel & Vanilla, Snickerdoodle, Honey & Oats, Lemon, Chocolate Brownie, and Cookies & Cream. Each has just three grams of sugar. Then, there's the minis with just one gram of sugar each, the Leos cookies (like more health-conscious OREOS), and stacked Wafers which come in their own range of sweet flavors.
Bada Bean Bada Boom
Bada Bean Bada Boom calls on an unexpected source to create its new kind of snack food. You may have already guessed (based on its name) that the source is beans–broad beans to be exact (also known as fava, faba, or field beans. As a superfood packed with protein and fiber, broad beans make for the perfect crunchy morsels after being roasted with sunflower oil and seasoned with recognizable and natural ingredients. Savory tastes include sea salt, sweet sriracha, sweet onion & mustard, zesty ranch, garlic & onion, spicy wasabi, buffalo wing, and mesquite BBQ. Or, you can combat your dessert cravings with the sweet cinnamon. All of the above are delicious and easy ways to pack more protein into your diet in a flavorful way.
RXBAR
One of the best ways to prove your use of superior ingredients is to list them boldly on the front of your packaging rather than in miniscule font on the back. This is exactly how RXBAR differentiates itself and its no B.S. brand. With every single protein-packed bar, you know exactly what you're getting. For example, the Peanut Butter bar contains exactly 3 egg whites, 12 peanuts, 2 dates, sea salt, and natural flavors. Meanwhile, the Strawberry bar combines three egg whites with 6 almonds, 4 cashews, 2 dates, strawberries, and natural flavors. All of these ingredients are minimally processed and lack artificial preservatives, added colors, animal products, synthetics, and GMOs. Not to mention, each bar is gluten-free, low in calories, high in fiber, and holds 10-12 grams of protein (the minis alternatively offer 6 grams).
Skout Organic
Skout Organic snack bars are approved by both kids and adults alike. They are all simple and plant-based, constructed from a total of just seven ingredients or less. These ingredients consist of fruits, nuts, seeds–things that are grown organically free from pesticides, GMOs, animal byproducts, or anything artificial. The kid's snack bars each come with their own adorable character on the pouch and in flavors like Blueberry Blast, French Toast, and Blackberry Lemonade. With 10 grams of protein each, the protein bars come in tastes of Peanut Butter & Jelly, Chocolate Peanut Butter, and plain Peanut Butter. In addition, soft-baked cookies are the most recent addition to the lineup, offering an even sweeter twist on plant-based treats.
That's It.
Fruit is always a great healthy snacking option. But, turn it into fruit snacks, bars, or leathers, and suddenly it's overloaded with added sugars. Not to mention, more often than not these products don't even contain real fruit, just artificial flavors and colorings. Luckily, that's not the case with That's It. The brand flips the script by including fruit and only fruit in its lineup of bars. It also takes a page out of RXBAR's playbook by letting you know just how much of each ingredient is used always starting with at least one apple. For example, the apple and strawberry flavor is made up of exactly one apple and 12 strawberries, and the apple coconut boasts one apple and one-fourth of a coconut. Every single bar is also 100% natural, plant-based, gluten-free, non-GMO, and allergen-free–making That's It. the true apple of our eye.
SeaSnax
SeaSnax is proof that tasty snacks can be found even in the depths of the ocean. The brand uses none other than seaweed to make its crispy sheets. Seaweed is known for being naturally nutrient-dense, packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. All SeaSnax has to do is roast it with organic extra virgin olive oil, add a pinch of salt, and bam! You have a gluten-free and vegan snack with no artificiality or GMOs that's strangely addictive. The original flavor lets the seaweed do all the talking but you can also reel in tastes like Toasty Onion, Chipotle, and Lime.
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