Need some suggestions for quick Paleo snacks? Here are our favorite healthy, Paleo snack ideas for kids and tired parents this holiday season. These will keep you energetic and help your immune system stay strong. Also included is our very favorite Paleo Pizzelle cookie recipe – these look complicated but are really simple and super tasty.
FYI, if all you need is a recipe for Paleo pizzelles, just scroll down a bit. For everyone else, here’s a short list of my favorite Paleo snacks.
For those new to a Paleo diet or who are simply testing out some recipes to see if they’re a good fit for your family, Paleo snack foods can be difficult to come by.
The most economical thing to do is to learn to make your own Paleo snacks. To help you out with that, here’s a quick list of grain-free, refined-sugar-free and dairy-free snacks.
Paleo Snacks – Family Friendly Version
These Paleo snacks are kid-tested and mother-approved. We’re a family of seven, with kids ranging in age from fifteen to four. They’ve been raised with healthy foods – lots of veggies, fresh dairy and fermented grains.
However, every now and then we go all-out-Paleo and take out the dairy and grains. Especially after the holidays, our tummies need the wholesome break that the Paleo diet provides.
For example, for the next few months, my family will be sticking to the Paleo diet – for the most part. In the interest of full disclosure, we’re Paleo-ish. We still use a little butter, we still eat raw milk yogurt and a couple other raw dairy ferments. You do whatever works for you and don’t sweat it!
Regardless of how strict we are, snacks can be hard to keep grain and sugar free!
Paleo Snacks – Fruits and Veggies
Ok, I know you already know this one, but I had to put it at the top of the list because it’s the easiest! Having cut up fruits and veggies on the table or in the lunchbox makes them accessible and eatable.
We home educate and so I keep fruit and veggies cut up on the table all day long and the kids simply graze.
All that chopping does take time, though! To make it easy on myself during my busy week, the kids and I are getting better about taking an hour on Saturday to pre-cut:
- carrots
- celery
- beets
- peppers
- oranges
- apples
- other seasonal veggies and fruits
We don’t really mind browning on fruits like apples very much, but if you do, you can sprinkle them with lemon juice to prevent it.
Tender items like cucumbers and bananas we cut the day we need them. I also grate up sweet potatoes and other root veggies for use in recipes throughout the week while I’m at it.
Store everything in airtight containers in the fridge and use them up within the week.
Paleo Snacks – Nuts and Seeds
These are a great option for a Paleo snack that don’t require a ton of time. Raw nuts and seeds are always healthier, but even so, you can make or purchase flavored varieties without too much trouble.
Here are some delectable herbed Toasted Almonds.
Here’s everything you need to know about sprouting seeds from the Sprout People. No, my kids aren’t so cool that they’ll just pick up a handful of sprouts and eat them. However, they’re really filling and can easily be tossed on top of sandwiches and salads.
Healthy Jerky
- Beef jerky is a traditional favorite Paleo snack food and Against All Grain has a great recipe so you can make your own.
- Don’t be limited to beef, though. Here’s a simple recipe for Turkey Jerky that can be done in the oven.
Hard Boiled Eggs
You’ll eat a lot of eggs on a Paleo diet, most likely. Scrambling eggs doesn’t take long but having hard-boiled eggs on hand makes them easy to put into school lunches and take on road trips.
- Here’s how to make great Hard-Boiled Eggs from a Farmish Kind of Life. These will actually peel!
- If you’re feeling ambitious you can even try this recipe for Paleo Deviled Eggs.
Fruit Leather and Veggie Chip Paleo Snacks
Dried fruit and veggies make very portable and tasty Paleo snacks. It’s easiest to make these recipes with a dehydrator, of course. However, you can dehydrate fruits and veggies in the oven, or even the solar oven (click here for making apple chips in your solar oven!).
- Here’s a tutorial for making your own Fruit Leather.
- Also, a family favorite, here’s how to make your own raisins.
- You’ll want this tutorial on how to condition newly dehydrated fruits from Rockin W Homestead, too.
My favorite veggie chips are probably kale chips – here’s a good recipe for those. They’re not really portable, especially in a school lunch, if you bake them super crispy like I enjoy them.
Try these sweet potato chips and see if they transport better for you. This is a fried recipe, just so you know. I think they taste so much better than baked.
Paleo Granola
I love granola and so do the kids. I do have a child who is allergic to tree nuts so going Paleo is a challenge for her. Because of all the nuts in Paleo “granola” recipes, this is a snack she has to skip. However, everyone else enjoys it!
- Here’s a basic Paleo granola recipe from The Roasted Root.
- But here’s my favorite from Against All Grain- Paleo Chocolate Granola with Dried Berries.
- Raising Generation Nourished has a Easy Paleo Granola Bar recipe that is great to have on hand.
Baked Paleo Snacks
We miss tortilla-style corn chips when we’re on our Paleo-ish cleanse. I like to make a Paleo snack chip version that, admittedly, doesn’t taste like a tortilla chip but is, nevertheless, super tasty.
- Paleo Grubs has a really tasty recipe for a Paleo Tortilla Chip here.
- Here are some tasty Paleo Breadsticks from Lila Ruth Grain Free – they do have arrowroot and coconut flour, FYI.
Paleo Pizzelle Cookies
I first got enamored of pizzelles because I’m an avid reader of Joybilee Farm. Chris has several posts and now a e-recipe book of pizzelle deliciousness.
For a sample, here’s her delectable Pumpkin Spice Pizzelles – not Paleo, FYI. Chris can teach you all about the history of these tasty Italian cookies and teach you how easy they are to make.
To create the traditional shape, you will need a pizzelle maker which can be found online or in most kitchen stores.
I got one for Christmas from my mom and put it right to use. We opened Chris’s book and started making all kinds of snack pizzelles and cookie pizzelles.
When we ate too many richly flavored pizzelles, we made Chris’s recipe for digestive pizzelles to help calm our tummies. Chris even has a gluten free pizzelle, if gluten is your main problem.
Paleo Pizzelle Recipe
However, when we started our Paleo diet this month, we thought we were going to have to say good bye to our new favorite pizzelle snack. Instead, I sat right down and created this Paleo pizzelle recipe.
This recipe is similar to Chris’s pumpkin spice pizzelle because that’s what inspired me. However, you can fiddle with the ingredients and make savory pizzelles for lunch or dinner.
Or what we’ve been doing is to use them as a tasty Paleo snack about midday.
Paleo Pizzelle Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 6 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup coconut oil melted and cooled a bit
- 1 1/2 cup almond flour
- 3 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
Instructions
- Put the coconut oil in a small pan and set it to melt.
- Gather all the ingredients and preheat your pizzelle maker. These mix together pretty quickly and once the pizzelle maker is warm, you'll want to get started.
- In a small bowl, sift the dry ingredients together - flours, spices, salt and soda.
- Beat together the eggs, syrup and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add coconut oil and mix well.
- Slowly add in the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed. The mixture will be a bit stiff.
- Grease your pizzelle maker and follow the instructions for your particular maker. With mine, I place a tablespoon of batter just behind the center mark on each side of my pizzelle maker. The maker makes two at a time.
- Place the Paleo pizzelles immediately onto cooling rack. They'll stiffen and crisp as they cool. If you like them a bit chewy, don't press the top of the pizzelle maker down all they way and be generous with how much batter you use. After some experimentation, you'll figure out how you like the pizzelles the best.
- With my sized maker, this recipe will yield between 15-18 pizzelles.
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Emily says
Thanks for sharing these great ideas and these Pizzelle cookies are so pretty! I wish I had a pizzelle maker!
Homestead Lady says
Well, Christmas is coming…:)
mrsg says
I just made pumpkin cookies yesterday but looks like I should have tried pizelles!!! They look quite tasty!
Homestead Lady says
Thanks for stopping by! Pizelles are lovely and deceptively easy to make. Pumpkin cookies have many merits, too, though. 🙂
Diane says
I’m doing Keto ant idea on the carbs for these?
Homestead Lady says
Great question, Diane! There are Keto apps now that can help you with this sort of calculation. To do it manually, try following the directions in this helpful post from Healthfully.com – https://healthfully.com/373081-how-to-convert-a-recipe-to-carb-counting.html
You can use the internet to get a rough calculation of each ingredient’s carb content, add them together and then divide it by how many servings you produce with each batch.
Jessica says
Bought a pizzelle maker and this was the first recipe I tried. Absolutely delicious. Not too sweet and just the right amount of spice. I didn’t have coconut oil or flour, so I added more almond flour and used butter. I’ll be making these again!!
Homestead Lady says
I’m so pleased you enjoyed it, Jessica – thank you for the feedback! I hope you enjoy your pizzelle maker and get lots of use out of it. We use it every season of the year. They make great neighbor gifts at Christmas, FYI.
Michael says
What about the Anise flavor in the Pizzelle ? I use Sambuca instead will that work in these
Homestead Lady says
Thanks for stopping by, Michael! If you’d care for anise flavor in your pizzelles, you can add 1 tsp of anise extract and, for fun and flavor, about 1 tablespoon of anise seed. If you mean Sambuca liquor, yes, you can add that in to taste but start with small increments. You don’t want to overwhelm your cookie dough with too much liquid.
Stephanie M says
I always prepare My Nana’s pizzelle recipe that she brought from Italy and would love to try this. We have a severe nut allergy in our family, so what can we use to substitute for the almond flour? Thanks!!
Homestead Lady says
If you need gluten free but can’t eat almond flour, you could try Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour – it’s my favorite gf flour. You’ll probably want to omit the coconut flour along with the almond flour. You may need to play around with the wetness of this recipe if you change the flour. It should be soft but not soggy.
Good luck!
Just4Foodies says
Oh yum! Thanks for the recipe.
Saga says
Thank you for the recipe!!!
I just change syrup for keto friendly sugar, and now I have fav weekend breakfast!!!
Homestead Lady says
So glad! They’re one of my favorite breakfasts, too. And snacks. And treats!
Peggy says
I would love to try this but do these Pizzelle cookies stay crispy like traditional recipes?
Homestead Lady says
Great question! To get crispy cookies you’ll need to use wheat flour and not almond flour. There are many traditional recipes using wheat flour that will probably suit your needs. Having said that, these cookies are a bit like a cracker when cooled. Not crispy like a wafer, but very much like a waffle cone.
I hope that helps!
Becky says
I can’t use eggs can I use the egg replaces from. Bob red mill? Flax egg?
Homestead Lady says
It’s worth a try, Becky! This recipe isn’t too fussy, although without the gluten from wheat flour, the almond flour may not stick together. Like I said, certainly worth a try. If you think of it, come back and let us know how they turned out. If it works, I’ll make a note in the recipe crediting your discovery.