51 Best Packaged Snacks for People with Diabetes

There are so many great packaged snacks for diabetes on the market, but you need to know what to look for!

Having easy to grab, on-the-go snacks makes life a lot easier when you are managing diabetes. Keep reading for my comprehensive list of the best packaged snacks for diabetes!

*Disclaimer: This blog post is not sponsored in anyway. These are all truly my favorite packaged snacks for diabetes. However, I do work with some of these brands occasionally. That’s actually one of my favorite things about my job… some of my favorite foods to eat are also my clients! And some of the links in this post are affiliate links. What does that mean? It means that if you click on a link and end up purchasing that product, I may get a small commission, but it doesn’t cost you anything extra.

Also, this article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services. This article and the links contained in it provide general information for educational purposes only. The information provided in this article is not a substitute for medical care, and should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or registered dietitian.

What to look for in healthy snacks for diabetes? 

Before we dive in, I thought it would be good review to talk about what we are looking for in a snack for people with diabetes, and what factors I considered when choosing the recommended packaged snacks for diabetes below. 

We want packaged snacks that:

• Have at least 4g of protein or 4g of fiber or both
• Preferably contain some sort of plant based fat source, though not required
• Are made from whole grains (if applicable)
• Are low glycemic index
• Are made from quality ingredients
• Are easy to consume on-the-go
• Are low in sugar relative to the overall carbohydrate count

Now, obviously there are going to be some exceptions to this, and I will try to note those as best I can, but it’s important to remember not to approach food with a list of black and white guidelines. Food has nuance. There is an ebb and a flow to what works sometimes and doesn’t work at other times. Just something to keep in mind. 

And, if you want to read more in depth on this idea of balancing blood sugars and choosing the right foods, make sure to check out this article here. 

It’s important to have some favorite healthy store bought snacks

Like I said above, it’s important to have a list of good go-to options for packaged snacks. Whether you have diabetes or not, we all live busy lives at one point or another and people with diabetes deserve to have good options to choose from just like everyone else. And making everything from scratch at home just isn’t realistic.

What’s on my list of best snacks for diabetes?

If you keep scrolling you’ll see the following categories of packaged snacks for diabetes: crackers, chips, popcorn, bars, cookies, desserts, eat with a spoon, breakfast cereals, low blood sugar treatments, and kid-friendly. If you have another category you’d like to see me tackle, leave a comment at the end and I’ll add it!

I’ve listed several options in each category. Does this mean these are all of the best out of every product on the market? No. In spite of how much research I do, there’s just no way to know every single product that’s on the market. Each category has my favorites for both “diabetes-friendliness” and flavor/taste/texture etc.

*As you’ll see noted below, I decided to expand on the energy/protein/snack “bar” category and have a whole separate blog post on this packaged snacks for diabetes category. You can access that post here, and I’ll link it again below.

Are snacks for type 1 diabetes different than snacks for type 2 diabetes?

Since I get asked pretty frequently if the products I recommend and recipes I develop are just for people with type 1 diabetes (probably because I myself have type 1), I want to clarify… 

Just like all of the other content I put out here on my website and on social media, the recommendations for snacks in this post apply to people with all types of diabetes, and anyone looking to balance blood sugars and energy levels.

List of best packaged snacks for diabetes

Best crackers for diabetes

As a general guide, try to choose crackers that are made from whole grains or nuts and seeds.

• Simple Mills Almond Flour Crackers
• Simple Mills Sprouted Seed Crackers
• Wasa Multigrain Crackers
• Triscuit Thin Crisps
• RW Garcia Veggie Crackers
• Crunchmaster Multi Seed Crackers

Best chips for diabetes

Many of the options below use beans as a base. This adds additional protein and fiber.

• Beanitos chips
• Hippeas White Cheddar Chickpea Puffs
• Food Should Taste Good Tortilla Chips
• Late July Organic Chia & Quinoa Tortilla Chips
• Beanfields Chips

Best popcorn for diabetes

Popcorn is naturally higher in fiber than other crunchy/salty snacks, but when flavorings are added like caramel or kettle corn, it’s important to pay attention to how much sugar is being added. 

• SkinnyPop Original Popcorn
• Store brand popcorn with minimal oil and salt- I typically do most of my grocery shopping at Sprouts, H-E-B, and Costco. Both Sprouts and H-E-B have store brand popcorn options that are low in salt and oil with no added sugar. 
• Angie’s Boom Chicka Pop Sea Salt Popcorn
• Late July Original Sea Salt Popcorn
• Pop Zero Cinema Popcorn

Best snack bars for diabetes

This was by far the most requested category! I’ve listed a few of my favorites below, but make sure to check out this full blog post here that breaks down every category of “bar.”

• MunkPack KETO Bars
• Simple Mills Soft Baked Bars
• Zing Protein Bars
• Clif Kids Protein Bars
• GoodMeasure Bars

Best store bought cookies for diabetes

When it comes to cookies, we want to decrease the sugar as much as possible but still have a delicious cookie! One way to do this is to find grain free cookies made with nut based flours so there’s less carbs, and more protein and fat… but still a delicious cookie!

• Simple Mills Crunchy Cookies
• Simple Mills Soft Baked Cookies
• Soozy’s Grain Free Cookies
• Catalina Crunch Chocolate Vanilla Sandwich Cookies
• MunkPack Protein Cookie (these are big! If eating one for a snack, I’d only have 1/3-1/2)

Best desserts for diabetes

The desserts below are an assortment of lower sugar and higher protein chocolates and candies, as well as some of my favorite lower sugar and higher protein frozen treats!

• JoJo’s Chocolate Bark
• Lily’s Sweets Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
• Lily’s Sweets Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds
• Brazi Bites Churro Rolls
• GoodPop Frozen Pops
• Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt Bars
• KIND Frozen Bars
• Hail Merry Dark Chocolate Bites

Best snacks you eat with a spoon for diabetes

From yogurts to puddings to everything in between, my favorite lower sugar and higher protein options are below.

• Nutreat plant based spread
• Siggi’s 4% yogurt
• Chobani Less Sugar Greek Yogurt

Best breakfast cereals for diabetes

These cereals below are higher in fiber and protein and lower in sugar than traditional breakfast cereals! Another option if you have a favorite breakfast cereal that’s not exactly “blood sugar friendly” is to pair your cereal with plain 2% Greek yogurt instead of milk. The added fat and protein (and lower carbohydrate count) of the Greek yogurt compared to milk, may help balance blood sugars better.

• Catalina Crunch
• Three Wishes
• KIND granola
• Love Grown
• Nature’s Path Qia Super Flakes
• One Degree Organic Sprouted Oat Honey O’s

Best packaged low blood sugar treatments for diabetes

Did you know you can treat a low blood sugar with more than just candy and glucose gel? These are some of my favorite store-bought packaged options. (Check with your doctor to make sure they are ok with these options for you.)

• Applesauce pouches (I just grab the store brand unsweetened variety. Most are 12-15g carb/pouch)
• Raisins (The mini boxes are typically 11-12g/box)
• Juice boxes (Most stores offer shelf stable juice boxes that are 12-18g carb depending on the flavor you choose.)
• Fruit snacks (So quick and easy, and cheap!)
• Banana (Pre-packaged by nature, and highly portable!)

Best snacks for kids with diabetes

Kids love salty, crunchy snacks it seems. These are some of my favorite lower carbohydrate crunchy options. (Note: I am not saying kids with diabetes need to eat low carb. All of the snacks in this post are good for kids, but sometimes a child’s blood sugar might be high and they are hungry. These lower carb options are good for those situations.) Also great for adults too! And all of the snacks listed in this entire blog post are great for kids too!

• Moon Cheese
• Whisps
• Country Archer Meat Sticks

What are you favorite packaged snacks for diabetes? Tell me in the comments below!