The Best Food You Can Keep In Your Dorm

Food is something that college students’ lives revolve around and many keep a lot of dorm snacks in their dorm rooms. As reported by The Lexington Law in January 2020, college students spent a combined $65 billion alone on food in 2018. The same article also states that “The rise of social media and the need to purchase things for status are a couple of factors that encourage students to splurge on Instagram-worthy food when they really shouldn’t. Other reasons for this huge amount of money spent by college students include them using food and dorm snacks as an excuse to socialize or to take a break from studying and doing homework.

All of the dorm snacks featured in this article are ones you both need and don’t need a fridge, freezer, and microwave for in order to make. For those of you who are worried about gaining weight and falling victim to the freshmen-15, there’s no need to panic! I also included several healthy options for dorm snacks in this article too.

Now, with all of that being said, listed down below are 9 of The Best Dorm Snacks That You Can Keep In Your Dorm:

1. Granola Bars:

One of several popular and ‘must-have’ dorm snacks to keep in your dorm room are granola bars. They are small, come in a variety of flavors, and pack a big punch when it comes to giving energy. Granola bars make perfect dorm room snacks to fuel you through the day.

Although it is important to eat breakfast (aka the most important meal of the day) each morning, there is often not much time to get breakfast at the dining hall or at the coffee shops on campus. If you are running late and don’t have enough time to get breakfast before your morning classes, just grab a granola bar before leaving the room for your first class.

2. Ice Cream Bars and Pints:

Another one of the popular and ‘must-have’ dorm snacks to keep in your dorm room are Ice Cream Bars and Pints! They are perfect at any time, especially for a night-in and/or on a hot day. Get your favorite brands of ice cream bars and pints and treat yo self to your favorite flavors. You deserve it!

Also, make sure you have one of those mini-fridges that comes with a freezer or else all of your ice cream supplies will melt.

3. Protein Bars:

Just like with Granola Bars, (see #1 above), Protein Bars are also another great option for dorm snacks to have in your room that you can grab to eat if you are running late and don’t have enough time to get breakfast before your morning classes. They contain tons of protein that will fill you up and won’t leave you starving during your morning classes.

4. Microwave Popcorn:

Another one of the ‘must-have’ dorms snacks to keep in your dorm room is microwave popcorn. Whether it’s a homework snack, for a movie, a late-night snack, or just something to munch on, microwave popcorn is easy to make, buttery, and super delicious. As reported by Eat This, some of the best brands of microwave popcorn to stock up on for dorm snacks include Pop Secret, Orville, and Act II, to name a few.

5. Mac N’ Cheese:

Another one of the most popular dorm snacks and one that you will need a microwave in order to make is Mac N’ Cheese. I mean, who doesn’t love a bowl of warm Mac N’ Cheese? To save time, one can buy packs of microwaveable mac n’ cheese from popular brands such as Kraft and Annie’s.

However, if you have more time and/or are too lazy to head down to the cafeteria, you can also make homemade, mac n’ cheese with your microwave. There are many quick and easy recipes on the Internet and one of my favorite ones is Tasty’s Microwave 5-Minute Mac N’ Cheese (depicted in the photo below).

6. Cereal and Milk:

This timeless is combo is not only a great option for breakfast when you are too lazy to go to the dining hall, but is also a perfect dorm snack! My favorite cereals are Honey Nut Cheerios and Cinnamon Toast Crunch! For this snack, you need to have a fridge in your room to store the milk in or else it will go bad.

7. Fruit Snacks:

Regardless of age, everyone loves fruit snacks. Remember those packets of fruit snacks that your mommy used to pack you for a snack to eat while in elementary school? Well, this snack is also a popular option to have in your stash of dorm snacks.

Fruit snacks are sweet but are a much better alternative to a majority of candy. They will satisfy your sweet tooth. They are also one of many dorm snacks that come in small portions (unless you buy the bigger bags). In terms of fruit snacks, I personally recommend that you stock up on Welch’s Fruit Snacks. Their Mixed Fruit, Strawberry, and Berries & Cherries Pouches are my favorite flavors.

8. Candy:

I couldn’t do this article about dorm snacks without including candy! Stock up on your favorite candies to munch on for a snack and/or for when you watch movies or craving something sweet. My favorite candies are M&Ms (especially Peanut and Pretzel ones), Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and Watermelon Sour Patch. For the former two, I advise everyone to freeze them! Frozen M&Ms and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are the bomb!

9. Cup of Noodles:

There’s no food item that screams “College” like Cup of Noodles. Keep a bunch of these prepackaged instant cup noodle ramen in your dorm. All you need to make Cup of Noodles is some hot water to add to the cup. Then, you close the lid and let the cup stand for three minutes. Once three minutes are up, stir and enjoy!

Aside from the options that I included above, what are some other good dorm snacks to keep in your dorm room? Let us know what other dorm snacks down below in the comments section!