10 Fruity Summer Snacks For When You’re Craving Something Sweet
When you’re craving something sweet, it can be hard to resist reaching for the chocolate or the candy. But just because you’re working on maintaining your summer body doesn’t mean you have to ignore your sweet tooth! Check out these recipes for ten fruity summer snacks to appease your cravings without compromising that six pack you’ve been working so hard on!
1) Frozen Yogurt Fruit Bites
Fruit and yogurt make a great combo, and during the summer a frozen treat really hits the spot! To make these snacks, fill the bottom of 10-12 cupcake tins with the yogurt of your choice. Top each yogurt dollop with a handful of fresh fruit. You can use any fruit you want, but strawberries, raspberries and blueberries are our recommendation! Place the tray into the freezer, and leave it until the yogurt has fully froze. Remove them from the freezer and enjoy!
2) Bite-Sized Banana Split Treats
Is there anything better during the summer than a nice big bowl of ice cream? Okay, so we can’t make ice cream any more healthy. But we can offer a super sweet and tasty alternative to a classic banana sundae. These banana split bites are super easy to make, and they really hit the spot on a hot summer night. To make these fruity summer snacks, start off by cutting six strawberries in half. Slice 3 bananas and a quarter of a pound of pineapple into slices the same size as the sliced strawberries. Place a slice of each fruit onto a wooden skewer, and freeze for at least 10 minutes. Line a tray with parchment paper, and place it off to the side. Melt a cup of semi-sweet chocolate in the microwave and dip the bottom of your frozen fruit in the chocolate. If you want, roll your warm chocolate in some peanuts! Place the bites onto your lined tray, let the chocolate dry, and bon appetite!
3) Trail Mix Apple Pops
If you love trail mix, this treat is perfect for you! It’s crunchy, sweet and salty, and de-LISH! To make these tasty treats, start by slicing 3 apples into wedges. Soak the apples in a mix of water and lemon juice to keep the apples from turning brown! Make sure the apples are dry, and then skewer the slices. You can use regular skewers, or lollipop sticks. Finely chop at least 2 cups of peanuts, and one cup of dried fruit. Smother each wedge with peanut butter, and stand the apples up in a jar or a glass to keep them from sticking together. Melt 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate and drizzle over the peanut butter. Sprinkle the dried fruit and nuts on the warm chocolate. Put the pops back into the glass, and let the chocolate harden.
4) Homemade Italian Ice
If you love Italian ice but hate all the extra calories, try making it! All you need to make this fruity summer snack, start by combining a pack of sugar-free orange Jell-O with one cup of boiling water. Before the Jell-O sets, add in a third of a cup of peach slices and 2/3 cup of cold water. Pour this into a medium container and place in the freezer for 90 minutes. Repeat this process using lime Jell-O and 1/3 cup of pineapple chunks, and replace the cold water with cold pineapple juice. Pour this mixture over top of your orange Jell-O. Let the mixture set once again for 90 minutes. Repeat the process one more time, with strawberry Jell-O and 1/4 cup of mango. Add the mixture to your container, and let it set. Once the mixture has fully set, remove it from the freezer and slice or scoop as much as you’d like into a bowl. Save the rest for later, or share it with friends!
5) Strawberry Chia Jam
Looking for a fruity summer snack to enjoy with your breakfast? Try your hand at making your own jam! This strawberry chia spread is healthy, delicious and it only takes three ingredients to make! First, heat up 2 cups of frozen strawberries in a saucepan until the strawberries turn into a mushy, thick substance. Once the mixture has cooled down, mix in a quarter of a cup of chia seeds and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Leave it out for 15 minutes, then move it to the freezer. Wait a day or two, and it’s ready to go!
6) Frozen Banana Treats
These frozen treats are mini mixtures of yogurt, banana and chocolate… need we say more? To make this snack, combine 3/4 cup of Greek yogurt, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a drop of liquid stevia. Mix all these ingredients together in a bowl until fully mixed! Cut two bananas into half-inch slices. Dip each slice into the mixture you just created, and place the slices onto a lined baking sheet. Top the slices with whatever you’d like, but we think chocolate chips are the way to go! Place the shet into the freezer and allow the yogurt to harden. Once the yogurt is frozen, remove from the freezer and voila!
7) Cinnamon Apple Chips
If you’re really in the mood for something crunchy, but those chips you would typically reach for are just too full of oil and fats, try making your own chips out of apple slices. They’ll satisfy your cravings for crunch and for something sweet, and they’re way better for you than potato chips. Start by slicing apples into thin, 1 1/16 inch slices (they don’t have to be this size exactly, but just make sure all the slices are the same size). Place the apples onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and dust each slice with a cinnamon sugar mix (or just cinnamon if the sugar is too much for you). Bake the slices for one hour at 200°F. Flip the chips over, and return them back to the oven for another hour, or until crispy!
8)Fruit Salsa
This fruit salsa is the king of all fruity summer snacks! You can use literally any combination of fruit you want, and you can go as exotic or generic as you want. The good thing about fruit is you really can’t go wrong with flavor combos! To make our fruit salsa recipe, core and dice one golden delicious apple, and 1 granny smith apple. Peel and dice 2 kiwis, 1 cup of strawberries, and 1 cup of blueberries. Combine all the fruit into a large mixing bowl and stir. Add a tablespoon of white sugar and a tablespoon of strawberry jam to the mixture , followed by a teaspoon of lemon juice to keep the fruit fresh. Stir well, and place in the fridge to let it set. After about 15 minutes, your salsa will be ready to be devoured!
9) Creamsicle Bites
Literally all you need to make this frozen treat are clementines, and your favorite vanilla yogurt. Yep, that’s it! All you have to do is dip your clementine slices into the yogurt, and freeze. Delicious, hassle-free and healthy, these creamsicle bites really are the ideal fruity summer snack!
10) Breakfast Pizza
Pizza, for breakfast? Normally, these two words just don’t mix, especially when talking about healthy treats. But this pizza is made with wholesome ingredients you’ll love, and your whole fam will love how fun it is to eat! Make your breakfast pizza with cookie dough crust, or go healthy with a granola crust. Preheat your oven to 350, and spread your dough into a thin layer across a pizza pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Next, let’s work on the filling. In a mixing bowl, combine 8 oz. of cream cheese, 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1/2 a teaspoon of almond extract, and 2 cups of powdered sugar. Spread this mix over your crust, and top with your favorite fruit combo!
