PRODFeature
The Best Snacks, According To Snacking Experts (Us)
Pie crust cookies, Turtle Chips, and a bunch of other things to order online.
Snacks: They’re similar to meals, but require less commitment and effort. They’re also perfect for when you’re stuck at home for seemingly interminable periods - but if you’ve been eating the same chips and dip for the past six months, it’s time to branch out.
Try some of the snacks that get us through our days (spent writing about food, for the most part.) They include everything from popcorn and chanachur to crab chips and spicy peanuts, and you can order every single one of them online. Pick a few, and get some variety in your life.
We’re recommending these products because we actually use, and like, them. Things you buy through our links may earn us a commission.
Arguably the Best Chanachur
“If there’s one snack that defines my childhood, it’s chanachur. You can find variations of this all over South Asia, but - in my very biased opinion - this Bangladeshi one is the best. It’s a little sweet, a little sour, and decently spicy. Plus, it has the best texture (from peanuts and puffed rice). You can usually find it at any South Asian grocery store, but I highly recommend ordering from this specialty site that exclusively carries Bangladeshi products.”
-Anikah Shaokat, Editorial Operations Coordinator
Get Ruchi Barbecue Chanachur ($7) →
Spicy Nuts for Lonely Mouths
“I recently caught wind of the Japanese phrase kuchi sabishii. It means lonely mouth or eating out of boredom. When I have a case of lonely mouth, I almost always want something salty and spicy, AKA chips and salsa. But if you’re on a road trip and have a no-salsa-in-the-car rule, the obvious choice is hot and spicy peanuts, specifically from Munchero’s. Not unlike Warheads, these cayenne-dusted nuts will quite literally make you pucker up.”
-Arden Shore, Senior Staff Editor
Get Munchero’s Peanuts ($20) →
The Gift-Worthy Chip
“Turtle chips have absolutely nothing to do with turtles but they’re the best chips I’ve had in a long time. They taste like cream of corn soup, crammed into three crunchy layers. They’re savory and sweet, and it’s incredibly easy to down an entire bag in one sitting. I’ve given bags as gifts to multiple friends, and they’re all converts.”
-Diana Tsui, Editorial Director, Recommendations
An Overachieving Popcorn
“OK, I already know there are going to be other popcorn snacks on this list, but trust me when I say this one is different. This all-in-one package comes with a bag of microwave popcorn, movie-style butter, furikake, and assorted rice crackers. Once the popcorn is popped, mix all of the above in a huge plastic bag (hence, hurricane) to create a delicious, unique snack. I like to pair it with a film from Dev Patel’s discography, but that’s just me.”
-Kat Hong, Staff Writer
Get Hawaiian Hurricane Popcorn ($29) →
Gluten-Free Crackers That Don't Taste Like Cardboard
“All the gluten-free snacks, especially crackers, that I’ve tried have tasted like lightly-salted cardboard. Not these almond-flour ones from Simple Mills though. They’re somehow crispy, salty, and the perfect accouterment if you don’t mess with bread.”
-Carlo Mantuano, Staff Editor
Get Simple Mills crackers ($14) →
A Pocky You'll Commit To
“There are a lot of Pocky flavors to choose from, but the chocolate-covered biscuits are the best. How do I know this? My many years of messing around with the overly sweet strawberry flavor before realizing the error of my ways. The jury’s still out on how I feel about the matcha.”
-Lani Conway, San Francisco Editor
A Garden State Classic
“If you haven’t sprinted down the Ocean City boardwalk carrying a hot bucket of this salt-yet-sweet caramel popcorn while a flock of seagulls attacks you, then baby, you haven’t lived.”
-Walter Kelly, Creative Producer
An Underrated Wafer
“Look, I don’t dislike the more popular dark chocolate or lemon Quadratini flavors. I just prefer the mild and nutty taste of the matcha green tea ones. I found them hiding in plain sight on the bottom shelf of the cracker aisle at my local grocery store, and I’ve been hooked ever since.”
-Nikko Duren, Staff Writer
Get Matcha Green Tea Quadratini ($24) →
A Top-Notch Drinking Snack
“When it comes to drinking snacks, beer and peanuts naturally go together - but these are no ordinary peanuts. They’re infused with Sichuan peppercorns and chili peppers, so you get that tingly mala flavor. Plus, when you’re done and find yourself with a bag of leftover spices, you can use them in your cooking.”
-Diana Tsui, Editorial Director, Recommendations
Get Huang Fei Hong Spicy Peanuts ($22) →
A Truly Exceptional Licorice
“I apologize in advance because RJ’s raspberry-flavored licorice will ruin every other licorice for you. They’re perfectly chewy, come in little bite-sized pieces, and are my go-to crumbless desk snack.”
-Julia Chen, Staff Writer
Get RJ’s raspberry licorice ($26) →
An All-Purpose Praline
“These praline pecans are so good. They’re great on their own, in a salad, or on top of whatever other concoction you dream up, and, while there are quite a few brands out there, no one does it better than Kirkland (Costco forever). Luckily, you don’t need a Costco membership. Just order a giant tub from Amazon.”
-Anikah Shaokat, Editorial Operations Coordinator
Get Kirkland Praline Pecans ($23) →
The Salty, Spicy Kettle Chip
“These chips are salty, spicy, and just taste better than any BBQ or salt and vinegar variety out there. I also primarily survived off these and tallboy Narragansetts during my freshman year of college, and I don’t regret a single thing.”
-Carlo Mantuano, Staff Editor
Get Zapp’s Voodoo Chips ($14) →
The Pinnacle of Snack Engineering
“What’s the worst thing about eating Pocky? For me, it’s that the chocolate gets your hand sticky and there’s not enough of it. Enter: Pejoy. A simple, delicious snack made with chocolate cracker on the outside and chocolate cream on the inside, kind of like a straw. Give these people a MacArthur Genius Grant, already.”
-Kat Hong, Staff Writer
For the Old Bay Aficionado
“Tell me you’re from the Mid-Atlantic without telling me you’re from the Mid-Atlantic.”
-Alicia Camden, Creative Producer
A Chocolate on Chocolate Sandwich
“Double Dark Chocolate is the only acceptable flavor of Milano. It’s got two layers of - you guessed it - dark chocolate, sandwiched between crispy little cookies. I have been known to consume an entire 15-cookie bag in a possibly-concerning number of minutes.”
-Julia Chen, Staff Writer
Get Double Dark Chocolate Milanos ($3) →
A Snack for Multiple Cravings
“These almonds taste like toasty, buttery goodness similar to honey butter chips, but in nut form. They’re the perfect sweet and savory combo.”
-Emily Ng, Art Director
Get Honey Butter Almonds ($27) →
Your Workday Companion
“This popcorn has been my sad desk lunch on several occasions. It has just the right balance of sweet and salty, so it’s very easy to eat an entire family size bag all by yourself.”
-Anikah Shaokat, Editorial Operations Coordinator
A Pineapple Cake Worth Seeking Out
“My friend at an old job introduced me to Taiwanese pineapple cakes a few years ago and for the longest time I’d ask her to have her relatives in Taipei send me more. You weren’t able to find them stateside until recently, but now Amazon carries two of the top brands: Chia Te and Sunnyhills. Made of buttery shortbread and a tart, chewy pineapple jam center, they’re dense little cakes made to be eaten with a cup of tea. Pineapple cake lovers can argue at length as to which brand is better but I like to intro people to the snack with Chia Te as it tends to be slightly sweeter and richer.”
-Diana Tsui, Editorial Director, Recommendations
Get Chia Te Pineapple Cakes ($37) →
Blueberries in Bulk
“Forget eating blueberries one by one - I’m trying to eat 20 at a time. That’s why I reach for That’s It fruit bars whenever I get worried that I’ve been eating too many sandwiches lately and need a quick hit of fiber.”
-Carlo Mantuano, Staff Editor
Get That’s It Fruit Bars ($18) →
A 3pm Pick-Me-Up
“I mindlessly pop wasabi peas whenever I’m in need of an afternoon kick (the 3pm workday slump is real, everybody). These Hapi wasabi peas are on the milder side, so don’t expect that face scrunching numbness in your mouth and nose with every bite.”
-Lani Conway, San Francisco Editor
A Hawaiian Staple
“Objectively this is the best candy from Hawaii. Tangy, salty plum powder (li hing mui) coats a super-sweet strawberry candy belt to make the best sweet/salty combination known to man. I ask my parents to send these to me by the dozen, but you can also just order them online. That’s probably easier.”
-Kat Hong, Staff Writer
Get Li Hing Strawberry Sour Belts ($13) →
A Pie/Cookie Hybrid
“What’s the saying—two pies in the hand is better than one on your plate? Well, Janie’s Pie Crust Cookies proves just that. The perfect balance of flaky crust, delicious pie center, and streusel topping will have you eating these by the handful.”
-Angie Baez, VP, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Get Janie’s Pie Crust Cookies ($10) →
A Superior Cheez-It
“This is the only acceptable variation on the classic Cheez-It (besides the occasional Reduced Fat) and the only one that improves upon the original. A Cheez-It with any kind of flavor dust is an affront to God.”
-Alicia Camden, Creative Producer