On a college campus, there are dining halls and cafes to pick up meals from, but what about snacks? From sweet to savory and crunchy to soft, and most of the snacking categories in between, I have compiled a list of some of the most important and highly recommended snacks to have in your dorm for the time in between bigger meals when eating is still a necessity.
Rice Cakes
Coming in more flavors than you could even think of, these quick snacks are versatile, and rarely cost more than $4. Rice cakes are the perfect canvas for peanut butter, hummus, nutella, bananas, strawberries – any combination that suits your desire! Also, teaming up bananas, rice cakes, and peanut butter is a great way to provide your body with protein and fiber to power your body through those long homework sessions!
Cereal
Now that you’re in college, no one is there to tell you when you can or can’t eat certain foods. Cereal is a food that can easily be made into a meal, or a snack and is a personal favorite to bring into the library. Cereal is for everyone, except for those of you who pour the milk into the bowl first…
Tea Bags/Instant Coffee
Most, if not all, college students are fueled by caffeine so if you have water and a microwave, you have access to coffee and tea without having to waste money and time on the never-ending Starbucks line. Plus, there’s few things in life that are better than enjoying warm tea from the comfort of your bed.
Hummus and Pita Chips/Carrots/Celery
Chickpea and black bean varieties of hummus are awesome sources of protein – not to mention, enjoying it with pita chips and carrots or celery is a great way to experiment with flavor combinations for a snack or light meal. Hummus isn’t too expensive and is usually found in grocery stores near the produce or deli department. With thousands of different kinds of hummus ranging from garlic, roasted red pepper, or smoked chipotle pepper, there’s a kind of hummus that appeals to everyone.
Clementines
Clementines provide shocking amounts of vitamins that help to strengthen one’s immune system which is necessary around all of the new people and new germs that come when transitioning into college life. Clementines come in their own biodegradable “wrapper” and are easy to grab before heading to class. Clementines are also delicious and stay in season for most of the year. If you even find that you have too many of them, they can also be diffused into water to make staying hydrated taste sweeter.
Microwavable Popcorn
Popping popcorn in the microwave is both entertaining to watch, amazing to eat, and makes your dorm smell awesome! This quick snack mixed with chocolate chips can satisfy both a sweet and salty craving at any time of the day, not to mention, it’s the perfect snack to accompany a movie or a few too many episodes of your favorite online-streamed show.
Granola or Protein Bars
As any college student will attest to, 8 AM classes are not fun to wake up for. But something even worse than setting your alarm to an ungodly hour is setting it even earlier so you have time to grab breakfast at the dining hall or Starbucks. Granola bars alleviate this issue and are easy to eat on-the-go. Believe it or not, specific bars can even be the perfect meal replacement. Perfect for the library, a snack in the room, or breakfast in class, granola bars are essential to a college student’s diet due to their versatility in flavor and how easy they are to find.
Easy Mac or Ramen
Easy mac has saved so many lives since it has come into creation. Multiple pasta and soup companies have made their variation of a microwavable mac and cheese, only calling for water and a microwave. These are relatively inexpensive and incredibly easy to concoct, making the perfect lunch, dinner, breakfast, or late night snack for those times when leaving your dorm is impossible. Ready (and usually consumed in) under five minutes, these single portions are highly recommended by students everywhere.
Yogurt
Whether you prefer animal-based or plant-based milks, greek or traditional, when it comes to yogurt you really can’t go wrong. Yogurt can be enjoyed by itself, or mixed with berries, bananas, granola or cereal to add a little more pizzaz to the base. Yogurts are great ways to work in more servings of fruits and vitamins that help your body and restore your brain power before or after long days of learning. Not to mention, yogurt parfaits make awesome breakfasts and desserts, so no matter what time of day it is, you can always go for a good yogurt.
Goldfish
Not only are they “the snack that smiles back”, they’re also the world’s most compulsively eaten snack cracker. For as long as most of us can remember, goldfish have always been a snacking staple, and with good reason. The best, and worst part of eating them is that no matter how many handfuls of goldfish you eat you’ll always tell yourself “just one more”. To avoid this problem, it’s a smart idea to buy single serve packages so you can take your goldfish craze on the go, and control your intake of the best snack in the world.
Oreos
Oreos stand at the top of the processed food food-chain, without question. These cookies have truly changed the snack game, working their way into their own ice cream flavor, being 100% vegan, and being part of some of the best dessert recipes of all time. Whether you buy single serve mini Oreo packages or the entire family pack, Oreos are unique and delicious. These superstar cookie sandwiches hold a large place in the hearts of many college students, and deserve a spot in every college dorm room.
Dried Fruit
Dried cranberries, cherries, bananas, pineapples, apricots, raisins, figs, prunes – you name it, you should have it. Providing a different variation of the fruit’s usual flavor profile, dried fruits are fun to throw into trail mixes or just to snack on by themselves. Packing in loads of fiber and flavor, dried fruit is an awesome and healthy snack that can be enjoyed alongside nuts, chocolate or anything under the sun.
Fruit Squeezes/Applesauce
Applesauce is delicious. It’s plain and simple. There’s multiple ways to enjoy applesauce too! The brand GoGo SqueeZ even makes applesauce and fruit squeezes in fun pouches! Applesauce or another kind of fruit squeeze give another opportunity to fit in a serving of fruits and vegetables, as some formulas include carrots and zucchini to sneak in extra nutrients essential to the body’s growth and development.
Chocolate or Chocolate Bark
Everyone has a sweet tooth and if you say you don’t, you’re lying. Some days of classes can be rough, and the only reasonable way to cope is to eat some chocolate, take a nap, and move on. Chocolate chips are useful if you plan to make a trial mix of sort and are also easy to find and to eat. Chocolate bars are good to break out and split with friends or to portion out over time. There are enticing flavors like mint, cranberry orange, and even chocolate bars that have Oreos in them for every kind of sweet tooth! Satisfying your sweet tooth does not have to be high in calories with companies like BarkTHINS. They have multiple different kinds of barks with nuts and seeds mixed into them to add flavor and a crunch, and are not too high in calories so sweet snacking can be guilt-free!
Apples and Bananas
Yes, other fresh fruits and berries are important to have on hand too, but lots of fresh produce can get expensive. The most versatile fruits, and the ones you’re most likely to eat are apples and bananas. Either of these fruits with peanut butter or a nut butter of your choice create the ultimate food pairing, and host loads of protein. Bananas are awesome to eat on their own or mixed in with cereal and milk or yogurt! Packing apples or bananas to eat between classes is foolproof, healthy, and delicious.
As the stereotype goes, college students are always hungry, and these snacks are just a few of the foods that are hailed as staples to keep in one’s dorm. No matter what school you go to, or what region of the United States you’re from, these foods are important and helpful to keep in mind when food shopping in college!