Food and Recipes Healthy and Light 25 Healthy Late-Night Snacks to Curb Those Midnight Cravings By Zoe Denenberg Zoe Denenberg As a professional baker, Zoe Denenberg has spent the past two years traveling across the country—from Alabama to Hawai'i—working in farm-focused pastry kitchens. She has written about food, travel, and culture for Southern Living since 2019. See more of Zoe's work at https://zoedenenberg.wixsite.com/portfolio and follow her on Instagram. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 31, 2019 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: via Love Grows Wild We've all been there before. It's just past midnight. You're sitting on your couch getting ready to wind down for the night. You dog-ear your book and turn off the television but, on your way to your room, you're hit by a sudden craving. Chocolate? Potato chips? Ice cream? You wander over to the kitchen, and faced with bags of snack foods and confectionary sweets, you eat an entire post-dinner meal that leaves you feeling sick and sluggish.It can be difficult to break the habit of late-night snacking, and luckily you don't have to. We've put together a collection of our favorite healthy late-night snacks that are completely guilt-free. If you're craving something salty, try out some toasted nuts or olive oil popcorn with herbs. If you've got a sweet tooth, cinnamon apples or banana split "nachos" just may be the perfect solution. If you want the best of both worlds, enjoy some sweet-and-salty peanut butter dip. These healthy recipes are a great starting point for breaking old snacking habits, but any midnight snacks can be enjoyed in moderation (read: it's totally okay to break into those addictive cheese crackers every once in a while). 01 of 25 Apple Chips Micah A. Leal Recipe: Apple Chips With only two all-natural ingredients, apples and cinnamon, these easy, crispy apple chips are all-star snacking material. Do yourself a favor and whip up a batch of these apple chips over the weekend. 02 of 25 Georgia-Style Boiled Peanuts Alison Miksch Recipe: Georgia-Style Boiled Peanuts Trade those greasy, salty potato chips in for these scrumptious boiled peanuts. They deliver a healthier, yet nostalgic taste of the South. 03 of 25 Chocolate Covered Pretzels Micah A. Leal Recipe: Chocolate Covered Pretzels You deserve a treat. A handful of these homemade chocolate covered pretzels will be more than enough to satisfy your midnight chocolate craving. 04 of 25 Toasted Nuts ilbusca/Getty Images Recipe: Toasted Nuts Whether you prefer almonds or cashews, this fool-proof recipe for toasted nuts will be your new go-to snack solution. It's a simple way to get your protein in. 05 of 25 Raspberry-Almond Crumble Bars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Raspberry-Almond Crumble Bars Sweet, tart raspberry jam meets crumbly oats in these heavenly crumble bars. Cut them into bite-sized squares for midnight snacking or party platters. 06 of 25 Buttery Toasted Pecans Photo: Iain Bagwell Recipe: Buttery Toasted Pecans Trade the pint of oh-so-creamy butter pecan ice cream for these wholesome Buttery Toasted Pecans, which pack a more condensed toasty flavor without all the sugar. 07 of 25 Healthy Banana Split Nachos Southern Living Recipe: Healthy Banana Split Nachos Treat yourself to this whimsical, but healthy take on nachos, complete with banana "chips," chopped pecans, ground flax seeds, fresh cherries, and a dollop of whipped cream on top. 08 of 25 Cheddar Cheese Straws Lee Harrelson Recipe: Cheddar Cheese Straws Made with fresh cheddar cheese, these cheese straws are a taste of your childhood. Portion them out in Ziploc bags ahead of time to pre-set your serving size. 09 of 25 Blueberry Salsa Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Blueberry Salsa Somewhere between a fruit salad and a salsa, this recipe utilizes fresh summer blueberries to mak a perfect healthy dip. 10 of 25 Gluten-Free Banana Bread Photo: Jennifer Davick Recipe: Gluten-Free Banana Bread If your stomach is grumbling, treat yourself to a slice of Gluten-Free Banana Bread. It's sure to satisfy and packed with potassium! 11 of 25 Cream Cheese-and-Walnut Stuffed Celery Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Cream Cheese-and-Walnut Stuffed Celery Cream cheese is the key to making this stuffed celery a wonderful snack. Feel free to add chocolate chips or peanut butter, too. 12 of 25 Chunky Applesauce Oxmoor House Recipe: Chunky Applesauce If you're looking for something sweet, try out this homemade applesauce. Fresh apples deliver that sweet flavor all on their own, with only ¼ cup of sugar added. 13 of 25 Cinnamon Apples Recipe: Cinnamon Apples Cinnamon apples are a decadent (and healthy!) dessert all on their own. But you can add a scoop of Greek yogurt or vanilla ice cream to take this warm, melty snack over the top. 14 of 25 Spicy Pecans Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Spicy Pecans If you're used to eating your pecans sweet (like Southern-favorite Butter pecans), try out this spicy version of your favorite roasted nut. The kick of cayenne certainly won't disappoint. 15 of 25 Olive Oil Popcorn with Garlic and Rosemary Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Olive Oil Popcorn with Garlic and Rosemary Swap the box of movie theater buttered popcorn for healthier olive oil popcorn. The seasonings seriously upgrade this snack with lots of fresh flavor. 16 of 25 Peanut Butter Dip via Love Grows Wild Recipe: Peanut Butter Dip If your weakness is peanut butter, you'll love this creamy peanut butter dip. It incorporates Greek yogurt and honey to make a guilt-free, yet utterly indulgent snack. 17 of 25 Artichoke and Spinach Dip Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham; Food Styling: Marian Cooper Cairns Recipe: Artichoke and Spinach Dip This healthier twist on spinach and artichoke dip excludes the mayo and sour cream base, instead letting the fresh spinach and hearty artichoke shine for a veggie-forward dish. 18 of 25 Strawberry-Coconut Paletas Wynn Myers; Prop Styling: Lauren Smith Ford Recipe: Strawberry-Coconut Paletas If you're craving ice cream, try one of these fresh Mexican fruit pops instead. They're easy to make and utterly delicious. Try them in a variety of flavors, including Tart Mango and Cucumber-Chile. 19 of 25 Roasted Sweet Potato Hummus Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Roasted Sweet Potato Hummus Change up your hummus recipe by blending in sweet potato for a dash of the potato's namesake sweetness, as well as a lovely bright orange color. 20 of 25 Apple Butter Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Easy Apple Butter Apple butter is essentially a spreadable, sophisticated version of applesauce, and we're crazy for this sweet treat. Dip crackers, crostini, or apple slices in the apple butter for a great snack. 21 of 25 Homemade Salsa Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Homemade Salsa This slightly-spicy homemade salsa will be a new fridge staple. Enjoy with tortilla chips for a nice snack. 22 of 25 Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Melinda Podor/Getty Images Recipe: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds In the fall, there's nothing we love more than repurposing the interior of that carved pumpkin and making our own roasted pumpkin seeds. Get the kids involved in the process for a fun family activity. 23 of 25 Black Bean Corn Salsa Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Black Bean and Corn Salsa This fresh Black Bean and Corn Salsa comes together in just 20 minutes, and it transitions seamlessly from a party starter to a leftover late-night snack. 24 of 25 The Best Healthier Brownies Pinterest/Chelsea’s Messy Apron Recipe: The Best Healthier Brownies We've all fallen victim to those late-night chocolate cravings. Don't abstain from indulgence completely: these healthier brownies are sure to satisfy. 25 of 25 No-Bake Granola Bars Photo: Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: No-Bake Granola Bars These No-Bake Granola Bars are as versatile as they are easy. If you crave something sweet, try a granola bar with honey, dried apricot, and Greek yogurt. If you're craving salty, add a drizzle of dark chocolate and flaky sea salt. Try out a few different flavors depending on your midnight snack habits. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit