The Best Award Winning Snacks for Friends, Family, and Gifts

Healthy snacks are more than just tasty treats to share with friends and family—they also make thoughtful and unique gifts. In today’s world, they can even be considered a modern-day luxury, as selecting the perfect snack involves time, care, and attention to detail. Whether it’s a beautifully curated assortment of wholesome options or a specialty treat, gifting healthy snacks is a meaningful way to show appreciation, celebrate special occasions, or simply share the joy of good taste with loved ones.

Here are ones that select members of the Academy of Media Tastemakers and TasteTV have announced as award-worthy picks for this year.

GOLD AWARDS

SPIRIT Almond Black Garlic Almonds

Crunchy, dry-roasted California almonds are seasoned with traditional Japanese garlic soy sauce and enhanced by the caramel-like sweetness of black garlic, creating a perfectly balanced, umami-rich snack. Available in six or twelve individually portioned packs, these almonds are ideal for on-the-go snacking, school lunches, sports, travel, office snacks, parties, or events. Made with clean, vegan, and gluten-free ingredients, they are lightly seasoned and free of anything artificial.

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Evergreen Zucchini Carrot Cake Frozen Mini Waffles

Made from scratch, this nutritious and fun-tasting option delivers a full combined serving of fruits and vegetables, along with 3g of fiber and 4g of protein, making it perfect for breakfast or lunch. Key ingredients include water, whole wheat flour, maple syrup, and a unique fruit and veggie powder blend featuring apple, carrot, zucchini, and green pea. Please note, this product sounds vegan but does contain eggs.

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Mary’s Gone Crackers Super Seed Everything Crackers

Mary’s Gone Crackers Super Seed Everything Crackers offer a delightful combination of bold flavor and wholesome nutrition, making them a versatile snack for any occasion. With a medley of organic, gluten-free whole-grain brown rice, quinoa, and nutrient-packed seeds—including pumpkin, sunflower, flax, sesame, and poppy seeds—these crackers deliver 5 grams of plant-based protein per serving. Enhanced with garlic and onion, they provide a savory boost to pair perfectly with everything from salsa to brie, cream cheese, or even savory nut butter.

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SILVER AWARDS

SPIRIT Almond Koji Salt Almonds

Koji (fermented rice) and the original Umami salt enhance the almond’s natural depth of flavor, offering a unique twist on plain, lightly salted almonds with a subtle touch of sweetness. They are perfect for on-the-go snacking, school lunches, sports, travel, office snacks, parties, or events. These almonds are vegan, gluten-free, and lightly seasoned for a clean and satisfying treat.

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Vermont Smoke & Cure Premium Beef Hickory Meat Stick

We recommend this meat stick because it delivers a satisfying, smoky flavor and a delightful snap with every bite, thanks to being handcrafted in small batches in Vermont using real hickory or maple hardwood chips. Well balanced, these tender beef and pork sticks are seasoned with simple, wholesome ingredients like fresh cracked pepper, garlic, and mustard seed. Each individually wrapped stick provides 100 calories, 6g of protein, and 2g of carbs, making them an ideal on-the-go snack or lunchbox addition for sustained energy. Made with meat that is free from antibiotics and added hormones, these sticks contain no added sodium nitrites, artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives, and are free of MSG and major allergens, ensuring a clean, healthy snack option.

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Mary’s Gone Crackers Original Organic Crackers

Mary’s Gone Crackers Original Crackers offer a delicious gluten-free snack made with pure, straightforward ingredients. Combining organic, gluten-free whole-grain brown rice, quinoa, flax seeds, sesame seeds, and tamari, these crackers deliver a versatile flavor and satisfying crunch, making them perfect for any occasion.

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BRONZE AWARDS

Humdinger Foods Fruity Pops–Strawberry Kiwi

Kettle corn is not always considered healthy because of the sugar content, but if you find one as unique as this then we suggest you give it a try (or gift it).

Fruity Pops and Strawberry Kiwi flavored popcorn offers a playful and delicious twist on a classic snack, blending the natural sweetness of fruit with the light, airy crunch of freshly popped kernels. The vibrant combination of fruity flavors creates a unique taste experience, with the bright and tangy notes of strawberry and kiwi perfectly complementing the nostalgic essence of Fruity Pops. The flavor essence comes from real freeze-dried fruits that are dusted on the kernels, so you taste them with each morsel.

Find it here (contact Humdinger for details)

My 3 Sisters Italian Cookies Cran-raisin orange with walnuts cookie

Not the prettiest of the bunch when packaged, but definitely beautiful in delivering on flavor and variety, these orange cran-raisin cookie are create with real orange rind, orange juice, brown sugar and walnuts using an old Italian-style family recipe.

Find it here on Etsy