This is part of a series of posts that I’ve been putting together as I slowly prepare to do a vegan thru-hike in the distant future.

I wasn’t vegan when I thru-hiked the AT, so I’ve been having fun with the puzzle of finding replacements for my favorite non-vegan snacks.

It’s been almost a year since I decided to go vegan and about 6 solid months of being entirely vegan aside from cream in my coffee and an occasional bite of cheese at a restaurant. I can honestly say, I’m really happy with my dietary choices and chances are, if you’re reading this, you are too!

As with most of my content, this list is geared toward the thru-hiker. Meaning, you can find almost any of these in a store or order a manageable amount on Amazon to a General Delivery.

These snacks could also, obviously, work for a day-hiker or weekender! Over the past few months, I’ve been doing weekend trips to test out my options and these are my favorites so far.

Check out this comprehensive list of Every VEGAN Backpacking Food Option I can Think Of for more ideas and links.

My 10 Favorite Vegan Backpacking Snacks

1. Bars

Of course I’m going to list bars as number 1! There are so many to choose from! My top 3 are Lärabars, Nature Valley, Probars, and Clif.

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2. Jerky

I LOVE Louisville Vegan Jerky! Their smoked pepper flavor is my favorite. Vegan jerky can get pricey, but it is an amazing treat once in a while. This light food is salty, filling, and protein dense. Find it at Whole Foods and most larger grocery chains.

3. Trail Mix

Save yourself some money and make your own mix! You’ll get twice as much for just about the same price. I go for 3-5 things to mix together. The possibilities are ENDLESS.

Here are three combos to get you started:

Sunflower seeds, pecans, chocolate, pretzels

Craisins, walnuts, almonds, and pumpkin seeds

Dried Pinapple, Banana Chips, Coconut, Cashews, Walnuts

4. Nut Butters

Nut butter is a classic! Eat it straight off the spoon or smear it on a tortilla, crackers, or bread. This brilliant hiker dips hers in granola or instant oats! I’ve started branching out from just peanut butter and found out I love cashew butter! Be careful, though, the price tag can get high and it’s heavy to begin with. I will splurge for the PB + J combo jar once in a while, though.

5. Dried Fruit

In my humble opinion, chili spiced mango is the best of the dried fruit world. Other options include dried pineapple (which also comes candied!), apples, appricots, bananas, cranberries, or raisins. Basically candy but less bad for you and for sure vegan.

6. Hippeas

If Hippeas weren’t so expensive I would honestly eat them every day. They’re crunchy and salty and flavorful and FILLING. They also don’t lose their shape and goodness when you shove them into your food back under all of your other heavy food. I buy one or two bags every time I find them. Every flavor is good. Seriously, every single flavor.

7. Oreos

A delicious standby often treated as a dessert, oreos could be that last little push you need at 5pm to get to camp.

8. Fruit Snacks (Annie’s Gummy Bunnies)

Before I went vegan, I carried gummy bears for most of my thruhike. I loved the pure sugar fuel they gave me without sitting heavy in my stomach. I’d eat them just before a climb or have a few for dessert. I thought I’d have to give that feeling up until I found these! Sometimes I also bring Sour Patch Kids.

9. Newtons

Newsflash! Fig Newtons changed their recipe this year to be vegan. I make fig and date bars at home often. It’s a fibrous and filling snack that doesn’t taste all that bad. Plus, it’s sweet without sugar. Fig Newtons are my trail version of that snack and I’m so glad they’ve gone vegan!

10. Complete Cookie

Lenny and Larry’s Complete Cookies were not something I liked the first time I tried them. But, after the third time trying them I learned to love them. These cookies are so filling that I can only eat them one half at a time. They’re a bit pricey but worth it in my opinion!

My favorite part about these cookies, though, is the name. My grandfather was named Lenny and my uncle (his son) is named Larry! I love a funny coincidence.