Healthy Recipes Mealtimes Healthy Snack Recipes 18 Inflammation-Fighting Snacks for Summer By Dillon Evans Dillon Evans Dillon Evans fell in love with cooking at a very young age. He remembers the novel experiences of microwaving a bowl of oatmeal without his parents' permission and asking to make his mother's morning pot of coffee. These moments became catalysts for his interest in cooking and baking. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on June 3, 2024 Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, is nutrition editor for EatingWell. She is a registered dietitian with a master's in food, nutrition and sustainability. In addition to EatingWell, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens and MyRecipes. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Close Photo: Photographer: Stacy k. Allen, Props: Christina Brockman, Food Stylist: Lauren Odum Enjoy one of these delicious, inflammation-fighting snacks this summer. Recipes in this collection highlight nutrient-dense ingredients like berries, nuts, legumes, whole grains and spices. These foods have anti-inflammatory properties that can help you combat pesky symptoms of chronic inflammation like mental fog, joint stiffness and muscle pain. And what better way to reap the benefits than by making these bars, dips, muffins and more? Recipes like our Anti-Inflammatory Energy Balls and Strawberry-Chocolate Greek Yogurt Bark are packed with seasonal ingredients, so you can enjoy the taste of summer in just a few flavorful bites. 01 of 18 Garlic Hummus This garlic hummus recipe couldn't be easier—just toss a few ingredients in the food processor and whir away! View Recipe 02 of 18 Anti-Inflammatory Energy Balls Photographer: Stacy k. Allen, Props: Christina Brockman, Food Stylist: Lauren Odum Drawing inspiration from the flavors of Cherry Garcia, these chocolate-cherry date energy balls are a tasty tribute to the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor named after Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. Packed with chunks of dark chocolate and dried tart cherries, they’re not only delicious but also contain polyphenols, a nutrient found in cherries that can help suppress inflammation. View Recipe 03 of 18 Strawberry-Chocolate Greek Yogurt Bark Greek yogurt gets studded with fresh strawberries and chocolate chips and then frozen so you can break it into chunks just like chocolate bark (but healthier!). This colorful snack is perfect for kids and adults alike. View Recipe 04 of 18 Roasted Butternut Squash Seeds Caitlin Bensel Don't throw away your butternut squash seeds; roast them instead! Roasted butternut squash seeds make a great snack or salad topper. Enjoy them plain or jazzed up with one of the variations below. View Recipe 05 of 18 Low-Carb Blueberry Muffins Just because you're watching carbs doesn't mean you can't have the classic breakfast pastry. In place of all-purpose flour, nutty almond and coconut flours make these muffins fluffy while slashing carbs. A bit of brown sugar blunts the tartness of fresh blueberries. Make these ahead for a grab-and-go breakfast for the week. View Recipe 06 of 18 Easy Black Bean Dip This creamy bean dip is great for a party or picnic. Smoked paprika and ground chipotles add a robust, earthy flavor, but you can also use regular paprika and cayenne if you don't have the other spices on hand. View Recipe 07 of 18 Raspberry Yogurt Cereal Bowl For breakfast, snack or a healthy dessert, try using yogurt instead of milk for your cereal. If making this as a to-go snack, keep the cereal separate and top just before eating. View Recipe 08 of 18 Blueberry-Pecan Energy Balls Dried blueberries and pecans team up with cacao nibs for a chocolaty treat any time of day. The cacao is a bit more bitter than chocolate, but the maple syrup helps tame it. Almond butter and chia seeds provide protein to make these bites substantial snacks to fuel your body. View Recipe 09 of 18 Cherry-Chocolate Chip Granola Bars Skip the granola bar options at the grocery store--they're easy to make at home! You can vary the add-ins to your taste, swapping 2 cups of any combination of small (or chopped) dried fruit, nuts and/or seeds for the chocolate, cherries and coconut in this version. We tested several sticky sweeteners, including maple syrup and honey, but found brown rice syrup held the bars together the best. View Recipe 10 of 18 Roasted Beet Hummus This vibrant hummus recipe couldn't be easier—just toss a few ingredients in the food processor and whir away! Roasted beets make this healthy dip extra flavorful. Serve with veggie chips, pita chips or crudités. View Recipe 11 of 18 Cherry-Cocoa-Pistachio Energy Balls Minced dried cherries and pistachios make these energy balls a salty-sweet snack to satisfy all your cravings. Almond butter and cocoa add substance and chocolaty appeal. Serve any time of day as a snack or dessert, or pack them for a hike. View Recipe 12 of 18 Whole-Wheat Strawberry Muffins This healthy muffin recipe features strawberries, but you can use your favorite berry in their place. Recipe adapted from the Massachusetts Farm to School program. View Recipe 13 of 18 Air-Fryer Crispy Chickpeas Air-fried chickpea snacks are intensely flavored and incredibly crunchy. Drying the chickpeas is essential to a good crunch, so don't skip this step. If you have time, leave them out on the counter to dry for an hour or two before frying. View Recipe 14 of 18 Hard-Boiled Egg & Almonds This small snack packs a nutrient punch--it's loaded with protein, heart-healthy fats, vitamins and minerals to make eating healthy easy and yummy. View Recipe 15 of 18 Peanut Butter Energy Balls Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco These healthy peanut butter and chocolate energy balls deliver a mixture of simple and complex carbohydrates to help fuel you up whenever you need a little boost. View Recipe 16 of 18 Peanut Butter-Oat Energy Balls Carson Downing Sweet, sticky dates act as the glue for these no-bake energy balls. Perfect for hikes or during sports, this healthy snack travels well. View Recipe 17 of 18 3-Ingredient Crispy Potato Peel Chips These 3-ingredient potato peel chips are a cross between a french fry and a potato chip, and they’re the perfect snack to make when you have potatoes to peel! These chips can be enjoyed as-is or dressed up with seasoning. Simply toss baked potato peel chips with seasoning immediately after removing them from the oven. (If you season before baking, the spices may burn.) The only trick is to season them right away—the seasonings will not adhere well once the chips have cooled. View Recipe 18 of 18 Peanut Butter, Blueberry & Oat Energy Squares These one-bowl, no-bake energy squares ensure a quick way to refuel during long meetings, tough workouts or that mid-afternoon energy slump. Feel free to swap the blueberries for your favorite dried fruit and the pistachios for your favorite nut--but keep the maple syrup as is; we found using less than 1/2 cup resulted in crumbly bars. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit