The Best Toddler Snacks and the Best Baby Snacks, Taste-Tested by Adults

Here at Sporked, we taste test and rank groceries based on flavor and quality for everyone—including those with tiny tummies. Whether you’re stocking up on the best toddler snacks for your little one or you’re just curious about which of the best baby snacks are actually tasty, we’ve got you covered. (Seriously, from baby food pouches to yogurt pouches, we’re pros by now.) These puffs may be made for kids, but that doesn’t mean they have to taste like packing peanuts.

If you’re wondering how I, an adult, have the authority to rank the best snacks for babies—well, fear not. I do, in fact, possess the taste buds of a three year old. You’re talking to someone who ate Gerber baby squash until the ripe age of 12. (That’s one secret I was planning to take to the grave, but here we are.) Besides our editor-in-chief Justine Sterling, who has children of her own, there is no one on the Sporked team better qualified to rank the best baby snacks based on flavor. I am a baby. I might actually be your baby. (Mom? Dad? Is that you?)

Obviously, setting out to find the best snacks for toddlers and babies, we paid attention to ingredients and nutrition info as well as flavor. Parents, we get it: You want the best healthy toddler snacks that your kid will actually want to eat. That’s why we set out to find the perfect balance—snacks that are not only made with quality ingredients but also taste so good, even a fully grown adult could enjoy them. So without further ado, here are the best baby puff snacks to satisfy your little ‘uns and keep them from terrorizing your nap time. 

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Best Grain-Free

Serenity Kids Carrot & Beet Grain-Free Puffs

Amazon

Instacart

Sprouts

You may or may not be aware of the confusion surrounding cassava root as a potentially toxic ingredient. Cassava is not recommended to consume raw, but when cooked, it reportedly has numerous health benefits, according to sources like Medical News Today. I would recommend doing your own research, but here’s what I’ll say about these puffs in terms of taste: It’s a very balanced, mildly flavored snack. Though it contains zero sugar, you get a little sweetness from the beet and sweet potato, and a light savory flavor from the olive oil and carrot. Because these puffs are grain-free, the crunch is not as smooth as other brands of baby foods, but your toddler probably won’t know the difference. I tried these against other grain-free baby puffs, like Lesser Evil, and found the texture and taste superior. 

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

Best Cheesy

Earth’s Best Organic Baked Cheddar Veggie Puffs

Instacart

Target

Cheese Puffs for toddlers? Heck yeah. I’m embarrassed to admit that I continued to eat these when it was simply no longer necessary for me to do so. After so many bland baby puffs, you start to really crave flavor, and these hit with a nice amount of cheesiness and a lightly crisp texture. With 25mg of sodium and zero sugar, I really started questioning whether or not I should go on a diet of strictly baby food and see if I feel better on a day-to-day basis. (Of course, it’s worth mentioning that these puffs have the highest sodium level of all the best toddler snacks we recommend here, so no wonder they taste good!) 

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best Peanut Butter

Earth’s Best Organic Peanut Butter Baked Corn Puffs

Target

Walmart

If your kiddo is a future peanut butter fiend in the making, Earth’s Best Organic Peanut Butter Puffs are some of the best toddler snacks out there. They’re about the size of small cheese balls, with the same addictive crunchy texture, too. Every crunch has a delectable, light smoothness that’s very satisfying to chomp on. Made with organic roasted peanuts and organic cornmeal, the puffs have a peanut butter flavor that’s rich, toasty, and really lingers. Go nuts, kids.  

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Once Upon a Farm Fruit & Veggie Puffs: Mango, Carrot & Coconut + Apple, Sweet Potato & Coconut

Instacart (Mango)

Amazon (Mango)

Instacart (Apple)

Amazon (Apple)

Once Upon a Farm’s Fruity & Veggie Puffs are delightful. These wholesome star-shaped puffs have a crisp, airy texture and impeccable fresh-tasting flavor. There’s zero weird aftertaste. Their Mango, Carrot & Coconut have a mellow, savory flavor balanced by the lightest hint of tangy mango. But their fruitier blend—Apple, Sweet Potato & Coconut—really stands out as one of the best baby snacks from this taste test. It’s so bright, nuanced, and naturally a little sweet, thanks to that apple and cinnamon. (Zero sugar and sodium, though!) All the ingredients are organic, too, in case finding the best organic baby snacks is important to you. I really can’t praise them enough. Now I just have to Benjamin Button my way back into infanthood, so I can enjoy these shamelessly all the time. 

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

Other snack puffs for kids we tried: Earth’s Best Veggie Puffs Original, Gerber Puffs Blueberry Canister, Gerber Baby Snacks Baby Food Puffs Strawberry Apple, Once Upon a Farm Organic Baby Puffs Strawberry, Sweet Potato & Coconut, Gerber Lil Crunchies Garden Tomato Puffs Canister, Gerber Puffs Banana Canister, Gerber Lil Crunchies Veggie Dip Puffs Canister, LesserEvil Lil’ Puffs Star-Berry Beet, Gerber Puffs Vanilla, Gerber Puffs Peach Canister, Good & Gather Apple & Strawberry Organic Puffed Grain Snack Baby Food