Low-Calorie Snacks Under 100 Calories

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Last Tuesday around 3pm I stood in front of my open fridge for a solid two minutes, starving, staring at nothing. That afternoon slump hits me almost every day, and it’s the exact moment my weight loss plans used to fall apart. I’d grab whatever was closest, usually something way over 300 calories, and then feel annoyed at myself an hour later.

These days I keep a rotating list of snacks that all land under 100 calories. Nothing fancy. Nothing that requires a food processor or a trip to a specialty store. Just real food that actually fills the gap between meals without wrecking my calorie count for the day.

This article is part of our comprehensive guide on Low-Calorie Weight Loss Recipes for Beginners. If you’re just starting to figure out calorie control, that’s the place to start. This post is more of a practical toolkit you can pull from any time hunger hits.

What These Snacks Are Actually For

A good under-100-calorie snack has one job: bridge the gap between meals without spiking your appetite or your calorie total. It’s not meant to replace a meal, and it’s not meant to be “diet food” that leaves you sadder than before you ate it.

The snacks below lean on protein, fiber, or volume (think watery vegetables and fruit) because those three things keep you full longer per calorie. A 100-calorie pack of crackers does none of that. A hard-boiled egg does.

I also try to pair these with the meals in my Low-Calorie Meal Prep Recipes so I’m not scrambling for a snack idea while I’m already hungry. Planning it out ahead of time makes a bigger difference than people expect.

How to Store Them

Most of these keep well for 3 to 5 days in the fridge if you prep in advance. Cut vegetables should go in an airtight container with a paper towel underneath to soak up extra moisture, or they turn soggy fast. Hard-boiled eggs keep in the shell for about a week. Anything with yogurt or cottage cheese is best eaten within 2 days once you’ve added mix-ins like fruit or granola, since those get soft sitting in the fridge.

I portion mine out on Sunday into small containers. It takes maybe 15 minutes and saves me from the fridge-staring situation I mentioned earlier.

12 Snacks Under 100 Calories

1. Hard-boiled egg (78 calories) One large egg, boiled for 10 minutes, cooled, and peeled. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, or everything bagel seasoning if you have it. Six grams of protein for under 80 calories is hard to beat.

2. Apple slices with 1 tablespoon peanut butter (95 calories) Half a medium apple, sliced, with a level tablespoon of natural peanut butter. Measure the peanut butter. I say this because I didn’t used to, and “a tablespoon” somehow turned into three.

3. Greek yogurt with cinnamon (70-90 calories, depending on brand) Half a cup of plain nonfat Greek yogurt with a shake of cinnamon and a few drops of vanilla extract if you want it to taste a little like dessert. Skip the flavored cups. They’re often double the sugar.

4. Cucumber slices with 2 tablespoons hummus (85 calories) A cup of sliced cucumber with hummus for dipping. Cucumbers are mostly water, so you get a lot of volume for very few calories.

5. Air-popped popcorn, 3 cups (93 calories) Skip the microwave bags loaded with butter flavoring. Air-popped kernels with a light spray of oil and salt give you a huge bowl for under 100 calories.

6. Cottage cheese with pineapple (98 calories) Half a cup of low-fat cottage cheese topped with a quarter cup of pineapple chunks. I know cottage cheese has a reputation, but this combo genuinely tastes like a treat.

7. String cheese and grapes (90 calories) One light string cheese with about 15 grapes. Simple, portable, works well for desk snacking or car snacking.

8. Rice cake with mashed avocado (85 calories) One plain rice cake topped with a quarter of a mashed avocado and a pinch of salt. Crunchy and creamy at the same time.

9. Baby carrots with 2 tablespoons guacamole (90 calories) A cup of baby carrots dipped in store-bought or homemade guacamole. Good for people who want something with a little more fat and flavor.

10. Edamame, half cup shelled (95 calories) Steamed or microwaved with a sprinkle of sea salt. High in protein and fiber, which makes this one of my go-to office snacks.

11. Frozen grapes (60 calories per cup) Wash a bunch of grapes, freeze them on a tray, then transfer to a bag. They turn into little sorbet bites. My kids actually ask for these, which almost never happens with anything I call “healthy.”

12. Turkey roll-ups (95 calories) Two slices of deli turkey rolled around a stick of low-fat mozzarella or a few cucumber strips. No bread needed.

A Few Practical Notes

Portion size matters more than the snack itself. Almonds are a great low-calorie snack in theory, but a small handful can quietly become 300 calories if you’re eating straight from the bag while distracted. I use a small kitchen scale for anything nut-based, at least until I get the eyeball measurement right.

If you’re someone who snacks out of boredom rather than actual hunger, no snack list will fully solve that. That was true for me for a long time. Worth a moment of honesty before you reach for the fridge.

Timing helps too. I try to eat these snacks about 2 to 3 hours before my next real meal, not right before it. Otherwise I show up to dinner not hungry, pick at my plate, and then I’m hungry again an hour later anyway. Learned that one the hard way, more than once.

Water is worth mentioning as well, even though it’s not technically a snack. Half the time I think I’m hungry at 3pm, I’m actually just thirsty. So now I drink a glass of water first and wait ten minutes before deciding if I really need a snack. Sometimes the craving passes. Sometimes it doesn’t, and that’s fine too. That’s what this list is for.

Keep a few of these prepped and ready, even if it’s just two or three at a time. The whole point is removing the decision-making when you’re already hungry and standing in front of an open fridge, staring at nothing.

For more ideas that fit within a calorie-conscious day, our Low-Calorie High-Protein Recipes page has options that work well as bigger snacks or light meals, and the 7-Day Low-Calorie Meal Plan shows how snacks like these fit into a full day of eating without going over your target.