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While most folks are all about the adventure on long car rides, for me, it’s really all about the road trip snacks. Sure, stopping at gas stations for chips and candy is great, but it’s much cheaper (and better) to make them at home. With road trip season in full swing, we gathered our all-time favorite road trip snacks that include everything from the best homemade beef jerky to at-home Chex party mix and beyond. These snacks are made to be packed and are guaranteed to not only save you money and time, but be delicious during your next journey.
Homemade Beef Jerky
“This is a fantastic and easy recipe! I like spicy jerky so I added a tablespoon of powdered cayenne to the marinade (as well as two teaspoons of liquid smoke). Totally worth the effort and the family raves about it! Talk about a money saver!” — Chris Findlay
Original Chex Party Mix
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“This was super easy to make. I’ve always made chex mix in the oven and it takes so long but cooking in the microwave was super fast and taste the same. I will be using this recipe from now on.” — Sarah Walker Woodring
Energy Balls
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“My entire family loves these just as written. The only thing I do differently is put all ingredients in my food processor and pulse until blended, scoop out and press flat in a glass dish which I then freeze. We can then cut them into bars! takes out a ton of the work from rolling into balls and mixing by hand!” — Natalie Witwer Metzger
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
“Made them over and over again, if you remove the ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon, then use this recipe as a basic cookie recipe. I have even made them with chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts, cinnamon chips and raisins. Just a very good versatile soft cookie recipe.” — Cherri Timmer
Party Pinwheels
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“I have been making these pinwheels for over 20 years. They are always a big hit.” — Janlee445
Frittata Wrap with Ham and Cheese
“A very nice idea for a lunch on-the-go. I skipped the broiler part and cooked it like a regular frittata flipping it over to cook it on both sides. Thank you for the recipe.” — Buckwheat Queen
Homemade Pita Chips
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“These pita chips were so good and so simple to make. You can really use whatever spices you like. My daughter loved them and said they were way better then the store bought pita chips. Will be making these regularly.” — DBellino
Classic Bran Muffins
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“Oh my gravy all over my two scoop rice (that’s OMG in my world)! These are the best bran muffins I’ve ever made, really! I doubled the Vanilla and Cinnamon; I also added in 1/2 cup each of craisins and chopped Pecans. I got 15 smaller muffins. Be careful not to over mix or bake and you will be rewarded with a beautiful textured muffin.” — Auntie Doni
Granola Bars
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“Great recipe – I make this every Sunday to last us through the week. I bake for 6 to 7 minutes at the end so they still hold their shape. Thanks for the recipe!” — Anna
Homestyle Potato Chips
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“This is an amazing recipe and tastes miraculous, I definitely recommend this recipe.” — Haya Sleiman
Cowboy Caviar
“This is my go-to recipe. I love to make this for lunch at work and for family functions. It’s delicious. You can make it hotter by using jalapenos or you can make it mild by using green chiles. Delicious! Love it! It also makes a huge portion.” — Carol
PBJ Kid’s Bento Box
“This is fantastic! But I like to add thin sliced strawberries in the tortilla and instead of chocolate syrup I use honey.” — ChefDad1337
Sweet and Spicy Turkey Sandwich
“Great sandwich that’s a savory combination of sweet and spicy! I would have never thought to pair turkey, pepperjack cheese, and strawberry preserves but this works and is a nice departure from your “run of the mill” turkey sandwich. I used light pepperjack cheese and low sugar Smucker’s strawberry preserves. Thanks Snowspiral!” — Jilian
Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls)
“I used this recipe several times to make bento for work. I love adding fillings like tuna mayo and chicken mayo to give the onigiri flavor. I am not a fan of the bonito flakes but I also used a mentaiko and mayo filling as well which worked out really well! Thanks for the awesome recipe! I will be using this again soon!” — AuthorMeganMarie
Scrambled Egg Muffin Cups
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“I make these often and like to keep some in my freezer to take to family get together. They are just as good as when fresh out of oven after heating in microwave. Even good cold.” — Ruth Jolly
Banana Muffins
“Turned out great! I made half a dozen, followed the recipe exactly. Just make sure you don’t mix the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients too much. That’s the key to making good muffins.” — Orangette
Microwave Caramel Popcorn
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“I can’t begin to count the number of times I’ve made this stuff. It is so easy and so yummy. It travels well and makes a great bake sale item. I tell everyone the hardest part about it is finding someplace to get the paper bags.” — Jayne Olivieri