20 Best Mediterranean Diet Snacks (At Home and Store-Bought)
By Mediterranean Living
Updated April 9, 2024
These 20 Mediterranean Diet snacks are what you need to snack in a healthy, sustainable way. We’ve included 5 you can purchase right now and 15 more you can make at home. Ideally with the Mediterranean Diet, we would make most of our snacks from scratch like they traditionally did but realistically we all need some easy options and there are some great ones!
Snacking is common all over the world. Although experts disagree on its definition, it basically means eating or drinking anything containing calories between your three daily meals.
Snacking can be very healthy despite it’s bad reputation. It can help you meet your daily requirement for fruits, veggies, and fiber without overwhelming your digestive system with big meals.
Snacking has pros and cons. Overall, it can help keep your energy levels high, manage your appetite (so you don’t overeat) and help regulate your weight. But it can also devolve into mindless eating, excess calories and a wrong relationship with food.
The main danger of snacking is consuming snacks—food and beverages—full of sugar and low on nutrients. It’s easy (and tempting) to snack on candy, soda, cookies, and other junk food. But this could sabotage your appetite, cause unwanted weight gain and fill your body with harmful chemicals.
So what can you do? When you need extra energy, and there’s no time to cook? And you don’t want to fill your stomach with empty calories?
You can snack on the Mediterranean Diet and here our 20 of our favorite Mediterranean Diet snacks.
What is the Mediterranean Diet?
The Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest eating plans available today. Interestingly, it is based on traditional diets of the people living around the Mediterranean Sea.
The US news and world report ranked it as the world’s best diet for 7 years in a row. It has also been rated as:
- Best diet for the heart
- Best diet for diabetes
- Best plant-based diet
- Easiest diet to follow
This diet includes fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, fish, meats and healthy fat such as olive oil. In moderate quantities, eggs, chicken, dairy products, and even red wine are also allowed. Sweets, saturated fat, white flour and packaged/processed food are reserved for treats or special occasions.
The Mediterranean is not a diet in the traditional sense or strict sense of the word. It was not formulated in a lab or hypothesized by scholars. It developed organically among the people in the Mediterranean region. And it worked and continues to work to this day, helping people adopt healthy eating habits.
Snacks can be healthy or unhealthy. By choosing to snack the Mediterranean diet way, you are making it easier to snack in a healthy manner.
There are two main ways to get snacks while following the Mediterranean diet. You can buy your snacks from the store or make them at home.
Mediterranean Diet Snacks to Buy
Buying snacks from the store is fast and convenient. But not all snacks are Mediterranean diet compliant, and it’s easy to reach for anything when you need a quick nibble, if you don’t have any idea what you want.
Here are some snacks from the store that fall within the Mediterranean diet guidelines and taste good too.
Mediterranean Diet Food List Printable PDF
This Mediterranean diet food list is available as a PDF file, and I recommend printing it out and putting it on your fridge. You will always have inspiration to eat these healthy foods whenever you go into the fridge.
If you’re looking for recipes to make with these foods, check out our extensive collection of Mediterranean Diet Recipes.
5 Store-Bought Mediterranean Diet Snacks
Pistachios are one of my go-to Mediterranean Diet snacks because they contain protein, healthy fats and fiber. Also, de-shelling the pistachios slows down my snacking an allows me to be more aware of when I’m full.
Trail mix that contains nuts, seeds and dried fruit is a great snack because it packed with protein, fiber, healthy sugars, and healthy fats that will sustain you on many levels.
Hummus is an essential Mediterranean Diet snack. Not only is it eaten all over the Mediterranean, hummus is one of the easiest ways to make get plant-based protein through beans. Store-bought hummus can be hit-or-miss but my favorite is Cedar’s because it contains extra virgin olive oil and organic ingredients.
A mainstay of the Mediterranean Diet are embracing healthy fats as an essential part of a healthy diet. Olives and Extra Virgin Olive Oil are the super stars of healthy fats. These snack olives are a great way to stave off your hunger on the go.
5. Stuffed Grape Leaves from Trader Joes
Courtesy of Trader Joes
When I first found these canned grape leaves at Trader Joes I was skeptical but they have now become one of my favorite easy Mediterranean Diet snacks. Having these on hand in my pantry is an amazing convenience and shell life these snacks have.
Homemade Mediterranean Diet snacks
While store bought snacks can be quick and convenient, they can also be more expensive or contain unwanted ingredients like gluten, trans fat, excess salt or added sugar.
Homemade snacks can reduce costs and empower you to eat exactly what you need. They are also likely to be fresher, and you can add your unique twist to any recipes.
The easiest way homemade snacks are small servings of food allowed on the Mediterranean diet. This could include:
- A small fruit or slice of fruit (banana, orange, apple)
- Sliced, diced or roasted veggies (cucumber, eggplant, tomato, carrots)
- Small servings of baked, boiled, roasted or extra virgin olive oil fried poultry/fish (chicken, duck, eggs, sardines, salmon)
But if you want to make something special, here are some recipes to try.
15 Homemade Mediterranean Diet Snacks
The variety of different types of hummus in the grocery store is growing rapidly. The thing is, homemade hummus is so inexpensive and easy to make that the store-bought hummus won’t taste the same after you try this version.
Hummus is a traditional Mediterranean diet recipe and is made with extra virgin olive oil, not canola oil, while most store-bought hummus contains canola oil. Your homemade hummus will already taste better and be healthier with extra virgin olive oil.
These tuna rillettes are ideal for a lunch or a summer evening. They are very simple to make and require only ingredients that are easy to find or that are already in your cupboard and fridge.
The French love the aperitif, a digestive drink served with snacks between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. It is a nice moment during the summer. It’s a moment of sharing with friends or family where we eat a lot of different little things. The baguette is never far away and you take care to cut it into small slices. There are also crunchy vegetables, nuts, olives and fresh white wine or rosé.
Last time we were in Crete, my wife made me promise to stop ordering so much Tzatziki. It seriously became a problem, but that’s how much I love it (she loves it too!).
The creamy Greek yogurt (the highest fat possible), grated cucumbers, chopped fresh dill, garlic and olive oil create an irresistible and very healthy sauce that is great on fritters, bread, vegetables, burgers, and souvlaki just to name a few. Every chef has their own version of tzatziki, some are mild and some are potent with garlic and dill. This is the loaded version, loaded with flavor that is!
For many Spanish people, tuna deviled eggs are part of their childhood memories, such as lunches at grandparents’ homes, or joyful dinners on a summer day. Nowadays it is also common to find this dish in the tapas showcase of many Spanish bars.
Stuffed (or deviled) eggs are an international dish with Mediterranean roots, presumably stretching back to the Roman Empire. Back in the fourth and fifth century AD, a cookbook called De re coomachia collected popular recipes for stuffed eggs, such as a version with pepper, lovage, soaked nuts, honey, vinegar, and fish sauce.
The dip can be made from start to finish in 30 minutes. Simply roast the red peppers and walnuts in the oven, add them to a food processor with the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth and the dip is ready. You can serve Muhammara warm or cold and I find that the flavors are even brighter after being refrigerated overnight.
I hope you try this piquant, tangy, and creamy dip. You will not be disappointed by it’s droolworthy flavor profile and heavenly texture especially when paired with warm pita bread.
In Crete, just like everywhere else, when the zucchini comes, they come in droves. Because of this, we have many different ways to prepare zucchini, from a zucchini and tomato omelet to our famous zucchini fritters. One of my favorite zucchini recipes is zucchini pie with feta. It is a great way to use up a lot of zucchini (3 pounds for one recipe) and it freezes really well if you want to make multiple batches (when you are in harvest season).
Everyone in my family loves zucchini pie and you can eat it as a snack, appetizer or main course. I even eat it for breakfast, sometimes on it’s own and sometimes with eggs. You can eat is warm or cold and it packs well as a snack for kids.
Just like my favorite fritters, these salmon cakes are moist in the middle (by using mashed potatoes as a filling) and crispy on the outside (by frying in extra virgin olive oil.) The salmon cakes are finished off with a super easy to make fire roasted corn salsa. I never though I could roast corn right on the stove top, but it works wonders.
This whipped feta with lemon and fresh dill is just really amazing on crackers, bread or vegetables. I made it for a dinner party last week and it was the hit of the party. I was lucky enough to get some fresh dill from our farm share and fresh feta from some local goats.
What I love the best about this whipped feta is the coolness of the dill blended with the saltiness of the feta and the tanginess of the garlic and lemon. A fantastic dip that should be eaten up in no time at all (you might want to make a double batch for parties).
9. Greek Fava
Greek fava is a bit of a misnomer because it isn’t actually made from fava beans, but rather yellow split peas. It is a simple dip using 5 ingredients that is both satisfying and delicious accompanied by bread, olives and cheese.
This recipe is from the Stamatis family on the island of Ikaria which has also been called the “Island Where People Forget to Die” because it has the highest rate of people to live over 100 years of age in the world.
This is it. My all time favorite recipe from Crete, maybe from the whole Mediterranean Diet: Zucchini Fritters by Koula Barydakis. How can one go wrong?
Zucchini, onions, fresh mint, fresh parsley, two cheeses (feta and cheddar), bread crumbs, and eggs made into delectable morsels and then fried in extra virgin olive oil. These are great for any meal, eaten with eggs for a true Mediterranean Diet breakfast or with a Greek salad at lunch or dinner or snack.
Stuffed grape leaves are traditional to the Mediterranean Diet. You will find this delectable appetizer on the menu from Lebanon to Cyprus, from Turkey to Greece.
Each country has their own popular ingredients for stuffing grape leaves, with the most common being rice and ground meat such as lamb or pork. The spices will also vary by cuisine, and of course there are variations within the cultures, from table to table.
This has all the hallmarks of my favorite Mediterranean Diet recipes: Fresh tomatoes, fresh herbs, cheese and lot’s of olive oil. It is best to make this when all the ingredients are in season, the tomato at it’s full juicy ripeness, the herbs pungent and full of flavor.
It can be a summer lunch with the addition of fresh bread and Greek olives and a glass of wine or a side dish at a Mediterranean barbecue with chicken souvlaki and grilled Caesar salad.
Tortilla de patata is among the most traditional dishes of Spain. Surely if you were to ask most tourists, students studying abroad in Spain and indeed most Spaniards, what their favorite Spanish comfort and snack food is, it would be tortilla de patata.
Spice up your snacks with these Spicy Rosemary Olives. You can wow your guests with the smallest of effort. These are best made a day ahead and placed in a jar and refrigerated. It’s a great make-ahead treat for holidays, special occasions and other social gatherings. We highly recommend adding this recipe to your tapas menu.
Spice up your snacks with these Spicy Rosemary Olives. You can wow your guests with the smallest of effort. These are best made a day ahead and placed in a jar and refrigerated. It’s a great make-ahead treat for holidays, special occasions and other social gatherings. We highly recommend adding this recipe to your tapas menu.
15. Pan Con Tomate
The pan con tomate that we make here in our Spanish home in Guadalajara, and which is found in bars and restaurants all over Spain, is based on an old tradition in Cataluña.
Originally known as ¨pa amb tomaquet¨, the Catalonian tradition was to take stale bread and rub it with raw garlic and wedges of tomato, then drizzle it with olive oil and sprinkle it lightly with salt. It is a delicious way to take advantage of day-old bread. It continues to be prepared this way all over Cataluna and many places in Spain.
yes, of course