18 Anti-Inflammation Snacks for Summer
Enjoy one of these delicious, inflammation-fighting snacks this summer. The recipes in this collection highlight nutrient-dense ingredients such as berries, nuts, legumes, whole grains, and spices. These foods contain anti-inflammatory properties that can help fight painful symptoms of chronic inflammation such as mental fog, joint stiffness and muscle pain.
And what better way to reap the benefits than 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 delicious bites.
Garlic Hummus
This garlic hummus recipe couldn’t be easier—just throw a few ingredients into a food processor and go!
Anti-Inflammatory Energy Balls
Artist: Stacy k. Allen, Props: Christina Brockman, Food Styling: Lauren Odum
Based on Cherry Garcia’s sweet ideas, these chocolate-cherry date energy balls are a delicious tribute to Ben & Jerry’s ice cream named after Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. Wrapped in pieces of dark chocolate and dried cherries, they are not only delicious but also contain polyphenols, nutrients found in cherries that can help prevent inflammation.
Strawberry-Chocolate Greek Yogurt Bark
Greek yogurt is filled with strawberries and chocolate chips and then frozen so you can break it into pieces like chocolate chips (but healthy!). This colorful snack is perfect for kids and adults alike.
Roasted Butternut Squash Seeds
Caitlin Bensel
Do not discard the butternut squash seeds; fry them instead! Roasted butternut squash seeds make a delicious snack or salad topper. Enjoy them plain or jazzed up with one of the variations below.
Low Carb Blueberry Muffins
Just because you’re watching your carbs doesn’t mean you can’t have a classic breakfast pastry. Instead of all-purpose flour, almonds, nuts and coconut make these muffins easy while cutting carbs. A little brown sugar interrupts the tartness of fresh blueberries. Make these ahead for weeknight breakfasts.
Easy Black Bean Dip
This delicious bean dip is great for a party or picnic. Smoked paprika and ground chipotles add a strong, earthy flavor, but you can also use regular paprika and cayenne if you don’t have any other spices on hand.
Raspberry Yogurt Cereal Bowl
For a healthy breakfast, snack or dessert, try using yogurt instead of milk for your cereal. If you’re making this as a snack, keep the grains separate and toast them before eating.
Blueberry-Pecan Energy Balls
Dried blueberries and pecans combine with cocoa nibs for a chocolaty treat any time of day. The cocoa is a bit more bitter than the chocolate, but the maple syrup helps to tame it. Almond butter and chia seeds provide protein to make these snacks super nutritious for your body.
Cherry-Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Skip the granola options at the grocery store – they’re easy to make at home! You can change the add-ins to your taste, changing 2 cups of any mixture of small dried fruits (or chopped), nuts and / or seeds for chocolate, cherries and coconut in this version. We experimented with several sweeteners, including maple syrup and honey, but found brown rice syrup to be the best binder.
Roasted Beet Hummus
This delicious hummus recipe couldn’t be easier—just throw a few ingredients into a food processor and go! Roasted beets make this healthy drink even more delicious. Serve with veggie chips, pita chips or crudités.
Cherry-Cocoa-Pistachio Energy Balls
Dried cherries and pistachios make these energy balls a salty and 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.
Whole Wheat Strawberry Muffins
This healthy muffin recipe contains strawberries, but you can use your favorite berries instead. Recipe adapted from the Massachusetts Farm to School program.
Air-Fryer Crispy Chickpeas
These air-roasted chickpea snacks have a strong flavor and are surprisingly crunchy. Drying the chickpeas is important for good drying, so do not skip this step. If you have time, leave them on the counter to dry for an hour or two before frying.
Hard-boiled Egg and Almonds
This little snack is packed with nutrients – packed with protein, heart-healthy fats, vitamins and minerals to make healthy eating easy and delicious.
Peanut Butter Energy Balls
Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Holly Dresman, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco
These healthy peanut butter and chocolate balls provide a combination of simple and complex carbohydrates to help you get a boost whenever you need a little boost.
Peanut Butter-Oat Energy Balls
Carson Downing
Sweet, sticky dates act as the glue for these non-sticky balls. Perfect for travel or during sports, this healthy snack goes well.
3-Ingredient Crispy Potato Peel Chips
These 3 potato chips are a cross between a french fry and a potato chip, and are a great snack to make when you have potatoes to peel! These chips can be enjoyed as is or dressed with spices. Discard the baked potato chips immediately after removing them from the oven. (If you marinate before baking, the spices may burn.) The trick is to marinate them right away—the seasonings won’t stick as well once the chips have cooled.
Peanut Butter, Blueberry & Oat Energy Squares
These single-bowl, energy-efficient bars ensure a quick way to refuel during long meetings, hard workouts or mid-afternoon energy slumps. Feel free to swap out the blueberries for your favorite dried fruit and the pistachios for your favorite nuts–but keep the maple syrup as is; we found using less than 1/2 cup resulted in broken bars.
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