19 Trader Joe's Snacks Perfect For Road Trips

One March morning in 2020, I packed up my little sedan and began my five-day journey across the country from Washington, D.C. to my new home of Portland, Oregon. I was a girl on a budget, and I knew eating out for every meal would be out of the question, so I headed to my tried-and-true sustenance hub, Trader Joe's, to stock up on snacks that would sustain me on the road for the next week.

That's one of the Trader Joe's hauls I'm the most proud of. Sure, I ended up running through the odd drive-thru every so often on my road trip, but the snacks I got actually did a pretty good job of keeping me alert on 12-hour drives and minimizing stops. Below is a list of many of the Trader Joe's snacks I took on my cross-country road trip, as well as some I'd definitely pack should I ever move across the country again. Some are nourishing, some are fun, some are caffeinated, and none are super messy. Getting ready to spend a few days in the car? Here's everything you should grab before you head out. 

First up is a Trader Joe's snack that's always in my pantry, even when there's no road trip in sight: Dried apricots. Trader Joe's tends to have a couple of different kinds of dried apricots on its shelves, and I'm not very discerning about which I grab. 

Not only are these absolutely delicious, but they're pretty filling, and you can pair them with other snacks you might bring along. A dried apricot on a piece of chocolate is decadent enough to satisfy you when there's no stop in sight. Apricots and crackers are an obvious pairing, too. Really, I could say all this about any dried fruit at Trader Joe's; apricots just happen to be my personal favorite. They're an absolute staple when you have a long trip coming up, and I'd recommend getting at least a couple of bags before you head out. 

Here's a pretty obvious one, but one I have to mention nevertheless: Trader Joe's Trek Mix. As with the dried apricots, it's not the only packaged trail mix available at the store, but it's definitely my favorite. It doesn't have all the hullabaloo of some other trail mixes — this one just contains cashews, almonds, and chocolate chips, so it's pretty filling and can also satisfy a sweet tooth.

Plus, the bag is pretty big. One bag of the trek mix lasted the entire five-day road trip, but I also wasn't eating it unscrupulously — after all, it's a salty snack (though I wouldn't call it too salty) and I didn't want to drink so much water that I needed a rest stop every hour. But Trader Joe's Trek Mix fits the bill when you need a quick, filling handful of something crunchy. 

Raisins have always been one of my favorite snacks. Is that a hot take? I feel like raisins don't get nearly as much love as they deserve in the snack world, and it's pretty criminal, in my opinion. If you, too, could finish an entire bag of raisins in one sitting, you'd be remiss not to pick up a bag from Trader Joe's before you head out on the road. 

I always find raisins to be pretty filling, and they're satisfying to chew on, making them my go-to whenever I just want a quick bite. Plus, raisins aren't at all messy — I'd just keep the bag open on the center console for the duration of my trip. If you'd rather eat them with something else, you can always mix some in with the bag of Trek Mix you bought!

One of my absolute favorite snacks from Trader Joe's also happens to be a great road trip companion: It's plantain chips. I prefer the kind pictured above, but you could also opt for the sweet plantain chips the store carries. They have the same satisfying crunch of potato chips without being as messy, and they're easy to eat while staying focused on the road.

I will say, the plantain chips are pretty salty, so it's probably not the best idea to have more than a handful at a time — they'll make you thirsty! But when you need a quick, satisfying bite, they definitely fit the bill. Even if you only eat a few at a time, they're pretty filling. I always have these in my pantry (even on non-road-trip days), and they're always in my car when I need to drive long distances. 

Sometimes when I'm on the road, all I want is to chew on some candy, but I want to avoid the sugar rush that often accompanies it — there's truly nothing worse than road jitters. When I'm in that kind of mood, I'll turn to more natural options, like Trader Joe's fruit leather wraps. 

They're sweet, often a little sour, and can really satisfy the urge to chew on something. They're not necessarily filling, but I'm fine with that — there are enough hearty snacks on this list to make up for it. The fruit leather wraps also won't make you super thirsty, so there's no need to worry about guzzling down gulps of water after eating them (meaning fewer rest stops). 

I absolutely love Perfect Bar's line of protein bars. They're loaded with protein and superfoods, and I'm always pleasantly full after eating one (my personal favorite is the dark chocolate chip and peanut butter flavor). 

You may also know these as the bars that are supposed to live in the fridge, but don't let that keep you from taking them on the road with you — they're good outside the fridge for up to one week. If you count your macros, know that each bar has varying levels of protein. I've never had a Perfect Bar that I didn't like, though, so go with whatever flavor suits your fancy. Personally, I'd grab one for every day you're going to be on the road and have it for breakfast — it's bound to keep you full until lunchtime.

Listen, I know potato chips are on the messier side, but I had to include at least one on this list. You'll definitely get a salty snack craving when you're on the road, and you'll thank me for telling you to add a bag of potato chips to your in-car snack stash.

My favorite chips from Trader Joe's are these lattice-cut ketchup chips. If you've never had ketchup chips before, don't be put off by the name — they're salty, tangy, and super satisfying. I wouldn't advise eating more than a few at a time on the road unless you want to be at a rest stop every hour, but they're a must-have for those times when the occasional urge to munch comes along. 

I adore Trader Joe's pita bite crackers — in fact, they came out on top when I tried and ranked a selection of Trader Joe's crackers. My favorite thing about the crackers is that they're incredibly versatile, but you likely won't have a handful of dips and spreads on the road with you. Fortunately, they also taste incredible plain.

I snack on these crackers like I snack on chips — without any accoutrements. They're just salty enough to have plenty of flavor, but not so salty that they'll have me reaching for my water bottle every two seconds. Plus, they really are bite-size pieces, so you won't have to deal with annoying crumbs as you're eating them. Have them plain, or pair them with the aforementioned dried apricots. 

Nuts are an obvious road trip snack. Though they can be on the salty side, they're also filling and not too messy, and they make a pretty good brain food when you start to get tired. Best of all, though, you can eat them blindly — the can has a wide opening and it's pretty short, so this is a perfect addition to your center console. 

I also appreciate that there are four types of nuts in this can. Though I love Trader Joe's bags of seasoned nuts, it can get pretty boring eating only almonds. The mix of cashews, almonds, macadamia nuts, and pecans keeps things interesting, and I like that the other nuts in the mix are softer than almonds — it lets me eat more without worrying about my jaw aching afterwards. 

Sometimes, I get the urge to munch on some chips, but my body doesn't feel like gorging on fried potatoes. When that's the case, I grab a bag of vegetable root chips from Trader Joe's. Honestly, sometimes I like these better than regular potato chips — each chip in this bag tastes slightly different, and I'm a huge fan of sweet potato chips in general. 

I occasionally feel sluggish after having potato chips for a snack, but that's never been the case with these, which is why they're perfect for road trips — I can indulge without worrying about a sudden dip in energy. The bags aren't huge, so if you're a chip fiend, I'd definitely recommend grabbing a couple. 

I'm not the biggest on tart cherries, but I've heard absolutely incredible things about Trader Joe's freeze-dried tart cherries from cherry enthusiasts. This is another bag that's great to keep in the car when you just need something to munch on. Best of all, there's no need to worry about sussing out any extra ingredients — you won't find anything beyond cherries in this bag. 

As I mentioned when waxing poetic about Trader Joe's apricots, any of its dried fruit selections are excellent road trip companions — they can satisfy whatever hankering you get without the ups and downs that can come when you eat a bunch of sugar. I always have some type of dried fruit from the store in my pantry to have as a snack when I don't want to feel sluggish after eating something. 

Yet again, the sweet tooth strikes, and yet again, you want to satisfy it with something that will actually fill you up. Trader Joe's dark chocolate pistachios will go a long way in this regard. They're fairly small, so they're easy to snack on unscrupulously, but it doesn't take many of these bad boys to satiate a hungry stomach. 

Plus, especially in the wake of the Dubai chocolate craze that took the world by storm in 2025, how could anyone say no to a chocolate-pistachio combo? I certainly can't. The sweet-savory combo is the perfect pick-me-up once you've been in the car for hours and time feels at a standstill. If nothing else, this snack makes for a lovely emotional support buddy on long car rides.

I distinctly remember when these Norwegian sourdough rye chips hit Trader Joe's shelves. I bought a bag the second I saw them in the New Arrivals section, and they've been in my snack rotation ever since. I'll admit, they're pretty salty, but I'm letting that slide here because they're also a filling chip. Trust me, it'll be hard to have too many at a time.

These sourdough chips are incredibly hearty and thick, and thanks to the inclusion of flax and sunflower seeds, they actually feel like a substantial snack. You'll probably catch the stray crumb from this bag while you're driving, but because these are such a huge upgrade from standard potato chips, I'll disregard that. These bags are definitely on the smaller side, so grab a couple before you hit the road. 

If you can only snag one item from this curated list of road trip-worthy snacks from Trader Joe's, let it be the brand's Dark Chocolate Coffee Buzz Bars. These were an absolute game changer during my week-long road trip. Each bar has 70 milligrams of caffeine, and they made a great coffee substitute — which, again, cut down on the time spent at rest stops. 

Plus, it's chocolate. Need I say more? Seriously, I don't know why caffeinated chocolate doesn't get more hype, especially as a road trip snack. I've always been a victim of the afternoon slump, which turns me into a zombie from 2-4 p.m., which isn't great when I need to be in the car all day. These perk me right up without any jittery aftereffects or stomach upset. I really can't say enough good things about them. 

I could genuinely eat an entire bag of this sweet-salty combo in one sitting, but I try not to, especially when I'm on the road for countless hours. Still, Trader Joe's dark chocolate covered mini pretzels have everything — a satisfying crunch, a delightfully sweet exterior, and enough body that even a small handful is perfectly satisfying.

I love having these around in general, but they're particularly good on road trips because the mess is minimal. Sure, you might get the odd smidge of melted chocolate on your fingers, but that just comes with the territory. Each pretzel is bite-sized to minimize crumbs, and you'll probably want to keep this bag open in your center console — just don't stick it in front of the heater!

A disclaimer: I don't love these snacks because I'm not a fan of milk chocolate. But if you do like milk chocolate, these would be great to take on the road. Each snacky cluster is pretty big, but they're all self-contained in a chocolate casing, so mess is minimized. They also check that salty-sweet requirement I often look for in a snack.

Best of all, the clusters are pretty filling, too. Even just one or two will be satisfying enough to satiate any road trip cravings for at least a little bit. And, despite having corn chips, potato chips, and pretzels, I don't find them to be too salty. You'll reach for these when you're hungry but not starving and just need a little snack to propel you forward. 

I always love a filled pretzel nugget, and Trader Joe's almond butter filled pretzels are some of the greatest, IMO. I often find peanut butter to be too intense, especially on road trips — it has me reaching for my water bottle way too often. Almond butter is just as satisfying but a little gentler, making these more road-trip-friendly than their peanut butter-filled counterparts. 

And, because each nugget is filled with almond butter, these are pretty filling — I rarely eat more than maybe 10 at a time before I feel satisfied. They're not messy in the slightest and are easy to just grab straight from the bag or pour into your cupholder. These little pretzels are the perfect bite-sized snack, if you ask me. 

Want to add another stuffed snack to your road trip repertoire? It has to be Trader Joe's hazelnut-filled bamba. This snack sits on the sweeter side, but it's not at all saccharine, and it's absolutely decadent, especially if you're a hazelnut fan.

Each bite is pretty small which, again, helps negate the dreaded car crumbs. Moreover, I really love the textures in this bag — the exterior of the bamba is light and crispy, while the interior is dense and a little creamy. It's just super satisfying to chew on, and there's no shortage of flavor here. While I think Trader Joe's bamba are a great snack to have on hand in general — and one of the best Trader Joe's snacks for sweet and salty fans — they come in especially handy on road trips when you need a unique snack to keep things interesting. 

While these aren't protein bars, they're still delicious and filling, and they're gluten free and vegan, making them perfect for the road-tripper with significant dietary restraints. Each bar is chewy and rather dense, so they feel instantly satisfying, and I find myself reaching for these when it's almost lunchtime but I need a little something to tide me over. 

Again, almond butter is endlessly filling, and chocolate is super satisfying, so I love having these in the car when I'm hungry and haven't passed a drive-thru in several miles. If you can get these and most (or even all!) of the snacks listed above, you'll be in great shape when road trip day comes around!

To choose this list of great Trader Joe's road trip snacks, I drew largely from my personal experience of fueling a five-day road trip exclusively with the food I got at this popular store. Still, store inventory has changed in the years since, and products have come and gone. While the above isn't an exclusive or comprehensive list of what I had with me, I have enough experience with Trader Joe's to be able to identify which of its snack offerings are good for road trips. To make this list, a snack can't need to be refrigerated (Perfect Bars are excluded from that stipulation, as they can be out of the fridge for over a week), it needs to be filling, and it can't be overly salty or sugary, to minimize rest stops and energy crashes.