When you’re only a block away from the beach, you go to the beach. A lot. Being back in my Connecticut hometown has been a real treat this past month. Our neighborhood shares this tiny, hole-in-the-wall beach around the corner from our houses. At the end of the workday, if the sun is out, I’m throwing on my bathing suit, packing up a cooler with drinks, and heading down to the sand. On the weekends, it’s the same drill. But with beach snacks, obviously.
I find bringing snacks to the beach to be an art. You want to have good snacks on the beach, not just a bag of potato chips. But you also don’t want snacks that can potentially fall in the sand. When I pack up for the beach, I like to bring things that are fresh and pre-sliced.
The bag you use to transport your snacks is super important. I use a small beach caddy very similar to this one. Ice packs are also important because you don’t want to deal with melty ice during your beach visit. Instead, grab yourself some reusable ice packs like these and throw a few into your beach caddy.
For packing your snacks, get yourself a few reusable silicone bags, small snack containers, and maybe even a koozie for your drink. And a Yeti, because you know, cocktails.
Now, onto the snacks, Here are of my favorite simple beach snacks you can pack for your next trip to the waves.
Slices of meat and cheese
Think of it as a mini charcuterie plate, but on the beach. I’m not bringing down a huge board of snacks! Just a few simple slices of meat and cheese that will go well together. Here I have salami with pepper jack cheese because it was what I had in the fridge. I’ll pack up the meat in cheese slices into a smaller container, and sometimes use toothpicks to keep it intact. AKA, so the slices don’t fall in the sand.
Bag of chips/crackers
When I’m packing up a beach bag, I don’t want to bring down a whole box of crackers to go with my mini charcuterie. Unless I’m portioning out the crackers into a smaller bag, I usually avoid the box altogether. Instead, I’ll bring down some kind of salty chip or cracker in a bag that will pair well with the meat and slices of cheese. Way Better Snacks Sweet Chili Tortilla Chips is a current obsession of mine.
Fresh fruit
For something sweet to go with all of that salty, I like to pack up a bag of fresh fruit. Pineapple is always a go-to if I have it. Other great summertime fruit options could be watermelon, strawberries, mango, or cantaloupe. I slice up the fruit and put it one of these reusable silicone bags. To eat, I bring a fork so I don’t have to grab the fruit with sandy fingers and potentially drop it.
Bell pepper slices
Bell pepper slices are my favorite veggie to snack on. They are incredibly refreshing on their own, but also pair really well with all kinds of dips. I fill up another reusable bag with bell pepper slices. And as you can see, I clearly ate quite a few before snapping this picture.
Mixed drinks (or bottled beers)
You can easily pack up a few beers or cans of hard seltzer for the beach. But lately, I’ve been loving mixing up a margarita, putting it in this Yeti to keep cool, and bringing it down with me. It’s my favorite way to spend happy hour now…I’m sure going to miss it when we leave.
Just make sure if you’re bringing down any recyclables, you need to also bring them with you. No leaving them and littering the beach. Our planet already has enough problems.
Water
This is just a general reminder that if you’re going to spend some time at the beach, you should have water nearby. Even if it’s a seltzer (which is what I typically choose), it’s good to keep hydrated if you’re hanging out underneath the hot sun.
What are your favorite beach snacks? Share in the comments below!
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