High-Calorie Snacks

These instructions are for patients who will benefit from increasing calories in their food.

Instructions for increasing calories in snacks:

• Choose foods that are "calorie dense." This means they have a lot of calories in a small amount of food. Choose ice cream over yogurt, breaded chicken over grilled chicken, cream sauce over marinara sauce.

• Eat 2-3 snacks per day - between meals and before bed.

• Serve beverages with calories at all meals. Try whole milk, milk with instant breakfast powder, soymilk, flavored milk, juice, lemonade, iced tea, milkshakes and smoothies.

• Think of a snack as another meal! There should be more than one food item at each snack.

• See examples of how to increase calories of your favorite snack foods below.

Examples of high-calorie snacks:

Bagel, pita, english muffin

• Top with nut butters, butter, cream cheese, flavored spreads, jelly or jam, mayo, pesto, aioli, hummus or guacamole.

• Make into sandwiches by adding lunchmeat and cheese.

• Make a breakfast sandwich with eggs, bacon, sausage and avocado.

Breakfast bars, granola bars, protein cookies

• Choose bars that are at least 150 calories per serving with added chocolate, peanut butter, nuts, dried fruit, or seeds.

• Try spreading nut butter on top of your bar.

Bakery items

• Breakfast options include banana bread, pumpkin bread, muffins, pastries, Danish, croissants and donuts, served with butter, cream cheese, icing, jam or jelly.

• Choose brownies, cake, pie, cheesecake, cookies and cupcakes.

• Top with whipped cream, ice cream, or fruit.

• Serve with whole milk.

• Cover cookies in chocolate or dip in peanut butter.

• Sandwich cookies made with two cookies and ice cream, fudge, nut butters/spreads or frosting.

Ice cream

• Choose high-calorie brands (>250 calories per serving) or ice cream bars.

• Avoid lower calorie options like frozen yogurt, ice pops, and low-calorie ice cream.

• Add toppings such as sprinkles, candy, crushed cookies, nuts, syrups or hardening chocolate shell.

• Blend 1 cup of ice cream and 1-1.5 cups whole milk or heavy cream with fruit, cookies, brownies, or candy pieces.

Flavored milk

• Add 2 Tbsp. chocolate or strawberry syrup to 8 oz. of whole milk.

• Mix about 2 cups (16 oz.) of chocolate syrup into a gallon of whole milk.

• For added calories, mix in half-and-half.

• Try ready-made flavored whole milk.

• If a milk alternative is needed, choose soymilk (120 calories per 8 oz. or more).

Smoothies

• Mix full-fat yogurt, whole or 2 % milk, and fruit.

• Add instant breakfast powder, protein powder, seeds, chocolate, or nut butters.

Orange julius

• Mix 12 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate, 2 cups whole milk, ¼ cup powdered sugar, 2 tsp vanilla extract and 1 cup ice cubes.

Pudding

• Buy premade or ready-to-make packages.

• Make with whole milk.

Yogurt and cottage cheese

• Choose full-fat varieties.

• Try yogurt with fruit on the bottom or added toppings such as chocolate or nuts.

• Top with granola, fruit and nuts.

Cereal and granola

• Serve with whole milk and drink the milk after the cereal is gone.

• Add dried fruits or nuts.

Crunchy snacks

• Options include peanut butter or cheese-filled pretzels, flavored popcorn (cheese, buttered, caramel, or kettle), graham crackers, nacho-flavored tortilla chips, cheese curls, cheese-flavored crackers, potato chips, and peanut butter or cheese sandwich crackers.

• Try chips or pretzels with dip (cheese, bean and/or guacamole).

• Top crackers with cheese, salami, nut butters, cream cheese, or jelly.

• Make s'mores by topping a graham cracker with chocolate and marshmallow and melting in microwave for 1 minute.

Pretzels

• Soft pretzels dipped in cheese sauce, chocolate spread or cinnamon sugar dip.

• Chocolate-covered pretzels with nuts, sprinkles or candy.

Pasta

• Macaroni and cheese, canned pasta and ravioli, noodles with butter and melted cheese, Alfredo or pesto sauce.

Sandwiches

• Combine nut butters with jelly, bananas, or fluff.

• Good options are lunchmeat and cheese, grilled cheese, tuna/chicken/egg salad, hoagies, cheesesteaks, burgers, crispy chicken, grilled chicken, or crispy fish.

• Add avocado slices.

• Make avocado toast and top with a fried egg.

Nachos, tacos, burritos, quesadillas

• Melt shredded cheese on tortilla chips. Add ground beef, refried beans, sour cream, and guacamole.

• Fill hard or soft taco shells with ground beef or chicken, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, and lettuce.

• Load cheese, chicken and beans into a tortilla and bake in the oven.

• Melt extra cheese on frozen burritos.

Veggies

• Dip vegetables into salad dressing, hummus, nut butters, cream cheese or chip dips.

• Melt cheese on veggies.

• Make ants on a log with celery, raisins and nut butter.

Fruit

• Dip into nut butters, chocolate, caramel or fruit dip.

• Try dried fruit like raisins, prunes, cranberries, apricots, mango, pineapple, apples or banana chips.

• Try chocolate or yogurt-covered fruit.

• Spread nut butters on bananas or apple slices and top with sprinkles or chocolate chips.

Hard boiled eggs

• Boil eggs and use as a quick snack.

• Make into deviled eggs using mayo, mustard and paprika.

Nuts

• Try peanuts, cashews, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, or mixed nuts.

• Try chocolate covered nuts.

Trail mix

• Mix your favorite nuts, dried fruit, cereal, seeds and candy.

Reviewed on August 1, 2022, by Joann D'Agostino, RD