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.

  • Drink calorie dense beverages such as 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.

Examples of high-calorie snacks:

Bagel, pita, English muffin

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

  • Make 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 a granola   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 and ice cream bars

  • Choose high-calorie brands (>250 calories per serving).

  • 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 or milk alternatives

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

  • For added calories, mix in half-and-half or heavy cream.

  • Try ready-made flavored whole milk.

Smoothies

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

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

Pudding

  • Buy premade cups or ready-to-make packages and prepare with whole milk

  • Add toppings such as sprinkles, candy, crushed cookies, nuts, syrups or whipped cream

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 aim to drink the milk even after the cereal is gone.

  • Add toppings like dried or fresh fruits, nuts or nut butter.

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.

  • Add dips like melted cheese, hummus, spinach and artichoke, bean and/or guacamole to chips and pretzels.

  • Top crackers with cheese, salami, nut butter, 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 or hard pretzels dipped in cheese sauce, chocolate spread or cinnamon sugar dip.

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

Pasta

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

Nachos

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

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 butter, chocolate, caramel or fruit dip. Top with sprinkles or chocolate chips.

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

  • Try chocolate or yogurt-covered fruit.

Hard boiled eggs

  • Boil eggs and use them as a quick snack.

  • Make deviled eggs or egg salad using hard boiled eggs, mayo, mustard and paprika.

Nuts

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

  • Try chocolate covered, candied, or honey roasted nuts.

  • Make trail mix by combining nuts, dried fruit, cereal, seeds, and candy.

 

Reviewed July 2025 by Ally Zepp, DTR, Victoria Smith, RD