5 New-School Fruit Snacks You’ll Want to Buy on Repeat This Fall

For me, fruit snacks are forever associated with elementary school. Rolled up or in bite-sized pieces, they were a welcome surprise in bagged lunches and a sweet break between bus rides home and long division. 

It’s been a minute since I’ve sat in a cafeteria or, if I’m being honest, even a proper table during lunchtime. But I still enjoy a pack of fruity snacks between post-lunch walks and afternoon meetings. These new-school bites have, dare I say, graduated. Noticeably absent from this class (okay, I’m done) of gummies, bars, and crisps is anything artificial (sweeteners and colors). They’re unabashedly fruit-forward and downright delicious.

Roughly the size and shape of Chiclets, I’d trade my cheese stick for these two-ingredient gummies (not gum!) any day of the week — and I LOVE a cheese stick. The mango flavor is pleasantly tangy and the gummies have a soft, chewy texture, but not the kind that easily gets stuck in your teeth.

What you see — and taste — is exactly what you get in this bar, which is one apple and 12 strawberries (stems, seeds, and/or pit fragments included!). How refreshing! Its texture reminds me of the circular-shaped fruit leather — you know, the ones you had to un-roll and carefully peel off the thin plastic. Except, here you just tear once and start snacking.

Edible lemonade is how I would describe these delightfully sweet-tart bars, which are sweetened with fruit juice and colored with fruit juice concentrates. The raspberry lemonade flavor is total summertime vibes, which are vibes that I’m into year-round. 

Yes, carrots are the first ingredient. And yes, carrots are vegetables. But! Like Pure Organic, these chews are sweetened with fruit juice (in this case, two: organic apple and sour cherry juice concentrates), so yes these chews are fruit snacks too. Each dime-sized (and adorably wrinkly) bite has a firm yet chewy burst of slightly sweet sour-cherry flavor. I didn’t taste the carrots and I’m guessing you’d never know … unless, you know.

Move over, cherries and berries: Coconut is also a fruit and deserves to be represented on the fruit-snack shelves. In this snack, flaky coconut pieces, including, you guessed it, parts of the rind are coated in dark cocoa powder, which is on the bitter side. As a dark chocolate stan (and coconut fan), I very much like the distinctly not-sweet flavor and crispy texture. (I have a bag on these on my desk as I type this!) Bonus: They’re available in single-serve packs too, for on-the-go snacking.