How to Remake Your Favorite Childhood Snacks, Vegan-Style

It’s a well-known fact that many of our childhood favorite snacks like Oreos are actually vegan, even though they’re not especially good for you. But what about some of the other favorite childhood snacks we had? Do you remember Pizza Rolls, Little Debbie cakes, pigs in a blanket, chicken nuggets, and fudge pops? These were some of the most popular snacks from my childhood during the 90s and might have been some of yours too. I gave up eating these when I fell in love with nutrition at age 20, but that doesn’t mean those foods won’t always hold a special place in my childhood memories like I’m sure they do for many of you.

If you’d like to take a walk down food memory lane in a healthier, vegan way, then check out some simple ways to remake your favorite childhood snacks vegan-style and get started. Not to worry — they’re actually much easier to make than you think and might even fool some of the toughest omnivore critics out there!

1. Pizza Rolls

These gooey, greasy little pockets were some of my favorite afterschool snacks and are also one of the easiest to make as a vegan. To make these, you’ll first need to make pizza crust, or you can just buy a pack of sprouted grain tortillas to make things easier. Then, purchase a shredded vegan cheese product, preferably a mozzarella flavor. Even better, make your own moxarella cheese. You’ll also need some delicious tomato sauce; try making your own.

Make These Instead:

To assemble your pizza rolls, roll out your prepared dough and section it off into two rectangles, or just lay out two sprouted grain tortillas. Lightly layer on the tomato sauce and cheese onto one of the rectangles of dough, or onto one tortilla. Lay the other piece of dough on top of that piece with the toppings, just like you’re making a sandwich. If using tortillas, simply lay the other tortilla on top of the piece with the toppings like if you were making a round sandwich.

Next, cut your pizza “sandwich”  into about five to six strips lengthwise, and cut those strips in half width wise. It might be a little messy, but that’s okay! Gently pinch down the ends and sides of your strips to form little pockets like pizza rolls. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes on a pan, or until they’re crispy and bubbly!

2. Little Debbie Cakes

I used to love Little Debbie sandwich cakes as a kid, especially the chocolate creme-filled and the oatmeal raisin varieties. Yum! To make these vegan, it’s really quite simple. All you need to do is to make the cookies and a cream filling.

Make These Instead:

To make the chocolate variety, bake these yummy chocolate fudge cookies (or these cookies, which are a bit healthier) and drizzle them with some melted vegan chocolate just like the Little Debbie varieties have. Let them cool for just a few minutes and then spread this yummy vegan cream in between them. You can also buy a vegan frosting or vegan whipped cream product if you wish to make things easier, though they’re not the most healthiest choice.

To make the oatmeal raisin variety, bake these hearty Chocolate Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and leave out the chocolate chunks (or keep them for a fun twist). Layer them with this delicious cream filling or use a store bought vegan whipped cream product or vegan frosting.

3. Pigs in a Blanket

This snack may sound complicated, but it is one of the easiest to replicate — no piggies involved! Purchase vegan crescent roll dough. When in doubt, read the label and look at the ingredient list to be sure the dough is vegan. Then purchase some shredded vegan cheese (preferably a cheddar variety) and some vegan hot dogs. Vegan sausage sticks will also work in a pinch. If you like your pigs in a blanket spicier, feel free to add some black pepper, hot mustard, or hickory seasoning to spice them up a bit. I’ve even seen some people put hot sauce on them, so to each their own.

Make These Instead:

Open the can of crescent roll dough and section it out into triangle pieces just like you were going to bake them as normal. Before rolling up your crescent roll dough into rolls, slice and cut the vegan hot dogs or sausages into smaller pieces like little “pigs” and place one inside each piece of dough. Sprinkle on some cheese, pepper, and hot sauce if you’re using it, and roll those piggies up in the blanket of dough.

Bake them at 350 degrees for at least 15 – 20 minutes until the rolls are golden brown. Be sure to place them on a baking pan coated with nonstick spray or you can use aluminum foil. Pop out of the oven and enjoy!

4. Chicken Nuggets

This childhood snack has been mastered many times, with meatless versions being no exception. Both kids and adults can appreciate the comfort of a breaded chicken nugget.

Make These Instead:

If you haven’t tried it yet, this is a great homemade recipe to go by for gluten-free chicken. Don’t forget to add some ketchup for that original, childhood snack feel. If you’re a honey mustard fan, opt for yellow or Dijon mustard instead to keep things vegan.

5. Fudge Pops

This is one of my favorite snacks to remake into a vegan version because it’s delicious and easy. It’s also perfect for those afternoon or midnight cravings!

Make These Instead:

To make my version of these, you’ll need non-dairy yogurt, non-dairy milk, liquid vanilla stevia, and some cocoa powder. Mix one cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk with one cup of plain vegan coconut yogurt. I blend this in the blender with 10 drops of liquid vanilla stevia and two tablespoons of Dutch-processed cocoa powder, which is incredibly rich and more “fudgy” than regular cocoa powder. You can also use cacao powder if you wish. Blend until fully incorporated and pour into freezer pop molds, which you can find online for very little money. Freeze for at least eight hours and enjoy! You can also sneak some produce into your fudge pops by making these Healthy Chocolate Fudgesicles.

Do you have any favorite childhood snacks you remade vegan?

Image source: Healthy Chocolate Fudge Popsicles