For families dealing with nut allergies, the ingredient list is only half the story. A granola bar might not contain peanuts or tree nuts, but if it was made on shared equipment with almond flour, it can still trigger a severe reaction. Finding truly nut free snacks requires understanding how cross-contamination works, knowing which brands operate dedicated nut-free facilities, and reading labels with precision.
Here is what to look for and what to stock for school lunchboxes, office drawers, and carry-on bags.
Tree Nuts vs. Peanuts: Two Different Allergies
One of the most common misconceptions is that peanut allergies and tree nut allergies are the same thing. They are not. Peanuts are legumes, botanically related to beans and lentils. Tree nuts include almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, hazelnuts, macadamias, and Brazil nuts.
About 25-40% of people with a peanut allergy also react to at least one tree nut, which is why many allergists recommend avoiding both. But some people are allergic to peanuts and can safely eat tree nuts, or vice versa. Always follow your allergist's guidance on which to avoid.
Regardless, for school environments that enforce nut-free policies, both peanuts and all tree nuts are typically banned.
Reading Labels: What the Warnings Actually Mean
Not all allergy warnings carry the same weight. Here is what each statement typically indicates:
- "Contains peanuts/tree nuts" — The product intentionally includes nuts as an ingredient. Avoid.
- "May contain traces of peanuts/tree nuts" — Voluntary advisory label. The product does not contain nuts but is made in a facility or on equipment that also processes nuts. The risk of cross-contamination is real.
- "Processed in a facility that also processes peanuts/tree nuts" — Similar to the above. Cross-contact is possible during manufacturing.
- "Made on shared equipment with peanuts/tree nuts" — The exact same machinery handles nut-containing products. Higher cross-contamination risk.
- "Made in a dedicated nut-free facility" — The safest option. The entire manufacturing plant is nut-free, eliminating cross-contact risk.
Advisory labels like "may contain" are voluntary in the US, which means some products skip them even when cross-contamination is possible. When in doubt, contact the manufacturer directly.
Nut Free Snacks for School
School snacks need to be individually packaged, appealing to kids, and safe for nut-free classrooms. These brands and products meet all three criteria:
- SunButter Sunflower Butter Cups — Made in a peanut-free and tree nut-free facility. Sunflower seed-based cups that taste similar to peanut butter cups without the risk. About 5g of protein per serving.
- Made Good Granola Bars — Produced in a facility free from the top eight allergens (including peanuts and tree nuts). Flavors like Mixed Berry and Chocolate Chip. Each bar has a serving of hidden vegetables.
- Enjoy Life Soft Baked Cookies — Made in a dedicated allergen-free facility, free from 14 common allergens. Flavors include Chocolate Chip, Snickerdoodle, and Double Chocolate Brownie.
- YumEarth Fruit Snacks — Organic, allergy-friendly, and made without peanuts or tree nuts. A good gummy alternative.
- Skinnypop Popcorn — Made in a nut-free facility. Individual snack bags are easy to toss in a lunchbox. About 65 calories per cup.
Nut Free Snacks for Work
Office snacking needs to be convenient, non-perishable, and satisfying enough to keep you focused between meals:
- Pretzels — Most major brands (Snyder's, Rold Gold) are nut-free, but always check labels since some flavored varieties may contain nuts. A one-ounce serving of classic pretzels has about 110 calories.
- Seed-based trail mix — Combine pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and dark chocolate chips for a DIY trail mix without the nut risk. Pumpkin seeds alone deliver about 7g of protein per ounce.
- Popcorn — Boom Chicka Pop and SkinnyPop both produce in nut-free facilities. Add a sprinkle of nutritional yeast for a savory, cheesy flavor.
- Fruit leather — That's It Fruit Bars are made from just fruit, contain no nuts, and are shelf-stable. Each bar has about 100 calories and 1-2 servings of fruit.
- Roasted chickpeas — Biena brand roasted chickpeas are produced in a nut-free facility. A quarter-cup serving has about 120 calories and 5g of protein.
If you are also avoiding dairy, many of these options overlap with dairy free snacks — check that guide for more ideas.
Nut Free Snacks for Travel
Travel adds extra constraints: TSA-friendly (no liquids over 3.4 oz), durable enough to survive a bag, and individually wrapped so you are not digging through a communal container:
- SunButter squeeze packs — Individual packets of sunflower seed butter, TSA-compliant and easy to pair with crackers or fruit.
- Enjoy Life Protein Bites — Individually wrapped, nut-free, and each pack has around 7g of protein.
- Rice cakes with individual seed butter packets — Lightweight and filling.
- Chomps beef sticks — Whole30 approved, nut-free, and shelf-stable. About 9g of protein per stick with zero sugar.
- Made Good Granola Minis — Portion-controlled pouches that travel well and are free from the top eight allergens.
When traveling, avoid the bulk trail mix bins at airports entirely — cross-contamination with nuts is almost guaranteed.
Dedicated Nut-Free Brands to Bookmark
These companies manufacture exclusively in nut-free facilities, making their entire product line safe:
- Enjoy Life Foods — Cookies, chocolate, snack bars, seed and fruit mixes
- Made Good — Granola bars, minis, star puffed crackers
- SunButter — Sunflower seed butter in jars and squeeze packs
- FODY Foods — Snack bars, sauces, and snacks (also low FODMAP)
If you are looking for snack options that are also lower in sugar, our low sugar snacks guide has picks that overlap with many nut-free brands.
Order Safely at Restaurants with DinePick
Navigating menus with a nut allergy is stressful — DinePick flags nut-containing dishes on any restaurant menu so you can order safely. Join the waitlist to try it first.