Half three. Somewhere down the corridor a kettle goes on, and your stomach, which has kept quiet since lunch, sits up and starts paying attention.
Dinner is hours away. The biscuit tin knows this.
So what is a good afternoon snack? Something that fills the gap, tastes like you chose it on purpose, and gets you to dinner in a good mood. Here are fifteen that do, sweet and savoury, plus the sticky one we reach for with our tea.
Key Takeaways
- Definition: A good afternoon snack is something satisfying that takes the edge off hunger until dinner and that you actually want to eat, because the snack you do not fancy never gets eaten.
- Substance: Snacks with some protein or fibre, such as nuts, yoghurt, eggs, cheese, oats or wholemeal bread, tend to keep you going for longer than something that is mostly sugar.
- Sweet: Wanting something sweet in the afternoon is normal, and fruit, dates, yoghurt, dark chocolate or a spoonful of Messyface, a UK grape molasses and tahini spread, all answer it.
- Timing: Afternoon hunger is mostly about the long gap between lunch and dinner, so the right time for a snack is when you notice you are hungry, not when a clock says so.
What is a good afternoon snack?
A good afternoon snack takes the edge off hunger until dinner, and it is something you actually want to eat. Pair something with a bit of substance, like nuts, yoghurt, cheese or eggs, with something that tastes good. Fruit and nut butter, cheese and a pear: both good afternoon snacks.
That last part gets skipped by most lists. A snack you don't fancy isn't a good snack, however sensible it looks. It just comes home with you again at six.
Which brings us to the jar we keep next to the kettle.
Messyface is dark, glossy and properly caramel-like, with a warm nutty edge that stops it ever going sickly. Drag a knife through it and it pulls. One spoonful and the afternoon improves considerably.
Then the ridiculous bit. Just two ingredients: naturally sweet grape molasses and silky sesame tahini. No added sugar. No palm oil. No emulsifiers. No unnecessary extras.
Just grapes and sesame. Somehow, caramel.
Swirl it through thick yoghurt, spread it over a warm crumpet, or drag an apple slice straight through the jar. However you eat it, that dark, silky, caramel-like goodness has a habit of turning an ordinary afternoon into something rather special.
Why do we get so hungry in the afternoon?
Sometimes afternoon hunger is simply a matter of timing. Lunch was hours ago, dinner is hours away, and the body is passing through its natural early-afternoon lull, often called the post-lunch dip, when alertness flattens off for a while. Add a long gap between meals, and suddenly 3pm feels very long.
Plenty of us also eat lunch fast, at a desk, halfway through an email. It is hard to feel satisfied by a sandwich you have no memory of eating.
Snacking between meals is a perfectly normal part of how people eat. The British Nutrition Foundation's guide to healthy snacking treats snacks as part of a balanced diet, and its examples include an apple, a boiled egg, a handful of nuts and wholemeal toast with peanut butter.
If it is energy you are short of rather than food, we have looked separately at the best snacks for energy and what actually helps.
What are the best afternoon snacks?
The best afternoon snacks pair something filling with something you enjoy: fruit with nut butter, cheese with a pear, yoghurt with berries, eggs, hummus and veg, nuts, popcorn, dates, dark chocolate, or a hot crumpet. Here are fifteen, split by what you fancy and where you are.
Sweet afternoon snacks
- Apple and nut butter. Cold, crisp apple slices and a thick smear of nut butter. For something richer, dip them into Messyface Peanut, where peanut, sesame and grape meet somewhere near salted caramel.
- Yoghurt with berries. Thick Greek yoghurt, sharp raspberries, and a spoonful of something dark folded through once so it leaves ribbons. Our raspberry and pistachio granola yoghurt bowl is the full version.
- Dates. Soft, fudgy and naturally sweet. Split one, fill it with nut butter, and it eats like a sweet from a posh box. Try our peanut butter cup caramel dates.
- Dark chocolate. Two squares, broken off slowly, with a cup of tea. It is allowed to just be chocolate.
- A hot crumpet. The most underrated snack in Britain. Toast it until the edges crunch, then add your topping while it is hot enough to sink into every hole.
- A smoothie. Banana, frozen berries, milk or yoghurt, and a spoonful of tahini or nut butter to give it body. Useful when you want to drink your snack at a desk.
Savoury afternoon snacks
- Cheese and a pear. Sharp cheddar, a ripe pear and a couple of oatcakes. Salty, juicy, crumbly, gone.
- Hummus and crunchy veg. Carrots, cucumber, peppers and radishes, dragged through far more hummus than the pot suggests.
- A boiled egg. Cook several at once. Salt, pepper, two minutes, done.
- Popcorn. A big bowl with a loud crunch that lasts ages. Pop it yourself and you decide what goes on it.
- A handful of nuts. Almonds, cashews, walnuts, or a mix with some dried fruit through it.
- Edamame. Warm, salted, and eaten straight out of the pod with your fingers. Frozen bags cook in a few minutes.
Snacks you can keep at your desk
No fridge, no prep, no washing up. For the full rundown, see our guide to healthy snacks for work.
- Oatcakes or rice cakes with a topping. Sturdy, shelf-stable and ready for a generous swirl of Messyface or your favourite nut butter.
- Dried fruit and nuts. Mix your own at the weekend so you know exactly what is in there.
- A jar and a teaspoon. Messyface needs no fridge, so a jar can live at work. Keep it somewhere cool and dark, and use it within three months of opening.
How do you choose the right afternoon snack?
Choose an afternoon snack by asking three things: how hungry you are, how long it is until dinner, and whether you want sweet or savoury. If dinner is around the corner, you might fancy something quick and simple. If it's hours away, something with protein or fibre can help make your snack more satisfying.
| If you are... | Try | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Peckish, dinner soon | Fruit, two squares of dark chocolate, a date | Something sweet and simple |
| Properly hungry, dinner late | Cheese and oatcakes, a boiled egg, hummus and veg, yoghurt with nuts | Protein and fibre can help with satisfaction |
| Craving something sweet | Apple and nut butter, yoghurt with a swirl of Messyface, filled dates | Sweetness, flavour and satisfying texture |
| Craving salt and crunch | Popcorn, nuts, edamame | Crunchy, savoury, easy to share |
| Stuck at a desk | Oatcakes, nuts, dried fruit, a jar and a spoon | Nothing needs a fridge |
We dug into what makes a snack properly filling separately, if you want the detail.
And be honest about the sweet or savoury question. Eating carrot sticks when you want something sweet usually ends with the carrot sticks and the biscuit.
Is it OK to want something sweet in the afternoon?
Yes. Wanting something sweet in the afternoon is completely normal, and there is no reason to fight it. Fruit, dates, yoghurt, a few squares of dark chocolate or a spoonful of a fruit-sweetened spread all answer the craving. Pick something you enjoy, and actually taste it.
We are firmly on the side of the sweet thing. Food isn't eaten from a spreadsheet.
This is where Messyface does its best work. Spoon a little into a small bowl, give it five seconds in the microwave, and it loosens into a warm, glossy drizzle. Pour it over cold vanilla ice cream and watch it slide into every gap. Warm the spoonful, never the jar.
Or go back to that crumpet. Hot crumpet, thick dark layer, every hole full to the top. Brilliant.
Something will run down the side and onto your wrist. Deal with it however you see fit.
Naturally sweet still means sweet, of course. Messyface Original contains 42.3g of sugars per 100g, coming from the grape molasses rather than added sugar. That's part of what gives it that gloriously rich, caramel-like flavour.
You make a cup of tea, take the jar out for one spoonful, and by the time the tea is cool enough to drink, the teaspoon has been back in twice.
What afternoon snacks can you make ahead?
The easiest make-ahead afternoon snacks are oat cookies, energy balls, flapjacks, overnight oats and boiled eggs. Make a batch at the weekend and several afternoons are sorted before they start, with nothing to decide at 3pm. Store each one the way its recipe says.
- Oat cookies. Our plant-based oaty cookies are chewy, easy, and bake in a single tray.
- Energy balls. Oats, dates and nut butter, rolled into balls and kept in a tub in the fridge.
- Flapjacks. Stir a spoonful or two of Messyface into your usual flapjack mix for a darker, caramel-ish edge and a sticky tray worth fighting over.
- Overnight oats in a small jar. Not just breakfast. A small pot at 3pm is a proper snack. Our strawberry caramel overnight oats work at any hour.
- Boiled eggs. Cook a few at once, cool them promptly and keep them refrigerated until you're ready to eat.
Top Tips
- Put the kettle on first. A cup of tea turns a snack into a break, which is half of what the afternoon needed.
- Put it on a plate. Food tastes better when you have actually looked at it.
- Keep one no-fridge option at work. Oatcakes, nuts or a jar. It saves the days when nothing else went to plan.
- Make it satisfying. Yoghurt, nuts, cheese, eggs and wholegrains bring protein or fibre to the part and plenty of delicious possibilities.
- Warm thick spreads by the spoonful. Five seconds in a small bowl turns them into a drizzle.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good 3pm snack for work?
A good 3pm snack for work needs no fridge and no prep: oatcakes with cheese or a spread, fruit with nut butter, nuts or dried fruit. With a fridge, add yoghurt or boiled eggs. Messyface keeps in a cool, dark cupboard once opened, so a jar and a teaspoon can live at your desk.
What is a good afternoon pick-me-up?
A good afternoon pick-me-up is a short break, a drink and a snack you enjoy. Get up, put the kettle on, and pair a cup of tea with fruit and nut butter, yoghurt, or cheese and oatcakes. The few minutes away from your screen are part of it.
What should I eat for a midday snack?
For a midday snack, choose something that fits the gap until your next meal. Fruit, yoghurt, a boiled egg, nuts or a topped rice cake all work well. Try fruit with nut butter, yoghurt with berries, or something savoury like cheese and oatcakes. The best choice depends on what you fancy and how hungry you are.
What is a healthy sweet afternoon snack?
Fruit, dates, Greek yoghurt with berries and dark chocolate all make good sweet afternoon snacks. Messyface, a grape molasses and tahini spread with no refined sugar, is excellent on apple slices or rice cakes. Its sweetness comes from the grapes. It contains sesame, and the Peanut version also contains peanuts.
What time should you have an afternoon snack?
There is no set time for an afternoon snack. Hunger often turns up between 3pm and 4pm, roughly halfway between lunch and dinner, but the right time is whenever you notice it. How hungry you feel and when you're next eating are more useful guides than the clock.
So, what is a good afternoon snack?
A good afternoon snack is the one you actually want when the kettle clicks off. Something with a bit of substance, something that tastes good, ideally both at once.
And if what you want is something dark, glossy and gloriously caramel-like, there's a little jar made from just grapes and sesame. Spread it, swirl it, drizzle it, or go straight in with a spoon. No added sugar. No palm oil. Just ridiculously good flavour.
That one's Messyface.
Warm crumpet. Big spoonful. Tea going cold beside it.
