Snacks are where a lot of hidden saturated fat sneaks in: cheese and crackers, pastries, biscuits, crisps fried in palm oil. The good news is that the swaps are easy, cheap and filling, and some of them actively help lower your LDL. Below are 20 ideas with the saturated fat for each, three simple recipes, and the snacks worth cutting back on.
General information, not medical advice
If your doctor or dietitian has given you specific limits for fat, sugar or calories, follow those. Nutrition figures in this article are estimates from standard ingredient values and vary by brand.
What makes a snack good for cholesterol
Three things matter far more than whether a food contains dietary cholesterol:
- Low saturated fat. Saturated fat is the main dietary driver of LDL. The American Heart Association suggests keeping saturated fat to about 6% of calories (around 13g a day on 2,000 calories), and the NHS sets an upper limit of 20g a day for women and 30g for men. A snack with under 2g leaves plenty of room for meals.
- Fibre, especially soluble fibre. Oats, beans, lentils, apples, pears and citrus contain soluble fibre, which binds cholesterol-rich bile in your gut so your body clears it. About 3g a day of oat beta-glucan is linked to lower LDL.
- Unsaturated fat and plant protein. Nuts, seeds, avocado and soy replace saturated fat rather than adding to it.
20 snack ideas for high cholesterol
Saturated fat figures are approximate and based on standard USDA values for each portion. For peanut butter compared jar by jar, see our ranking of the best peanut butter for high cholesterol, and for crackers and crispbreads, our ranking of the best crackers for high cholesterol.
| Snack | Portion | Saturated fat | Why it works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsalted almonds | 30g (about 23 nuts) | 1.1g | Mostly unsaturated fat; regular nut eating is linked to lower LDL |
| Walnuts | 30g (about 14 halves) | 1.8g | The richest nut source of plant omega-3 (ALA) |
| Unsalted peanuts | 30g (a small handful) | 2.1g | Cheap, filling plant protein |
| Pistachios | 30g (about 49 kernels) | 1.8g | Shelling them slows you down |
| Apple with peanut butter | 1 apple + 1 tbsp | 1.6g | Apple pectin is a soluble fibre |
| Air-popped popcorn | 3 cups (24g) | 0.2g | A whole grain with about 3.5g fibre |
| Hummus with veg sticks | 2 tbsp hummus | 0.4g | Chickpea fibre plus olive oil |
| Roasted chickpeas | 30g | Under 0.5g | Crunchy swap for crisps (recipe below) |
| Edamame | 75g shelled | 0.5g | Soy protein and fibre |
| 0% fat Greek yoghurt with berries | 150g + a handful | 0.2g | Protein without the dairy fat |
| Overnight oats | 40g oats | 0.5g | About 1.5g of soluble beta-glucan |
| Oatcakes with mashed avocado | 2 oatcakes + 1/4 avocado | About 1.5g | Check oatcake labels for palm oil |
| Pear | 1 medium | 0g | Around 5g of fibre, including pectin |
| Clementines or an orange | 2 clementines or 1 orange | 0g | Soluble fibre and vitamin C |
| Banana | 1 medium | 0.1g | Potassium, and easy to carry |
| Rye crispbread with low-fat cottage cheese | 2 crispbreads + 50g | About 0.5g | Whole grain plus lean protein |
| Pumpkin seeds | 20g (2 tbsp) | 1.7g | Magnesium and plant protein |
| Sardines on rye crispbread | 1/2 tin (45g) | 0.7g | Omega-3 fats that help lower triglycerides |
| Veg sticks with tzatziki | 60g dip made with 0% yoghurt | 0.1g | Crunch and volume for very few calories |
| Oat and peanut butter bites | 2 bites | 1.5g | Make a batch for the week (recipe below) |
Nuts: a handful, not a bag
Nuts are one of the best snacks for cholesterol, but they are also calorie-dense: 30g of almonds is around 170 kcal. Pre-portion them into small tubs rather than eating from the bag.
Three easy low-cholesterol snack recipes
Each recipe uses everyday ingredients and keeps saturated fat under 2g per serving. Nutrition figures are estimates per serving based on standard ingredient values.
1. Crunchy roasted chickpeas
Serves 4 · Prep 5 min · Roast 35 min
- 2 x 400g / 14oz tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 480g / 17oz drained)
- 1 tbsp / 15ml olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F (Gas Mark 6).
- Pat the chickpeas very dry with a clean tea towel and discard any loose skins.
- Toss the chickpeas with the oil, paprika, cumin, garlic powder and salt.
- Spread in a single layer on a baking tray and roast for 30 to 35 minutes, shaking the tray halfway, until crisp.
- Leave to cool on the tray, where they crisp up further. Store in an open jar for up to 2 days.
Per serving (approx.): 225 kcal · 6.5g fat (0.8g saturated) · 0mg cholesterol · 33g carbs · 9g fibre · 5g sugar · 11g protein
Why it helps: chickpeas bring about 9g of fibre per serving, and a single tablespoon of olive oil for four people keeps saturated fat under 1g. Compare that with a 40g bag of crisps fried in palm oil, which can carry several grams.
2. No-bake oat and peanut butter bites
Makes 16 bites (8 servings of 2) · Prep 15 min · Chill 30 min
- 150g / 5.3oz rolled oats
- 100g / 3.5oz natural peanut butter (just peanuts, no added palm oil)
- 60ml / 4 tbsp honey or maple syrup
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 40g / 1.4oz raisins
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- Stir the peanut butter, honey and vanilla together until smooth. If the peanut butter is stiff, warm it for 20 seconds first.
- Stir in the oats, flaxseed, raisins and cinnamon until everything is evenly coated.
- Roll into 16 balls, about a heaped tablespoon each.
- Chill for 30 minutes to firm up. Keep in the fridge for up to a week.
Per 2 bites (approx.): 200 kcal · 8g fat (1.5g saturated) · 0mg cholesterol · 29g carbs · 3g fibre · 13g sugar · 6g protein
Why it helps: oats supply soluble beta-glucan fibre, flaxseed adds plant omega-3, and peanut butter's fat is mostly unsaturated. Shop-bought flapjacks and cereal bars often use butter, palm oil or glucose syrup instead.
3. White bean hummus with veg sticks
Serves 4 · Prep 10 min · No cooking
- 1 x 400g / 14oz tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tbsp / 15g tahini
- 1 tbsp / 15ml extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 to 3 tbsp cold water
- 2 carrots, 1 cucumber and 1 red pepper, cut into sticks
- Blend the beans, tahini, oil, lemon juice, garlic, paprika and salt in a food processor.
- Add the water a spoonful at a time until the dip is smooth and creamy. Taste and add more lemon if you like.
- Serve with the vegetable sticks. The dip keeps for 4 days in a covered container in the fridge.
Per serving (approx.): 175 kcal · 6g fat (0.8g saturated) · 0mg cholesterol · 24g carbs · 6g fibre · 4.5g sugar · 7g protein
Why it helps: beans are one of the best sources of soluble fibre, and dipping vegetables instead of crackers or crisps adds more fibre with almost no saturated fat.
See what your snacks do to your numbers
Heart Tracker logs your meals and your lipid panel results in one place, so you can see whether swaps like these are actually moving your LDL.
Download Heart Tracker FreeSnacks to limit if you have high cholesterol
You don't have to ban anything, but these are the snacks where saturated fat adds up fastest. They are best kept small and occasional. For swaps at every other meal, see our list of 100 food swaps that lower cholesterol.
| Snack | Why to limit it | Easy swap |
|---|---|---|
| Cheese and crackers | 40g of cheddar has around 7 to 8g of saturated fat | White bean hummus with oatcakes |
| Butter croissant or pastry | A 60g croissant has around 7g of saturated fat | Wholegrain toast with peanut butter and banana |
| Biscuits and flapjacks | Usually made with butter or palm oil, plus sugar | Oat and peanut butter bites |
| Crisps fried in palm oil | Palm oil is about half saturated fat | Roasted chickpeas or air-popped popcorn |
| Coconut chips and coconut-based bars | Coconut fat is mostly saturated, even though it's "cholesterol-free" | Unsalted almonds or pistachios |
| Sausage rolls and pork pies | Fatty meat plus pastry: two sources of saturated fat at once | Sardines or smoked mackerel on rye crispbread |
Reading snack labels
"Cholesterol-free" on a packet tells you very little. Plant foods never contain cholesterol, but palm oil, coconut oil and cocoa butter can still make a snack high in saturated fat. Look at the saturates line instead. Under UK labelling rules, 1.5g or less per 100g counts as low and more than 5g per 100g counts as high. For a step-by-step method, see our guide to reading a heart-healthy food label.
Low-cholesterol snacks: quick answers
Are peanuts good for cholesterol?
Yes, in moderation. Peanuts are mostly unsaturated fat with some fibre and plant protein, and eating nuts regularly is linked with lower LDL. Choose unsalted or dry-roasted peanuts and keep to a small handful (about 30g), because they are high in calories.
Is popcorn OK if you have high cholesterol?
Air-popped or lightly oil-popped popcorn is a good choice: it is a whole grain with about 3.5g of fibre in 3 cups and almost no saturated fat. Cinema popcorn and butter-topped popcorn are a different story, so skip the butter and season with spices instead.
Is cheese a good snack if I have high cholesterol?
Hard cheese is high in saturated fat: 40g of cheddar has around 7 to 8g, more than half a day's AHA target. Keep it as an occasional, small portion, or swap to lower-fat options like cottage cheese.
What are cholesterol-free snacks?
Any snack made only from plants is cholesterol-free, because dietary cholesterol comes from animal foods. But cholesterol-free doesn't mean heart-healthy: snacks made with coconut or palm oil can be high in saturated fat, which raises LDL more than dietary cholesterol does. Check the saturated fat line on the label.
Can I eat eggs as a snack with high cholesterol?
For most people, yes. A boiled egg has about 1.6g of saturated fat and around 185mg of dietary cholesterol, and for most people dietary cholesterol has a smaller effect on blood cholesterol than saturated fat. If your doctor has given you a specific limit, follow it. More in our guide to eggs and dietary cholesterol.
Looking for something sweeter? Try our desserts for high cholesterol, our guide to chocolate and cholesterol, or the ice cream alternatives that keep saturated fat low.
Sources
- NHS: Fat, the facts
- American Heart Association: Saturated fat
- MedlinePlus: Cholesterol levels, what you need to know
- USDA FoodData Central (nutrition values for ingredients)
- Del Gobbo LC, et al. Effects of tree nuts on blood lipids, apolipoproteins, and blood pressure: systematic review, meta-analysis, and dose-response of 61 controlled intervention trials. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2015.
- Whitehead A, et al. Cholesterol-lowering effects of oat β-glucan: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2014.