The 20 best munchies for 4/20

We’re going to group these snacks together because whether it’s Gushers, Fruit Roll-Ups, or Fruit by the Foot, they’re all different types of fruit snacks (de-emphasis on “fruit”), they all became popular in the early 1990s, and they’re all made by the Betty Crocker brand. And, for some reason, they’re a really popular munchie—especially for those of us who came of age stuffing ourselves full of sugar while watching Nickelodeon.

Any ice cream will do when the munchies kick in, but nothing beats Ben & Jerry’s. It was founded in the 1970s in the hippie haven of Burlington, Vermont, and every variety is chock full of chocolate, baked goodies, and other treats. The top flavors include Half Baked, Cherry Garcia, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and Phish Food, and are only available in one size: a pint that can potentially be polished off in one sitting.

We’re using the term “cheesy crackers” here because we want to be equally fair to the Cheese Nips, Cheez-Its, and cheddar-flavored Goldfish crowds, as well as every other brand (or homemade versions!) We know folks really like to snack on cheesy things when the munchies hit (much more on that later), and when it comes to crackers, there’s a lot of brand loyalty. Snack accordingly.

Everyone has their favorite cereal, and everyone can consume it morning, noon, or night. You might be aboard the Captain Crunch ship, or call yourself a Cinnamon Toast Crunch connoisseur. Maybe you get your kicks from Trix, you think Frosted Flakes are grrrrrrreat, or want your breakfast cereal to basically just be dessert, like Reese’s Puffs. Or you might eat Raisin Bran because fiber is an important part of a balanced diet. We get it.

There are various types of cheese balls and cheese doodles, and then there are Cheetos. We don’t mean to get all brand-loyal, but Cheetos are by far the superior puffed cheese snack. We know many folks who would agree, and most of the people who disagree only do so because they prefer Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

When we crave chocolate, we sound like the guy from that old “SpongeBob SquarePants” episode. We need it fast and in any form—chocolate squares, chocolate milk, candy bars, truffles, or simply devouring an entire bag of chocolate chips. Chocolate is the perfect munchie because it never disappoints. You don’t need to prepare it, there’s no wrong way to serve it, and it rarely spoils. Bonus points if your chocolate snack also involves peanut butter, caramel, or coconut!

Going to town on a box of donuts is a classic munchie move. And with donuts getting more inventive with each passing year, there’s never been a better time to channel your inner Homer Simpson—whether you’re a stickler for classics like powdered sugar, glazed, and jelly, or you spring for something like maple bacon, key lime, or strawberry frosted with sprinkles. 

Nachos? Too many ingredients. Chips and dip? Too messy. The ultimate cheesy chip for lazy snackers is the Dorito, which is like a chip with cheese already infused in it. We’re purists that prefer the nacho cheese flavor, but that actually wasn’t the original flavor. Doritos were introduced in the U.S. by Frito-Lay in 1966 with only a “toasted corn” flavor, with nacho cheese not making its debut until 1972.

When the munchies hit, you need food fast, and sometimes fast food is the fastest food... and, for some reason, the tastiest. It might be Taco Bell, Wendy’s, or McDonald’s. Or maybe it’s Sonic, In-N-Out, Chick-Fil-A, or White Castle (shout out to Harold and Kumar!) And if you have a go-to fast food joint, you probably have a go-to order, too. It doesn’t have to make sense, it just has to be yours. (Like going to Sonic and ordering a Reese’s Blast and mozzarella sticks.) But please: order it via delivery or enlist a sober driver.

Warm and crispy exteriors, heaps of salt, and countless condiment options that are only limited by your imagination make fries, tots, and/or onion rings the perfect munchie meal. And yes, we mean meal, because if you’re craving fries, tots, or rings, you’re probably baking or frying (or air frying!) a whole plate of them.

Frito-Lay sure has the market on munchies cornered with their third entrant to this list, Funyuns. And Funyuns—which are like the love-child of onion rings and chips—are basically the stereotypical munchie. They’re a favorite of Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) on "Breaking Bad" and Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel) on "How I Met Your Mother," and they’re the very last item named in a comically long list of munchies requested by Brian, Jim Bruer’s stoner character in the 1998 classic “Half Baked.”

Some of our older readers likely have a soft spot for the desserts released under Hostess Brands, which include Twinkies, CupCakes, Ho Hos, Snoballs, Cinnamon Rolls, and more. Before everyone with an internet connection could be a baker, these were the desserts to stock up on for munchie emergencies. Although we had a brief scare for six months in late 2012 and early 2013 when Hostess went bankrupt and production was halted, the brand was quickly bought, products returned to shelves, and they are still available today.

Quick and easy preparation is key for the best munchie foods, and mac & cheese is pretty simple. Boil water, add pasta, drain, and mix in cheese. You can make it on the stovetop or even in the microwave because no one has time for an oven—we’ve got cartoons to watch.

Move over, peanut butter. Although it’s been around since 1964, Nutella has become a household name and a household necessity over the last decade or so. No surprise there, as it’s a nut butter, like peanut butter, but it also contains chocolate! And it’s a dangerously versatile munchie food, as you can put it on anything: bread, pancakes, waffles, fruit, ice cream, cookies, or just a spoon.

When you’ve got the munchies, your cookie serving size isn’t measured by the cookie, it’s measured by the sleeve. Oreos fit the bill nicely, and they’re not just a snack, they’re also an activity—whether that’s twisting each cookie open before eating it, or building a giant 10-layered Oreo.

Pizza is just the best food in general, so of course, it’s a great munchie food—in every single form. Maybe you’re having a whole pie delivered. Maybe you’re too paranoid to deal with another human, and you make a fresh or frozen pizza. Or maybe the munchies make you a kid who craves pizza in the form of a Hot Pocket, a pizza roll, or a pizza bagel. 

A guy I used to know would swear by what he said was the best munchie creation ever made: two strawberry frosted pop tarts sandwiched together with peanut butter in the middle. Opinions on this concoction will vary (greatly), but everyone should be able to agree that Pop-Tarts are one of the ultimate clutch munchies. They come in all sorts of wacky flavors that are filled with fruit, or covered in frosting—or both—and they only take a minute to make. And if you’re waking and baking, there’s a solid chance you won’t have the willpower (or patience) to do any actual baking.

Popcorn takes just minutes to make, it can be salty, sweet, or salty and sweet, and you can mindlessly snack on it by the handful without feeling too guilty afterward. Those are the ingredients for a marvelous munchie!

Salt cravings are a thing, and nothing satisfies the salty snack urge like a potato chip—or a whole bag. And there have never been more varieties of chips than there are today, from the old standbys of plain, sea salt & vinegar, and sour cream & onion, to more imaginative types like “all dressed,” Korean barbecue, and dill pickle.

For some reason, sour gummies are an incredibly popular munchies snack—heck, some people even take their THC via gummy. Whether it’s traditional Sour Patch Kids, Sour Patch Watermelon, or Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers (gummy worms), these are all go-to munchie for tokers. And you can usually get some type of these at cinema concession stands, so they’re a great cure for the mid-movie munchies.