10 Indian Inspired Healthy and Easy to Chew Snacks for Seniors

Eating often becomes more difficult with age. There are many reasons for this, including decreases in appetite, less interest in food, challenges with chewing and swallowing, and mental health challenges.

Easy to chew snacks for seniors can make a huge difference. For one thing, these snacks are simple to eat, even for seniors who need soft food. Snacking also means that seniors are eating small amounts of food regularly. Doing so is often much less overwhelming than dealing with large meals.

There are plenty of snacks to choose from (along with snack subscription boxes!). In this post, we’re focusing on 10 delicious Indian inspired snacks, giving you the recipes to make each of these at home. The flavor of these snacks should make them popular among seniors. Who knows? They might just discover a new favorite.

Delicious Easy to Chew Snacks for Seniors

• Cumin Biscuit
• Baked Samosa
• Banana Bread Balls
• Oats Halwa
• Spinach Kabab
• Roasted Makhana
• Protein Laddus
• Pumpkin Pancake
• Roasted Paneer/Indian Cottage Cheese
• Papaya Halwa

1. Cumin Biscuit

Ingredients

• Cumin seeds – 2 tbsp
• Butter – ½ cup
• Flour – 2 cups
• Milk – 2 tbsp
• Sugar – 2 tbsp
• Salt as required

Instructions

1. Whisk butter and sugar in a bowl until it becomes fluffy. Keep it aside.
2. In another bowl, combine cumin seeds and flour. Add salt to taste.
3. Now mix this mixture to the butter mixture, then add milk.
4. Knead the mixture into a dough.
5. Preheat the oven to 360°F.
6. Roll the dough to a sheet, then cut it using a cookie cutter.
7. Place the biscuit dough on a baking tray.
8. Bake it for 20 minutes until it turns golden brown.
9. Cumin biscuit is ready. Store it in an airtight container.

Nutritional Facts

Cuman seeds can help to manage blood sugar and cholesterol levels in seniors, making them a healthy addition to the diet. The cookies end up being crisp and easy to chew, making them a favorite among seniors.

2. Baked Samosa

Ingredients

• Flour – 2 cups
• Chopped cabbage – 3 tbsp
• Chopped onions – 3 tbsp
• Boiled kidney beans – 2 tbsp
• Red chili flakes – 1 tsp
• Mashed potatoes – ½ cup
• Chili powder – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
• Ginger paste – ½ tsp
• Any vegetable oil
• Salt for taste

Instructions

1. Make a soft dough using flour, water, and salt. Keep it aside.
2. In a heated pan add oil, cabbage, onions, and kidney beans, sauté the ingredients for few minutes with salt for taste.
3. Add red chili flakes, turmeric powder, chili powder, and ginger paste to the vegetable mix, stir it for few minutes.
4. Once the filling is ready, roll the dough to form a sheet.
5. Cut the sheet into squares and add the mix in the middle of each sheet. Cover it to form a triangular shape.
6. Bake in the oven for 10- 15 minutes in 180°F.

Nutritional Facts

Red cabbage contains anthocyanins which keep the heart healthy. You’re also getting plenty of nutrients from the kidney beans, including iron, which helps to regulate your oxygen supply. And also baking doesn’t add additional calories and fats to foods.

3. Banana Bread Balls

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas
• Brown bread – 3 to 5 pieces
• Dried fruits

Instructions

1. Powder the bread in a mixture. Keep it aside.
2. Smash the bananas.
3. Add the powdered bread to the smashed bananas.
4. Add dried fruits to the mixture, then make balls.
5. Banana bread balls are ready to eat.

Nutritional Facts

Bananas support digestive health. Brown bread is made of whole wheat and it offers more benefits than white bread, while dried fruit contains nutrients, minerals, and dietary fiber, which all boost your health.

4. Oats Halwa 

Ingredients

• Chopped dried fruits – 1 cup
• Clarified butter – 2 tbsp
• Oats – 1 cup
• Grated khoya – ½ cup
• Milk – 1 cup
• Honey – 2 tbsp
• Saffron strands – a pinch
• Cardamom powder and nutmeg – ⅛ tsp

Instructions

1. In a heated pan, add oats and sauté it for 3 minutes.
2. Add grated khoya to the oats and mix it well for 3 minutes on a low flame.
3. Pour milk into the oats mixture and stir it well. Add honey to it.
4. Add chopped dry fruits and saffron strands.
5. Add cardamom powder and nutmeg powder.
6. Keep stirring until the mixture becomes thick.
7. Oats halwa is ready to serve.

Nutritional Facts

Oats promote healthy bacteria in your gut and help to lower blood sugar levels. They’re also an excellent source of fiber and resistant starch, making oats important for your digestion too.

5. Spinach Kabab

Ingredients

• Boiled spinach – 1 ½ cups
• 2 boiled potatoes
• Oil – 1 teaspoon
• Chopped ginger – ¾ cup
• 1 to 3 green chilies
• Boiled green peas – ½ cup
• Breadcrumbs – ¼ cups
• Garam masala – ½ tsp
• Salt for taste

Instructions

1. In a heated pan, add oil, ginger, green chilies, green peas, and salt. Sauté them for a few minutes.
2. Then add boiled spinach and sauté for a minute.
3. Transfer the mixture into a blender. Blend it to form a paste
4. Add the paste to mashed potato along with garam masala and breadcrumbs.
5. Make it a dough and flatten it to a patty.
6. Grill them in a greased pan.
7. Spinach kabab is ready to eat.

Nutritional Facts

Spinach has vitamin E and magnesium, which support the immune system. It can also help to decrease blood pressure.

6. Roasted Makhana

Ingredients

• Lotus seeds/fox nuts – 2 cups
• Clarified butter – 1 tsp
• Red chili powder – ½ tsp
• Pepper powder – ¼ tsp
• Cumin powder – ¼ tsp
• Chaat masala – ¼ tsp
• Salt – ¼ teaspoon

 Instructions

1. Add clarified butter into a pan. Roast the lotus seeds for a few minutes.
2. Turn off the flame and add chili powder, pepper powder, chaat masala, and salt. Mix the ingredients together well.
3. Roasted makhana is ready.

Nutritional Facts

Lotus seeds are sometimes thought to have anti-aging properties, due to the presence of some enzymes.

7. Protein Laddus

Ingredients

• Roasted peanuts – 1/2 cup
• Roasted sesame seeds – ½  cup
• Roasted almonds – 2 tbsp
• Roasted pistachios – 2 tbsp
• Roasted pumpkin seeds – 2 tbsp
• Roasted sunflower seeds – 2 tbsp
• Dry coconut – ½ cup
• Chopped dates – 2 cups
• Cardamom powder – 1 tbsp
• Jaggery – ½ cup
• Water – ½ cup

Instructions

1. Grind peanuts, sesame seeds, almonds, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds together to make it a powder. And keep it aside.
2. Add jaggery into a pan with water to make a string-like consistency.
3. Add the powdered mix, coconut, chopped dates, and cardamom powder into the jaggery and mix it well.
4. Once the mixture is absorbed and thickened, transfer it to another bowl to cool down.
5. Make balls from the cooled mixture.
6. Protein laddus are ready to eat.

Nutritional Facts

Dry fruits are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber. You’re also getting plenty of protein and healthy fats in these easy to chew snacks for seniors.

8. Pumpkin Pancake

Ingredients

• Pumpkin puree – 1cup
• Oats powder – ½ cup
• Powdered jaggery – 2 tbsp
• Oil

Instructions

1. Combine pumpkin puree and oats powder to form a batter.
2. Add powdered jaggery to it and mix well.
3. Grease oil in a heated pan. Pour the batter.
4. Cook well both the sides for a few minutes.
5. Pumpkin pancake is ready to serve.

Nutritional Facts

In addition to many nutrients, pumpkin is rich in antioxidants. These valuable compounds could decrease your chronic disease risk, boost your immune system, and protect your eyes.

9. Roasted Paneer/Indian Cottage Cheese

Ingredients

• Paneer cubes – 2 cups
• Ginger garlic paste – 2 tbsp
• Chili powder – 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder – ½ tbsp
• Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
• Any vegetable oil – 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Combine ginger garlic paste, chili powder, turmeric powder, lemon juice, oil, and salt.
2. Add this combination into the paneer and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
3. Heat the pan in medium heat and add marinated paneer.
4. Cook for 4-5 minutes until it turns golden brown.
5. The roasted paneer is ready to serve.

Nutritional Facts

Paneer promotes easy digestion and can work as a gentle laxative.

10. Papaya Halwa

Ingredients

1. Papaya puree – 1 cup
2. Chopped dried fruit – 1 cup
3. Clarified butter – 2 tbsp
4. Oats – 1 cup
5. Honey – 2 tbsp
6. Milk – ½ cup

Instructions

1. In a heated pan, add oats and sauté them for 3 minutes.
2. Pour milk into the oats mixture and stir it well. Add honey to it.
3. Add chopped dried fruits.
4. Keep stirring it until the mixture becomes thick.
5. Papaya halwa is ready to serve.

Nutritional Facts

Papaya is another useful source of antioxidants. These compounds help to prevent cholesterol oxidation, an effect that can decrease your heart disease risk.