Ants on a log
Ants on a log is the perfect snack with its balance of salty and sweet flavors. So fun to make and of course eat, kids love it!
Why This Recipe Works
The classic ants on a log recipe of celery peanut butter and raisins is the perfect balance of salty and sweet with a whole lot of crunch!
It’s fun, let your imagination run wild while naming all the different variations of this snack you could make.
Balanced: Fiber, Fats, Protein and Carbs all in one
Ingredients you will need
celery stalks
peanut butter
raisins
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Log
Traditionally the ‘log’ for this snack is celery. But there are many other alternatives you can use if you don’t have celery on hand or if you simply don’t like it!
Apple Slices
Capsicum/Bell Pepper Slices
Carrot Sticks
Cucumber
Halved Bananas
Pear
Pretzel Rods
Filling
Peanut butter is usually used as the filling for this snack, but it does not have to be.
Almond Butter
Apple Butter
Avocado
Cashew Butter
Cottage Cheese
Cream Cheese
Grated Cheese mixed with mayonnaise
Guacamole
Hummus
Peanut Butter
Ricotta
Ants
There are so many things you could use as ants.
Blueberries
Capsicum/Bell Pepper cut into small pieces
Carrots cut into small pieces
Cereal/Granola
Cherry Tomatoes
Chickpeas
Chocolate Chips
Corn kernels
Dried Apricots
Dried Cranberries
Olives
Peas
Raspberries
Sunflower seeds plain
Variations with cute names
Ants on the beach: Your favourite log filled or spread with hummus (the beach) topped with your favourite ‘ants’.
Frogs on a log: If you use pieces of green grape, peas or green capsicum they will be your ‘green frogs’.
Gnomes on a log: A log of your choosing, with a filling of your choosing (I like to use cottage cheese or grated cheese mixed with mayo for this one) topped with bright red cherry tomatoes. The red cherry tomatoes are the gnome’s red hats.
Ants in the snow: A halved banana, spread cream cheese or ricotta, sprinkled with desiccated coconut and chocolate chips to be the ants.
Celery Butterfly: Fill a celery stick with peanut butter, then place mini pretzels in the peanut butter to look like butterflies
Celery Butterflies!
Step-by-step instructions
Below are illustrated step-by-step instructions to make my ants on a log recipe, if you prefer just the written instructions then head straight to the printable recipe card below.
Step one: Trim your celery sticks and de-string, ie use a small sharp knife to lift the end of the celery strings then pull to remove.
Step two: Spread each celery stick with a tablespoon of peanut butter
Step three: Top the peanut butter with a few evenly spaced raisins (these are your ants)
Enjoy!
Top Tips
Here is how you can make these ants on a log perfectly every time!
If you want your celery sticks to sit without rolling over, remove a slice from the celery stick so that it has a flat bottom.
Let your kids’ come up with a fun name for the variation of ants on a log you end up making, this could be such a fun activity, corn kernels might become sunny ants, peas could be frogs, or maybe the ants could become colourful caterpillars if you used a mixture of things.
Make your logs sit nicely by cutting a slice out of them giving them a thin base.
Gnomes on a log
Ants on a log
Ants on a log is the perfect snack with its balance of salty and sweet flavors. So fun to make and of course eat, kids love it! Be sure to try some of the variations like frogs on a log!
Course Snack
Cuisine New Zealalnd
Keyword ants on a log, ants on a log variations, ants on a log ideas
Prep Time 5minutes minutes
Total Time 5minutes minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 103kcal
Ingredients
4 celery sticks4 Tablespoons peanut butter20 raisins
Instructions
Trim your celery sticks and de-string, ie use a small sharp knife to lift the end of the celery strings then pull to remove.
Spread each celery stick with a tablespoon of peanut butter
Top the peanut butter with a few evenly spaced raisins (these are your ants)
Enjoy
Notes
If you want your celery sticks to sit without rolling over, remove a slice from the celery stick so that it has a flat bottom.
Let your kids’ come up with a fun name for the variation of ants on a log you end up making, this could be such a fun activity, corn kernels might become sunny ants, peas could be frogs, or maybe the ants could become colourful caterpillars if you used a mixture of things.
Alternative Logs
Traditionally the ‘log’ for this snack is celery. But there are many other alternatives you can use if you don’t have celery on hand or if you simply don’t like it!
Apple Slices
Capsicum/Bell Pepper Slices
Carrot Sticks
Cucumber
Halved Bananas
Pear
Pretzel Rods
Alternative Fillings
Peanut butter is usually used as the filling for this snack, but it does not have to be.
Almond Butter
Apple Butter
Avocado
Cashew Butter
Chicken Salad
Cottage Cheese
Cream Cheese
Grated Cheese mixed with mayonnaise
Guacamole
Hummus
Peanut Butter
Ricotta
Sunflower Butter
Alternative Ants
There are so many things you could use as ants.
Blueberries
Capsicum/Bell Pepper cut into small pieces
Carrots cut into small pieces
Cereal/Granola
Cherry Tomatoes
Chickpeas
Chocolate Chips
Corn kernels
Dried Apricots
Dried Cranberries
Olives
Peas
Raspberries
Roasted chickpeas
Roasted pepitas
Sunflower seeds plain, or my honey roasted sunflower seeds
Variations
Ants on the beach: Your favourite log filled or spread with hummus (the beach) topped with your favourite ‘ants’.
Frogs on a log: If you use pieces of green grape, peas or green capsicum they will be your ‘green frogs’.
Gnomes on a log: A log of your choosing, with a filling of your choosing (I like to use cottage cheese or grated cheese mixed with mayo for this one) topped with bright red cherry tomatoes. The red cherry tomatoes are the gnome’s red hats.
Ants in the snow: A halved banana, spread cream cheese or ricotta, sprinkled with desiccated coconut and chocolate chips to be the ants.
Celery Butterfly: Fill a celery stick with peanut butter, then place mini pretzels in the peanut butter to look like butterflies
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 103kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 70mg | Potassium: 113mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 4IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.3mg