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When using your Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) EBT card at Walmart, your shopping list likely includes staples like milk, bread, and vegetables. These essentials are the foundation of the program, designed to help households access nutritious food.
However, your benefits can cover much more than the basics. Understanding the full scope of EBT-eligible items can help you add variety to your meals, celebrate special occasions, and stretch your food budget further than you might expect.
Walmart accepts EBT in all 50 states for in-store, pickup, and delivery orders, making it a key retailer for millions of families. From birthday cakes to garden seeds, a wide array of surprising items are available for purchase with your SNAP benefits.
Before exploring the more surprising items, it's crucial to know the basic rules. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) sets the guidelines for the SNAP program, which apply to all authorized retailers, including Walmart.
What's Covered by SNAP EBT
Generally, SNAP benefits are for food items intended for human consumption at home. This includes:
What's Not Covered by SNAP EBT
SNAP benefits cannot be used to purchase:
The Critical Distinction: Nutrition Facts vs. Supplement Facts
A key rule that often causes confusion involves a product's label. The eligibility of items like energy drinks and protein powders depends on whether they feature a "Nutrition Facts" or "Supplement Facts" label. This distinction, set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is the ultimate test for what you can buy.
Understanding this simple difference will help you shop with confidence for these items at Walmart.
EBT Eligibility at a Glance: The Label Test
| ELIGIBLE: Nutrition Facts Label | INELIGIBLE: Supplement Facts Label |
|---|---|
| Items considered food by the FDA. | Items considered supplements by the FDA. |
| Examples: Most energy drinks (Monster, Red Bull, Alani Nu), many protein powders and bars, meal replacement shakes (Ensure, Boost), baby formula. | Examples: Vitamins, minerals, herbal remedies, many energy "shots" (5-Hour Energy), dietary supplements. |
With the ground rules established, you can explore the less obvious items that can help you get the most out of your food budget at Walmart.
1. Celebration & Bakery Cakes
You can use your EBT card to buy a cake for a birthday, graduation, or another special event. Many people assume SNAP is only for basic necessities, but celebratory cakes are included. The main rule is that the value of any non-edible decorations cannot be more than 50% of the cake's total price. This allows you to order a custom-decorated cake from the Walmart Bakery for your family's celebration.
2. Gourmet Gift Baskets
Food gift baskets are another surprising item you can purchase with EBT benefits. The rule is similar to cakes: the value of the eligible food items must make up more than half of the total price. The basket or container is considered a non-food item in this calculation. Walmart offers many EBT-eligible gift baskets, like those with sausage and cheese, making them a great option for holidays.
3. Seeds and Plants to Grow Your Own Food
Perhaps one of the most valuable uses of your EBT card is buying seeds and plants that produce food. This includes seeds for vegetables, fruits, and herbs, as well as edible plant starts like tomato plants. This benefit turns your SNAP funds into a long-term investment in fresh, healthy food. For every dollar spent on seeds, a home gardener can grow an average of $25 worth of produce.
4. Energy Drinks & Protein Powders
This is where the "label test" is essential. As long as an energy drink or protein powder has a "Nutrition Facts" label, it is considered a food and is EBT-eligible. This includes popular brands sold at Walmart like Monster and Alani Nu, as well as Walmart's own Great Value energy drink mixes. The same rule applies to protein powders and meal replacement shakes.
5. Steak and Seafood (Including Live Lobster)
There is a common misconception that SNAP benefits cannot be used to buy "luxury" foods like steak or lobster, but this is incorrect. The program does not restrict food purchases based on price. You can buy steak, salmon, and other high-quality proteins at Walmart with your EBT card.
Furthermore, the USDA makes a specific exception for live shellfish, including lobster, crabs, and clams. While many Walmart locations sell frozen lobster tails (which are eligible), those with live seafood tanks can also sell live lobster to EBT customers.
6. Take-and-Bake Pizzas
The "hot food" rule can be confusing. While you cannot use EBT to buy a hot, ready-to-eat pizza slice from the Walmart deli, you can purchase a cold, uncooked take-and-bake pizza. This is because it is an item intended for home preparation, which is a key requirement of the SNAP program.
7. Baby Formula and Food
For households with infants, it is crucial to know that baby formula, baby food, infant cereals, and juices are all EBT-eligible items. These are fundamental nutrition sources for the youngest members of a family. Families who qualify for SNAP may also be eligible for the WIC program, which provides additional support.
8. Snack Foods, Candy, and Soda
While sometimes a point of public debate, items like chips, candy, ice cream, and soda are classified as food items under federal law. As such, they are eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits. Walmart's extensive selection of Great Value brand snacks and beverages provides many affordable options in this category.
9. Food-Based Holiday & Seasonal Items
You can use your EBT card for many seasonal food items. For example, pumpkins are eligible as long as they are the edible kind, not gourds intended only for decoration. This rule also applies to other seasonal items like gingerbread house kits, where the food components must be over 50% of the value.
10. Cooking & Flavoring Essentials
The rule prohibiting alcohol has an important exception. While you cannot buy alcoholic beverages, you can purchase food products that contain small amounts of alcohol used for flavoring. This includes items like cooking wine, wine vinegar, and pure vanilla extract, as they are sold as cooking ingredients.
11. Bags of Ice and Bottled Water
Though they may not seem like traditional groceries, both bottled water and bags of ice are considered eligible food items by the USDA. This is because they are intended for human consumption. This simple but often overlooked category can be purchased with your EBT card at Walmart.
Walmart makes it easy to use your EBT benefits, whether you are shopping in-store or online. Knowing the steps can help make your checkout experience smooth and stress-free.
Shopping In-Store
The process at both regular and self-checkout lanes is simple. The register system automatically separates EBT-eligible items from the rest of your purchase.
Ordering Online for Pickup & Delivery
Walmart accepts EBT for online pickup and delivery orders in all 50 states.
To provide additional support for families, Walmart offers the Walmart+ Assist program. This program gives a significant discount on a Walmart+ membership, which includes numerous cost-saving benefits.
In 2024, Walmart reinstated a $6.99 "basket fee" for pickup and delivery orders under $35. This fee applies to all customers, including Walmart+ Assist members.
SNAP benefits and eligibility standards are adjusted annually to reflect changes in the cost of living. For fiscal year 2025, which runs from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025, the USDA has updated the maximum monthly allotments. The figures below are the current maximums for households in the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C.
FY 2025 Maximum Monthly SNAP Allotments
| Household Size | Maximum Benefit |
|---|---|
| 1 | $292 |
| 2 | $536 |
| 3 | $768 |
| 4 | $975 |
| 5 | $1,158 |
| 6 | $1,390 |
| 7 | $1,536 |
| 8 | $1,756 |
| Each additional person | +$220 |
Knowing these figures, along with the full range of eligible items, can help you plan your shopping trips to Walmart more effectively. For the most current information on your specific case, always refer to your local SNAP agency or the official USDA website.
Yes, you can purchase protein powders at Walmart using your EBT card, but only if the product has a "Nutrition Facts" label. If it displays a "Supplement Facts" label, it is considered a supplement by the USDA and is not eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits.
Absolutely. Baby formula, along with other essential baby foods like infant cereals and juices, are considered staple food items. You can use your SNAP EBT benefits to purchase these items at any Walmart store or through Walmart's online platform, ensuring your little one's nutritional needs are met.
Yes, you can buy birthday and other celebration cakes with your EBT card at Walmart. However, there's a rule: the value of non-edible decorations (like plastic figures) cannot exceed 50% of the cake's total price. Most standard bakery cakes from Walmart will meet this requirement.
No, you cannot get cash back for returns. According to Walmart's policy and federal regulations, if you return an EBT-purchased item, the refund amount is credited directly back to your EBT card. This policy helps ensure that SNAP benefits are used exclusively for eligible food items.
Yes, you can use your EBT card to buy any brand of organic foods at Walmart, including fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy products. The SNAP program does not distinguish between organic and non-organic foods, so you are free to choose the options that best suit your family's preferences.
When you check out on Walmart.com, the system automatically separates SNAP-eligible items from non-eligible ones. You will be prompted to enter your EBT card information first to cover the food items. Afterward, you must provide a separate payment method, like a debit or credit card, for the remaining balance.
No, SNAP benefits cannot be used to cover non-food expenses such as delivery fees, service charges, or driver tips. While you can pay for your eligible groceries with EBT for an online order, you will need a separate form of payment to cover any associated service costs for pickup or delivery.
If your EBT card is declined at a self-checkout kiosk, first verify your card balance using your state's EBT app or helpline. Often, a decline happens if the total for food items exceeds your available balance. You may need to use the "split payment" option or ask an associate for assistance.
Gift baskets can be one of the more surprising things you can buy with EBT at Walmart, provided they meet a specific condition. If the value of the eligible food items in the basket is 50% or more of the total price, you can purchase it with your SNAP benefits.
The eligibility of energy drinks depends on their labeling. An energy drink is EBT-eligible if it has a "Nutrition Facts" label, as it is considered a food item. If it has a "Supplement Facts" label, the USDA classifies it as a supplement, making it ineligible for purchase with SNAP.
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