Children grow very fast. For proper growth and development, their bodies need energy from balanced foods. Active kids often need more time to eat full-fledged meals during the day. In such situations, a nutritious snack is an excellent solution. However, little ones won't eat such food if they don't like it. That's why we offer you 13 amazing healthy kids' snack recipes to satisfy the tastes of even the pickiest young gourmets.
Fun and Creative Kid-Friendly Snack Ideas
All of the tasty recipes below are easy to prepare. They don't require specific kitchen equipment or ingredients to cook them. Thus, your kids can easily make the snacks described on their own with a minimum of parental supervision. These ideas are sorted in ascending order of preparation difficulty, with the easiest first.
#1 Tropical Fruit Skewers
Ingredients:
This is one of the most incredible healthy snack recipes for kids, as it can be made using any local fruits and berries. The most popular set of ingredients are:
Two apples
A pineapple
A big mango
Lychee and grapes
How to prepare:
Wash the ingredients carefully.
Peel the fruits using a peeler. Don't let little ones peel the products with a knife. They may hurt themselves.
Dice the fruits. Here, kids should use knives but only under strict parental control. They have to cut products on a kitchen board. If you use another set of ingredients, remember that products like bananas should be sliced.
Place diced fruits into separate bowls.
Ask your children to come up with several patterns for the snack.
Thread fruit pieces and berries onto skewers according to your children's patterns.
Equipment:
A knife
A peeler
Several wooden skewers (the number depends on the length)
A kitchen board
A few bowls (the number of bowls should be equal to the number of ingredients)
#2 Spanish Fruit Salad Cups
Ingredients to make this kid-friendly snack recipe:
Raspberries, cherries, and blueberries (a handful of each)
12 big strawberries
Half of a cantaloupe
A slice of watermelon
Peaches, nectarines, kiwifruits, Comice or Bartlett pears, and bananas (2 of each)
4 sweet oranges and half a lemon
6 fresh mint leaves
How to prepare:
Wash the products.
Parents are recommended to peel and cut the watermelon and cantaloupe on their own, as these ingredients are too large for kids.
Make the juice from oranges and a lemon. This also should be entrusted to parents.
Peel and slice/dice fruits.
Halve the strawberries.
Mix the cut ingredients and berries in a large bowl.
Add the orange lemon juice. Stir the salad.
Make salad portions by putting the salad into small transparent cups.
Decorate the portions with the mint leaves.
Equipment:
A knife
A peeler
A kitchen board
A few cups. It's advisable to take transparent ones to make the dish look more appetising
A large bowl
#3 Sweet Mango Sticky Rice Balls
Ingredients for 22 rice balls:
Boiled rice (you need 600 g of rice and 900 ml of water to make it)
3 mangoes
Coconut sauce (you need 300 ml of coconut cream, 1 tsp. of salt, and 4 tbsp. of sugar to prepare it)
How to prepare:
Wash the mangoes and dice them. Put them into the first bowl.
Cover the inner surface of the second bowl with the cling film.
Place a thin layer of the cooked rice on the food film.
Put 3 mango cubes on the rice.
Take up the food film with the rice and mango cubes. Create balls.
Place the rice balls on the plate. Drizzle the balls with the coconut sauce.
Equipment:
A cutting board
A knife
A peeler
Cling film
Two bowls and a large plate
#4 Sicilian Ricotta Muffin
Ingredients for these healthy, sweet snacks for kids:
3 eggs
Sugar and wholemeal flour (300 g of each)
Butter (100 g) and ricotta (250 g)
Baking powder (one 5g bag)
Cut fruits or berries to taste
How to prepare:
Melt the butter.
Mix all the ingredients.
Heat an oven to 360 °F.
Put the mixture into the paper moulds.
Put the paper moulds with the mixture into the oven. Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!
Equipment:
A large spoon
A large bowl
Paper cupcake moulds
A baking tray
An oven
#5 Egg and Cucumber Salad Sandwich With Homemade Bread
Ingredients for this easy snack that kids can make:
Parents are recommended to bake the bread in advance to simplify the preparation process. For the egg and cucumber salad, you need the following:
Hard-boiled eggs
Radishes and cucumbers
Chives and garlic
Greek yoghurt
How to prepare:
Peel, cut, and mix the vegetables in the bowl. Add some Greek yoghurt. Mix the salad.
Slice the homemade bread.
Divide the bread into piles with 2 slices in each.
Put the egg and cucumber salad on top of the bottom slice of bread.
Cover the slices with the second layer of bread. Bon appetit!
Equipment:
A tablespoon
A knife and a peeler
A plate and a medium-sized bowl
#6 Magdalenas de Limón
Ingredients of this incredible snack recipe for kids:
Wheat flour (165 g)
Medium eggs (2 pcs.)
Milk (85 ml)
Sugar (155 g)
Sunflower oil (80 ml)
Lemon juice (30 ml)
Lemon zest
Baking powder (8 g)
How to prepare:
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.
Heat the oven to 360 °F.
Put the mixture into paper moulds on a baking tray.
Put the baking tray into the oven. Bake for up to 20 minutes.
Equipment:
A large bowl
A baking tray
An oven
A tablespoon
Paper cupcake moulds
#7 Spanish-Style Mini Burgers
Parents should prepare the following ingredients for this delicious nosh:
A pork cutlet
Cut and fried sweet pepper
Sauce (Orange Romesco and Aïoli ones are ideal)
Fresh tomatoes and lettuce
Manchego cheese
A burger bun
How to prepare:
Slice the fresh tomatoes.
Cut the burger bun in half.
Place the cutlet on the bottom slice.
Spread the sauce on the cutlet.
Add some fried pepper.
Place the lettuce and sliced tomatoes on top.
Put the upper bun's slice in place.
Equipment:
A knife
A tablespoon
#8 Mini Apple Pies
Ingredients:
A big apple
Package of pie dough (14 oz.)
All-purpose flour
Granulated and light-brown sugar
Honey
Ground cinnamon
Salted butter
How to prepare:
Peel and dice the apple.
Roll out the dough into a thin ball.
Make round dough circles using the glass.
Put the circles into muffin moulds.
Make a diced apple, honey, and granulated sugar filling.
Prepare the topping of the flour, ground cinnamon, light brown and granulated sugar, and salted butter.
Put a teaspoon of the filling into the dough circles. Add a teaspoon of the topping.
Put the pies into the preheated oven and bake them for about 20 minutes.
Equipment for this easy snack recipe for kids:
A knife and peeler
A kitchen board
Muffin moulds
A glass, tablespoon, and teaspoon
A large and a small bowl
An oven and a baking pan
#9 Rice Balls Topped With Luncheon Meat
Ingredients:
A mixture of rice, sesame seafood, meat floss, and mayonnaise
Cheese slices
Luncheon meat slices
Vegetable oil
How to prepare:
Preheat the kitchen stove.
Pour some oil into the skillet. Place it on the stove.
Put luncheon meat slices into the frying pan. Heat until gold.
Cover the inside of the bowl with cling film. Put some rice on the cling film.
Add fried meat slices and cheese.
Roll up the film and make a ball.
Equipment:
A frying pan
A stove
Cling film
A small bowl
A tablespoon
#10 Mini Italian Lemon and Ricotta Cake Decorated With Buttercream and Fresh Fruit
Ingredients:
Cake/pastry flour
Baking powder
Butter and a pinch of salt
Ricotta cheese and milk
Several eggs
Lemon zest
Powdered sugar and lemon extract
Fruits/berries and buttercream
How to prepare this simple snack to make with toddlers:
Make a dough using the flour, powder, milk, and egg whites in the bowl.
Blend the egg yolks. Add this mixture, the powdered sugar, and lemon extract into the bowl.
Add the Ricotta cheese.
Put the dough into the baking tray and put it into the preheated oven (375 °F). Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Remove the cake. Pour some cream on it.
Peel and slice the fruits. Put the fruits on the cream.
Equipment:
A large bowl
A tablespoon
A round baking tray
Baking foil
An oven
A knife and a peeler
#11 Mini Eclairs
Parents should prepare these easy-to-make snacks with their children:
Choux pastry
Filling of a mixture of vanilla pudding, cold milk, icing sugar, heavy cream
Chocolate ganache of cream and chocolate (1:2)
How to prepare:
Place baking foil on a baking tray.
Put a large tip on the pastry syringe.
Squeeze out a few strips of the choux pastry (5-6 inches) from the syringe onto the baking foil.
Put the baking tray into the preheated oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden.
Remove the buns. Cut off their ends.
Fill the buns with the cream using a syringe with a small nozzle.
Dip the buns in the melted ganache. Allow the chocolate to harden.
Equipment:
Pastry syringe with different-sized tips
A baking tray
An oven
A knife
Baking foil
#12 Gazpacho With Croutons
Ingredients:
Large tomatoes (8 pcs.)
Garlic (5 cloves)
An English cucumber
A green sweet pepper
Tomato juice (2 cups)
Vinegar, olive oil, and kosher salt
Hot sauce like Tabasco
White onion and 2 ears of corn
Sour cream (half a cup) and a baguette
How to prepare:
Peel the cucumbers and onions. Cut them.
Cut the tomatoes and pepper.
Blend the vegetables with the tomato juice.
Add the sauce, vinegar, and salt to taste and mix. Pour the soup into the pan and put it into your fridge.
Dice the baguette.
Heat the stove. Place the skillet on it. Pour some oil.
Place the diced baguette into the skillet. Fry until brown.
Remove the pan from the fridge. Pour some soup into the small bowl.
Add the sour cream and croutons.
Equipment:
A middle-sized pan and a skillet
A kitchen stove
A blender
A kitchen board
A middle-sized and a small bowl
A tablespoon
A peeler and a knife
#13 Homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza With Red Onions and a Pineapple
Ingredients:
Pizza dough
Olive oil
Chicken breasts
Barbecue sauce
Bacon and Mozzarella
A red onion
Cilantro and a clove of garlic
Black pepper and salt
A fresh pineapple
How to prepare this homemade healthy snack for kids:
Season the chicken breasts with the black pepper and salt and brush it with the oil.
Grill the chicken until ready. Brush it with the BBQ sauce when frying.
Mix the garlic and oil. Brush the pizza dough with this mixture.
Dice the chicken. Put it on the pizza dough.
Peel and dice the pineapple. Peel and slice the onion. Add to the pizza.
Brush everything with the BBQ sauce.
Bake until golden brown.
Equipment:
An oven with a grill
A peeler and a knife
A tablespoon
A kitchen board
Several bowls
Homemade vs. Store-Bought Snacks
You never know exactly what is added to store-bought snacks. Parents can control the ingredients of homemade snacks, though. So, you can spend great time with your children and prepare healthy foods when cooking.
Our snack recipes include products easily found and bought in local markets. Also, these noshes don't contain much sugar, even the sweet ones. That's why they're delicious snacks for preschoolers to make and eat.
Final Words
Cooking with little ones is a beautiful activity that benefits parents and children. We, in turn, have provided you with the snacks 5-year-olds can easily make. The described snacks are healthy, nutritious, and have a delicious taste. Furthermore, they look so great that your kids will no doubt drool after their first glimpse.
However, parents often lack time to cook with their kids. If you face such issues, book the Cooking Party at our camp! We provide campers fascinating snack recipes, fresh products, and all the necessary equipment. Moreover, our experienced educators will closely supervise your kids, who kindly support the little ones in their amazing culinary activities. Please hurry up to enrol your children in our camp, as available slots are selling out fast!