Fun and Easy Recipes for Toddlers to Make

Getting toddlers involved with making food is one of the best activities they can do. Young children love being able to do the things they see their carers do, and toddler-friendly recipes are great for getting little hands and minds working. Plus, it helps you make some delicious and healthy snacks!

Whether it’s making lunch for a day at Exeter nurseries or making dinner at home for the whole family, here are some of our favourite simple recipes that you can get your little chefs to help with!

Flapjack

You’ll need:

• Porridge oats (100g)
• Butter (50g)
• Fruits (2)
• Cinnamon (optional)

Flapjacks are a fantastic, quick-and-easy children’s snack. With basic household ingredients, you can microwave up a healthy treat that the whole family will enjoy!

All you need to do is mix porridge, butter and flavourings of choice in a microwave-safe container. You can let your little one choose their favourite fruits to add, then give them a wooden spoon and put their boundless energy towards mixing all the ingredients.

Once mixed, you only need to microwave it for around 5 minutes until it becomes firm. Just like that, your toddler has made some delicious healthy snacks that can keep for a few days – perfect for parties, events, or just fun nibbles on a day together at home.

Vegetable Fritters

You’ll need:

• Vegetables of choice, grated (such as carrots, butternut squash or broccoli)
• Eggs
• Flour or breadcrumbs
• Spices for flavour (such as cumin)

Vegetable fritters are a mainstay of any toddler’s diet. Quick and easy to make, plus a fantastic way to sneak more veggies into their food – what’s not to love?

There are lots of ways to get little ones involved with making fritters, too. Once you’ve prepped all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, little ones can help with the mixing and squeezing the mixture into discs. Then, simply fry them in a pan for a few minutes on each side, and you have a lovely, nutrition-filled snack.

Omelettes

You’ll need:

• Eggs
• Milk
• Grated cheese
• Vegetables, diced or grated (such as tomato or courgette)

Omelettes are another staple of any toddler’s diet, a fantastic way to whip up some tasty, nutritious finger food for your little one. It’s also another fantastic recipe that only needs one bowl and a lot of mixing, which is perfect for young ones to help out!

Even something as simple as mixing is great for key milestones of early development, such as coordination and fine motor skills. You could also let them pick some of their favourite vegetables to include, then watch their excitement as they get to enjoy the food they helped make.

Omelettes are also incredibly versatile, a great way to use leftover veggies. Fried or baked, cut them into fingers and let your toddler enjoy.

Biscuits

You’ll need:

• Plain flour (150g)
• Sugar (50g)
• Butter (100g)
• Egg
• Vanilla extract

Time for a treat! A simple biscuit recipe requires only a few ingredients and is fantastic for letting little ones get creative.

Again, biscuits are great for letting toddlers practice their mixing skills (they’ll be masters in no time with all these recipes!). After that, you can get as creative as you want!

Let little ones make the biscuit shapes; you can let them use the cookie cutter or squish the mixture in their hand to make biscuit balls. The cooking time will depend on the size and shape you choose, but flat biscuits can usually be done in 10-15 minutes. You can then take it further by allowing them to decorate with icing – maybe they can pick their favourite colours or try to draw shapes on the biscuits.

Just like that, you have some wonderful, colourful biscuits made by your toddler that everyone can enjoy.

Pizza

You’ll need:

• Pizza bread mix
• Tomato passata
• Toppings (such as mozzarella)

Homemade pizza is a fantastic, easy dinner the whole family can enjoy, and it also creates plenty of opportunities for little cooks to get creative.

A pizza mix makes it quick and easy to make the base, requiring only water, a bit of flour for dusting, and a mixing bowl. Again, your little one can help with the mixing, but the real fun for them comes with making your own pizza!

Prepare the pizza base with a layer of smooth tomato passata, then leave bowls of pizza toppings that your toddler can choose from to design their own pizza. They’ll love being able to create their own pizza and watch it cook, then enjoy the tasty meal with the rest of the family.

We hope these quick and easy recipes help inspire you to have fun in the kitchen with your little ones! For more ideas, check out our blog on summer activities for early years children.