Cooking is a useful way to interest your child in food. Rather than cooking an entire meal together, you can encourage your child to help you prepare some of it. We’ve collected 4 easy toddler recipes that you can make together.

These delicious treats and healthy toddler meals are simple enough for your child to help you prepare. You may want to get them an apron to protect their clothes. There are also utensils made for children that are easy for them to grasp and promote fine motor skills.

Cooking with toddlers is an excellent way to bond. Young children love to use their imagination with food. It’s also a practical way to introduce them to new tastes, textures and concepts like numbers and measurements.

Here’s what you and your child can look forward to creating in the kitchen:

  • Meals that the whole family can enjoy.
  • Healthy snack recipes.
  • Fruit smoothies to chase away the thirst.
  • Freezer snacks for those hot summer days.

Print and save these recipes for your personal kids’ cookbook.

 Chef makes delicious mini-pizzas a favourite toddler recipe.

Toddler meals the whole family can enjoy

While you might be hesitant about letting your child near your stove, they can still help you prepare nutritious meals for the whole family to enjoy. These toddler meals are so delicious that you won’t just want to keep them for the children.

1. Tortilla cheese pizza

This popular, healthy meal can be made as a snack, or into a meal with extra nutritious toppings. While most children love plain cheese pizza, but you could add other toppings like tuna, vegetables or pineapple pieces.

Ingredients and utensils:

  • Tortillas (Use coconut flour tortillas for low carb option.)
  • Mozzarella cheese
  • Tomato paste (Choose 100% concentrated tomato that’s salt and sugar-free.)
  • Oregano for flavouring
  • Round cookie cutter
  • Muffin tray.

Instructions for Tortilla Cheese Pizza:

  1. Heat your oven to 177 degrees celsius.
  2. Press the cookie cutter into the tortilla bread to make mini round pizza bases.
  3. Place the pizza bases into the muffin tray (it will stop ingredients from spreading).
  4. Mix the oregano and the tomato paste together.
  5. Lightly spread tomato paste over the cut tortilla bread.
  6. Add your cheese topping.
  7. Cook your mini tortilla pizzas in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the cheese begins to turn a light golden brown.

Supervised child participation:

  • Cutting the pizza bases or rolling if you make your own.
  • Mixing and spreading the tomato paste.
  • Adding the topping.

Children use cooking utensils like rolling pins when helping with toddler meals.

2. Pumpkin soup – an easy recipe when cooking with toddlers

This pumpkin soup is a slow cook recipe. While you may not be ready to let your child chop up vegetables, your toddler is becoming more active and can still help you put it together.

For this recipe, we’re using salt-reduced vegetable stock. As a healthier and environmentally friendly alternative, you can make homemade vegetable broth without any salt and with some vegetable scraps. You could also swap vegetable stock for chicken broth.

Ingredients and utensils:

  • 1 Butternut pumpkin
  • 2 Litres of liquid vegetable stock (salt reduced)
  • 1 Large carrot
  • 2 Medium potatoes
  • 1 Onion
  • Sour cream.

Instructions for Toddler Pumpkin Soup:

  1. Peel the onion, potatoes and pumpkin.
  2. Chop up all the vegetables and place in separate containers.
  3. Put each vegetable into the pot (encourage your children to learn their names).
  4. Add the stock.
  5. Turn the pot onto low and allow the vegetables to cook for 6-8 hours.
  6. When the vegetables have softened, blend the vegetables and liquid further with a masher or blender. (Let it cool a little first if your apprentice is helping.)
  7. Re-add the soup to the pot.
  8. Simmer for a further 30 minutes to reheat it.
  9. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Supervised child participation:

  • Tipping the vegetables into the pot.
  • Adding the stock to the pot.
  • Careful and occasional stirring.
  • Mashing the vegetables.

Chef scoops up the soup an easy recipe to follow when cooking with toddlers.

Healthy snack recipes for toddlers

Many health snack recipes for toddlers don’t require any stove or oven cooking. These easy-to-make recipes are perfect dishes where your little apprentice can get involved.

3. Berry surprise on a stick

Berries are very healthy fruits to eat. Not only are they full of antioxidants studies have also shown that they may help with things like cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

Ingredients and utensils:

  • Blueberries
  • Strawberries
  • Grapes
  • Raspberries
  • Skewers
  • Plain Greek yoghurt.

Instructions for Toddler Berry Surprise:

  1. Wash all the fruit.
  2. Cut the strawberries into quarters.
  3. Slide the berries onto the skewers.
  4. Roll the fruit-laden skewers into the yoghurt.
  5. Place on a plate and chill in the freezer for 20-40 minutes.

Supervised child participation:

  • Separate all the washed fruit onto a plate by names or colours.
  • Create different patterned fruit skewers (an excellent task for fine motor skills).
  • Roll the skewers in the yoghurt.

Toddlers sort and eat fruit used for healthy snack recipes.

4. Fruit and vegetable smoothies for children

Fruit smoothies are one of the easiest healthy snack recipes for toddlers that you can make with your blender. Adding some vegetables can improve flavour and nutrition. Always substitute any food products if your child has allergies.

Ingredients and utensils:

  • ¼ Banana
  • ¼ Cup of strawberries
  • ½ Serving of cucumber
  • 1 cup of milk (or ½ cup of milk and ½ cup of unsweetened plain yoghurt).

Instructions for Toddler Fruit Smoothies:

  1. Select your fruit (see our serving suggestion above).
  2. Add your milk (and yoghurt).
  3. Blend it until it has a smooth, creamy texture.
  4. Pour it into a cup with a straw or a sipper.

Supervised child participation:

  • Select fruit and vegetables.
  • Add all the ingredients to the blender.
  • Pour it into a cup.

Keep in mind when adding your ingredients the recommended daily intake for fruit and dairy products. The goal here is to select one or two fruits and one serve of vegetables. Add too many fruits and your child may consume too much sugar.

Children holding a fruit snack, an ideal ingredient for many children’s recipes.

Promote healthy eating with Petit Early Learning Journey

At Petit ELJ we promote a positive food philosophy with balanced nutritional meals and plenty of hydration. Your toddler will enjoy our fresh meals cooked onsite and designed by a nutritional expert. We encourage children to try new textures while developing healthy eating habits.

Our early childhood education and care centres provides all toddler and preschool meals. Your child will enjoy our relaxed mealtimes where positive attitudes towards food, social interaction and learning are encouraged. Ask about our menus when you tour your nearest centre.

Book a tour now.