20 Easy Cooking Recipes for Kids That Are Fun to Make

Kids can do some things adults do, even cooking. Unless your child is fit to be in Master Chef, the rule in the kitchen should always be safety first.

There are several simple recipes your kids can try. They need some supervision in using knives and the oven, but they can do everything else on their own. Here are 20 easy cooking recipes for kids.

1. Peanut Butter Hot Dogs: An Extraordinarily Healthy Sandwich

Peanut butter and hot dogs may not sound like a healthy combination, but this recipe has nothing to do with hotdogs, despite its name. For this quick recipe, you need:

• Two whole wheat bread slices
• One peeled banana
• Two tablespoons peanut butter

You can prepare the hot dogs in five minutes. Supervise your kids when doing this, since they need a knife to cut the banana in half. Here’s how:

• Cut the banana into two.
• Spread peanut butter on one side of the bread.
• Place half a banana on the bread.
• Roll the bread to mimic the appearance of a hot dog.

In just a few minutes, you have a banana rolled into a bun. Kids who love bananas will find this recipe interesting, too.

2. Quick Bake White Cake: Great Tasting Treat for Kids

This white cake is easy to make and it tastes good, too. The recipe requires knives and using the often so your kids need an adult around. Start with these ingredients:

• Two eggs
• Two teaspoons vanilla extract
• One and three quarter teaspoons baking powder
• One and a half cups all-purpose flour
• One cup white sugar
• A half cup of butter
• A half cup of milk

Once you have all the ingredients, you can follow the white cake recipe. Total preparation time for this recipe is 50 minutes. You may want to make a simple frosting using powdered sugar for this cake, too.

3. Chicken Peanut Noodles: Something Sweet and Protein Rich

This noodle recipe is simple, but tasty. It requires shredded chicken, so prepare the ingredients ahead of time. Here are what you for your kids’ chicken noodles. For this recipe, you will need the following:

• Eight ounces thin rice sticks or noodles
• Two pounds rotisserie chicken
• Two tablespoons soy sauce
• One carrot
• One cucumber
• A half cup of peanut butter

This kids’ recipe would be better with seedless cucumbers and creamy peanut butter. This requires hot water, too. Be sure to supervise when your kids cook with hot water.

4. Banana Bread: Quick Bake Banana Snacks

Kids can bake, too. If the young ones love good old banana bread, they will enjoy making this recipe. Bananas are rich in potassium. Adding fruit to your bread’s ingredient results to a yummy and healthy treat. Here’s what you need:

• Two eggs
• Two teaspoons baking powder
• One and three quarter cups sifted flour
• One cup mashed bananas
• Two thirds of a cup of sugar
• A half teaspoon of salt
• One third cup of vegetable oil
• One quarter teaspoon of baking soda

This easy recipe for banana bread will mainly require mixing and baking. If your kid loves nuts, you can add some to your banana bread.

5. Chicken Wrap: A Perfect Recipe for a Packed Lunch

This chicken wrap is something your kids can take to school and eat for lunch. Instead of munching on unhealthy eats, they can prepare something nutritious. The total preparation time for this recipe for kids is approximately an hour and a half.

To make a chicken wrap at home, here’s what you need to prepare.

• Eight-inch whole-wheat wrap
• Two romaine lettuce leaves
• One large skinless chicken breast
• One stalk celery
• One scallion
• One tablespoon of fat-free mayonnaise
• A half teaspoon of Chinese five-spice powder
• A half teaspoon black pepper
• A half teaspoon salt substitute
• A quarter teaspoon black pepper

This requires baking, so you need to assist your kid in using the oven. You can help out by preparing the ingredients in advances. If you plan to follow this chicken wrap recipe for a packed lunch, separate the filling and the wrap. This prevents your wrap from getting soggy.

6. Hot Dog Men: 15-Minute Fun and Easy Cooking Recipes for Kids

Allowing kids to eat hot dogs once in a while is not bad. If you have a picky eater on your hands, one effective tip is to allow your kids to make their own meals. With all the effort they put into cooking their food, there’s a greater likelihood they will be enthusiastic to eat cooked food.

Hot Dog Men are regular hot dogs shaped into people. For this recipe, you will need the following ingredients.

• Eight hot dogs
• Eight slices of bread
• Eight slices of American cheese
• Ketchup
• Mustard

Your kid can finish cooking the hot dogs in as little as 10 minutes. Preparation time takes about five minutes. This is one of those recipe ideas for younger kids. Using the ketchup and mustard to draw faces on the hot dog men is a fun and creative experience.

7. Minty Fruit Smoothie: A Frosty Treat Even Tots Can Do

If you kiddos are looking for a cold treat, you can give them a recipe for smoothies. Instead of buying a smoothie, you can encourage them to make something at home with these nutritious ingredients.

• Three frozen strawberries
• Three fresh mint leaves
• One cup of fresh pineapple
• One tablespoon of fresh lime juice
• A quarter cup seedless grapes
• Applesauce to taste

Pour the last three ingredients in your blender until smooth. Once you get the texture you want, add the first three ingredients. Applesauce is totally optional. If you find another fruit to make the smoothie more refreshing, don’t hesitate to mix and create.

Since you just need to blend the ingredients together, you can prepare and serve the smoothie in 10 minutes.

8. Delicious Bread: A Favorite Spaghetti Complement

When you have kids, spaghetti will always be on the menu. While you are busy preparing the sauce and the pasta, your kids can work on the bread. Cooking together to create a mean is a good bonding and learning experience too.

It will take your kids approximately an hour to prepare this delicious bread to complement your pasta of choice. You will need the following:

• One egg
• One loaf of frozen bread dough
• One tablespoon of dried parsley
• One teaspoon of garlic salt
• A half cup of melted butter

Your kid needs to use the oven for this recipe. So, if your mini-chef plans to bake the bread while you prepare the pasta, you should supervise closely.  Baking time is approximately 45 minutes.

9. Blueberry Pancakes: A Classic Breakfast Kids Can Make

Blueberry pancakes are a classic favorite. If there’s one recipe your kids can help you with, breakfast pancakes are just the thing. You will need the following ingredients:

• One egg
• Three quarter cup of flour
• Three quarter cup of milk
• Half cup of fresh blueberries
• One tablespoon of sugar
• One teaspoon of baking powder
• One teaspoon of margarine
• A half teaspoon of salt

This blueberry pancake recipe is similar to the recipe you would use to prepare plain pancakes. To improve the flavor, you can add toppings like maple syrup or honey to the pancakes, too. If you feel extra creative, you can also modify the shape of the pancakes.

10. Holiday Buckeyes: A Holiday Treat Kids Can Prepare

If you want to your kids cooking experience to widen, allowing them to make dessert during the holiday is a must. This ingredient is perfect for kids who are prone to allergies. You will need the following ingredients:

• One cup of natural sunflower butter, or sunbutter
• One cup of organic pure cane powdered sugar
• A half cup of white rice flour
• A half teaspoon of sea salt
• One quarter cup of palm shortening, if you want dairy-free, and if not, just use softened butter
• 10 ounce bag of your favorite peanut-free chocolate chips or chunks

If you are not too confident of having your kid cooking, you can help supervise the process. This Buckeye Holiday recipe ingredient requires the use of a microwave, so your presence would be helpful, too.

11. Veggie Sandwich: English Muffin with a Nutritious Twist

Kids are not necessarily vegetable lovers. This should not deter you from finding creative ways to eat their greens and reds. This easy recipe for kids could help you feed your young ones with something good for them. Gather the following:

• Four English muffins
• One avocado
• One small tomato
• One small sweet onion
• One cup of smoked cheddar cheese
• One cup of rinsed alfalfa sprouts
• Four tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds
• Four tablespoons of salad dressing, ranch-style

This veggie sandwich is one of those simple recipes for kids the youngsters can finish cooking in just five minutes. You need to help with the preparations, though, because a knife is required. This veggie sandwich calls for mashed avocado, and chopped tomato and onion.

If you like, you can substitute whole wheat bread for the muffins, too. Even if your child loves to follow easy kid’s recipes, you might end up eating most of this creation.

12. Watermelon Sorbet: Summer Recipes for Kids to Make

This recipe for kids is perfect for when summer comes rolling in. Nothing is more refreshing than watermelon and lime for the hotter days. For this recipe, all you need are these two ingredients:

• Two cups of fresh watermelons, cubed
• A half teaspoon of lime juice

Whether you are cooking with toddlers or someone older, this recipe is simple enough. Your kids just need to combine both ingredients in the blender. When you get the right consistency, freeze the blended mixture.

There are also different varieties of this kids’ recipe. Don’t hesitate in modifying the taste to get something more sweet or sour.

13. Almond Butter Recipe: Easy Recipes For Kids Using Dates

Kids love carbs and encouraging them to eat protein instead is better said than done. Kids cooking recipes can help you deal with that. Children are naturally inquisitive, and cooking is a great way to develop their skills, too. Just gather these items:

• 16 large pitted dates
• A half cup of dry oats
• A quarter cup of chopped pecans
• A quarter cup of almond butter
• Cooking spray

Simple cooking recipes with dates are nutritious, too. This almond butter recipe is full of protein. You can put the ball on a stick to make the date balls even more appealing.

14. Carrot Cake Bites: A No-Bake Kids Recipe Even Adults Love

When your kids cook, you don’t want them to use the stove without adult supervision. Thankfully, there are kids baking recipes even the young ones can do on their own. While the steps are easy, you might feel too worried when kids operate kitchen appliances alone. This no-bake carrot cake recipe is just the right treat to make for them. Start with the following ingredients:

• Six medium sized Medjool dates
• Three medium sized carrots
• One cup of dry oats
• A half cup of chopped pecans
• One tablespoon of almond butter
• One teaspoon of cinnamon
• A half teaspoon of ground ginger
• A half teaspoon of nutmeg
• One eighth teaspoon of sea salt

Once you’ve gathered this list of ingredients, you will need to help in the preparation process. Supervising your kids while they learn basic cooking skills could help, although they will need the food processor for this.

This carrot bite recipe will take a week before it is ready. Remind your kids to be patient while waiting until their treat is ready to eat.

15. Chicken Salad: A Protein Filled Meal for Your Mini-Chef

Salads are among the easy recipes for children that they can use later in life. Your kids can cook simple dishes like a salad when they are just learning the ropes. Tossing some greens and adding last night’s leftover chicken will do the trick.

The total preparation time for this salad is about 10 minutes. Kids will need to do some chopping. So, if you are worried about the little ones handling the knife, you can take over this task. Here’s what you need:

• Four cups of fresh romaine lettuce
• Two cups leftover roast chicken
• One large celery stalk
• A half cup of plain yogurt, Greek-style
• Third cups of red grapes
• A quarter cup of low-fat mayonnaise
• A quarter cup of chopped red onion
• A half teaspoon of black pepper
• A half teaspoon of salt

You can use nonfat yogurt and change some ingredients if you prefer. Chicken salad is definitely one of those easy cooking recipes for kids best served cold.

16. Fruit Kabobs: A Delicious Way to Skewer Fruity Treats

Kabobs are quite popular with children. You can use this concept to get your kids to eat something fruity and nutritious. Cooking recipes for beginners especially when they are children don’t necessarily require the use of the stove. For this fruit kabob, you will need the following:

• One banana
• One apple
• One cup of nonfat yogurt
• Two thirds of a cup of pineapple chunks
• One third cup of green seedless grapes
• One third cup of red seedless grapes
• One quarter cup of shredded dried coconut

Fruit kabobs are good food recipes for toddlers, too. All they need to do is skewer the fruits. You need to watch the kids closely, though, since they might prick their finger with a skewer.

17. Chocolate Parfait: Fancy Looking Dessert Perfect for Parties

Is your kid fond of doing something on their own? You can foster this creativity early on by looking for recipes for kids to cook by themselves. One of those easy recipes for children surprisingly includes a parfait.

To make the parfait, you need:

• Two cups raspberries, frozen or fresh
• One and a half cups Greek yogurt, preferably fat free
• One quarter cup of chocolate chips or shaved dark chocolate
• Two teaspoons of organic honey
• One teaspoon of vanilla extract
• A half teaspoon of cocoa powder

This recipe only requires some mixing, so children can do this alone. You can help your kid in preparing the parfait, so they look picture perfect. You can prepare parfaits two days in advance, too.

18. Fruity Mini Cheesecake: Cooking Recipes for Kids Without the Oven

When you have a fridge at home, making cheesecake is no trouble at all. There are all kinds of cheesecakes you can make. Start the crust using these ingredients.

• One cup of pitted dates
• One cup of cashews
• An eighth teaspoon of salt

For the cheesecake portion, you will need to buy these on your next shopping trip:

• Two cups of cream cheese
• One cup of plain Greek yogurt
• A third cup of organic honey
• Two tablespoons of lemon juice
• One tablespoon of vanilla extract
• An eighth teaspoon of salt

No–bake easy recipes for children are worry-proof, since you don’t have to be concerned with your kids handling hot items and getting burned. Cheesecake recipes your kids will love are all over the web. Just do a search for their favorite flavors, and they can follow the steps easily.

You can make it healthier by preparing your child’s favorite fruit to serve as toppings.

19. Mexican Pinwheels: A Lunchbox Favorite Kids Can Make Themselves

If your child is a picky eater, try packed lunch recipes for kids to make, too. If you fear they won’t be eating right when you are away, you can teach them nutritious snacks they can prepare easily. This Mexican dish is healthy and easy to make. To make it, be sure to grab these ingredients on your next shopping trip:

• Eight ounces of cream cheese
• Four medium–sized whole wheat tortillas
• Three stalks of fresh green onion
• Two cloves of garlic
• One pound chicken breast
• A half cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• One third cup of salsa
• One tablespoon of taco seasoning

This pinwheel recipe requires some cutting, though. So, if you want your kids to follow this recipe on their own, you can prepare the ingredients in advance.

20. Tropical Fruit Salsa: A Refreshing Way to Add Fruit to Your Meals

Eating fruits the normal way can be boring. If you want to foster your kid’s interest in the kitchen, you can bring out easy recipes for kids, which will require the following fruits:

• Two medium kiwis
• One medium mango
• One medium lime
• One cup of fresh pineapple
• Three quarter-cup of strawberries
• A quarter cup of coconut flakes
• One tablespoon of fresh mint

This tropical fruit salsa is a healthy choice. This fruity treat is the perfect pairing for grilled chicken or salmon.

Final Thoughts

Most kids love hanging around the kitchen while you cook and you can put them to good use. With these 20 easy cooking recipes for kids, they can learn how to help you out with the next meal. Who knows, your child might turn out to be a culinary genius someday.