30 Healthy, Kid-Friendly Recipes the Whole Table Will Enjoy
Just because you’ve got little mouths to feed doesn’t mean everyone at the table has to settle for buttered noodles or chicken nuggets at every meal. In fact, there are plenty of options your kids will gobble up that also happen to good for them. Don’t believe us? As proof, here are 30 healthy, kid-friendly recipes the whole family will love.
RELATED: 25 Kid-Friendly Dinners You Can Make in 20 Minutes or Less
1. Honey-Mustard Sheet Pan Salmon
Think your kids won’t eat salmon? Think again: The honey-mustard glaze on this one-pan meal will have them coming back for seconds.
2. Grain-Free Chicken Nuggets
These addictive little guys are dredged in coconut flour, so they're naturally gluten-free. Oh, and they're marinated in pickle juice for an extra kick. (Yep, you heard us.)
3. 15-Minute Buffalo Chicken Sliders
Use a rotisserie chicken and store-bought buffalo sauce so you can have dinner on the table in lightning speed.
4. Mini Chicken and Waffles
Finger foods aren’t just for dinner parties. They also happen to make fabulous kid-pleasing dinners.
5. Sweet Potato Rösti with Fried Eggs and Greens
Breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner, this is bound to be a hit.
6. Honey Mustard Sheet-Pan Chicken with Brussels Sprouts
They already dip their chicken tenders into honey mustard, so why not make it the sauce for this easy, low-effort meal? (And if your kids are totally anti-sauce, you always can serve it on the side.)
7. Pancake Tacos with Cheese and Bacon
Breakfast for dinner is a success story if we’ve ever heard one. This takes taco Tuesday to a whole new level.
8. Spicy Pineapple Prosciutto Tarts
These cuties are irresistible to both kids and adults. Why? Because they’re like Hawaiian pizza, but better.
9. Cauliflower Fried Rice
When in doubt, put an egg on it. (And if that doesn't work, smother it with ketchup.)
10. Greek Turkey Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce
Plain old hamburger? Yawn. Secretly healthy turkey burger with a twist? Now we’re talking.
11. Roasted Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese
This is a master class in sneaking veggies into a beloved classic. What are you, a magician or something?
12. Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Bites
Presentation is everything. They might pass on a boring bowl of soup, but they’ll gobble these minis right up.
13. Buffalo-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
They’ll all be hooked at the mention of buffalo sauce.
14. Croque Madame Toastie Cups
Just think of them as little bite-size grilled cheeses with a runny egg in the center. (Maybe after this French feast, your kiddos will want to try escargot...OK, maybe not.)
15. Sheet-Pan Miso-Glazed Fish with Broccoli and Coconut Rice
A surefire way to get anyone to like seafood? Coat it in this salty-sweet miso glaze.
16. Lightened-Up Fettuccine with Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
We love a sneaky vegetable as much as the next person, and no one will know this sauce is full of cauliflower.
17. Portobello and Avocado Quesadillas with Magic Green Sauce
Give them permission to eat with their hands and they’ll love you even more.
18. Overstuffed Sweet Potatoes with Chipotle-Lime Yogurt
Steamed broccoli and plain chicken might get a thumbs-down, but these equally nutritious stuffed sweet potatoes will be a hit.
19. Dijon-Maple Chicken with Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash
You want to fill them up with something healthy, but you don’t want to spend the night washing dishes. Look no further.
20. 20-Minute Shrimp Scampi Zoodles
It’s buttery and bright but without so many carbs. You might want to make extra.
21. Truly Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Tenders
You've tried to bake chicken tenders before, and by the time they reach the dinner table, half of the coating has disappeared. (The worst.) In this recipe, the chicken is dredged in mustard and mayo for a thicker, stickier batter.
22. Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad Stuffed Peppers
The yogurt is just as creamy as mayonnaise but a little more nutritious. Pack these in lunches or serve them as a quick dinner.
23. Loaded Baked Potato and Cauliflower Soup
Just as comforting as the original but with a good-for-you secret. Rope them in with all those delicious toppings.
24. Chicken Broccoli Pasta
Chicken sausage is a complete dinner game-changer (and so easy for little hands to grab).
25. Rainbow Vegetable Skewers
Admit it: They’ll eat anything if it’s rainbow.
26. Sheet-Pan Lemon Butter Veggies and Sausage
Store-bought chicken sausage plus bright and tangy lemon butter is pure sheet-pan magic.
27. Chicken and Snap Pea Stir-Fry
Stir-fries come together so quickly, which makes them ideal for lunch or dinner. This one is crunchy and salty in all the right ways.
28. Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
They’re less cleanup than chicken wings but with all the same dippable appeal.
29. Lemon-Roasted Potatoes, Chicken and Spinach with Tzatziki
Who’s the fairest lunch packer of them all? You are.
30. 15-Minute Skillet Pepper Steak
Just like takeout but faster and healthier. File this one under “genius.”
RELATED: 41 Toddler Lunch Ideas Even the Pickiest Eaters Will Love
