41 Family-Friendly Recipes That Kids Will Actually Love (And Grownups Will Love, Too)
There can be so much joy in cooking. It can be a creative outlet, a stress reliever, and an activity to enjoy with others. So why not start the kids early? Here are a handful of easy recipes that are perfect for making with the little ones so that they can discover the fun in cooking, too.
1.Three-Ingredient Breakfast Cookies
You'll love this recipe because it's so easy, and kids will certainly love eating cookies for breakfast.
2.Ham and Cheese Egg Muffins
Make these freezer-friendly eggs right in your muffin tin. This version calls for ham and cheese, but you can use whatever is in your fridge from tomatoes and spinach to bacon and Gruyère.
Recipe: Ham and Cheese Muffin Eggs
3.Everything Bagel Avocado Toast
Teach the kids to make their own breakfast and reclaim mornings for yourself 😉.
Recipe: Everything Bagel Avocado Toast
4.Banana Pancake Muffins
How adorable are these? And best of all, you can make them in a big batch and freeze them for up to three months for an easy breakfast on the go.
Recipe: Banana Pancake Muffins
5.Overnight Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole
Is it breakfast or dessert? This recipe — a French toast-apple pie hybrid — can be either...or both.
6.Breakfast Quesadillas
Toss scrambled eggs, cheese, and bacon into tortillas, then top them with your favorite quesadilla toppings like guacamole and salsa.
Recipe: Breakfast Quesadillas
7.Sheet Pan Egg-in-a-Hole
Kids will love making this fun and tasty breakfast recipe. Cut holes in bread using a cookie- or biscuit-cutter, then crack an egg inside of each, and add sliced bacon. The whole thing comes together on a single sheet pan, and it's a great way to feed the whole family.
Recipe: Sheet Pan Egg-in-a-Hole
8.Ten Minute Naan Pizza
Buy frozen or fresh naan, and let the kids make their own pizzas with whatever toppings you have on hand. Go for a classic tomato-based pizza with mozzarella or switch things up with pesto and roasted veggies.
Recipe: Ten Minute Naan Pizza
9.Classic Sloppy Joes
Not only is this recipe quick and easy, but it's an incredibly affordable way to feed the whole fam. If you want to save even more money on ingredients, you can buy canned sloppy Joe sauce.
Recipe: Classic Sloppy Joes
10.Beef and Cheese Taco Cups
Of course, you can use any of your favorite taco fillings here, even a base of beans if you want to keep things vegetarian-friendly.
Recipe: Beef and Cheese Taco Cups
11.Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup
There are so many satisfying and time-saving meals you can make with rotisserie chicken like this comforting noodle soup recipe. The only other ingredients you really need are chicken stock and whatever noodles you have on hand.
Recipe: Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup
12.Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks
Make this childhood classic right at home and slightly lightened-up, right in the air fryer. There's no splattering oil or mess required.
Recipe: Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks
13.Homemade Pigs in a Blanket
Want to save more time and effort? Grab some store-bought crescent roll dough, and the rest is easy peasy.
Recipe: Homemade Pigs in a Blanket
14.Dump and Bake Chicken Parmesan Casserole
It doesn't get much easier than a dump-and-bake casserole. You don't even need to boil the pasta or cook the chicken. Everything gets tossed into a baking dish and baked in the oven.
15.Breakfast Tortilla Wrap
Just like what they watched on TikTok!
Recipe: Breakfast Tortilla Wrap
16.Mexican-Inspired Stuffed Peppers
Stuffed peppers are super versatile, not to mention fun to make. Hollow out some bell peppers, and fill them with a mixture of your favorite ground meat, rice, black beans, tomatoes, chiles, and whatever else you have in your pantry.
Recipe: Mexican-Inspired Stuffed Peppers
17.Chicken or Turkey Asian Lettuce Wraps
You can personalize these lettuce wraps to your taste. Start with turkey, chicken, pork, or even tofu. Sauté the ground meat, chopped carrots, scallions, hoisin sauce, garlic, and ginger, and serve them DIY style with crunchy bibb lettuce.
18.Zucchini Pizza Boats
This low-carb pizza is still incredibly comforting and satisfying. Half zucchinis, hollow them out a bit, and bake them with tomato sauce, lots of cheese, and pepperoni. Of course, you can always swap in your go-to pizza toppings.
Recipe: Zucchini Pizza Boats
19.Wagon Wheel Pasta Bake
With just three essential ingredients — pasta, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese — it doesn't get much easier than this pasta bake. If you have some basil or red pepper flakes or garnishing, it's never a bad idea.
Recipe: Wagon Wheel Pasta Bake
20.30-Minute Sheet Pan Fajitas
Sheet pan meals are great for the whole family: They require minimal clean-up, they are easy to make, and they feed the whole gang. Make these fajitas with chicken, shrimp, or even flank steak, and serve them with tortillas and your go-to Mexican toppings on the side.
Recipe: 30-Minute Sheet Pan Fajitas
21.Air Fryer Grilled Cheese
Say hello to perfectly crispy-on-the-outside-gooey-on-the-inside grilled cheese, and thanks to your handy air fryer, you don't even have to turn on the stove-top.
Recipe: Air Fryer Grilled Cheese
22.One-Pot Taco Pasta Skillet
With just five ingredients — ground beef, pasta, taco seasoning, canned salsa, and shredded Mexican cheese — this one-pot recipe is a perfect weeknight dinner.
Recipe: One-Pot Taco Pasta Skillet
23.Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets
Turn fast-food chicken nuggets into a wholesome meal that the family can make together. The kids will love dredging the chicken into egg and a mixture of flour and spices. Then, bake the nuggets on a sheet pan with sweet potato wedges or turnip fries.
Recipe: Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets
24.Vegetable Cream Cheese Tortilla Roll-Ups
These roll-ups are made with cream cheese, flour tortillas, and lots of chopped veggies, but you can always work with whatever deli meat, cheese, and spreads you have in the fridge.
25.Pepperoni Pizza Twists
Start with store-bought pizza dough, and the rest is child's play (literally). Serve these pizza twists with marinara or pesto for dunking.
Recipe: Pepperoni Pizza Twists
26.Cheesy Ravioli and Sausage Skillet
While the recipe calls for a number of ingredients, you can really minimize your grocery list by sticking to a good store-bought marinara sauce. Toss the sauce with pre-made ravioli and Italian sausage, and top it all with cheese.
27.BBQ Chicken Stuffed Baked Sweet Potatoes
Grab a rotisserie chicken, or use leftover chicken breast from last night's dinner. Use whatever BBQ or buffalo sauce you like best, and top the stuffed sweet potatoes with anything from mozzarella cheese and red onion to blue cheese dressing and chopped celery.
28.Sheet Pan Chicken Fried Rice
You could order take-out, or you could make this classic recipe at home. This meal comes together like magic. Everything from the chicken to the egg and the veggies are cooked on a single sheet pan.
Recipe: Sheet Pan Chicken Fried Rice
29.Easy Ground Beef Stroganoff
It comes together in under 30 minutes, and who doesn't love egg noodles?
Recipe: Easy Ground Beef Stroganoff
30.Caprese Salad Skewers
It really doesn't get much easier (or cuter) than these four ingredient Caprese skewers. Add on some extras like prosciutto or melon, and give the kids the task of assembling them.
Recipe: Caprese Salad Skewers
31.Pizza Bagels
Let the little ones pick out their favorite toppings and assemble these adorable pizza bagels that are ideal for any time of day.
Recipe: Pizza Bagels
32.Italian Orzo and Sausage Skillet
You can never have too many skillet dinners in your arsenal. This recipe calls for orzo, your go-to pork or sausage, onions, peppers, and garlic-y tomato sauce.
Recipe: Italian Orzo and Sausage Skillet
33.Caramel Apple Nachos
The recipe calls for caramel candy to melt yourself, but make it even easier and grab some caramel or chocolate syrup. Then crumble your favorite candy bar on top for even more deliciousness.
Recipe: Caramel Apple Nachos
34.Edible Cookie Dough
Because we all know they're going to lick the bowl anyway...
Recipe: Edible Cookie Dough
35.Cinnamon Toast Crunch Rice Krispie Treats
You can pretty much sub in whatever cereal your kids like best. The rest of the recipe remains the same!
36.Banana Nutella "Sushi"
Turn dessert into an edible art project with these banana and Nutella sushi rolls. You can make them with just three ingredients, or you can spice things up with peanut butter, crushed pistachios, and more.
Recipe: Banana Nutella "Sushi"
37.Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
Baking is a great activity to keep kids entertained. And after one bite of these gooey skillet cookies, you'll want to make them every day.
Recipe: Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
38.One Bowl Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Fun for the kids and easy clean-up for the adults. A total win-win.
Recipe: One Bowl Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
39.Watermelon Pizza with Berries and Cream Cheese Icing
Get creative and let the kids make their own pizzas with all sorts of fun toppings from granola and shaved coconut to berries and chia seeds.
Recipe: Watermelon Pizza with Berries and Cream Cheese icing
40.Two-Ingredient Lemon Bars
This dessert, made with just angel food cake mix and canned lemon pie filling, is almost too good to be true. Rest assured, they taste just as good as they look.
Recipe: Two-Ingredient Lemon Bars
41.One-Bowl Brownies
The only thing better than eating these gooey, fudgy one-bowl brownies is knowing that they require very minimal cleanup.
Recipe: One-Bowl Brownies
