Pinterest collage for a post about healthy toddler recipes - breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and treats.

Pinterest collage for a post about healthy toddler recipes - breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and treats.

Pinterest collage for a post about healthy toddler recipes - breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and treats.

Pinterest collage for a post about healthy toddler recipes - breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and treats.

Graphic for Post - 75 Healthy Toddler Recipes for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner with a grid of images of toddler meals.

This Master List of 75 Toddler Meals is full of healthy and easy breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner recipes for your little one! Most of these recipes can be made in 5-30 minutes, are freezer-friendly and have allergy modifications. Great for toddlers 1-3 years old!

Graphic of post - breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner - 75 toddler recipes. Images are in a grid and are colorful and fresh.

Medically reviewed by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).

Healthy Toddler Meal Ideas

Feeling stressed 😰 about what to serve your toddler? Are you short on time ⏰ and not sure what your toddler might actually eat? Do you need some fresh ideas 💡 for new recipes?

Then this is the right place for you!

I've compiled over 75 meals that are completely toddler-approved!

That's right – I've tested them for you, so you won't have to! Over the years, I've tested out hundreds of recipes on my daughters when they were toddlers and preschoolers, and these 75 recipes were clearly the winners 🥇 because they still love eating them to this day!

I'm not sure it's okay to call your kids 👭 your test subjects… but we are just going to go with it! 👍

Feeding toddlers can be tricky! But, don't worry, I've got you covered! Here you will find real-life toddler meal ideas, over 100 toddler snack ideas, great hidden-veggie recipes, 50 cooking with toddler recipes and so much more!

Featured Toddler Recipe Video

Need some toddler recipe ideas? Check out these videos to see just how easy they can be!

Tips for Making Easy Toddler Recipes

  • Freezer-Friendly: a great way to make feeding your toddler super easy is always to have a stash of toddler-approved meals in the freezer. If there are any leftovers, I will place them in the freezer for a later meal. This works great for muffins, waffles, meatballs, chicken nuggets, etc. Basically, anything you can find in the grocery store's frozen section can be frozen with your own homemade recipes. You can also make a double batch of your kiddo's favorite recipes so you can have a backup plan when life gets crazy (or toddler gets demanding;).
  • Make Once – Serve Again: if you are making a bigger or more time-consuming meal (anything over 30 minutes for dinner), it's a great idea to save the leftovers and use those in another toddler meal. You can serve the same meal or use parts of the meal in another meal altogether – chicken can be added into cheese quesadillas, pasta can be served with a different sauce, soup can be served with different sides like grilled cheese or turkey sandwich or used as a sauce for pasta or rice.
  • Quick Toddler Meals: a key way to not lose your mind is to always have a list (and the ingredients) for a quick meal for toddlers. Print out or make a list of these easy breakfast, lunch, and dinner ideas and keep them on hand for when life is super crazy and your toddler needed to eat 10 minutes ago.
purple toddler plate with sections.
toddler utensils with teal and green handles.
toddler lunch box with mermaid on it.
glass jars with colorful linings for toddler drinks and smoothies.
teal and white booster seat for toddler and kids
black and white reusable food pouches.
  • plates
  • open cups
  • utensils
  • smoothie cups
  • booster seat
  • suction plate
  • lunch box
  • reusable pouches

Toddler Daily Nutritional Guidelines

According to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, nutrients of concern for underconsumption in a child's second year are vitamin D, calcium, fiber, and potassium, so make sure your toddler gets a variety of foods with these nutrients daily.

Below are recommended daily intakes for toddlers of different ages. Still, it's important to look at what your child eats throughout the whole week instead of focusing on each day since toddlers' eating habits can be erratic and unpredictable. As long as you keep offering a variety of foods from all of the food groups, your child's nutrition should balance out each week.

Daily Recommended Intake for Toddlers 12-23 months

  • 700-1,000 calories a day split between 3 meals and 2 snacks
  • Half of the daily calories should be from healthy fats
  • 2/3 – 1 cup of vegetables daily
  • ½ – 1 cup of fruit daily
  • 1 ¾ – 3 ounces of grains daily
  • 1 2/3 – 2 cups of dairy daily
  • 2 ounces of protein daily

Daily Recommended Intake for Toddlers 2-4 years

  • 1,000-1,400 calories a day for girls and 1,000-1,600 calories for boys split between 3 meals and 1-2 snacks
  • Healthy fats should be reduced to about 30% of total daily calories
  • 1-2 cups of vegetables daily
  • 1- 1 ½ cups of fruit daily
  • 3 – 5 ounces of grains daily
  • 2 – 2 ½ cups of dairy daily
  • 2 – 5 ounces of protein daily

How to Build a Toddler Meal

A good method for building a well-balanced meal for 1-3-year-old toddlers is to include foods from a variety of food groups each day. You don't have to have all food groups represented at every meal but make sure you offer a protein at all meals and snacks to help keep little bellies full.

A typical toddler plate should be made up of:

  • half fruits and veggies
  • a quarter of grains
  • a quarter protein
  • serving of dairy

When serving dairy products, give whole milk products until age 2. Focus on whole fruits instead of fruit juice and aim to make half of grains whole grains for more fiber and other nutrients.

Offer foods multiple times, even if your toddler acts like he does not like it, because it can take up to 15 times of being presented with a food for a child to develop a taste for it. Try offering foods cooked in a variety of ways so your toddler can explore different tastes and textures. Even better, serve your child what you are eating (in age-appropriate sizes, of course) and eat meals together so you can model healthy eating behaviors for them.

Top Rated Meals for Toddlers

Banana pancakes for baby - pictures of a purple plate with small banana pancakes on them.

round white plate with a taco meal for baby - finger foods of turkey taco meat with beans and a sprinkle of cheese, on the side - chunks of avocado, strips of peppers and chunks tomatoes.

Taco Tuesday for Baby

Don't forget about baby's dinner on your favorite meal night of the week – Taco Tuesday! This flavorful meal is filled with your favorite taco flavors, only mini-sized for those little hands to be able to eat.

Get the recipe

Blue kids plate with blueberry muffins pilled high and blueberries scattered around.

Blueberry Avocado Mini Muffins

These Blueberry Avocado Mini Muffins are loaded with fruit, healthy fats, and whole grains. Their mini size makes them perfect for small baby and toddler hands, and they are great for baby-led weaning. Yum!

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round white plate sitting on white surface. On the plate there are 4 mini bagel pizzas stacked on top of each other. The top bagel pizza has a bite taken out it.

white round plate on top of a blue napkin. On the plate are 4 small round organs and white swirled popsicles. There is also one popsicle on the napkin.

Garlic pasta in one-pot which is a family favorite.

A silver muffin tin filled with broccoli egg cups with one cup on the white surface.

Broccoli Egg Muffins

Handheld and portable, these egg cups are great for baby and toddlers on-the-go. These savory cheddar cheese and broccoli breakfast cups can be served warm at the breakfast table or packed cold for a morning playdate or school lunch.

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Cooling rack with whole wheat cookies on it with one broken up on the side.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Easy and quick to make, these whole wheat chocolate chip cookies are the perfect treat for the whole family. Ready to enjoy in 20 minutes and made with simple ingredients, these cookies are wonderfully chewy and crunchy.

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2 smoothie cups filled with a hidden veggie smoothie for kids and toddlers.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Smoothie

If you have a picky one at home who refuses to eat their vegetables, this chocolate peanut butter smoothie is a great way to sneak them in! This kid approved smoothie is great for a quick and easy breakfast or snack and is nutrient dense.

Get the recipe

Toddler Breakfast

avocado toast for toddler
bowl of blueberry oatmeal for toddler.
kids hand holding a colorful smoothie cup filled with hidden-veggie smoothie
3 bowls of cottage cheese with chunks of fruit on top
sheet pan pancakes with blueberries
oat cups with 4 different mix ins for toddler.
Stack of green pancakes for toddler and kids

Bumkins Silicone Grip Plate

The perfect-sized toddler plate with a suction base. It comes in a selection of fun colors to make your toddler happy. Plus, it is dishwasher, freezer, microwave-safe!

Toddler Snacks

apple with spiced yogurt dip.
on the go granola bars for toddler
hummus for toddler - fun sun dried tomato humus
homemade cheese crackers

Great for On-The-Go Snacking

  1. Healthy Spiced Apple Dip for Toddlers + Kids
  2. Carrot Hummus with Toasted Paprika Pita Chips
  3. Healthy On-The-Go Granola Bars for Toddlers + Kids
  4. Whole Grain Cheese Crackers
  5. 14 On-The-Go Healthy Snacks for Kids + Toddlers
  6. Applesauce Mini Muffins
  7. Funfetti Energy Balls
  8. Chewy Mint Chocolate Granola Bars
strawberry applesauce for toddler
fruit salad is perfect for a toddler snack
hidden veggie citrus popsicles
mint lime slushy for toddler

Loaded with Fruits or Veggies (or both:)

  1. Hidden-Veggie Carrot & Orange Popsicles
  2. Peach Summer Fruit Salad with Mint + Honey Dressing
  3. Strawberry Applesauce
  4. Healthy Caramel Apple Nachos
  5. Mint + Lime Slushy
  6. 3 No-Cook Toddler Squeeze Pouch Recipes
  7. Warm Peach Chunks with Nutmeg (for Baby & Toddler)
  8. Peanut Butter Banana Baby + Toddler Melts
  9. Blackberry + Cucumber + Melon Toddler Finger Salad
  10. 8 5-Minute Applesauce Combos for Toddlers + Kids
  11. Rainbow Frozen Yogurt Bark
  12. Monster Frozen Yogurt Bark

Toddler Dinners

pumpkin pasta for toddlers dinner meal
amazing chicken nuggets for toddler
chicken curry with rice for toddler
black bean and strawberry tostadas for toddler

Made in 30-Minutes or less

  1. Easy Cheesy Garlic Broccoli Pasta (family favorite!)
  2. Mild Curry Chicken & Veggies for Toddler + Kids
  3. Easy Instant Pot Mac and Cheese (5 Fun Variations!)
  4. Easy Pizza Pinwheels (with hidden veggies)
  5. Family-Favorite Pumpkin Pasta
  6. Family-Favorite Sheet Pan Shrimp Tacos
  7. Chicken Parmesan Meatballs (family-favorite)
  8. Hidden Veggie Pasta Sauce (Great for Picky Eaters!)
  9. Healthy Chicken Nuggets with Green Bean "Fries"
  10. Crispy Seasoned Fish with Pineapple & Avocado Chunks for Toddler + Kids
  11. Crispy Salmon Bites for Baby + Toddler
  12. Kid-Approved Summer Veggie Pizza
  13. Mini Chicken + Carrot Meatballs for Baby
  14. Fiesta Bowl for Toddlers
  15. Carrot Pasta for Baby + Toddler
  16. Crispy Chicken Strips
  17. Black Bean Tostadas with Strawberry Salsa
hidden veggie sauce for toddler
butternut squash pasta for toddler
chicken chili verde for toddler and family meal
sweet potato boats for toddler lunch

Make Once – Serve for Mulitple Meals

  1. Kid-Friendly Pumpkin Risotto
  2. Easy Salsa Chicken Tacos (family favorite!)
  3. Instant Pot BBQ Chicken (toddler, kid + adult approved)
  4. Mexican Sweet Potato Boats for Baby + Toddler
  5. Veggie-Loaded Tomato Sauce for Toddlers + Kids (Great for Picky Eaters!)
  6. Chicken Chili Verde
  7. Butternut Squash 'Mac and Cheese' for Toddler
  8. Toddler Tofu Sticks + Peanut Dipping Sauce
  9. Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Apple Slaw

Toddler Desserts

easy chocolate fondue
funfetti popsicles for toddler
easy oatmeal blueberry cookies for toddler
chocolate stir spoons for toddler dessert
  1. Easy Chocolate Fondue for Toddlers + Kids (Dairy-Free)
  2. Monster Frozen Yogurt Bark
  3. Peanut Butter Banana Yogurt Bark (toddler + kid fav!)
  4. Healthy Yogurt Parfait Popsicles for Toddler + Kids
  5. Rainbow Popsicles for Toddler + Kids
  6. Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies
  7. Toddler's Favorite Banana Pudding – Gluten and Corn Starch Free
  8. Kids Chocolate Stirring Spoons (Allergy-Friendly)
  9. Strawberry Lemonade Slushies for Toddlers + Kids
  10. Green Tropical Smoothie Popsicles
  11. Hidden-Veggie Carrot & Orange Popsicles (Baby + Toddler)
  12. Healthy Funfetti Popsicles for Kids + Toddlers
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup milk – regular, almond, coconut, hemp, etc
  • 1/2 cup broccoli chopped
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
  • salt and pepper to taste optional

  • Heat Oven: Turn on oven and pre-heat to 375 degrees. Line 8 muffin tins with silicone muffin molds or generously spray to prevent sticking.

  • Whisk: In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together.

  • Mix: Add in the broccoli, cheese, salt and pepper and stir until combined.

  • Fill Mufifn Molds: Pour the egg mixture into the muffin tins until 3/4 the way full.

  • Bake: Place the muffin pan in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until eggs have set and the cheese is golden brown

Age: 6+ months

Storage: in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Reheat Frozen: to reheat the frozen egg cups, simply place on a microwave-safe plate and microwave in 30-second intervals until warm.