When I was a kid, I hated everything – especially sauces. Today, I give ketchup and well-rounded, plant-based recipes a pass.
Took me awhile to get there.
According to WebMd, children may be picky eaters, or now known as “selective eaters,” due to smell, texture, or taste sensitivities.
Keeping that in mind, every kid will have their own preferences, dislikes, and their fondness for familiar foods.
It’s a great idea to experiment, using dishes they already like and making small tweaks along the way.
For example, if they love mac and cheese, maybe throw in veggie bacon made of mushrooms.
Or, if they can never get tired of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, opt for natural peanut butter, crushed raspberries, and a drizzle of honey or date syrup. You can even keep it simple with a side of toasted baguette and a garlic butter dip.
Additionally, if you’re concerned your child is not consuming a well-rounded diet, speak with your child’s pediatrician to check for nutritional deficiencies.
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Kitchen Tools I Use And Love
There are a few kitchen tools I use on a very regular basis. One of my favorite kitchen tools is the Oster Blender.
It has several setting including pulsing and blending. I use it often for smoothies, sofrito, and oat flour. I’ve had mine for a couple of years and it’s still kickin’.
Cool, ready to be a kid again with your kid? Grab those forks! We’re diving right in.
Vegan Mac and Cheese
Insanely creamy, rich, and a dish that just keeps on giving – this plant-based mac and cheese recipe will have your kids asking for more! Who would have thought, raw cashews are the best base for any plant-based, homemade cheese sauce.
Smoky Vegan Mac and Cheese
Veggie “Fried” Rice, Oil-Free
Oooh, gimmie! A kid-crowd-friendly dish that uses affordable and accessible ingredients. Yeah, this is the kind of recipe anyone can get behind. The best part about this recipe is that it’s adjustable.
Oil-Free Vegan Fried Rice
Bean and Tofu Burger
Mushy, flat, and reeks of “healthy food”? Nope! This one has a variety of textures and a depth of flavor. Using tofu, beans, and mushrooms – this is the veggie burger your kids have been thinking about. Just make sure to pile on the fries on the side. 😉
Black Bean Tofu Burger Recipe
Vegan Puerto Rican Spaghetti
If you and your family are into Puerto Rican flavors, they’re going to love this recipe! It’s incredibly taste, while adding plant-based protein with vegan ground “beef.”
Vegan Puerto Rican Spaghetti
Mushroom Bacon
Kids are craving something savory, crispy, that can perfectly co-exist with a mountain of scrambled tofu? Give ‘em mushroom bacon. Before you say, “ahh but it’s mushroom.” Yes, it’s mushroom, but it’s hands-down the best veggie bacon I have ever had. And it takes just 5 ingredients. Smoky, peppery, with a touch of maple, everyone’s going to enjoy this one.
Easy Vegan Mushroom Bacon
Zucchini Fries
Potato fries are cool, but if you’re looking to switch things up and get a crisp out of veg, zucchini fries are definitely the way to go. Give the kids their favorite sauces and dips and let ‘em dunk their zucchini fries. You get to give them veggies and they get to have their fun dips – sounds like a win-win to me.
Baked Zucchini Fries
Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
The best way to get your kids to eat vegetables? Well, cover in something that makes it look like something else. These buffalo cauliflower wings are perfectly tender inside and crunchy on the outside.
Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
Grilled Cinnamon Raisin PB&J
Quick and easy, here’s a PB&J sandwich that’s perfect for lunchtime or as a snack. My advice: use natural peanut butter, thick slices of whole wheat bread, and homemade raspberry jam. We’re taking the traditional PB&J sandwich and making it even better.
Grilled Cinnamon Raisin PB&J Sandwich
Vegan Butter “Chicken”
Thinking about introducing something new to your kids? This might be a good start. The veggies and spices are blended into a thick, creamy sauce that they’ll never even suspect. Opt for a side of brown rice for a touch of fiber and added nutrients. This easy Indian recipe will give your kids something new to test their palates.
Vegan Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)
Extra Crispy Baked Tofu Nuggets
Baked, crispy, and dunkable – these tofu nuggets are that meal that everyone can get behind. Because they are mild in flavor, they can be tossed and dipped in anything you want. Personally, I still go for a pool of ketchup.
Extra-Crispy Baked Tofu Nuggets
Banana Pancakes
The texture of bananas can be offputting, I totally understand. If they aren’t blended, whipped into ice cream, or fried…they can be a bit mushy. So, just like everything else here, let’s just throw them into a stack of thick, gluten-free pancakes made of oat bran.
How To Make Vegan Banana Pancakes
Oat Bran Pancakes with Chocolate Syrup
Okay, so maybe the kids aren’t interested in a normal stack of pancakes, well, give them chocolate! This homemade chocolate syrup is made from cocoa powder, water, and sugar. They’ll be so distracted by the chocolate, they’ll have no idea that their pancakes are stacks of blended oat bran and chia seeds.
Oat Bran Pancakes
Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie Bowl
No need to cook if you don’t want to. Blend up lunch or dinner and top it off with something sweet and crunchy.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie Bowl
Mushroom Lentil Loaf
Load up your kids’ plates with a hearty slices of mushroom lentil loaf and fluffy mashed potatoes! They deserve it.
Mushroom Lentil Loaf
Homemade Applesauce
This sweet treat is 100% plant-based using ingredients including crispy, red fuji apples, dates, and a dash of cinnamon. Have it warm or cold – the choice is theirs. Personally, I like to have it warm during the colder seasons and chilled during the summer.
3-Ingredient Plant-Based Applesauce
Cannellini Bean Burgers
Cannellini bean burgers are delicious to serve kids and easy to make for you. We’re working with pantry-friendly ingredients, meaning we’re limiting the prep work!
Cannellini Bean Burgers
Crispy Roasted Potatoes
Oh damn. Do you hear that crunch? That’s the sound of perfectly roasted breakfast potatoes. Looks like your tofu scramble and mushroom bacon has a friend to make breakfast complete.
How To Make Home Fries
Meatless Bolognese Sauce
A plant-based take on the beloved meat sauce, we’re using mushrooms to achieve a meaty-texture and umami flavor. Use their favorite pasta sauce and hide the veggies! They don’t like a chunky pasta sauce? Blend it up.
Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce (Made with Mushrooms)
Need to take lunch with you? Check out our Vegetarian Packed Lunch Ideas.
Tried a dish from this 19 Kid-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes list?
Please leave a comment below, share it, rate it or tag a picture @plantbasedandbroke on Instagram and hashtag it #plantbasedandbroke. Show off that creation with us
Delaney
Thank you so much this will help me with my vegan diet a lot!!
Na'Keia
Thank you so much for these recipes. My nine year old stated she wanted to go vegan along with me; now she is giving in to the pressure of outside family influence. Which is causing her to bark at the meals I have been preparing lately. Hopefully with some of these I can show her a plant based\vegan diet can be delicious to eat and fun to prepare.
Aly Michell
I hope she loves some of these recipes on this list! One of my favorite kid-friendly recipes that I love and my younger family members love is the vegan mac and cheese and mushroom bacon (good together too). I am sorry to hear she’s being pressured – I hope she can ignore the noise and eat what she enjoys.
Niderah
Looks very good I am 13 and want to have a great diet I will for sure try this❤️💕
Aly Michell
Hope you love the recipes! Some of my favorites in this list include the vegan mac & cheese and nuggets! Give them a try. 🙂