This list of Healthy Apple Recipes for Kids give you a wide variety of options to get kids to eat more fruit. Includes everything from shakes to cakes!
We’ve grown up hearing that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, and in these times, keeping the doctor away is what everyone is striving for! Apples are among the first fruits introduced to kids, and if you look at your kids drawings from school, you’re quite likely to find a red apple among the first few.
It’s not for nothing that apples get so much good press – they are indeed little nutritional powerhouses. Here are just some reasons apples are recommended in children’s diets:
1. One of the biggest benefits of apples is its fiber – both soluble and insoluble. In fact, apples are part of the BRAT diet, which is recommended for diarrhea. This is because of the soluble fiber like pectin that can treat diarrhea while helping the digestive system function properly.
2. Apples are also rich in insoluble fiber, especially in the peel. This adds bulk to stools, helping them move easily through the intestines and promoting faster elimination.
3. Frequent consumption of apples can improve brain power. Apple peel contains quercetin, a compound that is known to improve the function of brain cells.
4. Here is why an apple can keep you safe from illnesses – it contains 14% of the daily recommendation of Vitamin C, which boosts immunity and keeps defences high.
5. Another important component of apples is polyphenols, which are plant compounds with antioxidant effects. These fight against free radical damage in the body, and protect against lifestyle diseases.
6. Apples are filling, mainly because they are high in water content. 100 g of apples contain 85 g of water, making them a low calorie snack option that also increases satiety.
7. The pectin in apples promotes gut health by acting as a prebiotic. It encourages the growth of good bacteria in the gut, which ensures healthy digestion as well as overall well being.
8. Including apples as a regular part of one’s diet helps to keep lifestyle diseases like obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes at bay.
It’s no wonder that apples are most Moms’ first pick for their babies when starting solids! However, considering all the benefits, it makes sense to ensure that apples are a part of your child’s diet as he or she grows, for lasting good health. Knowing picky eaters, they can get bored with eating apples as they are, so we’ve got together 35 easy and healthy apple recipes for kids, that’ll get them to eat this yummy fruit without any complaints!
35 Easy and Healthy Apple Recipes for Kids
1. ABC Juice
Apple juice is a great option to offer apples, but why restrict yourself when you can make it healthier by adding some more ingredients? Roti n Rice has the recipe for the popular ABC juice – Apple Beetroot Carrot juice, that is just bursting with antioxidants and tastes super delicious!
2. Apple Milkshake Recipe
If your kids run at the sight of apples or milk, this milkshake might make them change their minds! If you use ripe, juicy apples for this drink, the natural sweetness of the fruit will get rid of the need to add any other sweetener.
3. Apple Protein Milkshake
If you’d like to take the regular apple milkshake to the next level, try adding some protein powder to it for some added nutritional punch. However, in order to get the maximum benefits, we need to ensure that you’re using a protein powder that contains 100% natural ingredients.
4. Kiwi Banana Apple Salad
Kids may often balk at the mention of salad – it may bring images of lots of soggy, bitter greens to them. But this recipe from Food Hero is sure to make them fans of salads, especially fruit salads! This particular recipe contains kiwi and banana along with apples, making this a light, yet filling and refreshing salad.
5. Chocolate Covered Apples
Thriving on Paleo has a recipe that can be barely called a recipe – it’s that easy! No matter how much your child dislikes apples, there is no way she’s going to refuse a slice that’s covered in chocolate and topped with other yummy toppings! You can use nuts, coconut, sprinkles or raisins – choose anything your child likes.
6. Healthy Apple Donuts Snack
Doughnuts are classified as fun, as party food, but they’re definitely not considered health food. However, Woo Jr. takes this idea and turns it on its head, with apple doughnuts! One look at this will tell you how easy it is to make, with just peanut butter and an assortment of toppings.
7. Apple Peanut Butter Sandwich
Sandwiches are every Mom’s fastest recourse to kid food – you can easily slap something between two slices of bread and be done with it. However, Boulder Locavore has a different idea – how about substituting the bread slices with apple slices? Now you can go crazy with the fillings, and your kid will love it!
8. Apple Oat No Bake Bites
When it’s summer and sweltering, the last thing we want to do is to be at the stove all day. That’s why no cook recipes are in such demand in summer. My Kids Lick the Bowl understands this and has a simple recipe with cooked apple, oats and peanut butter that are a good snack idea for hungry tummies.
9. Apple Date Cinnamon Energy Balls
Growing kids need frequent refuelling to ensure they can do all their jumping and playing without tiring out. A good healthy snack like these energy bites from Cupcakes and Kale Chips are a great bet. Along with apples, it also contains the super nutritious dates along with oats. Use fresh apples instead of dried ones.
10. Apple Pie Chia Pudding
Chia seeds are a big deal among weight watchers and health food fanatics, but not many people consider it as a kid-friendly food. However, with lots of fiber, protein and antioxidants, chia seeds are a great kid food. My Kids Lick the Bowl turns this into an almost dessert form with a yummy chia pudding recipe.
11. Quinoa Apple Porridge
Many nutritionists recommend eating fruit first thing in the morning or at breakfast. If you agree with them, this apple quinoa porridge is a good idea to feed kids, especially on busy school mornings, since this is something that can be easily gulped down.
12. Apple Pie Roll Ups
All you need to make this impressive-looking dish from The Happier Homemaker are bread slices, apples and cinnamon sugar. You can even substitute sugar with powdered jaggery and it would work beautifully with apples. You’ll be surprised at how easy this is to make!
13. Apple Dates Sandwich
We often include vegetables in sandwiches, and not many fruits beyond bananas. However, Mom Junction has a recipe that uses a yummy spread make with apples, dates and cream cheese. This is a clever way of including nutritional ingredients like apples and dates along with a kid-friendly ingredient like cheese.
14. Peanut Butter Apple Sushi Rolls
From the looks of it, there’s a lot you can do with bread slices and apple! Mom on Time Out uses bread slices, peanut butter, honey and apples to make apple sushi. How cute are these little sushi pieces! You can also serve these at a kiddie party – a healthy, non-overwhelming bite!
15. Apple Cheese Flatbreads
This recipe from My Life Cookbook may be called flat breads, but you can be sure your child will call them pizza slices! This recipe uses naan, apples, red onion and an assortment of cheeses. You can customize the recipe to your child’s liking, using her favorite ingredients as toppings.
16. Apple Pikelets
Create Bake Make has a quick and easy snack idea for kids that also works great for toddlers who’re still practicing self feeding. The small size makes them perfect to pick up with little hands. They’re also good fun food for kids, especially if you have a dip on the side to dip them into.
17. Eggless Apple Whole Wheat Pancakes
Here’s another easy way to introduce apples at breakfast – apple pancakes! Make the most of this healthy recipe by using whole wheat flour and a natural sweetener like coconut sugar, dates powder or jaggery powder.
18. Sweet Potato Apple Fritters
Does your family love having afternoon tea with fritters and pakoras on the side? In that case, you’ll enjoy these sweet potato apple fritters from Kidgredients! Once you’ve cooked sweet potato and grated apple, you can easily whip up these fritters in no time!
19. Fried Apple Rings
Onion rings may be popular, but give it a skip this once and try these apple rings from Dinner then Dessert. These are a fried snack, so it’s recommended to make them occasionally, but when you do make them, you better make them in bulk – they’ll disappear in no time!
20. Cinnamon Sugar Baked Apple Wedges
If fried snacks aren’t your thing and you’d prefer something baked, you’re in luck, because Homemade Interest has got a baked apple wedges recipe for you! Go with jaggery powder instead of the sugar, and they’ll blend in perfectly with the apples and cinnamon.
21. Baked Cinnamon Apple Chips
Do your kids reach out for a pack of chips every time they’re hungry? Tell them they can have chips, but that you’ll make them at home – and then try out these apple chips recipe from Well Plated! You need nothing more than apples and cinnamon powder for this yummy snack.
22. Apple Pie Oat Bars
Sometimes kids get sick of certain foods, and oats is usually in that list. The problem is with bland oats which don’t have anything else going for it. However, you can ensure that kids have their oats and eat it too, with these easy oat bars from My Kids Lick the Bowl.
23. Easy Apple Muffins
I’ve always found that if your child rejects a certain food, offer it in the form of muffins and they’ll gobble it up! Also referred to as cupcakes’ healthier cousins, these muffins use apples and nuts, making them pack quite a punch in a small size.
24. Spiced Carrot Apple Muffins
These spiced carrot apple muffins are an excellent way to combine fruit and veggies and the addition of spice takes the flavor to another level! This recipe will be appreciated by older kids, but you can also try it with the younger set.
25. Wheat Eggless Apple Cake with Pomegranate
Running out of eggs but still want to make a cake? Kids clamoring for cake, but you want to make something healthy? This whole wheat eggless pomegranate apple cake checks all the boxes and is super delicious too!
26. Chocolate Banana Applesauce Cake
While apples have lots of nutrients, there is another benefit of apples – applesauce is often used as a substitute in baking. Our Table for Seven makes use of this fact in a moist, dense and delicious chocolate cake, that is sweetened with applesauce and bananas. You can substitute the brown sugar with organic jaggery or dried dates powder.
27. Apple Sorbet
When its summer, kids and everyone else in the family crave something chilled, and ice cream is often the first thing that comes to mind. Kid Minds has a healthier version – a sorbet – and it makes use of just three ingredients: apples, lemon juice and maple syrup! You can also use honey instead of maple syrup.
28. Apple Custard
Sometimes you just want to make something super easy to satisfy your kids, without thinking too much. If you find yourself in such a mood, you’re in luck – Happie Trio has an easy apple custard recipe. All you need to do is add apples to the traditional custard recipe and you’re done!
29. Apple Halwa
Indian Moms are experts at making the most of few ingredients and of making halwa out of pretty much anything! This applies to apples as well, and Hebbar’s Kitchen has a recipe that shows us that this fruit makes a beautiful halwa – just look at that gorgeous color!
30. Apple Jalebi
Apple jalebi – I’m sure many people haven’t heard of this before! Well, Pikturenama certainly has, and the result is a crispy, fresh and fruity jalebi recipe. Kids won’t even realize they’re having fruit in the form of jalebi!
31. Apple Kheer
Just like halwa, kheer is something that can be made from a variety of ingredients, including apples! Fun Food Frolic gives us a recipe that uses apples and saffron in a lovely kheer recipe that can be made on Eid, or for any festival. You can also treat your kids to it on a regular day as well!
32. Sugar Free Apple Butter
Farmhouse on Boone gives us an easy way to make apples quickly accessible for kids to make their own snack. Just make this apple butter and store it in an airtight jar. Now every time your child wants to make a sandwich, you have a healthy alternative to processed, packaged spreads.
33. Apple Jam
When you think about making jam at home, it might sound like a laborious process, but this apple jam is quite easy! What’s more, all the effort is completely worth it, since you now have a jam that’s completely homemade, natural and free from preservatives.
34. Cream Cheese Apple Dip
Sometimes all you need to do to encourage kids to eat something is offer them something to dip it in. While that’s a great idea, your healthy snack will be of no use if the dip is laden with unhealthy ingredients. The Seasoned Mom has the perfect solution, by making your own homemade and healthy dip.
35. Sugar Free Apple Yogurt Dip
Have you ever read the ingredients on store bought dips? You’ll be surprised at the number of synthetic materials packed into it! But you don’t have to get them, not when you can make a sugar-free healthy dip like this oen from Happy Healthy Mama.
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