My Toddler Won’t Eat Veggies—HELP!

Turn mealtime battles into veggie victories with our creative strategies for getting kids to eat their veggies! From sneaky sauces to monster muffins, these fun ideas can make veggies irresistible to even the pickiest eaters.
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Cute little girl with brown hair sitting at a table with a plate of vegetables and a mom holding up broccoli.
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Are you tired of the endless battle of trying to get your kids to eat their vegetables? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! Convincing kids to eat their greens can sometimes feel like a Herculean task, but fear not.

Here are 10 easy ways to get kids to eat their veggies—and love it!

With a little creativity and some sneaky tactics, you can turn veggie-hating into veggie-loving in no time. So, grab your apron and let’s dive into some fun and creative ways to get those veggies into your little one’s diet.

Daily Smoothie Adventures

Smoothies are a fantastic way to sneak in those veggies without your kids even realizing it! Blend up some spinach, kale, or carrots with their favorite fruits like bananas, berries, and mangoes. They’ll be too busy sipping on their delicious smoothie to notice the veggies hiding inside.

Mango spinach smoothie in a glass jar with a straw.

Get Sneaky with Sauces

Transform ordinary sauces into veggie-packed powerhouses! Whip up some homemade marinara sauce with hidden veggies like carrots, bell peppers, and zucchini. Your kids won’t even notice the difference, and you’ll feel like a culinary superhero. Or try our pink sauce pasta that packs in fire roasted tomatoes, cashews, garlic, oregano, and basil, all blended to creamy perfection.

Easy Pink Sauce Pasta With Fire Roasted Tomatoes

Fun with Seasonings

Jazz up those veggies with some flavorful seasonings! Sprinkle some garlic powder, onion powder, or nutritional yeast on roasted veggies to add a burst of flavor that will have your kids coming back for seconds.

Crackers topped with vegan cream cheese, cherry tomatoes, black olives, basil, and chives to look like ladybugs.

Veggie-packed Pizzas

Who doesn’t love pizza? Turn pizza night into a veggie extravaganza by loading up the toppings with colorful veggies like bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes. Your kids will be too busy devouring their slices to realize they’re eating veggies!

Creative Veggie Shapes

Use cookie cutters to cut veggies into fun shapes like stars, hearts, and dinosaurs. Kids love anything that’s cute and fun, so they’ll be more likely to eat those veggies when they’re in adorable shapes.

Planet Box stainless steel zero waste vegan kids lunchbox with fruit kebabs.

Dip, Dip, Hooray!

Everything tastes better with dip, right? Whip up some creamy hummus, guacamole, or ranch dressing to serve alongside raw veggies like carrots, celery, and cucumber slices. Your kids will love dunking their veggies into delicious dips!

Basket of air fryer zucchini fries With Marinara Sauce Dip

Veggie Fritters

Transform veggies into crispy fritters that are irresistible to kids of all ages. Grate up some carrots, zucchini, or sweet potatoes, mix them with flour and spices, and fry them up until golden brown. Serve them with a side of ketchup or barbecue sauce for dipping.

Vegan zucchini fritters placed in a circle around a small bowl of dip on a plate.

Veggie-Packed Pasta

Sneak some veggies into your kids’ favorite pasta dishes by pureeing them and adding them to the sauce. Carrots, bell peppers, and spinach blend seamlessly into marinara sauce, adding a nutritional boost to every bite.

Big white bowl of kids vegan mac and cheese with a rainbow of colorful veggies in it.

Make Monster Muffins

Whip up a batch of green toddler muffins packed with spinach (as well as oats, flaxseeds, bananas, cinnamon, and more). Call them “Monster Muffins” and don’t even mention the spinach, and most kids won’t think twice! If you can find eyeball-shaped candies, even better! Pop them into the muffins to complete the monster effect. Or, change the name to “Dino Muffins” if you have a dinosaur-obsessed little one.

Green kids muffins colored green with blended spinach instead of food coloring.

Build Your Own Salad Bar

Let your kids get creative by setting up a build-your-own salad bar with a variety of veggies, toppings, and dressings. They’ll have a blast assembling their own salads, and you’ll love seeing them load up on nutritious veggies.

Bowl of diced veggies to use on rainbow pizza.

Make it a Game

Turn mealtime into a fun game by challenging your kids to try new veggies or eat a rainbow of colors. Offer rewards like stickers or extra screen time for every veggie they try, and watch as they eagerly dig into their plates.

Photo of a ball of pizza dough surrounded by a rainbow of veggies including cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, corn, broccoli, and red onion.

By incorporating these fun and creative strategies into your mealtime routine, you’ll be well on your way to raising veggie-loving kids in no time. Remember to lead by example and show your kids that eating veggies can be delicious and enjoyable. With a little patience and a lot of creativity, you’ll have your kids eating their veggies with enthusiasm!

So, what are you waiting for? Put on your chef hat and get ready to embark on a veggie-filled adventure with your little ones. Who knows, you might just discover that getting kids to eat their veggies can be fun and rewarding for the whole family!

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