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We get it: cooking plant based for kids can be a challenge! Here are a collection of fun vegan recipes for kids that are a hit every time.
Cooking for kids can be a challenge: especially if you’re trying to infuse good-for-you ingredients! Since we’ve become parents, we’ve learned a lot about what it means to make kid-friendly meals. And it gives us a real life test case: our 2 year old son, Larson! If he loves it, we know that it would go over well with other kids, too.
When it comes to cooking plant based / vegan recipes, it can be difficult to find vegan recipes that are a hit with the young’uns too! Here we’ve collected all our favorite vegan recipes for kids that are a hit every time. And even better: they’ve been tested out on real life kids, too! So you know they’ll be a hit with your own.
Here are our top vegan recipes for kids!
Try this vegan mac and cheese recipe, a true vegan kid favorite! This rendition explodes with creamy decadence using only whole food ingredients like cashews, sweet potato, and canned artichokes to make a cheesy sauce that is just as satisfying as the real thing! Our kids absolutely love this one and everyone eats heaping bowls.
These veggie nuggets are so delicious and made with a simple combination of vegetables, oats, and flavorful spices. Everyone loves them (both kids and adults!), and they’re vegan and easily gluten-free. Dip into a fun sauce and enjoy as a meal or snack!
This lentil sloppy joes recipe has all the hearty, tangy flavor of the classic, but it’s an easy vegan recipe that’s 100% plant-based. The best part is you can make it in 30 minutes! It makes a large batch of 8 servings. Ketchup, tomato paste, and a few seasonings make a savory flavor that kids love!
You won’t believe this caramel apple dip recipe until you taste it! Stir just 4 ingredients into a glossy peanut butter caramel that’s vegan and gluten-free. It’s so simple and the best healthy snack!
This vegan tomato soup recipe is always a hit with kids! It's tangy, pure tomato-y, and made creamy using blended cashews. This thickens the soup and adds protein, too! (Use almond milk for nut allergies.) And the best part? The star toast garnish! Cutting toast into stars is an easy way to dress up a soup and kids simply love it. Hey, adults do too (us)! It's one of our vegan recipes for kids that we make often.
Serve with: Easy Vegan Cornbread (another kid favorite!)
Outrageously good is the only way to describe these vegan chocolate chip cookies! These have become a fan and family favorite and for good reason: they’re chewy with crispy edges, full of flavor, and filled with a generous sprinkle of chocolate chips. Try them warm out of the oven and you will absolutely melt.
Pinwheels are always a hit with kids! A “traditional” pinwheel recipe uses lots of cream cheese to hold it together. To make it a vegan pinwheel recipe, this one uses hummus instead! Turns out, hummus is a fantastic plant-based substitute for cream cheese for holding a pinwheel together. This colorful pinwheel is stuffed with bell pepper, green onion, spinach, black beans, chili powder and cumin, and hummus! (Omit the shredded cheese in the recipe or use vegan cheese.)
What kid doesn't love blueberry pancakes? These vegan pancakes are fluffy, a little tangy from the berries, and just sweet enough. Moistened with maple syrup, they’re seriously cozy and everything a pancake should be.
This breaded tofu is a game-changer for fast and easy weeknight meals! It comes out crispy on the outside and seasoned on the inside, and it comes together in a flash. This one is a huge hit in our house as a vegan dinner, or as a plant based protein to top salads and bowl meals.
Fries are 100% kid food, and these oven baked sweet potato fries are a healthy spin! They're slightly crispy on the outside, perfectly seasoned, and lusciously sweet on the inside. Using a bit of cornstarch helps most of the fries to become crispy on the outside. They’re best fresh from the oven, which shouldn't be a problem: kiddos will grab them that fast!
These vegan oatmeal raisin cookies are beyond delicious—soft, chewy, and infused with comforting cinnamon! They’re easy to make and please any type of eater (or are perfect if you’re out of eggs). Of all our vegan cookies, this recipe is a favorite!
Here's a fun way to make a healthy treat for kids: nice cream! What's nice cream? It's "ice cream" made with frozen bananas as a base. There's no dairy at all! This ice cream features blueberries blended with frozen bananas, using coconut milk to make it creamy. It's one of our toddler Larson's favorite treats: he doesn't need to know it's not really "ice cream. While it's a favorite in our vegan recipes for kids...it's also a big favorite with adults. (This is starting to be a theme...)
This overnight oats recipe is the epitome of a healthy, easy vegan breakfast! On weekdays, we make it almost daily for our kids using oat milk. Here's how to make it!
Looking for a fun vegan dinner recipe for kids? This vegan spaghetti is perfect for dinner or for cooking with kiddos who want in on the fun. The meatballs are so delicious and made with all plant-based ingredients: like cashews and potatoes! Sprinkle with vegan Parmesan to serve.
This one is just like broccoli cheese soup, but vegan! It’s impossibly creamy and whole food plant based. It tastes like that cozy and comforting broccoli cheese soup from a can...but 1,000 times better! Kids adore this one.
Chocolate....hummus? Yes, here savory hummus is made sweet into a chocolate-flavored dip! It's perfect for vegan recipes for kids because if we know kids, we know they love dipping! It's perfect with strawberries, sliced green apples, banana slices, and pretzels. This has become a fan favorite recipe over the years because it's different and so delicious. Make the original recipe with tahini and maple syrup, or try a peanut butter version for another unique spin.
Want a savory hummus instead? Try our Perfect Homemade Hummus or Glowing Green Hummus.
Soy curls? Oh yes! A restaurant in our city started serving soy curls as a vegan BBQ option, and we're now officially obsessed with this healthy meat substitute. These curls are savory, tangy, and have a texture a little like chicken. Slathered in homemade BBQ sauce, they're pretty darn amazing. Why are they one of our favorite vegan recipes for kids? Our 2 year old Larson is obsessed with them.
This vegetable soup is like canned soup, but infinitely better! It's one of our favorite vegan recipes for kids because it's cozy and comforting, and all kids love it. It's seriously simple, with onion, carrot, celery, and rotini pasta noodles. If you'd like, you can customize it by adding other veggies or beans for additional plant based protein.
This kid favorite vegan recipe is a fan-favorite! The sauce is made with nutrient-dense cauliflower and protein-packed cashews instead of dairy, but it comes out unbelievably creamy. Make it with any type of noodle it’s an easy 30-minute plant based dinner we’ve been enjoying for years!
And last up on our list of vegan recipes for kids: this green apple smoothie! If there's one thing we've learned as parents, it's that kids LOVE smoothies! Our kids adore sipping smoothies from a straw, and it's a fantastic way to infuse some veggies and fruits. This smoothie features green apple, lemon juice, and lots of healthy dark leafy greens.
Looking for more vegan recipes for kids?
Here are a few more vegan recipes for kids that we’d recommend!
- Best Blueberry Smoothie
- Crispy Sweet Potato Fries
- Watermelon Smoothie
- Oven Baked French Fries
- Our Best Vegan Pizza
- Easy Vegan Lunchbox Ideas for Kids
- Chocolate Brownie Spelt Pancakes
- Vegan Blueberry Muffins
- Healthy Banana Bread (use the Flax Egg option)
- Healthy Banana Bread Muffins (use the Flax Egg option)
- Instant Pot Tacos
- Best Jackfruit Tacos
More plant based resources
If you eat a mostly plant based diet, here are a few more resources, including meal plans:
- 28 Day Plant Based Diet Meal Plan
- 10 Filling Plant Based Recipes Perfect for Dinner
- What is a Plant Based Diet?
- How to Get Protein as a Vegetarian
- 28 Day Vegan Meal Plan
- How to Go Vegan: Guide & Recipes
20 Vegan Recipes for Kids!
Try this creamy vegan mac and cheese recipe, made with all whole foods! A luscious cashew sauce blankets tender noodles, creating cozy pasta comfort food that everyone will love.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 1x
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Pasta
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
For the mac and cheese
- 1 ¼ cups raw unsalted whole cashews
- 1 cup peeled, finely diced sweet potato (about 6 oz) or peeled sliced carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
- 15-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric (optional, for color)
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 cup water
- 12 ounces small elbow macaroni (2 ¾ cups small elbows)
For the breadcrumb topping (optional)
- ½ tablespoon vegan butter
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- If making baked mac and cheese, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place the cashews and sweet potato* or carrot in a pot on the stovetop and cover with 2 inches water. Bring to a boil, then boil for 15 minutes (if using carrots, add them after the first 5 minutes). Drain the cashews and carrots in a strainer.
- Meanwhile, fill a large saucepan with water and add 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Boil the pasta until al dente, then drain it and return to the pot or a baking dish. (If it finishes before the sauce, add a drizzle of olive oil to keep it from sticking.)
- If making the breadcrumb topping, melt the butter in a small skillet, then add the panko garlic powder, smoked paprika, and kosher salt and stir. Toast until lightly browned, stirring often, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Once the cashews and sweet potato are cooked and drained, place them in the bowl of a high speed blender. Add the drained artichokes, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, butter, and water. Blend on high until creamy and fully combined into a smooth sauce.
- Stir the sauce into the noodles in the pot or a baking dish. Top with breadcrumbs if desired, and serve immediately. For baked mac and cheese (best flavor), place the mac and cheese in a baking dish and top with breadcrumbs. Bake for 15 minutes and serve warm.
