Looking for a kid-friendly breakfast that is nourishing, simple, and a real crowd-pleaser? How about 18 nutritionist-approved recipes? Prepare for empty plates all round mama! 🥣
It’s the most important meal of the day, but making a quick, balanced, kid-friendly breakfast in the chaos of a weekday morning can sometimes feel like a challenge.
And even when you’ve found a recipe that works for your family, there are days when everyone wants to shake things up a bit.
If you’re looking for simple breakfast ideas even your pickiest eater will love, read on!
In this article: 📝
- What is the best breakfast for a child?
- What is a healthy balanced breakfast?
- What are some healthy breakfast options for kids?
- What to serve for brunch party for kids?
What is the best breakfast for a child?
Because it’s not just about cheap and cheerful breakfast on the go.
Although these have their place too.
Hands down the best kids’ breakfast ideas take care of all their nutritional needs:
- Protein for their growing bodies
- Long-lasting carbohydrates for energy ⚡️
- Vitamins and antioxidants for their immune systems
- And healthy fats to make sure their bodies can absorb all that goodness
And, of course, it also has to:
- Taste delicious
- Please everyone
- And not create a mountain of dishes that’s going to take the rest of the morning to clean 🥲
No biggie.
Our nutritionist-approved breakfast guide is full of recipes that tick all these boxes.
If you believe there’s more to a kid-friendly breakfast than toast and cereal, you’ve come to the right place.
Let’s get started.
What is a healthy balanced breakfast?
So, we’ve got the nutritional needs down but how do you turn this knowledge into dynamic meals worth jumping out of bed for (and into the day)?
Let’s start with the crème de la crème of simple breakfast ideas:
1. Yogurt and fruit
You don’t need a recipe for this one, just some natural yogurt and your kid’s favorite chopped fruit. 🍇
Add some oats or low-sugar muesli for extra fiber.
You could even layer the ingredients in a clear glass to make a ‘breakfast sundae’.
Lots of experts recommend choosing whole milk dairy products rather than the reduced-fat versions until your child is 5 – all the better to fuel their growing brains!
2. Overnight Oats
Specifically banana cream pie overnight oats.
This is peak time-saving territory.
You can make this recipe the night before and serve it up while you’re still waiting for your coffee to kick in.
3. Instant Pot Frittata Breakfast Casserole
Fruit is a breakfast staple, so why not veggies?
If time is the enemy, this instant pot recipe promises to make this kid-friendly breakfast a breeze.
Your perfectly fluffy, cheesy eggs will be waiting for you whenever you’ve solved today’s morning crisis.
4. Easy scrambled eggs
You cannot go wrong with scrambled eggs – they even work as nutritious finger foods for baby
The ‘proper’ way to cook scrambled eggs is slowly, over low heat, while stirring constantly.
But keeping your back to your kids for 10 minutes and never leaving the stove just doesn’t work for a lot of families in the mornings.
Thankfully, you can also make fluffy scrambled eggs in the microwave.
Your kids might even like to help with the whisking.
Just don’t tell Ramsay.
5. Avocado Toast 🥑
Lots of kids love toast.
You can up the nutritional value by smashing some avocado and spreading it on top.
Season it with a little lemon juice to keep the sodium down, and add some cottage cheese for an extra boost of protein.
Even better, sprinkle some hemp seeds on top for the ultimate protein and fiber boost. 💪
6. Funny Faces Toast
Sometimes it’s okay to play with your food.
Sometimes
Instead of spreading peanut butter (a great source of healthy fats) on toast and pushing it across the counter, try making silly faces with fresh berries and dried fruit.
What are bananas for if not to chop in half to make a smiley face? 😃
What are some healthy breakfast options for kids?
Looking for kid-friendly breakfast ideas that are even healthier?
All these recipes are vegetarian, too. 🌱
7. Smoothie Bowl
If you really want to pop a smile on your kiddo’s face, try this raspberry smoothie bowl recipe
It looks like a bowl of bright pink soup, plus there are all kinds of yumminess as a garnish on top.
What kid could say no?
8. Summer Smoothies
If your morning calls for breakfast on the go, this summer smoothies recipes is perfect to serve in a kid travel cup.
They’re also a great way to introduce fruits that your child would otherwise prefer not to eat.
Kacie Barnes, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) and founder of Mama Knows Nutrition also recommends throwing in a handful of spinach or kale into smoothies too.
“It’s an easy way to get in a serving of veggies at breakfast, and they don’t change the flavor of the smoothies, so kids usually don’t mind!”
Depending on what you have in the fridge, you can make smoothies with either fruit juice or dairy as a base.
This makes them spontaneous and super flexible as well as quick to make. 🏆
Some other healthy simple breakfast ideas include:
- Sweet Potato Kale Frittata: Another breakfast dish you can make in advance and then grab in the morning.
- Veggie Breakfast Burritos: This recipe even recommends cooking a big batch, freezing them in foil, and warming them in the mornings when you’re short on time.
- Veggie and Quinoa Egg Bites: Have your kids tried quinoa? They’ll love it in these crispy, cheesy, veggie-packed bites that cover all the nutritional bases.
What to serve for brunch party for kids?
Remember the smell of pancakes, fresh waffles, or bacon and eggs on weekend mornings when you were a kid?
Trending
Who doesn’t love a breakfast treat on the weekends?
Family traditions that center around food can be really magical and when you have some extra time, preparing something special together can be a great way to make memories.
You might even be shaping a celebrity chef in the making… 👩🍳
Whether you value your Sunday morning me-time by the stove or you want to encourage your kids to learn to cook with you, here are some kid-friendly weekend brunch ideas to try:
12. Peanut butter and chocolate chip pancakes 🥞
Even the fussiest eater couldn’t say no to chocolate for breakfast. 🍫
Plus pancakes are easier than you think (swear).
You can upgrade any pancake mix with chocolate chips and a few spoons of nut butter.
Or, if you really want to build lifelong childhood memories, you can make the batter from scratch.
13. Tasty pastry turnovers
Lots of kids love Honey Nut Cheerios.
But if you really want to dazzle them, try this honey nut cheerio turnovers recipe.
Forever the brunch queen in their eyes! 👑
14. French toast bowls
We love a twist to a breakfast classic, and this french toast recipe is good.
We can only imagine french toast topped with syrup and sweet berries is an out-of-this-world weekend treat.
And according to Barnes – the expert on picky eaters – “french toast is also a way for kids who don’t normally eat eggs to get in some of those great nutrients from eggs in the batter.”
Sold!
15. French toast casserole
Best believe we’re staying on the french toast, erm, train.
This instant pot french toast casserole is another winning brunch idea.
Cook it for 30 minutes in an instant pot while you enjoy your coffee (one can hope). ☕️
You can even add praline streusel topping and vanilla icing on very special occasions.
A new weekend birthday tradition perhaps?
16. Whole grain chocolate chip muffins
We love a balanced breakfast.
And this banana oat chocolate chip muffin recipe will taste like a treat to kids while ticking all the nutritional boxes. ✅
They’ll want seconds, and you’ll get the satisfaction of knowing that they’ve had the potassium, protein, and vitamins they need for their day.
17. Breakfast pops
Ice cream for breakfast??
Don’t panic.
These breakfast pops are more like a frozen smoothie – healthy but sweet.
Plus they’re an amazing breakfast for the middle of the sticky summer holidays.
18. Banana split 🍌
Replace the ice cream with yogurt and the sprinkles with granola, and you have another breakfast dessert fit for special occasions.
Kids will love to build their own breakfast banana splits, letting you sit back and enjoy the show.
You can even drizzle some honey as a final flourish.
Looking forward to breakfast again?
We love to hear it.
Why not bring carry some of that energy into the afternoon with our nutritionist-approved toddler lunch ideas
Check out with other mamas are whipping up on Peanut.