Got a celebration or party coming up? These healthy party foods are great to make with kids, so that you can involve them in the fun, too!
Note: This page contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through these links, your cost will be the same but The Scramble will receive a small commission. I only link to products I personally use, trust, and love. If you want to learn more, please check out my disclosure page. Thanks for your support!
As you may or may not know, I am a huge proponent of cooking with your kids. But I also know that inviting our kids into the kitchen on a daily basis is nearly impossible for many families. If you would like to start cooking with your kids more, then one great opportunity for that is when you are cooking for a party, especially if you are making finger foods, as these sorts of recipes often include repetitive steps that are tedious for us, but help kids to solidify their skills.
In an effort to help you to welcome your kids into the kitchen, I have put together a list of healthy party foods that are great to make with kids. I love this list of recipes for a number of reasons:
- All of the recipes are healthy or healthy-ish, so you can feel good about serving them
- These are all simple recipes, which means even if you aren’t the most confident of cooks, you can make these recipes without stress
- They can all be made ahead of time, which means you won’t need to feel pressured or stressed if your kiddo takes a long time to get their part of the cooking done
Note: For each recipe, I am sharing what tasks different ages can take on so that you can easily pick out which recipe is right for you to make.
The Value of Cooking with Kids
Before we launch into the recipes, I wanted to share some of the reasons why I think that cooking with kids is so important:
- You are teaching life skills that will help your kids to live a healthier life because they won’t be as dependent on prepared foods and will have a better sense of where their food comes from
- Research shows that kids are more likely to try foods they have had a hand in preparing
- It is quality time you get to spend together, while still being productive (a win-win for any busy parent)
- It’s fun (I promise!)
Finally, if you find that your kids enjoy cooking and you want to engage with them more in the kitchen, then I recommend checking our Raddish Cooking Club for Kids. Their subscription boxes are super kid-friendly and the recipes are delicious (you can learn more about our experience cooking from a Raddish cooking kit here.)
Healthy Party Foods to Make with Kids
Garlic Herb and Goat Cheese Spread
This simple party food is such a crowd-pleaser and couldn’t be easier to make. This is a great recipe to use to introduce stirring (for littles), chopping, and even building flavor through the use of seasonings.
How to involve kids in the prep:
Age 2+: can mix the seasonings into the cheese
Age 5+: can help with mincing garlic and chopping vegetables to serve on the side, with adult supervision. If you’re kid is new to knife skills, these kid-safe knives can come in handy!
Age 8-10: depending on knife skills, they can make this entire dish on their own
Age 10+: can make the entire dish on their own
Mediterranean 7-Layer Dip
This is a fun and healthier spin on the party food classic: 7-layer dip. The bright, fresh flavors are always a hit whenever I serve this at a party (or for dinner). If you want to work on knife skills with smaller kids, cucumbers are a great starter vegetable because you can cut them with a butter knife or a kids-safe knife.
How to involve kids in the prep:
Age 2+: ask them to help to layer the ingredients
Age 5+: let them help chopping the cucumber, tomatoes, and pita bread, with adult supervision
Age 8-10: depending on knife skills, they can make this entire dish on their own
Age 10+: have them make the entire dish on their own
Pumpkin Crostini
A little sweet, a little savory these crostini are the perfect healthy appetizer. For a saltier kick, top with the crumbled feta, or leave it off if you want a vegan offering. Either way, you’ve got a healthy party food that kids and adults alike will love. This is a great recipe for teaching about sautéing and knife skills (especially slicing French bread)
How to involve kids in the prep:
Age 4+: have them help spread the pumpkin puree onto the toasts (a good fine motor skills challenge for them)
Age 8+: they can help with chopping the shallots and slicing the bread for toasting. May also be able to cook the puree, with adult supervision if necessary
Age 10+: they can make the entire dish on their own
Homemade Barbeque Tortilla Chips with Avocado-Lime Smash
I developed this recipe when my son was obsessed with barbeque chips and I wanted a cheaper and healthier option. Turns out, they are pretty fun to make! This is a great one for littles because they can have a lot of fun mashing the avocado and painting the tortillas with oil.
How to involve kids in the prep:
Age 2+: have them smash the avocados up in a bowl and mix the spices
Age 4+: let them paint the tortillas with oil and sprinkle the spice mix on top and/or have them juice the lime
Age 6+: can cut the tortilla wedges and lay them out in a single layer on a baking sheet
Age 10+: can make the entire dish on their own
Hummus Deviled Eggs
What party is complete without deviled eggs?? This version is just different enough that everyone will be asking what your secret is! Deviled eggs are the perfect kids party food because they are easy to eat with your hands and have a texture many kids like. My boys love refilling the egg white halves when we make this dish together.
How to involve kids in the prep:
Age 2+: let them stir the egg filling mixture together
Age 4+: they can help peel the eggs (if you don’t mind some messy looking eggs)
Age 8+: let them mince the pimento olives, with adult supervision if necessary, and/or fill the egg halves either by spoon or with a piping bag
Age 10+: they can make the entire dish on their own, although they may need some help with the big pot of boiling water from hard-boiling the eggs
Baked Mexican Egg Rolls
This is recipe is SUCH a crowd-pleaser. Everyone loves biting into an egg roll to discover burrito-type ingredients lurking inside. While they may be a bit more challenging than the other recipes here, they are still a super easy and healthy party food for kids to help with. Elementary-aged kids will love rolling these up and littles will have fun stirring up the mixture.
Note: You can make these in their normal size or, for a bite-sized version, swap the egg roll wrappers for won ton wrappers!
How to involve kids in the prep:
Age 2+: invite them to stir the filling mixture in the bowl
Age 6+: with some guidance, they can roll the egg rolls
Age 8+: invite them to cook the filling mixture at the stove, with adult supervision as needed
Age 10+: let them make the entire dish on their own
Crispy Quinoa Cakes
One of the reasons I love these quinoa cakes as a healthy party food option: they’re so flexible. Make the patties larger for a heartier offering. Or, make them small as an awesome kid-friendly finger food (adults will love them, too!). If you’ve got pickier eaters to contend with, serving these with ketchup or marinara sauce to dip will get you a long way. Kids love forming the patties (they get to get their hands dirty). Furthermore, as they become more confident cooks, this is a great recipe for practicing flipping things in a skillet.
How to involve kids in the prep:
Age 2+: invite them to stir the ingredient together in the bowl
Age 4+: have them form the patties
Age 6+: let them flip the patties in the skillet, with adult supervision
Age 10+: can make the entire dish on their own
Do you have favorite ways to get your kids into the kitchen? I’d love to hear about them in the comments! If you’re looking for further inspiration for cooking with your kids in, check out our post on getting kids to cook. And if you want more healthy party food ideas, check out our post on healthy holiday party recipes (none of which require an actual holiday to prepare)!