11 Vegan Kid-Friendly Recipes

Worry no more about those picky eaters! Try out these 11 kid-friendly, vegan, veggie-packed dinner recipes for hearty and delicious meals that will delight the whole family.

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I know I’m not alone when it comes to having a house full of picky eaters. When my kids were much younger, I was so proud of the fact they ate everything I gave them. But as they grew up, they began protesting some of the healthy plant-based meals I made. Over time, I created an arsenal of recipes; these are meals that are nutrient-dense comfort foods that I know my kids will eat.

Before we take a look at the recipes, let’s address a few of the commonly asked questions I get here on My Darling Vegan when it comes to vegan kid-friendly recipes?

How to Make Kid-Friendly Recipes

When I talk about kid-friendly meals, I’m talking about recipes that are fairly basic. Typically they are traditional comfort foods with minimal spices and/or exotic vegetables.

While kid-friendly meals often tend to have a base of pasta or rice, the kid-friendly meals that I look for are also veggie-packed (often secretly so) and protein-rich.

How to Get Kids to Eat Vegetables

It’s been a struggle. But over the years, I’ve learned several ways to get kids to eat their vegetables. Here are a few of my tips:

1. Sneak veggies into their food. Most of the recipes below have sneaky ways to get veggies into cream sauces, “meat” sauces, veggie pasta, and more. One of my kid’s favorite meals is this baked macaroni and cheese. They don’t know it’s filled with carrots, sweet potatoes, and onions!
2. Serve a variety of meals. Throughout the week, we make a variety of meals. Some meals are specifically for the kids while other meals encourage them to be more adventurous eaters. And after a week of healthy eating, we wrap of the week with pizza. With a good mixture of meals, they become more open-minded and engaged eaters.
3. Make them try everything. At this point, both my kids have a few vegetables that they absolutely love. My daughter would eat a bowl full of edamame every night and my son loves broccoli and green beans. If I didn’t make them try everything that was on the plate, neither of them would have known how much they love these vegetables. When we eat dinner together, it is a rule that they try everything with an open mind before being excused.
4. Have kids help prepare the meal. When my kids are part of the cooking process, they are much more eager to eat what’s on the table. Recently they’ve become my salad maker, sautéer, spicer, garnisher, etc. As a result, they have become far more adventurous in their eating.

Vegan Kid-Friendly Recipes

Here are 11 of my family’s favorite kid-friendly recipes. They are packed with protein and veggies while providing simple flavors and textures that kids love.

More Vegan Recipe Roundups

• 11 Amazing Pasta Recipes
• 31 Summer BBQ Recipes
• 31 Quick and Easy Weeknight Dinners
• 11 Buddha Bowl Recipes
• 9 Vegan Burger Recipes

That’s it! 11 incredible vegan kid-friendly dinners. Now let’s get cooking!

Written by Sarah McMinn