Smoothie Recipes for Kids: A Fun and Healthy Way to Feed Your Family
Feeding kids is hard. I’ll be the first to admit that! Every day, three meals and more snacks are given to tiny people that always seem to want something different, even if they specifically asked for a certain food that you then gave them. I’m sharing the top smoothie recipes for kids as well as how to share them with your little or not so little ones in fun, helpful ways.
The Benefits of Smoothies for Kids
What kid doesn’t want to drink a vibrant, pink strawberry banana smoothie or a chocolate delight like a chocolate peanut butter smoothie?! As a mom with young kids, I struggled with what to feed my family. I wanted them to eat healthy, yet I wasn’t eating healthy myself. I wanted them to have a good relationship with food, but I didn’t. Thankfully, I realized we could learn together how to fuel our bodies and make it fun. Once I learned about green smoothies, my whole world changed. Here was something that tasted good and was good for me! I immediately started blending smoothies family-style, and we all got in on the leafy green action.
The First Step to Getting Your Kids on the Smoothie Train
The first step to getting your kids on the smoothie train is collaboration. Make it fun! Go through the smoothies for kids list below and let your kid choose the smoothie they want to blend. Figure out what ingredients you have then shop together if possible for what you still need. Have your kids pick up the fruits and veggies and put them in your cart, then blend them together! Smoothies are wonderful ways to get kids involved in the kitchen because the measurements don’t have to be precise. Let them see, feel and even taste what foods go into the blender and talk about the different textures and flavors you add.
Top Kid-Friendly Smoothie Recipes
Here are the top kid-friendly smoothie recipes to get you started:
- Best Green Smoothie Recipe – 4.9 from 1938 votes – Supercharge your morning with the best green smoothie recipe using sweet mango, creamy banana, and nutrient-packed spinach.
- Strawberry Banana Smoothie – 4.6 from 555 votes – This Strawberry Banana Smoothie is the ultimate blend of flavor and nutrition.
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie – 4.6 from 339 votes – Indulge in a velvety chocolate peanut butter smoothie.
- Creamy Mango Smoothie – 4.8 from 5 votes – This is a super creamy delicious mango smoothie with just the right sweetness.
- Rainbow Smoothie – 5 from 7 votes – Summer is the perfect time for some tie-dying instead of white t-shirts, it’s a healthy smoothie!
- Creamy Banana Smoothie – 4.5 from 319 votes – Blend your way into a great day with this sweet n creamy banana smoothie.
- Healthy Blueberry Smoothie Recipe – 4.6 from 312 votes – This deliciously thick healthy blueberry smoothie recipe is infused with nutritious superfood blueberries.
- Strawberry Mango Smoothie – 4.3 from 465 votes – This easy strawberry mango smoothie is bursting with sweet, juicy strawberries and tropical mango.
- Summer Watermelon Smoothie – 4.7 from 390 votes – Want a refreshing, vitamin-packed smoothie that doubles as a kid-pleasing snack?
- Tropical Smoothie Bowl – 4.8 from 176 votes – Indulge a little with this plant-based tropical smoothie bowl.
Breakfast Smoothies for Kids
The above list is a way to start helping your kid drink a daily smoothie and sneak more fruits and veggies into their diet. I want to talk specifically about breakfast smoothies. While smoothies contain sugar solely from fruits, sometimes there can be a lot of sugar in an all-fruit smoothie. When I’m making a breakfast smoothie for myself or my kids, I try to always add three things: protein, healthy fat, and leafy greens.
The Importance of Adding Protein, Healthy Fat, and Leafy Greens
You can add these to any smoothie you want, and they will do a few things:
- Help your kid stay full longer with no mid-morning crash!
- Help your kid’s body process the natural fruit sugar and turn it into long-lasting energy.
- Add even more fiber to their smoothie to help with digestion.
Tips for Kid-Friendly Smoothies
I’ve learned a few tricks of the trade when it comes to getting my kids excited about eating a variety of foods, and now that Jackson is a teenager with a love for cooking, I see how all this work is paying off! Here’s how I involve my kids in food and smoothie-making:
- No hiding ingredients in their smoothies! That’s not helpful for anyone and doesn’t really help them develop tastes for things like leafy greens in the future.
- Let them choose one fruit or veggie to add to their smoothie.
- Kids can help make smoothies! Let them scoop, measure, and explore the ingredients before blending that smoothie.
- Start simple. There’s no need for some elaborate creation when you first start smoothies.
- Stick to the 1-1-2 method for a single serving or the 2-2-3 method for a double serving of smoothie to get a good blend every time.
Smoothies for Kids FAQs
Are smoothies good for kids?
Yes! Use whole food, plant-based ingredients and avoid juices and added sweetener. Use leafy greens for extra fiber and to help your child’s body break down the natural fruit sugar.
When can I give my child a smoothie?
I started smoothies for my kids when they were little. Get them on board early and often so they can see this is part of your daily habits and can be part of theirs, too. If you’ve got babies trying table food for the first time, talk to their pediatrician about the right time to introduce homemade smoothies.
What should you not put into a smoothie?
I typically avoid using fruit juice as the liquid in my smoothies and stick to water or unsweetened plant milk to avoid unnecessary sugar. I also avoid added sweeteners. Fruit is sweet enough on its own, there’s no need to add extra!
Healthy Recipes for the Whole Family
Since my family eats dinner together, I’m always trying to make 1 meal that the whole family can enjoy. I often lean toward meals that are build-your-own in nature, so each person can add their favorite toppings and sauces, and we can all enjoy the food. The Rawk the Year Meal Planner has been a big part of my successful family dinners, as I know each week has great ideas for meals, as well as snacks and smoothies. It also gives me the freedom to swap meals around to fit our ever-changing schedule. My kids even have a say in what recipes we pick, so I know I’m making food they’ll eat.
What’s your favorite smoothie recipe?
Leave a comment and let me know which recipes sound good to you, or what your kid wants to make this week.
Smoothies for Kids FAQs
Are smoothies good for kids?
Yes! Use whole food, plant-based ingredients and avoid juices and added sweetener. Use leafy greens for extra fiber and to help your child’s body break down the natural fruit sugar.
When can I give my child a smoothie?
I started smoothies for my kids when they were little. Get them on board early and often so they can see this is part of your daily habits and can be part of theirs, too. If you’ve got babies trying table food for the first time, talk to their pediatrician about the right time to introduce homemade smoothies.
What should you not put into a smoothie?
I typically avoid using fruit juice as the liquid in my smoothies and stick to water or unsweetened plant milk to avoid unnecessary sugar. I also avoid added sweeteners. Fruit is sweet enough on its own, there’s no need to add extra!
