Feeling stuck on snack ideas for your vegan toddler and/or child is common. In fact, I’ve encountered this myself and end up rotating the same foods week after week.
This is normal for us busy, vegan moms and it’s something that many of my clients have reached out for help with inspiration. So, if you’re at all wondering what vegan snacks are healthy to support proper growth or just really want ideas to add to your weekly snack rotations, you’re in the right place my friend.
Today I want to share with you some snack ideas that I personally give to my 2 year old daughter and give you a few tips for how you can plan your snacks to ensure your vegan child meets their nutrient needs for optimum growth.
I’ve also included a free downloadable handout that includes a meal and snack schedule per each age group, a few tips on what to consider when planning a snack schedule, and what to actually include as part of vegan snacks for your kids. You can grab that at the end of this post.
Vegan Snack Ideas for Kids
Cucumbers, Crackers, and Hummus
This is one my daughter’s favorite snacks. Cucumbers have long been a favorite vegetable for her since she was an infant. I like to pair it with hummus since she enjoys dipping her vegetables, helping her meet her iron and protein requirements for the day. I like to pair it with some crackers too, mostly so that her snack is well-balanced to meet her calorie needs. You can do this pairing with any of your child’s favorite vegetable, cracker and dip. It doesn’t necessarily have to be with hummus, you can pair it with any other bean dip or high-calorie dip like this tahini recipe.
2. Carrot Muffin and Raspberries
Muffins are something I always have on hand because they are easy to just add them to my daughter’s school snack box. When I bake them, if I know I won’t be using them all for the week, I freeze them to use for another time. And this is what saves me time and planning when thinking about what snack option to offer—I simply thaw the muffins refrigerated overnight and offer it the next day.
I like to add at least one vegetable to the muffin for a little boost in nutrition. I don’t necessarily do this to “hide” vegetables in a food for her (truthfully “hiding” doesn’t align with my feeding philosophy) so I try to include my daughter in making them with me. This gives her exposure to that vegetable, builds trust with one another because she sees what’s going into the muffin mixture, and is more likely to eat them when they’re offered to her. I like to pair muffins with some sort of fruit or vegetable sticks. You can also pair muffins with a little nut butter if your toddler or child needs a boost in calories. You can find a recipe to Banana Spinach Muffins in the Vegan Kids Cookbook.
3. Nut or Seed Oat Bites
Snack oat bites make the perfect snack for a school lunch box, on-the-go snack, or a simple option you can just grab from the refrigerator and serve on your child's plate. one of my favorite things about making oat bites is that they are very versatile. You can add different types of nuts or seeds, shredded veggies, and layer it with different spices. I make a carrot sunflower seed oat bite for my daughter and use dates to naturally sweeten these bites. Using sunflower seeds makes this snack option suitable for kids with nut allergies. You can find the recipe here.
4. Purple sweet potato and edamame
One of my favorite snack options is sweet potatoes and edamame. I love steam roasting purple sweet potatoes with a little avocado oil to ensure that my daughter meets her calorie needs. And I pair that with some edamame for a little extra calories, fat, and protein. I typically prep the purple sweet potato on a weekend so that I can simply take the portion that I need on a weekday, warm slightly, and serve. Watch how I prep and steam roast in this video (2:03 time mark):
5. Plant yogurt and O's cereal
When life gets hectic and I have nothing to prep for snack, plant yogurt and O’s cereal is my go-to snack option. It’s super easy and still ensures adequate calories are met. I aim to buy unsweetened plant yogurt as much as possible and mix in a little home-made fruit spread but sometimes I do buy sweetened yogurt (and OK for you to do the same if you’d like). Some cereal brands are fortified, meaning that they’ve added certain vitamins and minerals such as folate, thiamin, iron and zinc. Offering a cereal that is fortified is a great way to help your vegan child meet their daily nutritional needs—especially iron and zinc since they are two key nutrients for vegan children.
Tips for Planning Children’s Snacks
1.Have a Snack Schedule or Routine
Kids thrive when they have structure and know what to expect. That’s why it’s so important to consider having a regular meal and snack schedule so that your child learns that there will be plenty of opportunities to eat. When children lack this structure, they don’t feel that they are provided for and may lead to feeling afraid that they won’t have enough to eat later one. This may turn into overeating at meals for some kids and miss the window for establishing healthy eating habits.
2. Consider Timing of Snacks
Snacks should be spaced out about 2 hours prior to a meal time. Snacking too frequently or too close to a meal can impact their overall intake. If their snack is too close to a meal time, they may not eat “enough” or may loose the motivation to try new plant foods. If your vegan toddler or child snacks frequently and grazes throughout the day, they may lose touch in learning how to regulate their internal hunger cues.
3. Keep Nutrition in Mind
I like to recommend parents to consider serving at least two food groups at snacks to ensure that it is balanced, helps the child feel satiated, and helps them meet their nutrient requirements on a vegan diet. It’s okay to offer a treat as a snack item once in awhile but think of snacks as a “mini-meal” or another way to help your vegan child meet their nutritional needs for proper growth. Consider calories, iron, fat, protein and calcium as the nutrients to keep in mind when planning snacks. You don’t have to include ALL in the same snack but just as a consideration to ensure a snack is nutritious.
Here are some examples of pairing two food groups to give you a start:
Fruit + Whole Grain
Protein + Vegetable
Fat + Protein
Fruit + Fat
Whole Grain + Fat
I put together this free snack handout so that you can reference at any time when planning your snacks for the week. If you give any of these a try, let me know in the comments below or snag a photo and tag me on Instagram @vegan.kids.nutrition
Free Snack Handout
In this handout, you’ll learn recommended snack schedules, tips for planning snacks, and snack ideas at your fingertips to feel inspired on days you need them.
References
Satter, E. (2008). Secrets of feeding a healthy family how to eat, how to raise good eaters, how to cook. Kelcy Press.