Kids can be really weird when it comes to food, which you already know if you’re a parent. What they’ll do is eat a banana without problems, and then they’ll act like you’re insane for even thinking of offering them one the next day.Â
And do you know what the funniest thing is? If you serve it in a different way, they’re very likely to change their mind.
Cut that banana they refused into rounds and add some chocolate spread, and all of a sudden, they’re excited and can’t wait to eat it. It’s the same banana they just made a face at 5 minutes ago, but with that little extra something, it’s become the best snack ever.
That’s the magic of fruit dips and toppings. You can even get your kids involved in making them.
5 Homemade Fruit Dips and Toppings Kids Will Love
Not everything on this list will be something to dip fruit into, so keep that in mind.
Some of these options work much better if you spread them, and others are the best for drizzling. And you don’t necessarily have to stick with just fruit when you serve these dips; oat biscuits and probiotic fruit snacks will do great, too.
Anyway, on to the recipes.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Dip
If your kids like cinnamon rolls and cheesecake, you’ll want to try this out. It’s creamy, a little bit sweet, and it’s done in a matter of minutes.
You’ll need these:
- ¼ cup softened cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
Put the cream cheese in a bowl and add the yogurt to it. Make sure the cream cheese has softened first, or you’ll have issues with lumps. Mix it with yogurt, then stir in cinnamon and maple syrup. If it’s too thick, add a bit more yogurt.
This dip is perfect with apple slices and pears. It almost tastes like apple pie because of the cinnamon.
Honey and Vanilla Yogurt Dip
As healthy as plain yogurt is, it’s not exactly exciting, and your kids will probably prefer something flavored. Here’s what you’ll need:
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- A pinch of cinnamon
Get a bowl and put the yogurt, honey, and vanilla in it. Stir it until it’s all nice and mixed together, and then sprinkle a little cinnamon if you want more flavor. And that’s it. No blender, and barely any washing up.
Let the kids measure the ingredients themselves to include them, but keep in mind that they’ll want to taste-test everything.
Nut-Free Chocolate Fruit Spread
Adding chocolate to fruit pretty much guarantees that kids will love it, and don’t worry, there’s no sugary chocolate hazelnut spread involved in this.
Here are the ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons sunflower seed butter
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1-t tablespoons milk
Mix the butter with cocoa powder and maple syrup. It’ll look really thick at first, so add the milk bit by bit until the consistency is creamy and easy to spread. You can use banana rounds or strawberries if you make it too runny and turn it into a dip, or you can spread this on oatmeal cookies.
Either way, it’s delicious.
Just check the sunflower seed butter label in case there are traces of nuts in it if someone’s allergic.
Fresh Strawberry Sauce
If you have strawberries that are a bit too soft, this is how you use them. You’ll need:
- 1 cup fresh strawberries
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
Wash the strawberries and remove the green tops. Then, cut them into smaller pieces and mash them together with a fork. If you like it chunky, then leave it, but if you don’t, use a blender to make it smooth. Next, add lemon juice and taste it first before adding more than what’s in the recipe. If you want the juice to be sweeter, add honey or maple syrup. But again, taste it first. Ripe strawberries usually don’t need any sweeteners.
This sauce is perfect over mixed fruit or even plain yogurt.
Coconut and Lime Yogurt Dip
Lime makes everything more interesting, right? Here’s what you’ll need for this:
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened desiccated coconut
- ¼ tablespoon finely grated lime zest
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
Put the yogurt in a bowl and stir in the coconut. Add the lime zest, and then taste it before you add maple syrup because you might not need it. Leave it for about 5 minutes so the coconut absorbs the moisture. The result is a slightly tangy flavor with texture from the coconut.
It goes great with mango slices and pineapple chunks. Even melon works with it.
Conclusion
Kids get bored pretty quickly, but the good news is that it doesn’t take much to make their usual snacks fun again, especially if you include them in the process of making it.
And once you’ve tried some of these recipes, you can make your own tweaks to them, like adding cinnamon to a chocolate spread or swapping strawberries for raspberries. You can also get your kids to suggest their own tweaks, although that might end up tasting funky sometimes.
But hey, figuring out what works is half the fun anyway.