75 Toddler Meals (Healthy + Easy Recipes)

Name: 75 Toddler Meal Ideas: Broccoli Egg Cups
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 6 large eggs; 1/4 cup milk - (regular, almond, coconut, hemp, etc); 1/2 cup broccoli chopped; 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded; salt and pepper to taste (optional)

by Michele Olivier on July 7, 2021 (updated Oct 20, 2021)

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4.62 stars (13 ratings)

This Master List of 75 Toddler Meals is full of healthy and easy breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner recipes for your little one! Most of these recipes can be made in 5-30 minutes, are freezer-friendly and have allergy modifications. Great for toddlers 1-3 years old!

Graphic for Post - 75 Healthy Toddler Recipes for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner with a grid of images of toddler meals.

Medically reviewed by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).

In this guide, you’ll find: show

Healthy Toddler Meal Ideas

Feeling stressed 😰 about what to serve your toddler? Are you short on time ⏰ and not sure what your toddler might actually eat? Do you need some fresh ideas 💡 for new recipes?

Then this is the right place for you!

I’ve compiled over 75 meals that are completely toddler-approved!

That’s right – I’ve tested them for you, so you won’t have to! Over the years, I’ve tested out hundreds of recipes on my daughters when they were toddlers and preschoolers, and these 75 recipes were clearly the winners 🥇 because they still love eating them to this day!

I’m not sure it’s okay to call your kids 👭 your test subjects… but we are just going to go with it! 👍

Feeding toddlers can be tricky! But, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! Here you will find real-life toddler meal ideas, over 100 toddler snack ideas, great hidden-veggie recipes, 50 cooking with toddler recipes and so much more!

Featured Toddler Recipe Video

Need some toddler recipe ideas? Check out these videos to see just how easy they can be!

Tips for Making Easy Toddler Recipes

Freezer-Friendly: a great way to make feeding your toddler super easy is always to have a stash of toddler-approved meals in the freezer. If there are any leftovers, I will place them in the freezer for a later meal. This works great for muffins, waffles, meatballs, chicken nuggets, etc. Basically, anything you can find in the grocery store’s frozen section can be frozen with your own homemade recipes. You can also make a double batch of your kiddo’s favorite recipes so you can have a backup plan when life gets crazy (or toddler gets demanding;).
Make Once – Serve Again: if you are making a bigger or more time-consuming meal (anything over 30 minutes for dinner), it’s a great idea to save the leftovers and use those in another toddler meal. You can serve the same meal or use parts of the meal in another meal altogether – chicken can be added into cheese quesadillas, pasta can be served with a different sauce, soup can be served with different sides like grilled cheese or turkey sandwich or used as a sauce for pasta or rice.
Quick Toddler Meals: a key way to not lose your mind is to always have a list (and the ingredients) for a quick meal for toddlers. Print out or make a list of these easy breakfast, lunch, and dinner ideas and keep them on hand for when life is super crazy and your toddler needed to eat 10 minutes ago.

Helpful Toddler Feeding Tools

toddler utensils with teal and green handles.

Toddler Daily Nutritional Guidelines

According to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, nutrients of concern for underconsumption in a child’s second year are vitamin D, calcium, fiber, and potassium, so make sure your toddler gets a variety of foods with these nutrients daily.

Below are recommended daily intakes for toddlers of different ages. Still, it’s important to look at what your child eats throughout the whole week instead of focusing on each day since toddlers’ eating habits can be erratic and unpredictable. As long as you keep offering a variety of foods from all of the food groups, your child’s nutrition should balance out each week.

Daily Recommended Intake for Toddlers 12-23 months

700-1,000 calories a day split between 3 meals and 2 snacks
Half of the daily calories should be from healthy fats
2/3 – 1 cup of vegetables daily
½ – 1 cup of fruit daily
1 ¾ – 3 ounces of grains daily
1 2/3 – 2 cups of dairy daily
2 ounces of protein daily

Daily Recommended Intake for Toddlers 2-4 years

1,000-1,400 calories a day for girls and 1,000-1,600 calories for boys split between 3 meals and 1-2 snacks
Healthy fats should be reduced to about 30% of total daily calories
1-2 cups of vegetables daily
1- 1 ½ cups of fruit daily
3 – 5 ounces of grains daily
2 – 2 ½ cups of dairy daily
2 – 5 ounces of protein daily

How to Build a Toddler Meal

A good method for building a well-balanced meal for 1-3-year-old toddlers is to include foods from a variety of food groups each day. You don’t have to have all food groups represented at every meal but make sure you offer a protein at all meals and snacks to help keep little bellies full.

A typical toddler plate should be made up of:

half fruits and veggies
a quarter of grains
a quarter protein
serving of dairy

When serving dairy products, give whole milk products until age 2. Focus on whole fruits instead of fruit juice and aim to make half of grains whole grains for more fiber and other nutrients.

Offer foods multiple times, even if your toddler acts like he does not like it, because it can take up to 15 times of being presented with a food for a child to develop a taste for it. Try offering foods cooked in a variety of ways so your toddler can explore different tastes and textures. Even better, serve your child what you are eating (in age-appropriate sizes, of course) and eat meals together so you can model healthy eating behaviors for them.

Sample Toddler Meal Plan

Below is a sample 5-day meal plan for toddlers. Feel free to use leftovers if you have them to add to the next meal. You can also add in sides of cut veggies and fruit that you have on-hand.

Monday

Breakfast: Blueberry Oatmeal with a cup of milk
Morning Snack: Whole Grain Cheese Crackers
Lunch: Turkey + Carrot Roll-Ups with a side of sliced strawberries and milk
Afternoon Snack: Healthy Spiced Apple Dip
Dinner: Chicken Parmesan Meatballs served with whole-wheat penne, side of asparagus, and a cup of milk

Tuesday

Breakfast: Avocado Egg Toast for Baby + Toddler with a cup of milk
Morning Snack: Healthy On-The-Go Granola Bars
Lunch: Mini Bagel Pizzas with Pepper “Sprinkles” with a side of cut cucumbers and pineapple, and a cup of milk
Afternoon Snack: Funfetti Energy Balls
Dinner: Taco Tuesday for Baby + Toddler with a side of oranges and milk

Wednesday

Breakfast: 3-Ingredient Banana Pancakes with milk
Morning Snack: Strawberry Applesauce with a cheese stick
Lunch: leftover Taco Tuesday for Baby + Toddler with a side of peaches and milk
Afternoon Snack: Chewy Mint Chocolate Granola Bars
Dinner: Crispy Salmon Bites with a side of green beans and milk

Thursday

Breakfast: Peanut Butter Banana Yogurt Bark
Morning Snack: Applesauce Mini Muffins
Lunch: Easy Tomato Soup with Cheesy Bread Dippers, side of blueberries and a cup of milk
Afternoon Snack: Funfetti Energy Balls
Dinner: Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Apple Slaw with a side of baked sweet potatoes and milk

Friday

Breakfast: Cottage Cheese + Fruit Bowl with a side of whole-wheat toast
Morning Snack: Healthy On-The-Go Granola Bars
Lunch: Kale + Spinach with Apple Quesadilla and milk
Afternoon Snack: Chewy Mint Chocolate Granola Bars
Dinner: Crispy Seasoned Fish with Pineapple & Avocado Chunks with a side of rice and milk

Toddler Breakfast

Made in 10-minutes or less

oat cups with 4 different mix ins for toddler.

Freezer-Friendly

Bumkins Silicone Grip Plate

The perfect-sized toddler plate with a suction base. It comes in a selection of fun colors to make your toddler happy. Plus, it is dishwasher, freezer, microwave-safe!

View Product

Toddler Lunch

Made in 15-minutes or less

pesto orzo salad for toddler - great meal idea for lunch

Make Once – Serve for Multiple Meals

Toddler Snacks

Great for On-The-Go Snacking

fruit salad is perfect for a toddler snack

Loaded with Fruits or Veggies (or both:)

Toddler Dinners

Made in 30-Minutes or less

Make Once – Serve for Mulitple Meals

Toddler Desserts

Graphic for Post - toddler meal ideas - breakfast- lunch - dinner. Images are in a grid of different fun meal ideas for toddlers.

Get the recipe: 75 Toddler Meal Ideas: Broccoli Egg Cups

4.6 stars (13 ratings)

These savory cheddar cheese and broccoli breakfast cups can be served warm at the breakfast table or packed cold for a morning playdate or school lunch. Plus, enjoy 74 more healthy and easy meal ideas for your toddler!

Yield: 8 egg cups

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Author: Michele Olivier

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Toddler Food

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Ingredients

6 large eggs
1/4 cup milk – regular, almond, coconut, hemp, etc
1/2 cup broccoli chopped
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
salt and pepper to taste optional

Instructions

Heat Oven: Turn on oven and pre-heat to 375 degrees. Line 8 muffin tins with silicone muffin molds or generously spray to prevent sticking.
Whisk: In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together.
Mix: Add in the broccoli, cheese, salt and pepper and stir until combined.
Fill Mufifn Molds: Pour the egg mixture into the muffin tins until 3/4 the way full.
Bake: Place the muffin pan in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until eggs have set and the cheese is golden brown

Notes

Age: 6+ months

Storage: in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Reheat Frozen: to reheat the frozen egg cups, simply place on a microwave-safe plate and microwave in 30-second intervals until warm.

Equipment

Muffin Pan

Silicone Muffin Cups

Bumkins Grip Plate

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originally published on July 7, 2021 (updated Oct 20, 2021)