Struggling to get your children to eat fruit? Try some of these fun fruit recipes, they’ll get your children to eat and enjoy a variety of fruits.
Some parents are lucky enough to have children who eat fruit, but how do the rest of us get our children to love and eat fruit? These funky fruit recipes are sure to get them hooked. Fruit is packed with vitamin and minerals and help boost the immune system.
Ice lollies
- Blend together bananas and pineapple rings. Add some of the pineapple juice if you need more mix. Pour into moulds and freeze.
- Use strawberries, mango and pineapple rings. Mash or blend the fruit together and freeze in your moulds. Try cutting some of the fruit into small pieces and add to the mix.
- Mixed berries are always a good option.
- You can use any combination of fruit, and add fruit juice or yoghurt to make the mix go a bit further. It isn’t necessary to add sugar, but the fruit you use should be seasonal and ripe.
Find some recipes for stone fruit here.
Smoothies
- Blend together a cup of strawberries, one banana, a cup of yoghurt and a dash of honey.
- Try using one mango, one nectarine and a cup of yoghurt. Add orange juice to thin it out if you prefer.
- Use one banana, pineapple rings, kiwi fruit and coconut milk for something exotic.
- Anything goes with smoothies, but as a guideline use seasonal fruit that your children enjoy. Yoghurt, milk, or ice and water, make for a healthy base, but ice cream works as well. To make it extra icy, freeze the fruit before blending. Instead of sugar, add a squeeze of honey. Use peanut butter or flavoured yoghurt to add some extra flavour.
fruit kebabs
- Use different spikeable fruits to make colourful kebabs. Try strawberries, apples, fresh pineapple, kiwi fruit or melon. Brushing lemon juice on the apple will stop it turning brown too quickly.
- Add a dipping sauce, such as flavoured yoghurt.
Find some recipes for stone fruit here.
fruity pancakes
- Find a good basic pancake recipe (try our delicious fresh oat pancake recipe), or use a pre-mix, and whip up a batch.
- Serve with fresh berries, nectarines or fruit salad, topped with yoghurt and drizzled with honey.
- You can also add fruit, such as berries, to your pancakes while they’re cooking.
bowls of fruit
- Pineapples, melons, watermelon and coconuts can be hollowed out to make fruit bowls. You can then use the fruit to make a salad.
fruit sauce
- Peel and chop two to three mangoes. Add one or two tablespoons of orange juice, one tablespoon of lemon juice and sugar to taste, and blend together. Strain the sauce and chill.
- Cook a few handfuls of berries over a low heat with two to three tablespoons of honey. When the berries are soft enough, place them in a strainer and mash, or serve the sauce with whole berries in it.
- Make apple sauce by cooking peeled and de-seeded apples over a low heat with sugar, until soft. Mash them until you get your desired consistency.
- Fruit sauces can be used with desserts, breakfasts or even dinners. If the sauce is too thick, try adding a bit of fruit juice.
Find some other fun food recipes here.
Some more tips:
- Get children more involved by asking them to choose, arrange or spike the fruit they would like. If you’re making pancakes, ask them to help you flip.
- Children can make melon balls or use cookie cutters to cut fruit into fun shapes.
- Even simple fruit dishes can be made more fun. Serve fruit salad in an ice cream cone or make patterns and pictures from fruit pieces.
- Introduce your children to the varying tastes and textures of fruit early in childhood. Use some of these fruit recipes when introducing finger snacks to babies and toddlers.
Tamlyn Vincent
