10 Best Indian Snacks for Kids to Satisfy the Taste Buds of Your Children in 2020 and Also Offer a Good Amount of Nutrition to Keep Them Energized and Satiated for Long.

10 Best Indian Snacks for Kids to Satisfy the Taste Buds of Your Children in 2020 and Also Offer a Good Amount of Nutrition to Keep Them Energized and Satiated for Long.

Children can be a fussy lot, especially when it concerns food. Nutrition is the last thing on their mind, as all they want is a tasty snack after a long and tiring day at school. As a parent, it is your duty to ensure that no junk food makes it to your child’s plate. However, if you try to feed them those monotonous everyday snacks, you might have a tough time. But we got your back. Here are some easy snack ideas for kids.

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How to Put Together Snacks for Kids?

Consider the Portion

While picking Indian snacks for kids, this is very important for you to consider the portion size. This is not just about what your kids are eating but also about how much your kids are eating. Their snacks should be just enough to satisfy their hunger for now and but no so much that they feel too full to eat the next main meal.

The Timing

Constantly eating one thing or another is not a good thing for kids and can make them obese too. This is why you should better organize their timing or snacking and eating too. According to most people, the timing of snacks should be 2-3 hours after one meal and 1-2 hours before the next meal starts. This keeps their schedule and meals well-balanced and does not quench their hunger too.

No Distractions

Whether you are picking vegetable snacks for kids or something else, make sure that there are no distractions when your kids are eating their snacks. Many times when kids are having their snacks and meals in front of the TV, Smartphones or anything else like that, they often eat more than necessary. It leads to mindless munching which is not good for their development.

Fun and Interesting Indian Snacks Recipes for Kids

Eggless Pancakes

Pancakes are light and fluffy and most importantly, they can be prepared easily too. We have come up with a healthy recipe of whole wheat flour pancakes for your kids which you can prepare in breakfast or even in meals too.

Ingredients
  • 1 to 1 ½ tbsp. butter/oil and 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 ½ cups milk and 1 cup wheat flour
  • 1tsp baking powder and ¼ to ½ tsp cinnamon powder
  • A pinch of salt

Recipe
  • Melt butter in a saucepan, add milk to it and warm it.
  • Now, add sugar to it and sieve wheat flour, baking powder, cinnamon powder and salt to it and prepare a uniform mixture of pouring consistency
  • Do not overmix as pancakes won’t turn out fluffy then.
  • To make pancakes, grease a pan and heat it and pour ladle full of mixture on the pan but do not spread it.
  • Cook on medium heat from both sides and serve with maple syrup, chocolate syrup or whatever you like.

Crispy Rice Balls

Wondering what to do with the leftover rice and veggies? Well, we have the perfect recipe to prepare Indian snacks for kids out of this rice. Crispy rice balls will turn out to be a yum snack for your kids and all those veggies would serve just right to them.

Ingredients
  • 1 cup cooked rice and ½ cup grated carrots
  • Chopped onions and spinach – ¼ cup each
  • 1/2 cup rice flour and 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 ½ tsp ginger-green chilli paste and salt to taste
  • oil for deep frying

Recipe
  • Simply combine all the ingredients in a large bowl along with ¼ cup of water. Prepare a good mixture out of it.
  • Divide this mixture in 20 small balls.
  • Now, heat oil in a pan and deep fry the balls until they turn golden brown in color.
  • Enjoy these rice balls with some ketchup.

Healthy Oats and Nuts Energy Bars

Energy bars are a wonderful way to suppress that little hunger of your kids with something tasty and healthy. Made out of nuts and oats, these energy bars are quite wholesome and you can also pack them in your kids’ tiffin box along with the lunch.

Ingredients
  • 1 ½ cup instant oats and 1 cup pecans
  • 1/2 cup pretzels and 12 dates
  • 1/2 cup dry coconut (coarsely grated) and ½ cup almonds
  • A pinch of salt and ¼ cup coconut oil

Recipe
  • Take a pan and roast coconut until it turns brown and set aside.
  • Now, add pecan nuts, 1 ¼ cup oats, dates, coconut flakes, almonds, pretzels, coconut oil and salt in a food processor and blend till everything comes together to form a dough.
  • Take out in a bowl and add remaining oats and chopped nuts and mix well.
  • Take a 9X9 inch pan and line it with parchment paper then spread the dough in it evenly.
  • Freeze it for 40 minutes then cut into bars. You can store these bars for 2 weeks in an airtight container.

Corn Cutlet

Made with simple ingredients like potatoes, sweet corn and different spices, corn cutlets are nothing but tikkis with a twist. You should definitely try this recipe for your kids.

Ingredients
  • 2 medium potatoes and ¾ cup sweet corn – both boiled
  • 1 green chilli and 2 tbsp coriander leaves - chopped
  • Red chilli powder, garam masala, ginger paste – ½ tsp each
  • 1/2 tsp ginger paste and 1/4 tsp chaat masala
  • 1/4 cup bread crumbs and salt as needed
  • 2 tbsp oil

Recipe
  • Take a bowl and mash potatoes in it. Now, add all the ingredients except oil and mix well to form a dough.
  • Make 8 balls out of this dough and flatten them to give the shape of tikki/cutlet.
  • Heat a pan with 1 tbsp oil and toast the cutlets on it from both sides until they turn golden brown.
  • Enjoy the corn cutlets with ketchup.

Mixed Dal Chillas

You must have enjoyed besan chillas earlier but it's time to indulge your kids into something healthy. Try these mixed dal chillas as an option of healthy Indian snacks for kids. These chillas are very wholesome and can be eaten in breakfast too.

Ingredients
  • Green moong dal and yellow moong dal – ¼ cup each
  • 2 ½ tbsp. urad dal and 1 tsp green chilli paste
  • 1/2tsp ginger paste and ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • 1/4tsp chilli powder and ¼ tsp asafoetida
  • 2tbsp finely chopped coriander and salt to taste
  • 2 ½ tsp oil for cooking

Recipe
  • Combine all types of dal in a deep bowl with hot water in it and soak them for 1 hour.
  • Drain dal and blend with ¾ cup water until smooth.
  • Take out the dal paste in a bowl and mix rest of the ingredients.
  • Now, heat a griddle and pour a ladleful of batter on it and spread it.
  • Cook it with some oil until it turns golden brown from both sides and serve with green chutney.

Scrambled Egg & Cucumber Sandwich

One of the easiest snack recipe you will find out there. These scrambled egg and cucumber sandwiches are rich in protein and would turn out to be a perfect and quick snack item.

Ingredients
  • 8 whole wheat brown bread and 3 whole eggs
  • 2 cucumber peeled and sliced and cheese spread
  • 1tbsp butter and salt and pepper to taste

Recipe
  • To scramble the eggs, whisk them in a bowl with salt and pepper until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
  • Now, heat 1tbsp butter in a pan and add egg mixture and keep stirring it. At the end, it should look like a crumble and your scrambled eggs are ready.
  • Now, for the sandwich place the slices of the bread on a surface and spread cream cheese on each slice of bread.
  • Place cucumber on top and sprinkle salt and pepper as per taste and then top it with scrambled eggs.
  • Cover it with the other slice and press a little and your sandwich is ready.

Veg Spring Rolls

If you are looking for delicious Indian snacks for kids then this vegetarian version of spring rolls is just what you and your kids would want. A perfect Indo-Chinese snack, this one is perfect as a starter or snack option.

Ingredients
  • 3 cups shredded cabbage and ½ cup shredded carrot
  • 1/4 cup bell pepper julienned and 1tsp vinegar
  • 2 spring onions (green and white separated) and 1-2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1-2 tsp soya sauce and ½ tsp black pepper powder
  • salt to taste and 1 cup cooked noodles
  • 6 spring rolls wrappers frozen and oil for deep frying

Recipe
  • Heat oil in a pan and saute onion whites then add all the veggies except onion greens and fry until half done.
  • Add soya sauce and vinegar to it followed by onion greens, pepper and salt and then mix well.
  • Now, add al dente noodles and cook for another minute. Add some more soya sauce and then turn off the flame to cool this off.
  • Spread wrapper and place spoonful of stuffing in it then roll the wrapper in a way that stuffing doesn’t come out.
  • Follow this for all the wrappers and then fry them in hot oil until they turn golden brown. Serve with ketchup.

Oats Bhel

Oats recipes may sound a little dull and boring but this one is a total winner here. This super simple oats bhel recipe is perfect for kids who are picky eaters as they won’t be able to say no to this.

Ingredients
  • 1 ½ cups rolled oats and ½ cup thin poha
  • 2tbsp oil and 2tbsp raw peanuts
  • 1/2tsp turmeric powder and salt to taste
  • Chopped onions and tomatoes – ¼ cup each
  • 2tbsp finely chopped coriander and 1tsp chaat masala
  • 1/2tsp lemon juice and 1 ½ tbsp. green chutney
  • 1tbsp sweet chutney and ¼ cup pomegranate

Recipe
  • Combine oats and poha and dry roast in a non-stick pan for 5 minutes then set aside.
  • Heat oil in the same pan and saute peanuts for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add oats-poha mixture in it along with turmeric powder and salt and saute for 3 minutes.
  • Once the oats mixture cools down, mix the rest of the ingredients in a deep bowl and toss well.
  • Your oats bhel is ready.

Paneer Bhurji Wraps

Try easy homemade Indian snacks recipe for kids like this one here. These paneer bhurji wraps are rich in protein and it takes less than 10 minutes to prepare them. In fact, you can even pack them in your kid’s lunch box too.

Ingredients
  • 4 tortillas and 1 cup paneer grated
  • 1 onion, 1 tomato, 1 green chilli – finely chopped
  • 4tbsp coriander (finely chopped) and 2tsp sunflower oil
  • salt to taste

Recipe
  • Heat oil in a pan and saute onions in it till they turn soft.
  • Now, add green chillies and tomatoes and cook for a while then add grated paneer and salt and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Finely add chopped coriander leaves and turn off the flame.
  • To make the wraps, heat tortillas and then fill the paneer filling in the middle.
  • Fold 1/3rd of wrap on the bottom and then roll over the sides. Serve your wrap along with ketchup or chutney.

Other Healthy Snacks Options for Kids

If you do not have enough time for preparing evening snacks for kids then we have some snack options which are ready to eat and quite nutritious for your kids too. These are some of the most essential items for the growth and development of your kids and they are going to love devouring them too. So, check out these quick snacks right below.

Yogurt

Yogurt is not only a very healthy and nutritious snack item for your kids but thankfully you can serve it in different flavours too. Yogurt is a good source of calcium and protein which is much needed for growing kids. Also, the live bacteria present in yogurt helps in regulating the digestive system. Rather than sweetening the yogurt with sugar, you can choose fresh fruits and berries as they contain natural sugar.

Nuts

If your child is old enough to consume solid food items like nuts then it would be great to give them nuts in snacks. Nuts contain high amount of fiber, antioxidants and healthy fat which supports the overall development of your kids. You can create a nut mix at home by mixing or grinding different nuts together. However, make sure your child isn’t allergic to nuts.

Cottage Cheese

One of the healthiest and most loved Indian snacks for kids is cottage cheese (paneer). It is fresh, soft and most importantly isn’t harmful like processed cheese. Cottage cheese is quite rich in Vitamin B12, calcium, Selenium and protein which helps in the physical and mental development of kids. You can serve cottage cheese in form of small cubes or as a spread on wheat toasts too.

Fruit Smoothie

Rather than indulging your kids in refined and processed sugar, you should better treat them with the natural sweetness of fruits. The best way to do so is by preparing mixed fruit smoothies for them. In fact, giving smoothies at a tender age will also develop a good taste and likeness in your kids for fresh fruits.

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From our editorial team

Tips to Encourage to Eat More

Gently encourage trying new foods and eating more food (amounts and types). Offer a variety of options during meals or snacks (2-3 different foods are a good amount). Try to have one option to be something you know your child will eat, while the others can be something new or things you are trying to get them to eat, like vegetables.
Have meals together as a family and mealtime conversation positive or neutral. Praise your child if they try a new food or eat more volume, variety or vegetables. A simple, “Thanks for trying that food” should work.

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