Picnic Food Ideas for Kids That Will Make Them Happy

Picnics allow the entire family to enjoy their moments together outside the house and create a stronger bond than before. Along with planning games and other activities, picking the right food items for everyone can pretty much make or break the entire picnic. Plus, with kids being picky about anything and everything, you need to be smart with the picnic menu while keeping the cooking process minimal. From quick oven bakes to no-cook toddler food menus, there are several Pinterest inspirations for children’s picnic food that are sure to delight your family. Hope you like them!

Easy Picnic Snack Ideas for Children

Here we have a pretty great list of picnic foods:

1. Corn Cutlets

Grind corn into a paste without using any water during the process. Move this to a large bowl and mix well with ginger, coriander, fennel, chillies, mango powder and salt. Add rice flour and mix until it reaches a dough-like consistency. Shape and fry.

2. Mini Set Dosa

Wash some rice and dal well and soak for about eight hours. Drain and grind into batter. Mix some soda into the batter and allow fermenting overnight. While frying, use a tablespoon of batter to make them mini dosas.

3. Kababs

In a blender, add minced meat, garlic, ginger, jeera, garam masala, chilli powder, salt, and coriander. Grind everything together. Refrigerate or freeze for 15 minutes until firm. Form your kababs and shallow fry.

4. Coconut Chutney

 Grind some coconut with green chillies, chana dal, ginger, lime juice, salt and sugar until smooth. You can use this as a side dish for mini-idlis or set dosas.

5. Cheese and Strawberry Cream Sandwich

Mix cream cheese with some honey and then spread this mix over two slices of bread. Add sliced strawberries on one slice and cover with the other. Your sandwich is ready!

6. Chocolate Chip Cookies

Blend cooked chickpeas with vanilla and coconut oil and then slowly add in oats flour, coconut sugar, salt, apple cider vinegar and baking soda. Once the batter is formed, fold in the chocolate chips and bake for 20 minutes at 176 degree C.

7. Cheesy Chickpea Dip

Add cottage cheese, grated cheese and chickpeas to a food processor and blend well. Add a little milk if it is too thick and then season and add chives to finish. Eat these with chips or carrots and cucumber sticks.

8. Egg Bhurji

Sauté onions, tomatoes and any other vegetable you like in butter, then add the eggs and season well till cooked. You can eat this with bread or roti. 

9. Carrot Snack Sticks

Mix parmesan cheese with flour, salt and baking powder very well and then with your hands, mix in some shredded carrots. Add a bit of oil to the dough and knead it very well so you can roll it out, shape it and bake it for 15 minutes at 204 D Celsius.

10. Sweet Potato Fingers

Peel and slice sweet potatoes evenly and then coat them in ghee. Season and mix well so that the flavour spreads evenly among the fingers. Bake it at 218 degrees C for 15 minutes, and they are ready. You can also fry them. 

11. Sausage Pasta

Fry chopped sausages until cooked, and then add some onions and garlic in for a sauté. Add some tomatoes, basil and chicken stock and allow the broth to cook for five minutes before adding spinach. Leave it to simmer until cooked. Add this to boiled pasta and you are done.

12. Egg Sandwiches

Mix mashed boiled eggs with mayonnaise, a dash of mustard, chopped onions, garlic and coriander until you have a smooth, spreadable texture. Spread on bread and toast, and enjoy!

13. Idlis

Soak urad dal and rice separately for five hours. Drain and grind them together with some cold water. Once the batter is made, let it ferment for 12 hours. Steam in an idli steamer and pack along with chutney.

14. Veggie Rolls

Boil potatoes, French beans, carrots, peas and capsicum together and then mash them with coriander leaves, a pinch of chilli powder and salt. Take a bread slice and cut the edges. Roll it flat with a rolling pin, and add in some of the filling in the centre. Roll the bread tight, and put a small bit of corn flour and water mixture on the edge to seal the roll tight. In a pan, take some oil or butter and put in the roll to cook. It will be ready when the bread turns slightly brown.

15. Chicken Coconut Noodle Salad

Simmer chicken with lemon grass, ginger and coconut milk. Add salt after a few minutes and then simmer until the chicken is cooked. Let it get cold, and then shred the chicken into some cooked noodles. Stir peanut butter into the chicken broth and then add it as dressing for the salad.

16. Milkshakes

Make healthy milkshakes by whizzing frozen bananas, milk, strawberries, and a dash of vanilla extract together and bottle up this delicious beverage for the car ride over or place in a cooling box until ready to consume. This is healthier than fruit juices that come in a box. 

17. Aloo Paratha

Boil and mash some potatoes. Add in some coriander, grated ginger and garlic and some green chillies. Also add in some garam masala, amchur, chilli powder, jeera powder and salt. Make sure that the mixture doesn’t have lumps. Add a small amount to a ball of dough while rolling and fry as normal.

18. Chutney and Cheese Sandwich

Grind mint leaves, sugar, green chillies and salt into a paste. Mix in lime juice and then add butter and cheese into this mix. Spread onto bread and then grill the sandwiches.

19. Kathi Rolls

Make your kids’ favourite dry sabzi and then roll it in large rotis. Cut them in the middle and pack some chutney to have with it.

20. Macaroni Salad

Mix chopped onions, eggs, green, red and yellow bell peppers and olives in a bowl. In another bowl, mix together a tablespoon of mayonnaise, a little bit of mustard and salt to make the dressing. Pour it into the egg and vegetable mix. Stir in the macaroni, and it’s done.

21. Fruit Salad

Throw together your favourite fruits and enjoy the juicy and cooling dessert. You can add some fresh yoghurt to enhance the taste of the fruit salad.

22. Nutella and Strawberry Bites

Spread Nutella on a neutral-tasting biscuit (such as graham crackers) and top them off with sliced strawberries. 

23. Banana Cake

Banana cake is a healthier way of making sure your kid eats their tasty food. Plus, this cake does not have an extensive recipe – it’s very simple and quick to prepare.

24. Mini Crustless Quiche

Loaded with veggies and flavour, these mini egg muffins are a creative change from vegetable sandwiches. You can use minced veggies of different colours and eggs to prepare a beautiful version of the quiche for your little ones. 

25. Fruit Skewers

Instead of taking whole fruits, knives, and vessels to the picnic, prepare fruit skewers firsthand and pack them for on-the-go. All you have to do is take fruit-lined skewers and enjoy. 

26. Homemade Flatbreads

Flatbreads are a simple and wholesome snack option for a picnic. Serve soft homemade pita bread or flatbread with vinegar-dipped salad, dips, and hummus and your little ones’ tummies are stuffed.

27. Coleslaw

Quick and easy to prepare, coleslaw is a preferred food option for a picnic. You can either buy it from a shop or make it at home and serve it with cold meats.

28. Cherry Pie

What’s more decadent than a seasonal cold cherry pie served on a summer picnic? Drooling, already? Then, make this kid-friendly picnic food and surprise everyone!

How to Pack Picnic Food for Your Child?

Along with preparing the right food for your picnic, it needs to stay in its best condition until you reach your location, too. Here are the dos and don’ts of packing food.

Dos

• Prepare your food ahead of time in a quantity that fits your containers.
• Pack sandwiches and rolls in separate coloured papers to keep vegetarian and non-vegetarian options clear.

Don’ts

• Avoid packing lightweight items with heavy ones since they will be smashed together.
• Keep foods in small portions so that they can be consumed easily.

FAQs

1. What are some nut-free snack ideas for kids with allergies?

Fruit kabobs, butter popcorn, cheese and crackers, yoghurt with granola, and sunflower seed butter sandwiches are some fantastic picnic lunch ideas for kids with allergies.

2. Can I prepare picnic snacks in advance?

Absolutely! Preparing picnic snacks is easy and time-efficient. You can cut fruits and vegetables a day before the picnic, make sandwiches and wrap them tightly and neatly, or prepare granola bars or trail mix before your picnic. All you’ll have to do is pack them and take it for the way.

3. How can I keep picnic foods fresh?

Prefer insulated lunch bags or ice coolers with ice packs to keep picnic foods for kids fresh and long-lasting. You can pack cut or whole fruits and vegetables in airtight containers or freeze juice boxes or yoghurt pouches in place of ice bags to keep other food items cool as well as juices.

4. What healthy drinks can I give to my child on a picnic?

Plain drinking water in water bottles, freshly homemade low-sugar lemonade, flavoured water with fresh fruit slices or cucumber slices, or 100% fruit juices are some healthy and tasty drink ideas for a picnic.

Packing together a great spread can be easy with picnic finger food ideas for kids. This can keep them fed and happy throughout, allowing them to play around with absolute ease and comfort.

Also Read: 

Amazing Kids Lunch Box Ideas
Healthy Rice Recipes for Children
Indian Breakfast Recipes for Kids
Healthy Soup Recipes for Children
Simple Recipes That Kids Can Make

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