8 Healthy and Yummy After School Snacks for Kids

After spending hours studying, playing, running around, and doing other activities at school, most kids come home feeling hungry. They would love to gorge on some yummy and appetising snacks to satisfy their hunger pangs. As a parent, you might like to offer something that is not only easy-to-make but also healthy and appealing. Foods that can be put together before the kids get home are an ideal choice for after school snacks.

Video: 7 Healthy and Yummy After School Snacks for Kids with Recipes

Easy After School Snacks for Children

Your kids can get bored eating the usual snacks every day and may want some variety. The regular roti-vegetable may not seem tempting to them. Packaged food can be an option, but it’s not the healthiest one. It may not be feasible to cook interesting kid-friendly after-school snacks each day. Some imagination and ingenuity in preparing and presenting the food items may prove very helpful. So, here are a few simple and healthy after-school snacks for kids. These Indian recipes are not only likely to get your kid’s attention, but may also tempt him to eat them.

1. Fruit Kebabs

Put together your kid’s favourite fruits in kebab sticks and see them disappear in minutes!

What You Need

• Cheese cubes
• Seedless grapes
• Watermelon
• Any other seasonal fruit like apple or mango
• Flavoured yoghurt
• Honey (optional)
• Kebab sticks

How to Make

• Chop all fruits in cube-sized bites.
• Arrange them on the kebab sticks as per your choice. Don’t forget to add the cheese cubes.
• Drizzle some honey over the flavoured yoghurt, and it can be served along with the fruit kebabs.

2. Rainbow Smoothies

These colourful and healthy pops made from fresh fruits can be a terrific after-school snack for your kid.

What You Need

• 1 cup each of 5 different fruits (preferably of different colours) like kiwi, watermelon, mango, black grapes, pineapple.
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 cup of yoghurt
• Ice-pops bags
• Pastry bags

How to Make

• Churn each fruit in a blender by adding a little milk and yoghurt. Keep the consistency fairly thick to prevent them from mixing into each other when you pour them in the ice-pop bags.
• If required, you can chill the mixtures in the freezer for some time to stiffen them.
• Transfer each blended fruit into a pastry bag and seal the tops with a rubber band.
• Slightly cut the tip of each pastry bag and start squeezing a little mixture of the different fruits into the ice-pop bags. You may begin with black grapes smoothie then add kiwi mixture, next can be mango followed by watermelon and pineapple smoothie.
• Seal the bags and freeze them for a few hours before serving.

3. Oats Energy Balls

These no-bake energy bites with the goodness of oats might be just the thing your kid needs after school.

What You Need

• 1½ cup cooking oats
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 cup of coconut powder
• 2/3 cup butter
• ¼ tsp cinnamon powder
• ¾ cup of chocolate chips

How to Make

• Add the oats to a bowl and crush them slightly with a potato masher.
• Add the honey, butter, coconut powder, cinnamon powder, and mix well.
• Sprinkle chocolate chips all over the mixture.
• Put it in the fridge for sixty minutes or so.
• Then shape them into small balls.

4. Cracker Pizzas

These tasty mini pizzas may soon become your kid’s absolute favourite snacks.

What You Need

• A pack of cracker biscuit
• Cheese spread
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 1 tomato (finely chopped)
• Bell peppers (finely chopped)
• Pepper
• Oregano

How to Make

• Put the cheese spread in a bowl.
• Add the onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, pepper, and mix well.
• Spread this topping over the cracker biscuits.
• Sprinkle some oregano before serving.
• You can also give the cracker pizzas a sweet twist by making a topping of flavoured cream cheese spreads and some sliced fresh fruits that are your kid’s favourite.

5. Cheesy Broccoli Pancakes

The cheesy pancakes packed with the nutrition of broccoli may make for a super healthy snack.

What You Need

• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• ½ cup grated cheese
• Salt
• Oil

How to Make

• Steam the broccoli florets
• Add the florets, breadcrumbs, eggs, cheese, salt in a blender and churn till they appear finely chopped.
• Transfer the mix to a plate and roll small balls out of it.
• Heat some oil in a pan. Drop the balls and flatten them gently with a spatula.
• Cook both sides till they turn crispy brown.
• Serve warm.

6. Whole Wheat Dates Doughnuts

These irresistible doughnuts may be the perfect snack to recharge your kid after school.

What You Need

• 1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour
• A teaspoon of baking powder
• ½ cup of sugar
• 1 egg
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1 cup seedless dates (chopped)
• A teaspoon of vanilla extract
• Salt
• Butter (softened)

How to Make

• Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and lightly dust the doughnut pan with flour.
• Add the flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.
• In another bowl, whisk the sugar and butter together, and add the buttermilk, egg, vanilla extract. Combine it all together.
• Mix all the ingredients.
• Add the dates and thoroughly combine.
• Pour the batter into the doughnut pan.
• Bake for 15 minutes
• To check if it is baked, insert a knife or a skewer and see if it comes out clean.

7. Apple Muffins

These amazingly delightful muffins are ideal for getting your child’s power up after school.

What You Need

• Half a cup of milk
• 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup oats
• 1 ¼ cup cereal (crushed)
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup oil
• ¼ cup yoghurt
• 2/3 cup honey
• Half teaspoon vanilla extract
• A teaspoon of baking powder
• A teaspoon of baking soda
• A teaspoon of cinnamon powder
• An apple (peeled and grated)
• A pinch of salt

How to Make

• Place paper liners along the muffin tray and preheat your oven to 180°C.
• Whisk together the eggs, milk, yoghurt, honey, oil, and vanilla extract until well blended.
• Add the crushed cereals and oats to the mixture. Keep it aside for 10 minutes.
• Mix the baking soda, baking powder, flour, cinnamon powder, and salt separately.
• Mix the wet ingredients along with the dry ingredients and combine well.
• Add the grated apples to the mixture.
• Scoop the mixture into the muffin tray. You can fill up till the top as the batter rises very little.
• Bake for twenty minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
• Serve warm with jam or maple syrup.

8. Crunchy Potato Chips

You can make your kid’s snack time ultimate fun time with these delicious and yummy potato chips.

What You Need

• 2 sweet potatoes (large)
• A tablespoon of onion powder
• Half tablespoon brown sugar
• Smoked paprika (optional)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Red chilli powder (optional)
• Chat masala
• Oil for frying

How to Make

• Wash the sweet potatoes properly and pat them dry with paper towels.
• Slice them as thinly as possible.
• In a bowl, mix the onion powder, paprika, brown sugar, salt, pepper, chat masala, and chilli powder.
• Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the sliced potatoes in batches into the pan, and fry them for 3 to 5 minutes. Using a frying spoon, keep turning the chips over until they are crispy golden on both sides.
• Once complete, transfer them on a paper towel to drain the extra oil.
• Sprinkle the mixture of seasoning over them and toss well.

The best snacks for your kid are the ones that taste great and fill them up without weighing them down. A little bit of creativity can spin the most usual foods into perfect treats for your kid. Try out these delicious and healthy snack recipes for your little one and watch him savour every bite of it!

Also Read: Eating Disorders in Children