6 Healthy Snacks Recipes for Children with Ingredients

Children tend to get hungry between breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and always look for something that tastes great, and looks great. Luckily, there’s plenty of healthy snacks for children that taste great. As a mother, you always look for healthy food rather than giving your child junk food like chips or instant noodles.

Our proparent Priya Mankotia tells us how to make following recipes...

• Chana Dal Pancake,
• Oats & Poha Sukha Bhel,  
• Oats Chaat,
• Healthy Vada Pav, 
• Stuffed Spinach Mushroom,
• Nutritious Thalipeeth and other healthy snack recipes.

Healthy Snacks Recipe Options for Children

Here, I’m sharing a few healthy snacks that will satisfy those in-between-meals hunger pangs the healthy way.

#1. Oats & Poha Sukha Bhel

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quick cooking rolled oats
• 1 cup beaten rice (poha) flakes
• 1/2 cup puffed rice (kurmura)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander (dhania)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onions
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• salt to taste

To Be Blended Into A Sukha Chutney (without Using Water)

• 1/2 cup finely chopped mint leaves (pudina)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped coriander (dhania)
• 3 garlic (lehsun) cloves
• 1 tbsp roasted chana dal (dalia)
• 1/2 tbsp roughly chopped green chillies
• a pinch of turmeric powder (haldi)
• a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• salt to taste

Preparation Method:

• Combine the oats, beaten rice and puffed rice in a deep non-stick pan, dry roast on a medium flame for 7 to 8 minutes or till they turn crisp
• Allow the mixture to cool completely and transfer it into a deep bowl.
• Add the sukha chutney and all the remaining ingredients and mix well
• Serve immediately.

Helpful Recipe: Lunch Recipe Ideas for Teenagers

#2. Chana Dal Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chana dal (split bengal gram), soaked and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fenugreek (methi) leaves
• 1/2 cup chopped spinach (palak)
• 1/2 cup grated carrot
• 4 to 6 curry leaves (kadi patta), chopped
• 1 tbsp low-fat curds (dahi)
• 1 sachet fruit salt
• 1 tsp grated ginger (adrak)
• 1 to 2 green chilies, chopped
• salt to taste
• Other ingredients 1 tsp oil for cooking

Preparation Method:

• Grind the soaked chana dal into a coarse paste adding a little water if required.
• Add the fenugreek leaves, spinach, carrot, curry leaves, ginger, green chilies and salt and mix well.
• Just before serving, add the curds and fruit salt and mix well.
• Divide the batter into 4 equal portions, spread one portion of the batter on a non-stick pan and make a pancake of approx. 125 mm. (5") diameter
• Cook on a slow flame till both sides are golden brown, drizzling a little oil if required.
• Repeat with the remaining batter to make 3 more pancakes.
• Serve hot.

#3. Oats Chaat

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quick cooking rolled oats
• 1/4 cup finely chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup beaten low-fat curds (dahi)
• 1 tbsp meetha chutney , recipe below
• 1/4 cup sprouted and boiled kala chana (brown chick peas)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera) powder
• 1 tsp black salt (sanchal)
• 1 tsp chaat masala

Meetha Chutney Ingredient (makes approx. 1 3/4 cups):

• 1 cup deseeded dates (khajur)
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera) powder
• 1/2 tsp black salt (sanchal)
• salt to taste

For The Garnish Purpose:

• 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander (dhania)
• 1/4 cup fresh pomegranate (aanar) 

Meetha Chutney  Preparation Method:

• Combine the dates and 1½ cups of water in a pressure cooker, mix well and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
• Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid and keep aside to cool slightly.
• Once cooled, blend it in a mixer to a smooth paste using ¼ cup of water.
• Transfer it in a deep bowl, add the chili powder, cumin seeds powder, black salt and salt and mix well. Keep aside.

How to Prepare?

• Heat a broad non-stick pan and dry roast the oats on a medium flame for 4 minutes to remove the raw taste of oats. Keep aside to cool completely.
• Combine all the ingredients, including the oats, in a deep bowl and mix well.
• Serve immediately garnished with coriander and pomegranate.

Helpful Recipe: Homemade Recipes for Teenagers

#4. Healthy Vada Pav

Ingredients:

• The Vadas 1 & 1/2 cups boiled , peeled and mashed potatoes
• 2 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds ( rai / sarson)
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing)
• 5 to 7 curry leaves (kadi patta)
• 1/2 tbsp finely chopped ginger (adrak)
• 1/2 tbsp finely chopped green chillies
• 1/2 tbsp finely chopped garlic (lehsun)
• a pinch of turmeric powder (haldi)
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander (dhania)
• 1/2 tsp oil for cooking

Preparation Method:

• Mixed Together Into A Batter (for The Vadas)3/4 cup besan (bengal gram flour)
• salt to taste
• a pinch of turmeric powder (haldi)
• 1/4 cup water

For Sukhi Lehsun Ki Chutney(Serving 4 whole wheat laddi pavs) 

For the Vadas:

• Heat the oil in a deep non-stick kadhai and add the mustard seeds.
• When the seeds crackle, add the asafoetida and curry leaves and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds.
• Add the ginger, green chillies and garlic and sauté on a medium flame for a few more seconds.
• Add the potatoes, salt and turmeric powder, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 minute, while stirring continuously.
• Add the coriander and mix well.
• Remove from the flame and keep aside to cool.
• Divide it into 4 equal portions and shape each portion into a round, flat vada.
• Dip each vada in the batter and place them in a hot broad non-stick pan.
• Cover with a lid and cook on a slow flame for 3 to 4 minutes, using ? tsp of oil per vada.
• Turn upside down, cover again and cook on a slow flame for another 3 to 4 minutes or till they turn golden brown in colour. Keep aside.

How to Serve:

• Slit a pav horizontally, apply a little sukhi lehsun ki chutney on the inner sides of the pav and stuff with a hot vada.
• Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 3 more vada pavs.
• Serve immediately.

Also Check: Dinner Recipe for Your Teens

#5. Nutritious Thalipeeth

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp bajra (black millet) flour
• 3 tbsp jowar (white millet) flour
• 3 tbsp whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta)
• 3 tbsp besan (bengal gram flour)
• 3/4 cup shredded cabbage
• 1/4 cup chopped onions
• 1/2 tsp finely chopped green chillies
• 1/2 tsp coriander-cumin seeds (dhania-jeera) powder
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania)
• salt to taste
• 1 1/2 tsp oil for greasing and cooking

How to Preare Method?:

• Combine all the ingredients in a deep bowl and knead into a soft dough using enough water.
• Divide the dough into 6 equal portions and keep aside.
• Heat a non-stick tava (griddle) and grease it lightly using ? tsp of oil.
• Wet your fingers, place a portion of the dough on a hot tava (griddle) and pat it with the help of fingers to make a 100 mm (4”) diameter circle
• Cook on both the sides, using ? tsp of oil, till it turns golden brown in colour from both the sides.
• Repeat steps 3 to 5 to make 5 more thalipeeth.
• Serve immediately.

#6. Stuffed Spinach Mushroom

Ingredients:

• 20 fresh mushrooms (khumbh)
• 1 tsp low-fat butter for cooking

For The Spinach Filling:

• 3 cups chopped spinach (palak)
• 1 tbsp whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta)
• 1/2 cup low-fat milk (99.7% fat-free)
• 1 tsp low-fat butter
• 1/4 cup chopped onions
• 1 tsp finely chopped green chillies
• salt to taste

Preparation Method: For the Spinach filling

• Combine the whole wheat flour and milk in a small bowl, mix well and keep aside.
• Heat the butter in a broad non-stick pan, add the onions and green chillies and sauté on a medium flame for 1 minute or till the onions turn translucent.
• Add the spinach and salt, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
• Add the wheat flour-milk mixture, mix well and cook on a medium flame for another 1 to 2 minutes or till the mixture thickens, while stirring continuously. Keep aside to cool slightly.
• Divide the filling into 20 equal portions and keep aside.

How to Proceed:

• Remove the stems of the mushrooms and discard them so as to form a cavity in the mushroom caps.
• Stuff each mushroom cap with a portion of the spinach filling. Keep aside.
• Heat ½ tsp of butter on a non-stick tava (griddle), arrange 10 stuffed mushrooms on it with the stuffed side facing upwards.
• Cover with a lid and cook on a medium flame for 5 to 7 minutes.
• Repeat steps 3 and 4 to cook 10 more spinach stuffed mushrooms in one more batch.
• Serve immediately.

I hope your child enjoys these in-between healthy snacks. Do share your feedback on the recipes shared in the comments below!