Top foods for fussy little eaters

Have you got a fussy eater in your house? It's hard finding recipes that will tempt picky children and lead to clean plates all round. Try some of these easy recipes below and adapt them by removing or replacing any ingredients you know your little ones won't like.

Hidden vegetable sauce is a hero in the eyes of fussy eater owners nationwide. Oh, the things you can hide in this ... ! Use this sauce alongside anything you know your child likes to eat such as pasta, rice or jacket potatoes.

Hidden vegetable sauce recipe

Using a blender or food processor would be the easiest way to go. We really like this best-selling model by Nutribullet, which is available at Amazon for £50.

Children of all ages love making pizza. Often it's just as good cold, which is a bonus if you have a slow, as well as fussy, eater in your house.

Homemade pizza recipe

A traditional family favourite – popular with fussy eaters and mums alike because you can hide a multitude of vegetables in the sauce. Easily adapted for vegetarians or made to go further by adding a can of baked beans.

Shepherd's pie recipe

Photo: Well Worn Whisk

Vegetable batons with a tasty dip, such as hummus, are simple to make and fun to eat. Toasted pitta, bread sticks and rice cakes make good dippers, too.

How to make hummus

If you have a fussy eater who doesn't like the slippery texture of pasta, this is a great alternative. It's also an ideal make-ahead dish as it's super-easy to reheat and tastes as good – if not better – made ahead of time.

Mexican lasagne recipe

You'll need a lasagne dish, preferably one that's suitable for both cooking and serving. We love this durable and versatile set of two (includes two different sizes) that will take your delicious lasagne from oven to the table. You can find it at Amazon in various colours for £22.

Eggs are a handy fridge stand by and you can disguise all sorts of things in a delicious frittata ... including last night's leftovers! Another dish that is great eaten hot or cold (ideal for slower fussy eaters or packed lunches).

Get the frittata recipe

A batch of homemade butternut squash soup is a good freezer failsafe – dunk bread into it or add croutons for a bit of crunch. Make sure it's not too hot for fussy eaters, so it can be eaten straight away.

Butternut squash soup recipe

If all else fails, try our great tasting recipes for cakes with hidden vegetables. We've got 11 delicious hidden veg cake recipes that pass the fussy eater taste test, featuring beetroot, courgette and carrot.

Use a sturdy, non-stick cake tin, like this one from KitchenCraft that's conveniently 'quick-releasing' for easier use. You can get it here at Amazon for £7.11

Let your child pick the fillings (within reason!) for sandwich or wrap success. If they don't like butter or spread, try cream cheese. Begin with what your child likes, adding new things gradually.

Sandwich filler recipes

A great dish for even the fussiest of eaters that the whole family can share. Offer your little one a manageable-sized portion of potato topped fish pie and fingers crossed they'll ask for more!

Photo: Well Worn Whisk

Not a complicated recipe, we grant you, but one that's a household favourite. Everybody loves cheese (usually!), even the fussiest of kids.

Cheesy mash

We recommend using a sturdy potato masher for this recipe. This one from OXO has a larger base for quicker and more effortless mashing and you can get it here at Amazon for £11.19.

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Healthier and much tastier than the shop-bought variety, these chicken nuggets are bound to entice even the fussiest of children. Use wholemeal breadcrumbs for the coating to give them even more fibre.

This set of three 'roaster and chop' tray set is just what you need for prepping and cooking this delicious meal and you can get it here at Amazon for £16.

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Who doesn't like crisps? These root vegetable crisps are a far healthier option than shop-bought packets. Use parsnips, sweet potatoes and beetroot for a tasty variety that are also very visually pleasing. Make paper cones to put portions of the crisps in, and the kids will feel like they're eating from a genuine 'packet' of crisps.

Homemade vegetable crisps

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A healthy lunch made with simple, but nutritious ingredients. Use iceberg lettuce if your child is a little intimidated by the watercress, and keep the chicken plain if your child isn't a fan of spices and herbs.

Chicken pasta salad

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This is a great way to use up ripe bananas, and using brown sugar and wholemeal flour, these banana muffins are full of fibre. Plain, yet delicious, these should tempt any fussy eater.

A muffin tray is a must-have tool for baking these tasty muffins. This heavy-duty, non-stick tray is just what you need, makes 12 muffins and is available at Amazon for £7.99.

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All kids love chips, and these potato wedges are a great healthy alternative. Leaving the skin on keeps more of the nutrients in. Make a mild salsa dip to go with them. Sweet potatoes make tasty wedges, too.

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Mini pizza bagels make a quick and easy meal kids and adults will love. Kids can also make them themselves and choose the toppings. This makes them much more likely to eat them all up if they've made them from scratch, to their own liking.

These light and crispy cheesy biscuits are so simple to make. The perfect snack that all the family will enjoy, kids especially. They are great to eat with dips or even dunked into a bowl of soup. Use different shaped cookie cutters to make them even more appealing – cheesy unicorn anyone?

A very mild curry and an introduction to different spices and flavours for children with fussy tastes. The great thing about this baked bean curry recipe is that it's super quick and easy to make and the flavours can be easily adapted to suit everyone.

This homemade fish finger recipe is delicious, healthy and cheap. Everyone loves fish fingers, and cod is a great way to introduce children to seafood. Use wholemeal breadcrumbs for a crunchy topping, to make these even healthier and full of fibre.

With the pesto coating the pasta, your fussy eater is unable to pick the meal apart and it introduces them to flavour, without being too intense.

Chicken pesto pasta

You'll need a colander to strain your pasta when cooked. We recommend this one, which is designed with heavy-duty handles and self-draining solid ring base. You can find it at Amazon for £16.

This is a great way to use up ripe bananas. Banana flapjacks are great for energy and a good source of potassium. Simple and tasty, these should tempt any fussy eater.

Risotto is so easily adaptable that you can change the flavours to make it more appealing to your kids. We have snuck some peas into this chicken risotto, but wilted spinach would also make a nutritious meal.

This is so easy to make and with few ingredients, there is less for your children to dislike! It's comfortably creamy, but be sure to break the broccoli into teeny-tiny pieces, so it's unrecognisable.

Easy vegetable pasta

Pasta provides a good source of complex carbohydrates, so macaroni cheese is a great option to boost your child’s energy levels and calcium intake.

You will need a baking dish for this recipe. We recommend this enamelled stoneware dish from Le Creuset, which is ideal for baking and serving. You can find it here at Amazon in multiple colours for £39.

If you're looking for a healthier snack options, these apple crisps are great! Your child won't even realise they're eating fruit!

Bananas are great for giving a sustainable boost of energy, making this banana bread recipe perfect for kids.

This delicious smoothie includes no dairy and a whole lot of fruit. It's always a winner with kids!

Kids strawberry smoothie - Raw Chi

You will definitely need a food processor to make this healthy and delicious smoothie. We love this muti-tasking food processor, blender and mixer by Nutribullet as it's high-speed AND powerful. You can find it at Amazon for £35.

Cauliflower rice is a carb-free and healthy option for children, and if you're lucky they won't even realise it's veg!

These cucumber sailing boats are so fun and cute your child won't even realise what they're eating!

Cucumber and yoghurt boats with red pepper sails

A great way to encourage your fussy eater to try new foods is to make it fun. Print off our 50 Fun Foods chart then get your child to try one new thing a day, marking off what they like and dislike as you go. When you've finished you should (hopefully!) have a long list of foods your child has tried and liked.

If your child doesn't like a food the first time they try it, don't give up! It can take as many as 10 tries of a new food before a child decides they like it, so perseverance is key.