27 Easy No Bake Recipes for Kids
- October 17, 2023
- Last Updated: July 17, 2024
- 1 Comment
- Recipe Roundup
These easy no bake recipes for kids are the go to’s when you have no energy for meal prep and no time to wait for the oven to heat up! Enjoy these healthy no cook snacks any time of day.
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Do you struggle to come up with super simple, quick, easy to make snacks without cooking?
I know that at times, I do. At the end of the week, I often need some inspiration for these no bake recipes for kids, to plan ahead for our weekend gymnastics and soccer outings.
Healthy no cook snacks work well for nearly every population!
Consider them as healthy snacks for athletes, go-to options for busy professionals, a healthy homemade toddler snack and even as fuel for non refrigerated healthy road trip snacks.
Why You’ll Love These No Bake Recipes for Kids
Don’t get me wrong – I love a good muffin when there’s time – these kid friendly muffins are our jam.
But, time is usually limited, so there are so many reasons to love these healthy no cook snacks!
- You don’t need an oven – These are great for the warmer months, and when you don’t want to wait for the oven to pre-heat!
- You control the ingredients – Do you want them sweeter or less sweet? You control what you add in. Great for allergens, too!
- Ready in minutes – Self-explanatory, I believe! Many of these easy no bake recipes with few ingredients come together in minutes. Some require a little more prep.
- Rely on pantry staples – Use up those budget-friendly pantry staples!
- Great for kids and adults – While no bake recipes can be fun for kids (they can help!), let’s be honest and state that these are just as great for adults.
- Great for prepping ahead of time – Prepping for weekend games or practices? Easy no bake snacks for the busy workday? Many of these also double as a way to meal prep oats, too!
- Younger kids, teens and older kids too! So many no bake healthy recipes rely on pantry staples, so many of these come in handy as college meal prep recipes!
- Easy to freeze – I love making extra servings when I have the time to just freeze for later. My kids love them too, because then they have an easy addition to their lunch.
- Adaptable – Many of these recipes are adaptable and can be made gluten-free, dairy-free, or completely vegan. This makes it easier for you to prep something that could be suitable for the whole family.
Part of parenthood (and really, any busy adult) is simplification. As I’ve aged, I’ve realized I pay more for and put more value on convenience.
There is nothing more precious than time, and as a mom with three littles, I really don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen right now.
I love baking, but no bake snacks really have the edge when little ones are always needing you.
Did I mention that many of these no bake recipes for kids are actually great examples of healthy snacks while breastfeeding and nourishing postpartum snacks?
You can have most of these easy to make snacks without cooking ready with minimal effort and pretty instantaneously.
As previously mentioned, a great thing about no cook snacks is that you can often make them in bulk – I always make extra healthy snacks to freeze when I have a lot of energy so my future self (with not a lot of energy) can reap the benefits.
Making freezable snacks also comes in handy for pregnancy and new parenthood, traveling, post workout snacks and more.
Staple Ingredients in No Cook Snacks
Firstly, these no bake snack recipes are homemade with ingredients you can pronounce and find easily (if you use thrive market, you can order pretty much all my staples to have directly shipped to you).
Secondly, no preservatives are necessary here. What you see is what you get!
So, I like to bring these as no cook recipes for the classroom, or pack them in our favorite snack spinner for trips.
Once you make them, they make for easy fridge snacks to grab and go. Just like my favorite homemade running snacks.
The majority of these no cook snacks for kids have fruits and vegetables included in them which means even when you’re snacking, you’re contributing towards your 5-a-day!
Here are some of the ingredients you’ll want to keep on hand for easy no bake childrens recipes.
- oats
- peanut butter or nut butter – sunflower butter or tahini are allergen-friendly options
- flax seeds
- chia seeds
- hemp seeds
- nuts and seeds
- cinnamon or other spices
- honey
- maple syrup
- canned pumpkin
- cheerios
- raisins or dried fruit
- Coconut sugar or brown sugar (I recommend this coconut sugar from Thrive Market)
- A good protein powder can come in handy, too!
- dates
- garbanzo beans (a staple in our pumpkin spice cookie dough!)
Snacks are actually a great way to add MORE fruits and vegetables to your diet.
Better yet – Kid friendly no cook recipes are great ways to introduce kids to more fruits/veggies or get them in the kitchen, since they can help with most of the steps.
No mixing of raw eggs, no hot things coming out of the oven.
Let them experiment and see what they can create!
No bake healthy snacks for kids for the win.
It can be as easy as letting them help cut carrots and cucumbers into slices for a platter, and serve with ranch dipping sauce or hummus. We love these kids’ knives for such purposes.
Or, incorporating some fun food activities for toddlers when mixing foods or using ingredients.
Packing No Bake Snacks for Travel
The added joy of these no bake snack recipes is that they can be made quickly and easily.
There’s no baking involved (the clue’s in the name!) which means you really can make these in minutes.
If you decide to do a last minute workout or have a long car journey coming up (road trip snacks for kids!), you can whip these together and have them ready in no time for on the go.
Many healthy no bake snacks for kids are small and easily replicated, so you can split them up into smaller containers to transport them wherever you may be off to.
Or, make this healthy homemade trail mix recipe and put it in a stasher bag for road trips, and grab and go options.
I’ll usually make a bunch of diy yogurt pouches, stick them in the freezer for an hour, and then they’ll be perfectly cold for our trip.
We also like to have them as a dessert after a meal, or even pair them with meals depending on what we’re having.
The possibilities for when to have these amazing kid friendly no bake recipes are endless!
Conveniently, a lot of these recipes include very similar ingredients.
This makes simple meal prep a lot easier because you don’t have a shopping list as long as your arm to make something that is meant to be quick & easy!
Easy No Bake Recipes for Kids
These healthy no bake recipes for kids include easy to make snacks without cooking to simplify healthy eating in a busy lifestyle.
No Bake Peanut Butter Cherry Trail Mix Bites are the perfect pre-run or on-the-go snack! Full of flavor, fiber and a hint of sweetness, they are kid friendly, gluten free and vegan.
These lemon protein balls are the perfect, refreshing snack. Made with lemon zest, chia seeds, a blend of coconut flour and oat flour, these lemon coconut protein balls are satisfying and energizing.
Carrot Oatmeal Raisin Bars are a delicious carrot cake bars recipe made with a raisin and date puree, shredded carrots, peanut butter and oats. They make for a family friendly snack any time of year!
This bright hued sweet potato beet smoothie is the best post workout smoothie recipe. Made with mango, beets and sweet potatoes, it's antioxidant rich, and helps replenish and restore your muscles to expedite recovery.
This Orange and Mango Smoothie is the perfect cold and creamy post workout recovery smoothie. Enjoy the taste of the healthy creamsicle shake!
These pumpkin peanut butter balls are the perfect snack for fall or any time of year! Filled with oats, honey, pumpkin, peanut butter and flax seeds, these pumpkin oat balls are full of flavor, fiber and healthy fats too.
This Strawberry Banana Smoothie Bowl recipe is a deliciously creamy snack, or can even be made into a meal with your favorite toppings.
This edible pumpkin cookie dough is hard to resist! Made with just a handful of pantry staples, you'll have the best pumpkin spice cookie dough for fall.
These diy yogurt pouches will save you money and are SUPER easy and quick to make! Great for the whole family and can be catered to individual dietary preferences, homemade yogurt pouches are the way to go!
This cantaloupe mango smoothie is great for kids. Make it in minutes with just 5 simple ingredients.
These oatmeal bites for baby are sweetener free, and a great way to offer protein, healthy fats, and micronutrients, like iron, to your little ones.
Cookie dough overnight oats are a healthy and delicious to your sweet tooth in the mornings. Overnight cookie dough oats can be made in advance and ready to take on the go or enjoy at home.
These creamy coconut popsicles are the perfect combination of summer, boasting tropical flavors of coconut and pina colada. Pineapple coconut popsicles are naturally sweetened with pineapples, coconut cream and sweet potato.
This chocolate cashew butter will become a family friendly, made with only 3 ingredients and ready in minutes!
Pumpkin no bake cookies are quick, easy and delicious, made with only 8 ingredients and can be vegan, dairy and gluten free!
These no bake 5 ingredient peanut butter energy bites are a great on-the-go snack. Made with oats, sweet potatoes, peanut butter, coconut and some spices, these sweet potato bites are everything you'd want in a healthy portable snack.
These chocolate almond balls are easy, incredibly delicious and make for a great snack on the go. A touch of collagen makes these collagen bites a high-protein snack to hold you over.
Frozen cookie dough bites made with sweet potatoes, garbanzo beans, peanut butter and maple syrup are the best homemade cookie dough bites. Just take them out of the freezer and enjoy these no bake cookie dough bites frozen!
Sweet Potato Vegan Edible Cookie Dough is the perfect appetizer for your sweet tooth. This vegan cookie dough recipe is made with natural ingredients and goes perfectly with fruit, chocolate and graham crackers, making it one of the best healthy vegan desserts!
These vegan trail mix bars are great for athletes on the go, as a pre or post workout snack. Made with oats, maple syrup, peanut butter and nuts, raisins, and hemp seeds, these wholesome vegan trail mix bars are easy make ahead snacks!
These Chocolate Peanut Butter Coconut Balls are a healthy snack or dessert option. Made with coconut flour, oats, chocolate and peanut butter, these chocolate coconut balls are gluten-free, full of fiber, protein and flavor.
Chocolate Pomegranate Energy Balls are the perfect high-fiber on-the-go snack, naturally sweetened with dates. Not only are they full of antioxidants, but these nut free protein balls are gluten-free and can be made vegan.
Here's how to make the easiest and best homemade trail mix. This diy trail mix is super simple, delicious and a great portable snack option!
Cherry Chocolate Coconut Milk Chia Pudding is a great way to use those summer cherries. Great as a breakfast, snack or dessert, this coconut chia seed pudding recipe with cherries and chocolate is an easy vegan dessert. Add whipped cream if you'd like!
This Peanut Butter Coffee Smoothie is an easy, delicious coffee protein smoothie with a kick of caffeine. Enjoy it with breakfast or as an energizing snack!
Banana chia pudding is like a healthy banana pudding in a glass, filled with nourishing ingredients like bananas, chia seeds, milk and shredded coconut.
Chocolate Coconut Cream Pudding is a creamy, decadent, dairy free pudding treat to quench your sweet tooth with only 3 ingredients!
Cinnamon peanut butter is a creamy, tasty peanut butter made in your own kitchen with only natural ingredients! If you've never tried peanut butter and cinnamon together, you're in for a real treat!
Sarah Schlichter is a Registered Dietitian with a Master’s in Public Health Nutrition. As a mom of 3, she specializes in family nutrition, sports nutrition and intuitive eating. She also co-hosts the podcast, Managing Mealtime Madness. Learn More About Sarah
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