Kids love to snack. Research shows toddlers get more than a quarter of their daily energy intake from snacks alone. But if you’ve got a picky eater on your hands, finding snacks they’ll actually touch (let alone enjoy) can feel like you're spinning your wheels. A study found that nearly 50% of kids are considered selective eaters. So if snack time feels like a guessing game at your place, you’re definitely not imagining it.

This list of simple snack ideas keeps things easy, tasty, and low-fuss. We’re talking quick options you can whip up with what you’ve already got at home—no Pinterest-worthy presentation needed.

Struggling with Snack-Time? Try These Simple Wins for Picky Eaters!

Finding snacks your picky eater will actually eat and enjoy doesn’t have to be hard. Healthy Parents, Healthy Kids by Dr Nick Fuller is packed with easy snack ideas that are both nutritious and toddler-approved. It’s a helpful guide for turning snack time into something you both look forward to.

Grab your copy of Healthy Parents, Healthy Kids today and make snack time simple, stress-free, and satisfying!

6 Tasty Snacks For Picky Eaters

Snack time doesn’t have to be a standoff. These ideas are simple, tasty, and designed to win over even the fussiest little food critics.

Lamington Bliss Balls

These choc-berry flavoured bliss balls are a fantastic addition to your list of simple snacks for picky eaters. Toddlers will love the sweet taste, and you’ll love that they’re a healthier option when you need to curb those sugar cravings. You can double the batch if you're prepping for a playdate or need a quick homemade gift. Just pop them in the fridge—they’ll keep for up to a week, making snack time a breeze.  

Type: Vegetarian, Vegan, Lactose Free, Snacks

Makes 10-12

Prep Time: 10 minutes + refrigeration 

Cooking Time: 0 minutes

Ingredients

• 15 pitted dates
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon dried cranberries or goji berries, chopped into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon shredded coconut (optional)

Recipe

1. Place the dates in a small bowl and add enough warm water to just cover the dates. Allow to soak for 5 minutes. 
2. Add the soaked dates and a couple of tablespoons of the soaking water to a blender or food processor. Add the oats, cocoa powder and chia seeds and blend to combine. Add a little more water if necessary, to bring the mixture together. The mixture should be thick and does not need to be completely smooth. 
3. Mix in the chopped dried berries into the bliss ball mixture. 
4. Roll heaped teaspoons of the mixture into balls. Place the coconut onto a small plate and roll the bliss balls in the coconut to cover. Refrigerate for an hour or more until firm before serving.

Apple and Cinnamon Muffins

These muffins are stuffed with chunks of apples, which makes them delicious and perfect for picky eaters. If you have apples that have gone a bit soft or bruised, you could use them up in this recipe. Pink lady apples would also work well and make for a slightly sweeter muffin.

Type: Vegetarian, Snacks

Makes 12

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 4-5 green apples, 2 grated and 2-3 chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 cup sultanas
• 1 cup wholemeal self-raising flour
• ½ cup rolled oats, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon bicarb soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• Sprinkle of salt

Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C. 
2. In a medium bowl or jug lightly whisk the eggs. Add in Greek yoghurt, honey, grated and chopped apples and sultanas. Stir to combine.
3. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, rolled oats, baking powder, bicarb soda, cinnamon and a sprinkle of salt. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Gently mix until there are no lumps remaining. Try not to overmix as this will result in tougher muffins.
4. Spoon the mix into a 12-hole non-stick muffin tray, filling each one to the top. Sprinkle the tops with reserved rolled oats. Place into the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes until lightly golden on top. Enjoy!

Lemon Loaf Cake

This loaf cake is a perfect treat to have for morning or afternoon tea on special occasions. Simple and easy to prepare, this is definitely a must have snack for a family with picky eater. 

Type: Vegetarian

Serves 8

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain Greek yoghurt 
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup honey
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 lemons – juiced, plus 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1 ½ cups self-raising wholemeal flour
• ½ teaspoon salt

Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 24 cm loaf tin with baking paper or olive oil spray.
2. In a medium mixing bowl add the yoghurt, eggs, honey, olive oil, lemon juice and lemon rind. Use a whisk to combine. 
3. In another mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. Make a well in the centre and pour in the wet ingredient mix. Use a whisk to slowly incorporate everything together, ensuring there are no lumps. 
4. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for approximately 45 minutes, until slightly golden and cooked through (check the cake is cooked by inserting a wooden skewer into the middle, if it comes out clean then the cake is cooked). 

Tasty Tomato Toasts 

This simple take on bruschetta makes a great snack for picky eaters and works any time of day—breakfast, brunch, or even a light dinner. With fresh flavours and easy-to-love toppings, it’s a fun way to sneak in extra veg without the fuss. 

Type: Vegetarian

Serves 2

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 0

Ingredients

• 4 slices whole grain bread 
• Small punnet mixed baby tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• Few sprigs of parsley
• ½ cup reduced fat cottage cheese
• Sprinkle of salt and pepper

Recipe

1. Roughly slice the tomatoes and place into a small bowl. Add the balsamic vinegar and parsley, then set aside
2. Toast the bread to your liking. Spread the cottage cheese evenly between the slices.
3. Top with the tomato mixture and drizzle any of the remaining balsamic from the bowl over the top of the toasts.
4. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!

Kimchi Pancake

Kimchi is a staple in Korean cuisine and has become a popular pick in the West thanks to the growing buzz around gut health. It’s a fermented dish, usually made with cabbage, chilli, garlic, and ginger, that gets its tangy kick from good bacteria doing their thing during fermentation. These live cultures help support a healthy gut, but it’s not just kimchi doing the heavy lifting. Whole Grains and everyday veg are gut-friendly too, so even if your picky eater isn’t into bold flavours yet, there are plenty of gentle ways to build up their gut health. You can find kimchi in most major supermarkets or Asian grocers.

Type: Lactose free

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 12 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups (400g) kimchi (cabbage variety), chopped
• ½ cup kimchi juice and water (use the juice from the container the kimchi comes in topped up with water)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar (any variety)
• 1 handful beansprouts
• 1 cup (160g) plain or self-raising wholemeal flour
• Olive oil spray 

Recipe

1. Place all the ingredients (except olive oil spray) in a large bowl and mix together well. Add ½ cup (125ml) of water to the bowl and combine. 
2. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and spray with olive oil.
3. Pour half the mixture into the pan and cook for 3 minutes or until the bottom of the pancake sets and is easy to flip. You may start to see bubble appearing on the top raw side of the pancake, which is a sign it is ready to flip. 
4. Flip the pancake over and cook the other side for 3 minutes or until set and lightly golden.
5. Slide the pancake onto a plate and cover to keep warm.
6. Repeat steps 2-4 with the remaining mixture to make a second pancake. Cut each pancake in half to serve four people.

Strawberry Banana Santas

A super cute and easy Christmas time snack. Perfect for children and perfect for festive entertaining. 

Type: Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Kid Friendly 

Makes 12

Prep Time: 10 minutes 

Cooking Time: 0 minutes 

Ingredients

12 medium sized strawberries

1 large banana 

2 tablespoons cottage cheese

24 black sesame seeds

Recipe

1. Slice the stem/leaves off the strawberries to create a flat base for each strawberry. Make another slice parallel to the base, approximately half a centimetre thick. 
2. Slice the banana into 12 slices, approximately half a centimetre thick. 
3. Place the bottom piece of a strawberry onto a plate. Spread with some cottage cheese to create Santa’s beard. Top with one slice of banana, then the remaining piece of strawberry.  
4. Top each strawberry ‘hat’ with a small dollop of cottage cheese. Arrange two black sesame seeds as ‘eyes’ onto the slice of banana. 
5. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to create 12 Santas.
6. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Wrapping Up

Feeding picky eaters doesn’t have to mean cycling through the same three snacks on repeat. With a few simple ideas and a bit of creativity, you can offer options that are both tasty and nutritious—without the mealtime drama. Whether it’s a sweet bliss ball, a fresh take on bruschetta, or even a small taste of something new like kimchi, every snack is a chance to expand their palate (even just a little). Keep things relaxed, offer variety, and let curiosity lead the way.

Stay informed with fresh tips, expert guidance, unique deals, and tailored support!

Click Here

Meet Dr Nick Fuller

My Story

As a father, I know first-hand that raising healthy and happy children is tricky. Children are fussy, particularly at the end of the day when they are shattered. We also live in a society where companies seek to profit from what we feed our kids; incorrect and damaging advice is pushed on us and marketed towards our children, and we have no time.

But with these recipes and resources, you and your children can enjoy simple and well-founded food and lifestyle choices for lifelong health.