recipes for kids

A quick and easy way to make this takeaway favourite in the microwave.

Watch the video for three easy microwave meal ideas. Get the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/microwave_carrot_and_74360">carrot and ginger rice recipe here </a> or find the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/microwave_jambalaya_72083">microwave chicken and chorizo jambalaya recipe here.</a>

Microwave egg ‘fried’ rice 

grams/4½oz rice

spring onion, finely chopped

peas

tsp reduced salt soy sauce

free-range egg

coriander

salt and black pepper

Cook jambalaya, carrot and ginger rice and egg 'fried' rice in the microwave.

Three microwave rice dinners

Use this simple buttercream icing recipe to decorate your birthday cakes, cupcakes and sandwich biscuits. Try adding a little food colouring gel for a splash of colour to your butter icing.

Basic buttercream icing

140 grams/5 ounces butter, softened

icing sugar

milk

vanilla extract

food colouring

cocoa powder

grams/2½oz milk or dark chocolate, melted

Don't let your cupcakes go unadorned! Our video shows you how to make buttercream 3 ways.

How to make buttercream icing

Quesadillas are just flattened, fried wraps. It is without question the best option when you need dinner in an instant. This quesadilla recipe uses black beans and cheese, and are served with an avocado side salad.

Spicy black bean quesadilla

½ tsp ground cumin

oregano

tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)

spring onions, trimmed, sliced

red pepper, chopped

cheddar, grated

x 25cm/10in flour tortillas

garlic clove, peeled,

vegetable oil

peeled,

lime, juice only,

salt

pumpkin

Veggie sausage rolls are easy to make and ideal for serving at a party or keeping in the fridge for a festive treat. These are packed with savoury cheesy stuffing and cranberries.

Veggie Sausage Rolls

175 grams/6 ounces crustless day-old wholemeal bread, torn into pieces

butter,

leeks (150 grams/5½oz trimmed weight), thinly sliced

sage leaves, finely chopped

thyme leaves

free-range eggs, 1 beaten for egg wash

120 grams/4 ounces Parmesan (or alternative vegetarian hard cheese), grated

grams/3½oz manchego (or alternative vegetarian hard cheese), grated

500 grams/1lb 2 ounces pack all-butter puff pastry

tsp plain flour,

grams/1¾oz cranberries

Veggie sausage rolls

This easy gingerbread  recipe is great for baking with children, and it makes a lovely homemade Christmas present. Make gingerbread men or any other shape!

Each serving provides 161 kcal, 2g protein, 25g carbohydrates (of which 11.5g sugars), 6g fat (of which 3.5g saturates), 0.7g fibre and 0.3g salt.

Gingerbread Men

350 grams/12 ounces plain flour, plus extra for rolling out

tsp bicarbonate of soda

ginger

cinnamon

grams/4½oz butter

brown sugar

golden syrup

writing icing (optional)

cake decorations (optional)

Gingerbread men

Learn how to make cheese sauce with this easy recipe. Great for cauliflower cheese, fish pies, mac and cheese and pasta.

Each serving provides 216 kcal, 9g protein, 9g carbohydrates (of which 4.5g sugars), 16g fat (of which 10g saturates), 0g fibre and 0.8g salt.

Cheese Sauce

butter

flour

400–500 milliliters/14–18fl oz milk

80 grams/3 ounces cheese, grated (e.g. mature cheddar, gruyère)

salt and white pepper

Cheese sauce

Learn how to make a white sauce with this video technique.

How to make white sauce

This quick and easy chicken curry is creamy, full of flavour and takes less than half an hour! 

Each serving provides 232 kcal, 25g protein, 6.5g carbohydrates (of which 4g sugars), 11g fat (of which 3g saturates), 3g fibre and 0.6g salt.

Easy chicken curry

spring onions

garlic

tomatoes

curry powder

400 grams/14 ounces boneless skinless chicken thigh, cut into 2.5cm/1in pieces

milliliters/3½fl oz Greek-style natural yoghurt, plus extra to serve

salt and pepper

rice

A wonderfully quick and tasty chicken curry from MasterChef Shelina Permalloo.

Simple chicken curry

Keep the kids entertained with this easy basic biscuit recipe. Let their imagination run wild with the icing, sprinkles and decorations!

Basic iced biscuits

grams/3½oz unsalted butter, softened

grams/3½oz caster sugar

egg,

tsp vanilla extract

water

food colourings

These moreish meatballs are super easy to make, top them with a simple tomato sauce and stir in some spaghetti for a quick midweek meal.

Easy spaghetti and meatballs

beef mince

breadcrumbs

herbs

tin chopped tomatoes

tsp caster sugar

150 grams/5½oz spaghetti

Lisa Faulkner shows how to make easy spaghetti and meatballs for a romantic dinner.

Meatballs with tomato sauce

How to make the perfect Welsh cake recipe in four easy steps for a teatime treat. Don't save them for St David's Day, a batch of warm Welsh cakes never went amiss..

Each serving provides 357 kcal, 5g protein, 46g carbohydrates (of which 18g sugars), 16.5g fat (of which 10g saturates), 1.5g fibre and 0.7g salt.

Welsh cakes

caster sugar

sultanas

milk, if needed

With just four ingredients, you can make your own coconut ice at home. They make great edible gifts too! 

You will need a 20cm/8in square baking tin for this recipe.

Coconut ice

397 grams/14 ounces tin condensed milk

325 grams/11½oz icing sugar, sifted

coconut

pink food colouring paste

This hotpot from Eat Well for Less? is an easy way to use up roast chicken leftovers, including gravy, vegetables and roast potatoes. 

Watch the video for three ways to use up leftover roast chicken. Get the <a href=" https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chinese_sweetcorn_and_18611">Chinese chicken and sweetcorn noodle soup recipe here</a> or find the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/spiced_chicken_fajitas_04270">spiced chicken fajitas recipe here.</a>

Chicken and mustard hot pot 

grams/4½oz leftover roast chicken, torn into strips (darker meat, if possible)

160 grams/5½oz cooked carrots, roughly chopped

onion,

160 grams/5½oz button mushrooms, halved

parsley

tbsp grainy mustard

200 milliliters/7fl oz leftover chicken gravy

300 grams/10½oz leftover roast potatoes,

Priya from Eat Well For Less shares three easy ways to use up leftover roast chicken.

Three ways with leftover roast chicken

The best flapjacks are gooey, chewy and, above all, easy. These fruit-filled treats are great to make with children. You will also need a 20x30cm/8x12in baking tray. 

Easy honey flapjacks

unsalted butter

demerara sugar

honey

400 grams/14 ounces porridge oats

grams/1¾oz nuts, raisins, crystallised ginger or desiccated coconut (optional)

This speedy veggie stir-fry is super easy to make, packed with vegetables and full of flavour. 

Each serving provides 103kcal, 3g protein, 7g carbohydrate (of which 7g sugars), 6g fat (of which 0.7g saturates), 3.5g fibre and 1.4g salt.

Easy vegetable stir-fry

sunflower oil

spring onions,

garlic clove, crushed

fresh root ginger,

carrot,

red pepper,

grams/3½oz baby sweetcorn, halved

courgette,

150 grams/5½oz sugar-snap peas

hoisin sauce

tbsp low-salt soy sauce

Banana cake, aka banana bread, is one of the easiest cakes to make. Ever. This one is plain but it's only a starting point. Add nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chunks, spices too. Check the tip at the bottom of the page to read how.


Easiest ever banana cake

bananas

eggs

100 grams/3½oz soft light brown sugar

150 milliliters/5fl oz sunflower or vegetable oil

275 grams/9¾oz white self-raising flour

tsp ground mixed spice

tsp baking powder

Don't worry if you don't have scales. You can make this easy banana cake in no time.

Classic, chewy and good for your soul, Lorraine Pascale’s flapjacks are simple to make and hard to beat!

Each serving provides 318 kcal, 3.5g protein, 43g carbohydrates (of which 25.5g sugars), 14g fat (of which 8g saturates), 2.5g fibre and 0.1g salt.

Flapjacks

muscovado sugar

350 grams/12 ounces porridge oats

½ unwaxed lemon, finely grated zest only (optional)

ginger (optional)

Find out how to make pancakes the classic way. This recipe is great for sweet or savoury pancakes. Perfect for Pancake Day or just a special breakfast. 

Each serving provides 317 kcal, 12.5g protein, 42g carbohydrates (of which 4g sugars), 10.5g fat (of which 3.5g saturates), 2g fibre and 0.5g salt.

How to make pancakes

350 milliliters/12fl oz milk (or ½ milk

free-range eggs, lightly whisked

tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for frying

Our step-by-step recipe video shows you how to make pancakes.

Try making these easy, buttery shortbread biscuits for an afternoon activity with the kids. This recipe also works with chocolate chips or orange zest added the dough. 

Shortbread

125 grams/4 ounces unsalted butter,

55 grams/2 ounces caster sugar, plus extra to finish

Mary Berry's lemon drizzle traybake cake has been a hit since the 1960s, and this is the recipe she is most asked for when stopped in the street.

Equipment and preparation: for this recipe you will need a 30x23cm/12x9in tray bake tin.

Each serving provides 290 kcal, 4g protein, 38.5g carbohydrates (of which 25g sugars), 13.5g fat (of which 8g saturates), 0.7g fibre and 0.6g salt.

Lemon drizzle traybake cake

level tsp baking powder

free-range eggs

tbsp milk

lemons,

lemon verbena (optional)

sugar

lemons, juice only

Mary Berry makes her lemon verbena drizzle cake.

Lemon Verbena Drizzle Cake

Learn how to make porridge using our foolproof recipe, then experiment with some tasty toppings. Try coconut and dried fruit, decadent chocolate and nut or simple berry and banana. 

How to make porridge 

grams/1¾oz porridge oats

200 milliliters/7fl oz whole milk

caster sugar,

nuts, hazelnuts

chocolate

½ banana, sliced

berries,

½ tsp runny honey (optional)

cranberries

tsp chopped dried apricots

tsp coconut flakes coconut

Follow our fool-proof recipe for how to make the perfect porridge.

How to make porridge

Knickerbocker glory, the dessert of childhood dreams! Very simple to prepare but impressive-looking when assembled, these will be loved by children and adults alike. 

Knickerbocker glory

Top 40 recipes for kids recipes from across the web

The most viewed recipes for kids recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Microwave egg ‘fried’ rice

Basic buttercream icing

Spicy black bean quesadilla

Veggie Sausage Rolls

Gingerbread Men

Cheese Sauce

Easy chicken curry

Basic iced biscuits

Easy spaghetti and meatballs

Welsh cakes

Coconut ice

Chicken and mustard hot pot

Easy honey flapjacks

Easy vegetable stir-fry

Easiest ever banana cake

Flapjacks

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Lemon drizzle traybake cake

How to make porridge

Knickerbocker glory

Blueberry pancakes

Easy chicken noodle soup

Chocolate Easter egg nest cakes

Ham picnic pasta

Raspberry amaretti biscuits

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Bean and rice burrito

Mary Berry's banana bread

Easy sausage rolls

Bechamel Sauce in 5 steps

Pizza on toast

Strawberry ice lolly

Easy peach ice lollies

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Easy chocolate buttercream icing

Egg tortilla pie

Rocky road crunch bars

All-day breakfast frittata

The most viewed recipes for kids recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine