Thanksgiving Recipes for Kids: Easy to Make and Eat!

thanksgiving recipes for kids

Thanksgiving is a time for the entire family to do things together, including cooking the feast! Getting the kids involved can be a lot of fun! It can also provide experiences they can use later in life and memories to cherish all around. Of course, the best way to get the kids interested is to let them help cook something they enjoy eating. To help you, below are several easy Thanksgiving recipes for kids. Use them to make some memories this year while you make their favorite food together!

Thanksgiving Starter for Kids: Cheese & Crackers

When the family gathers for Thanksgiving, they will all have one thing in common; ravenous hunger! That means you need something easy and quick they can happily stuff into their empty pie holes! Assorted cheeses, crackers, and grapes fit that bill perfectly. There are many types of crackers, so lots of tasty options. Cheese is a fan favorite any day and comes in many varieties. Lastly, grapes go perfectly with both, adding some much-needed juiciness to the mix.

The best part? Even a 5-year-old can slice soft cheese with a butter knife! Let them arrange the crackers and cheese on a pretty cheese board, and voila; instant Thanksgiving hors d’oeuvres!

  1. Place a nice cheese board or serving plate on the counter.
  2. Open a bag or 2 of crunchy, firm chips.
  3. Slice chunks of cheese with a butter knife.
  4. Remove grapes from their vines.
  5. Arrange everything in a pretty pattern on the cheese board or serving plate.
  6. Serve graciously to all of your favorite friends and relatives.
thanksgiving recipes for kids

Thanksgving Side for Kids: Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are an American tradition when it comes to Thanksgiving recipes for kids, it’s true, although they can sometimes be rather plain. To knock them up a notch, all you need to do is add garlic, a whole egg, and some heavy whipping cream. The combination creates a Thanksgiving treat known as Garlic Mashed Potatoes that the entire family will love! Plus, after the cooking is finished and the potatoes have cooled, the kids can help with the mashing! It’s a mash smash and gets the whole family involved in the holiday cooking.

  1. When boiling your potatoes, boil 5 or 6 large cloves of garlic with them.
  2. Mash the garlic with the potatoes. (To let the kids join in on the fun, let the potatoes cool in a bowl for about 30 minutes before mashing.)
  3. Add 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream.
  4. Add 2 whole eggs.
  5. Mash everything a little bit more.
  6. Enjoy with your turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.
thanksgiving recipes for kids

Finally, a Delicious Dessert: Ice Cream with Fruit

You’d be hard-pressed to find a kid, or an adult, who didn’t enjoy ice cream and fresh fruit. It’s delightfully delicious. It’s also super-easy to make, which is why this is one of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes for kids. All you need is some fruit, a butter knife, and an ice cream scoop. And oh yes, some ice cream! The good news is that there are so many ice cream flavors and different types of fruit. The bad news? Choosing the flavor and fruit you want isn’t always easy!

Depending on the fruit, most kids can easily peel and cut them with a safe butter knife. (Remember to wash it thoroughly before serving.) Then just follow the easy steps below:

  • Take the ice cream out of the freezer to thaw so that scooping is easier.
  • Fill a mug half full with warm water and place your ice cream scoop in the mug to warm up. (It makes scooping so much easier!)
  • Wash the fruit you want to use. (You can use more than one at a time!)
  • Peel any fruit that needs peeling.
  • Cut your fruit into chunks with a butter knife. (Small berries can stay whole.)
  • Scoop one or two (or more!) scoops of ice cream into a bowl.
  • Spoon on some fresh fruit.
  • Top with nuts, chocolate sauce, honey, maple syrup, etc.
  • Serve with a more adult recipe like pumpkin pie.
  • Smile with every bite you eat.
thanksgiving recipes for kids

Thanksgiving Recipes for Kids From iStorage

After the turkey’s been devoured and the pumpkin pie is gone, the only things left are the memories. Those and, of course, all the seasonal stuff you won’t need again until next year. If you’re not sure where to store it all until then, iStorage offers safe, clean storage units. We’ll keep your stuff safe until you’re ready to make some new memories again next year. Plus, we’ll help you store your things safely while sticking to your budget.

We hope you enjoyed these kid-friendly eats to celebrate Turkey Day! If you try out these recipes with your kids, let us know how it goes in the comments below!

Check out more holiday tips & tricks on the iStorage blog:

This post was published on 11/14/2019. It was updated 3/11/2021.