Fussy eater toddler? 15 foods you can effortlessly sneak vegetables into 2023 updated

Fussy eater toddler
  • Save

As someone who has had a fussy eater toddler from the get go, I know all too well how stressful – and sometimes downright ludicrous – getting a fussy eater to actually eat can be. Right from the early days I found myself road testing practically every strategy to get my daughter to eat – from dinner time puppet shows, to banging wildly on a wind chime in the garden just to sneak a mouthful in, and blending the life out of any vegetable I could get my hands on –  plus a myriad of other crazy coo coo antics just to make sure she was eating something…ANYTHING nutritious.

Fussy eating through the early years

Fast forward through those painful toddler and preschooler days, although there has definitely been an improvement on the fussy eating front,  we still experience more than our fair share of food prodding, turning up of the nose at and flat out denial of many foods, as I look on to other children who are quite happily filling their face with whatever happens to be on their plate. Sigh.

There is nothing more excruciating than trying to get a fussy eater to eat vegetables. And having almost four years of experience on the picky eating front it’s given me plenty of time to experiment with foods you can sneak vegetables into. Here I’ve put together some of my favourite foods you can get cunning with – good luck with the experimenting! Remember it can take around 20 times for your fussy toddler to get aquainted and potentially like a food. If you are trying any of the below for the first time be sure to mix them up with foods you toddler knows and likes and if they don’t like something wait a few days before trying again.

Fussy eater toddler? 15 foods you can effortlessly sneak vegetables into

Omelette

….some of my faves here include super finely chopped spinach, or grated carrot or courgette – egg really can be the master of disguise! Perfect for a hearty breakfast of light lunch.

Pancakes

…yup! These are amazing deceivers…you can make sweet potato pancakes, carrot pancakes, pumpkin pancakes and even get away with spinach so long as you give the veg a good blitz with the blender first! Take a look at some of my fave pancake combos here.

Rice

Rice just doesn’t have to be rice. Winners to add in to rice whilst cooking include grated carrot, courgette, cubes of pumpkin which can be mashed in later and I’ve even been known to add beetroot puree in on occasion!

Breakfast bread

Combined with bananas it’s amazing what you can fool with this baby. My recent experiment of banana, courgette and aubergine (yes really!) breakfast bread went down a storm.

Pasta sauce

This one is a no brainer, but honestly, if you’re not already sneaking veggies into this then what a missed opportunity. Be sure to blend it up thoroughly for a powered up family dinner.

Meatballs & burgers

So long as it’s shredded there’s lots you can get away with inside a meatball or burger mix – sweet potato, courgette, carrot and parsnip just for starters….

Brownies

Beetroot, aubergine, avocado and sweet potato all make really good bases for smoodgy brownies! If you’re shy start off with sweet potato brownies as these are hard to get wrong.

Noodles

Ok I think expecting kids to eat spiralized veggie noodles on their own is probably a bit far fetched but have some noodle-fied vegetables mixed in WITH the noodles, now we’re talking! Lots of different options to play with here.

Mash

Mash doesn’t have to be plain old white potatoes, mix it in with super soft carrots, cauliflower, sweet potato or pumpkin.

Quesidillas

There is something about the smoodgy factor of quesidillas which means you can sneak in veggies where otherwise there is no way they would pass their lips – mashed avocado and shredded spinach pass off without a flinch!

Crisps

Ok this is not so much sneaking but making them seem like something they are not. Home baked root vegetable crisps with some sweet potato, courgette or parsnip is a cunning way to fool them into eating healthy crisps.

Pizza

So long as the veg is hidden under their favourite topping, this will usually be enough so fool most fussy eaters so long as the consistency is right (read blended or very finely shredded)

Mince

Classic spag bol is the perfect rouse to get a load of veggies into little and for super fussy ones it can be part blended with a hand blender so disguise. Think courgettes, carrots, aubergines and anything else you might throw into a spag bol!

Pudding

No we’re not talking insanely bad for your puddings but if there is only one way I have managed to get my whole family to eat avocado no questions asked it’s in this chocolate avocado pudding!

Porridge

Forget blah! porridge introducing yummy porridge made with pumpkin or sweet potato puree….goes down a treat with a good dash of cinnamon and a drizzle of honey in the morning!

Have you tried any of the above to sneak veggies into your resident picky eater/s? What other ideas do you have to suggest? Do leave a comment below and share.

The secret to beating fussy eating in children: eating meals together

I have to admit now, this did take a bit of orchestration on our part to make it happen and this is definitely a tough one to pull out of the bag in this modern day parent juggle when so often once you get work and getting back from work into the mix, having dinner together can feel like a pipedream.

So how to make it happen? Well, it may mean fiddling around with meal times, or focusing more on eating breakfast together as opposed to dinner, or perhaps making it all about family meals at the weekend. It might mean that only one parent sits down to have the family dinner, but that you have to eat your dinner at the ludicrously early time of 5.30pm rather than plonking their tea down for them to eat while you get on with the chores. But whichever way you can spin it, family meals together can be a game-changer when it comes to minimising – and perhaps one day – ending the fussy eating dramas.

Why family meals are great at combatting toddler fussy eating

There are a few reasons why eating family meals together in whatever way we can has worked for us:

  • Leading by example – although they may be reluctant at the outset, children learn by modelling and repeated behaviour. So while they might throw an epic wobbly at the prospect of eating something new for the first time, over time they will eventually see everyone eating a wide variety of foods and will accept it as their new normal…even if it means they only try it once and spit it out with disgust twenty times before they finally accept it – that is still huge progress compared to flat out stonewalling it in my book!
  • Communication  – family meal times give you a chance to actually talk about the food on your plate and nutrition. What is it? Where does it come from? Why is it good for you? It’s also a great time for your child to talk about their day whatever age they might be….which in itself is actually the perfect  natural distraction for any fussy eater!
  • Re-connecting – family meal times give you a better shot of making the whole eating process a happy time where you can catch up on your day rather than a stressful experience about what they are or are not eating. It becomes more than just about food. A child eating in isolation to help minimize the fussy eating drama might sound like a good idea at the time, but it might actually feel more like punishment because essentially they are losing out on the chance to reconnect with their family over a meal.

Make it right for your family

I have to stress now, that all of this has to be realistic. What a family meal means to one family might not be the same to another family so it’s very much about what works for you. It doesn’t have to be everyone sitting down perfectly with tip top table manners (because that certainly doesn’t ever happen in our house!). But it’s more the getting together of everyone at the table, at the same time, in a relaxed way as possible that takes the pressure off the fussy eater in question and hopefully diffuses the power struggles (it’s easier to ignore any fussy eating behaviour while there are other dynamics going on as opposed to when they are the sole dynamic – gah!).

That being said, making it right for your family doesn’t mean making it right for EVERYONE in your family and by that I mean, avoid making multiple meals to serve at the same time which not only will make your head absolutely explode over time, but will also just reinforce the fussiness. Yup, offering alternatives when the rest of the family are just getting on with it is a super slipperly slope and will basically negate any benefits derived from having your meal together.

Picture credit: Designed by Freepik

46 comments

  1. Lots of great ideas – my daughter loves vegetables anyway, but I make a lot of vegetable muffins and sauces packed with them 🙂

  2. I love the idea of breakfast bread! I’m always sneaking veg into pasta sauce. My little one is 9 months old and doesn’t really like sticks of vegetables so I’m all for cutting them up small and hiding them.

  3. Luckily my boy isn’t a fussy eater but I totally totally get this. Well until they get wise to it lol. But seriously there is nothing you have missed out here. What great tips

  4. I love these! I am lucky that I don’t have a fussy eater but I do have two dustbins in this house that go through tons of food so veggies are a great way to bulk things out and fill them up!

  5. I love these ideas! Especially the idea of an omelette. I haven’t thought about that one before. I also sneak veggies into smoothies!! She loves smoothies but wouldn’t eat some of the things I put in them alone. x

  6. Will definitely be trying the breakfast bread! Our go-to dish for extra veg is lasagne, we chuck loads in there, so perhaps not very authentic but still delicious! #CoolMumClub

  7. My kids are great with veg (husband not so much!) so I never need to sneak as such. But, I pack all of my meals with as much as possible! Great ideas. #coolmumclub

  8. Oh some of these are GENIUS! Breakfast bread. Need to try immediately! #coolmumclub

  9. I struggle to get veg in my youngest so hiding it is the best option. Some fab ideas X #coolmumclub

  10. Amazing ideas here..I want to try them all! I sneak veg into pasta sauce but that’s about as far as I’ve got xx #coolmumclub

  11. Some great ideas! Sometimes I find my daughters will eat raw slices of veggies as snacks, even if they would reject the cooked versions at dinner time (maybe it depends how hungry they are!). #coolmumclub

  12. Love a good chocolate and beetroot cake but I’ve never tried it in a brownie before- can’t wait til the beers are ready then I know what I’ll be making! #coolmumclub

  13. Oh my word how have I never tried any of these tricks with the mouse? She loves a tomato sauce, and a meatball, and a pizza…this is my mission for next week! I’m on it! Thanks hun!

    Pinned all over the #coolmumclub cooks board for future reference 😉

  14. Jelly is also another good one. I have been known to give Cygnet lime jelly with broccoli suspended in it. Seems to work. Pen x #coolmumclub

  15. I’m really luck t that both mine love veg, but I do still have to hide some bits… I’d never considered brownies though, what a great idea!!! #coolmumclub

  16. Some really good ideas here! My son has sensory sensitivities which means I need to make most of what he eats crunchy which limits some of my options. But this list is awesome for kids who don’t mind as much about the texture of their food!

  17. LOTS of great ideas here. I regularly use the mince option, but it’s not always easy. My kids can spot a carrot or pea from the dining table before I even dish up in the kitchen. It’s exhausting but I’ve just about given up. They eat a huge amount of fruit so if they don’t want veggies, I’m pretty sure they’re getting a good deal of healthy nutrients in their diet via the fruit.
    #coolmumclub

  18. Great tips, my youngest is such a fussy eater. Mind you, you son was too and he now eats almost anything so there is hope. Beetroot brownies are a big hit, may have to try those sweet potato ones next x
    #Coolmumclub

  19. I hadn’t had a clue about loads of these – what a really useful guide! #coolmumclub

  20. The Tubblet can spot a vegetable at 200 paces, however finely it’s chopped or blitzed. I have no clue how as she can’t find her bus pass when it’s in front of her!

  21. Love these ideas, would never have thought of the breakfast bread or the brownies ones. Im really lucky as at the moment at least my toddler just pretty much will eat anything. it might not last though so will keep these in mind!

  22. shephards pie and spag bol was the only way as a kid that i’d eat vegetables so im a lover of mince hiding the veg. Luckily, Ben seems to love everything right now so food is easy… but its still very new to him! #coolmumclub

  23. This is a fantastic post, even though my son is six I have to sneak vegetables into his (excluding broccoli) food. I love the idea of grated carrot in omelette, and sweet potato pancakes. I love banana bread but can’t convince my son to eat it! I am going to start pureeing more foods and adding them #coolmumclub xx

  24. I first heard about stuff like this years ago when Jerry Seinfeld’s wife got slated for copying another’s woman’s idea and bringing out a book with recipes like this. But OMG banana and aubergine and chocolate avocado what the what?! Intrigued!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.