Fun & Tasty Christmas Food Ideas for Kids

Looking forward to some fabulous holiday meals at Christmastime parties and family gatherings? You might already know exactly what you want to serve for your special meal, or you can have fun searching online for Christmas food ideas. 

If you need to plan meals or parties for children, you might wonder—what do kids eat for Christmas? Kids can be picky eaters, but you can bring all the joys of the season into Christmas foods your children will love to eat. 

Tips for choosing Christmas foods for kids

When in doubt, keep these tips in mind to make your Christmas foods a little more kid-friendly:

• Christmas-themed cookie cutters are a lifesaver during the holidays because almost any food can be made into something magical. 
• Think finger foods, especially if you need Christmas food ideas for toddlers. 
• Fruits and veggies will bring big smiles if they’re decorated for the holidays. 
• Keep icing tubes, candy melts, or canned frosting on hand to decorate everyday foods that will please even the pickiest eaters.

Snack time Christmas food ideas for kids 

All it takes is a little imagination to turn snacks into kid-friendly treats that look like reindeer, snowmen, or elf hats. 

1. Christmas tree brownies 

This snack is so easy to make. Simply cut a pan of brownies into triangles instead of squares, and decorate as you like. Use round candies, sprinkles, sugar glitter, or tubes of icing to decorate the trees.

2. Bugle and Santa and elf hats

Bugles corn snacks are perfectly shaped like Santa and elf hats, and they’re very easy to decorate. Mix up some icing using confectioners sugar and just a bit of milk, and add food coloring if you like. Decorate the rim of the hat with icing and sprinkles, or dip the whole chip into red or green icing.

3. Pretzel reindeer cookies

Cut mini pretzels in half to make antlers and slide them into a sandwich cookie for the reindeer’s face. Use candy eyes, icing, or round candies to finish up this easy treat.

4. Christmas tree Rice Krispies treats

This familiar recipe also makes great Christmas treats for kids. Cut homemade or store-bought Rice Krispies treats into triangles to make Christmas trees.

5. Snowman popcorn balls

Stack a couple of popcorn balls to make a snowman. Pour heated corn syrup and sugar over a bowl of popped popcorn, and shape it into balls for a fun treat for the kids.

Make Christmas mealtime fun and festive for children

With all the snacking going on during the holidays, it might be hard to convince the kids to eat a regular meal. But it’s easy to serve up Christmas fun at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

1. Christmas tree pizzas

Refrigerated pizza dough can be shaped into anything you want, and Christmas trees are easy to create. Top with sauce and cheese, and use the kiddos’ favorite toppings as ornaments.

2. Santa Claus pancakes

Top a plated pancake with strawberries piled into the shape of a Santa hat, and use banana slices, marshmallows, or canned whipped cream to make a beard. Cut pieces of fruit to make a face for a super fun breakfast that gets the kids in the holiday mood.

3. Christmas tree pinwheels

Use green tortillas or wraps made with spinach and herbs to make your favorite pinwheels recipe. After rolling them up, pinch them into triangles for fun Christmas food that’s also a quick and easy lunch.

4. Cookie cutter sandwiches

Cut sandwich bread, lunch meat, and cheese with Christmas-shaped cookie cutters for fun sandwiches that don’t take much effort.

5. Holiday spirit crackers and cheese

Use smaller cookie cutters or candy molds to cut cheese or meat slices to serve with crackers. 

Keep those Christmas food traditions going for kids

Many traditional Christmas foods are great for kids, and they won’t turn up their noses at these snacks.

1. Gingerbread men

Kids love decorating gingerbread men. A cookie cutter and your favorite cookie recipe get the fun started. 

2. Gingerbread house

For a fun project with the kids, choose a gingerbread house kit with all the decorations you need.

3. Jelly molds, whips, and salads 

You can use your favorite family recipe, or simply mix whipped cream and fruit into your children’s favorite Jellly flavor.

4. Cornflake wreaths

Melt some marshmallows and a little bit of butter, and add green food coloring to make these holiday treats. Stir in cornflakes and shape them into wreaths with red candies for berries.

5. Chex cereal snack mix

Make your favorite cereal mix recipe, or if time is short, add some bagged cereal mix to your grocery shopping list. Add popcorn or holiday-colored M&M’s to the mix to make it a special holiday treat.

Healthier choices for holiday snacks for kids

With candy and sweet treats everywhere during the holidays, you might be looking for some healthier Christmas food ideas for kids. Fruits and vegetables can transform into holiday magic too.

1. Fruit kebab Santas

Use toothpicks or kebab sticks to put a strawberry “hat” with banana slice trimming on a grape. Serve with other fruits and veggies any time the kids are hungry.  

2. Veggie Christmas tree

Arrange rows of broccoli and cherry tomatoes into the shape of a Christmas tree. 

3. Snowman string cheese

Use a magic marker to draw a face on the string cheese wrapper. A ribbon or paper bow works for a scarf, and a paper hat dresses up a smiling snowman.

4. Chocolate dipped fruit

To make a holiday fruit plate more festive, dip some fruit slices and chunks into melted candy wafers or chocolate chips. 

5. Pita Christmas trees

Cut pitas into triangles to dip into hummus, or if your kids like avocado, spread them with guacamole.

Christmas food ideas kids will love

With these fun Christmas food ideas for kids, your little ones will be smiling even as they wait impatiently for Santa to come. Make it easy on yourself by ordering groceries through Instacart, and a professional shopper will check off your list for you and deliver everything right to your door. 

Grab it now on Instacart:

Over The Top Icing Tube Rosy Red (4 oz)

Bugles Crispy Corn Snacks, Original Flavor, Family Size Snack Bag (14.5 oz)

Snyder's of Hanover Mini Pretzels (1.5 oz)

Rice Krispies Treats Homestyle Crispy Marshmallow Squares, Kids Snacks, Cereal Bars, Original (1.16 oz)

Karo Corn Syrup, Light, with Real Vanilla (16 oz)

Pillsbury Classic Refrigerated Pizza Crust (13.8 oz)

Mission Wraps Garden Spinach Herb Tortillas (6 ct)

Great Gatherings Stainless Steel Christmas Cookie Cutters Set (each)

Create a Treat Gingerbread House Kit (1 each)

Jell-O Strawberry Gelatin Dessert Mix (6 oz)

McCormick® Assorted Food Color & Egg Dye (1 fl oz)

Chex Mix Snack Mix, Savory, Traditional, Family Size (15 oz)

Wilton White Candy Melts Candy, 12 oz. (0.82 lb)

Wholly Guacamole Chunky Bowl (15 oz)

Instacart

Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with more than 1,400 national, regional, and local retail banners to deliver from more than 80,000 stores across more than 14,000 cities in North America. To read more Instacart posts, you can browse the company blog or search by keyword using the search bar at the top of the page.