Her favorite word might be “no,” but that won’t stop you from putting a nutritious breakfast in your two-year-old’s belly every morning (even if she only takes a few bites and most of it ends up on the floor). Luckily, these 22 toddler breakfast ideas are picky eater-approved and they aren’t Cheerios—a win-win, if you ask us. Read on for some of our favorite simple meals, like French toast sticks, bacon-wrapped eggs and skillet blueberry cornbread.
22 Toddler Breakfast Ideas That Are Picky Eater-Approved
From French toast sticks to bacon-wrapped eggs
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Published Mar 20, 2024
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
1. Baked Pancakes with Peaches and Strawberries
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Fact: No one is immune to the appeal of pancakes, even persnickety toddlers. These require zero flipping, thanks to your handy sheet pan. Feel free to add any lingering fruit you want, like bananas or blueberries.
- Time Commitment: 2 hours and 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: make ahead, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Slather them in butter and grape jelly, then watch them disappear in seconds. (Just make sure you have napkins nearby.) You'll need to bust out your stand mixer for this one, but we promise this toddler breakfast idea is worth the effort.
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, make ahead, kid-friendly
Complete with honey-vanilla syrup for dunking. This finger food is the ideal size for small hands to hold, and they also travel like a charm in case you want to pack the leftovers for lunch. Just don’t be surprised when you sneak a few for yourself.
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, keto-friendly, low carb
Bacon makes any meal irresistible—and these portable egg cups are proof. The strips render to a crisp while the eggs cook to perfection in a mess-free muffin tin. Ingenious.
5. Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, beginner-friendly
You don’t even have to tell them there’s zucchini snuck in there—they won’t suspect a thing. Not only does the shredded veggie add bulk to this toddler breakfast idea, but it also offers plenty of moisture to the muffins.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, no cook
It’s creamy, dreamy and ever-so-slightly spicy—but if your kid won’t touch ginger, you can reduce the amount or leave it out entirely. Sub agave for honey to make this dairy-free smoothie vegan.
7. Pancake Tacos with Cheese and Bacon
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
Start ’em on taco Tuesday as early as possible, right? You can make the pancakes in advance to reheat on busy mornings as needed (or to make the recipe even more low-lift, use store-bought frozen pancakes and skip the batter altogether).
8. Skillet Blueberry Cornbread
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
You’ll love that it’s packed with nutritious blueberries and comes together in a single skillet. Your toddler will love that it’s crumbly, sweet and topped with brown sugar streusel. Everybody's happy.
9. Paleo Almond Butter Blender Muffins
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, make ahead, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
Unlike most muffin recipes, this one is low in sugar and packed with protein, but it still calls for blueberries and chopped chocolate for good measure. This toddler breakfast idea also only requires, like, five minutes of prep, in case you weren’t already sold.
10. Savory Chicken Sausage, Egg and Cheese Muffins
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, keto-friendly, low carb, crowd-pleaser
These healthy egg muffins can be made the night before and stashed in the fridge, then reheated the next morning. Breakfast tantrum, avoided. (Thanks, Coterie member Monique Volz.)
11. Slow Cooker Mediterranean Frittata
- Time Commitment: 3 hours and 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, crowd-pleaser, vegetarian, <10 ingredients
We’re partial to goat cheese, arugula and red peppers, but you can use whatever veggies your kid likes—er, tolerates. Substitute mozzarella cheese for a milder flavor (or, when in doubt, add bacon).
12. Mini Potato and Carrot Quiche Cups
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, <10 ingredients
A sneaky way to get your kid to eat vegetables? We'll bite. Go all in on this easy, healthy toddler breakfast idea, courtesy of Coterie member Ali Maffucci. Between the spuds and cheddar cheese, your tot won't even notice the carrots.
13. Breakfast Quesadilla with Soft Scrambled Eggs and Avocado Salsa
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, high protein, make ahead
Aside from the obvious perks (bacon, eggs and cheese in a portable tortilla package), this dish is also surprisingly freezer-friendly—swoon. If your kid doesn't want the avocado salsa, try pico de gallo or sour cream in its place (and skip the chiles if they're sensitive to spice).
14. Petite Vegetable Frittatas
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
It's official: Put anything in a muffin tin and it'll get instant toddler approval. (Good looking out, Coterie member Gaby Dalkin.) The recipe calls for bell peppers, zucchini, onion and chives, but feel free to modify as needed for your picky eater.
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, make ahead, beginner-friendly
One bite, and they might never ask for Cheerios again. Chia seeds offer plenty of crunch and fiber, while brown sugar, honey, mini chocolate chips, dried cranberries and raisins keep the granola bars just sweet enough.
16. Spinach Goat Cheese Mini Quiches
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, beginner-friendly, gluten free
Prep these quiches ahead of time and store them in the freezer so you have a ready-to-eat toddler breakfast idea for the little ones when you're pressed for time. The savory almond meal crust makes them gluten free to boot.
17. Peanut Butter Apple Cinnamon Sushi Rolls
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, no cook, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
His two favorite foods in one fun-to-eat package. You can substitute jelly or maple syrup for honey if your little one would prefer (or Nutella, if you're feeling extra indulgent).
18. Croque Madame Toastie Cups
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
Just think of them as bite-size grilled ham-and-cheese sandwiches with a runny egg in the center. (Who knows? Maybe after this French-inspired feast, your kiddos will give escargot a try...OK, maybe not.)
19. Pesto Roasted Veggie Breakfast Burritos
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, high protein, vegetarian
This toddler breakfast idea is about to deliver a generous helping of fresh produce (broccoli! mushrooms! potatoes!) without your kid even realizing it. Make a bunch of these handhelds in advance and store them in the freezer for easy reheating.
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, vegetarian, kid-friendly
Top this toddler breakfast idea with a drizzle of maple syrup and fresh berries to entice them enough to sit down for their morning meal. You can also go the route of chocolate, whipped cream or nut butter if they'd prefer.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Toaster pastries have nothing on you. Instead of starting with a cookie crust, as many fruit "pizzas" do, this one uses whole-wheat pita instead. Cream cheese offers the contrast of tang and salt to all the sweet toppings, but you can swap in your toddler's favorite yogurt too.
22. Spiralized Broccoli and Cheddar Egg Muffins
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, keto-friendly, low carb, beginner-friendly
Think of these gluten-free gems as savory, eggy doughnuts. They're just as easy to eat—and ten times as easy to make, if we do say so ourselves. Serve them to your kid with ketchup or salsa (and have yours with hot sauce).
