What is a Good Easter Treat for Kids?

The anticipation of the Easter Bunny and a basketful of chocolate eggs make Easter one of the most popular holidays for kids.

But it presents a more complicated time for parents who try to keep healthy eating on track.

Counteract the calories by offering some of our family-friendly and healthy Easter treats which not only taste delicious but are nutritious and easy to make.

They include less refined sugar, more natural ingredients and healthier alternatives – perfect for hopping their way to a spring celebration near you!

Healthy Easter Treats

Bunny pancakes

Flip your way to a healthier Easter with some cute, homemade bunny pancakes for breakfast.

Using eggs, flour and milk make up a pancake batter and add halved blueberries and mashed banana to add a delicious fruity flavour.

Heat a frying pan and add a ladle of batter mix for each pancake.

Fry for a minute on each side and get your little helpers to hop into the kitchen to help with flipping!

Cut banana rings to fashion pop-pom tails and use halved strawberries for pointy ears. Use almond flour for a gluten-free option or wholemeal flour for an added fibre boost.

Chocolate Easter nests with a healthy twist

Love making traditional Easter nests with your children but worry about all the refined sugar?

These healthy Easter cookies are made with bananas and oats but still deliver on the Easter excitement thanks to the Cadbury mini eggs on top!

The recipe couldn’t be easier – making it perfect for little ones to join in.

1. Mash 2 bananas and stir in 3 tbsp of honey before incorporating 150g rolled oats and 2 tbsp of cocoa
2. Work it into a dough then divide into evenly-sized balls
3. Place the balls on greaseproof paper and using the back of a teaspoon, gently press down in the centre of each ball to form wells
4. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes
5. Allow to cool before laying your mini eggs on top
6. Enjoy!

Crunchy crudité bunny

Inspired by the Easter bunny, the whole family will love to gnaw on this healthy and gloriously crunchy snack.

Using neatly chopped carrot sticks create the outline of a bunny and fill the shape with colourful sticks of cucumber, pepper and celery as well as halved baby tomatoes.

Sit your bunny on a bed of crunchy lettuce, add olives for the eyes and a cauliflower florette for the tail.

Serve with ‘Easter baskets’ or pots filled with a generous serving of houmous and some baby carrots to inspire some authentic bunny-inspired munching!

It’s the perfect starter for an Easter dinner menu!

Deviled egg chicks

Eggs are a brilliant source of protein, vitamins and minerals as well as being cheap, tasty and easy to cook.

Incorporate them into your Easter spread by adding a seasonal twist to the classic buffet favourite, deviled eggs.

1. Simply hard-boil the required number of eggs.
2. Once cooked, run under cold water and allow to cool.
3. Peel off the shell and chop the egg in half widthways.
4. Gently scoop out the yolk and mix with mayonnaise to form a thick paste.
5. Pipe or spoon the paste back into the egg whites, replacing the white lid on top.
6. Decorate the yellow chick with raisins for eyes, a carrot beak and red pepper ‘claws’ for feet, so the yellow chick appears to burst through the white ‘shell’ of the egg.
7. Sit on a bed of bright green lettuce leaves – and wait for the children to devour the snacks!

Healthy carrot cake

It’s made from carrots, so it must be healthy, right?

Wishful thinking, since it also includes butter and sugar. But there are ways to make this deliciously decadent dessert a little more virtuous, which couldn’t be better timed than at Easter:

• Lighten up your icing topping by mixing low-fat cream cheese with fat-free greek yoghurt. Add maple syrup and vanilla extract to ensure it still packs a punch on the flavour stakes, but being lower in sugar and calories it’s a healthier alternative to the traditional cream cheese frosting.
• Maple syrup is a natural sweetener so incorporate some into your cake mix along with brown sugar. It might not taste overly sweet but it’s seriously delicious.
• Add whole-wheat flour to the recipe to boost the fibre and whole grains in your recipe.

Made with your conscience in mind, this healthy carrot cake delivers a sweet treat that’s so tasty even the kids will fail to detect the healthy twists added along the way!

Hot cross buns

Hot cross buns are a great way to celebrate Easter while avoiding chocolate eggs.

Flavoured with spices and dried fruit they make delicious snacks, whether freshly from the oven or with a generous spread of almond butter after toasting under the grill.

A healthy recipe could include more wholesome ingredients and substitutes such as reduced-fat milk or dairy-free milk, maple syrup instead of sugar, wholemeal or gluten-free flour instead of plain and coconut oil for a totally tropical sweetness that’s irresistible.

Medjool dates, often cited as a superfood, add a sweet, caramel taste and come armed with a raft of health benefits such as lowering your risk of heart disease and improving metabolism.

Serve alongside a platter of fresh fruit or add a naughty twist by painting a dark chocolate cross onto the top of the buns!

Rainbow fruit pizza

This is a showstopper at any spring table and is a healthy Easter treat that will keep the children coming back for more.

It’s essentially a cookie dough base topped with cream cheese frosting and topped with a colourful assortment of fruits. Grapes, kiwi, apples, strawberries, blueberries and mango look stunning together so slice and arrange them carefully.

Glaze with apricot jam to give the pizza an irresistible sheen and serve with a sneaky side dish of whipped cream or melted white chocolate for dunking.

Yoghurt covered strawberries

This healthy Easter treat is fun to make and even better to eat! The vanilla Greek yoghurt brings an added sweetness yet it’s a much healthier alternative to candy or chocolate Easter eggs.

Simply wash the strawberries. Make sure they’re thoroughly dry otherwise the yoghurt won’t stick. Hold the strawberries by the green leaves and dip each one into vanilla Greek yoghurt, leaving a little red at the top.

Lay the dipped strawberries on greaseproof paper and pop them in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Remove and dip them again before returning them to the freezer for 40 minutes to 1 hour.

Once removed from the freezer they’ll start melting quickly so make sure you’re ready to eat them.

And remember, eating approximately seven strawberries counts as one of your five-a-day, so this is one snack the children will gain the health and nutritional benefits of.

Fancy swapping easter eggs for a healthier option this spring?

Try swapping out an easter egg and incorporating one of our healthy treats instead.

We’d love to see your Easter bounty so share photos of your treats and recipes with us on social. As we know, other parents are always looking for fun ideas! Share your Easter treats with us on Instagram or Facebook.

Happy Easter!