‘Tis the season for family, fun, and festivities! Along with these, Christmas is a time for enjoying delicious foods.

We know it’s often a challenge to limit sugary Christmas treats for kids during this time. So, we’ve compiled a selection of healthy Christmas snacks and fun snack ideas that will keep your kids coming back for more:

Fun breakfast ideas

Healthy Christmas snacks for the lunch box

The best Christmas snacks for Christmas day

Healthy foods for a school Christmas party

Naughty but nice Christmas treats

Fun breakfast ideas

Start the day with some Christmas cheer. A healthy breakfast sets kids up with the energy they need for a good day. And, with healthy Christmas snacks, your kids will be in a festive mood all day.

Banana Snowmen

An easy Christmas snack, banana snowmen are a great way to bring the festivities to life for your kids. All you’ll need for these is some skewers, a banana, a quarter of a carrot, a handful of raisins or currants, some strawberries, and some green grapes.

Start by slicing the fruits. The bananas will need to be sliced into 1 to 1 1/2 cm pieces, and the strawberries and grapes can be cut in half. The carrot will simply need to be peeled and cut into little triangles.

Now, all that’s left is to assemble the snowmen. Slide 3 slices of banana onto each skewer to make up the body of the snowman. Make sure to leave a bit of space at the top of each skewer, where you will add your strawberry and grape halves.

Gently press the carrot into the top banana slice to become a nose and the currants to become eyes and buttons.

Healthy Christmas snacks for the lunch box

Watermelon Christmas trees & festive fruits

A simple but effective way to encourage your kids to enjoy their fruit is to present it in different shapes for the holidays.

The perfect snack for the school lunch box, watermelon Christmas trees can be cut out using a cookie cutter, or by slicing it into a tree shape.

It doesn’t have to stop there, using Christmas cookie cutters, you can make many fruits, such as banana, apple and pear, into stars, holly leaves or snowflakes for the perfect school snack.

The best Christmas snacks for Christmas day

While Christmas lunch or dinner is the highlight of the day, healthy Christmas snacks for kids are a great way to keep kids energised throughout the day. These healthy snacks make for easy Christmas treats that are more savoury than sweet.

Cucumber Christmas tree

Nothing says ‘Merry Christmas’ like a Christmas tree made from cucumber. Such a great idea for before Christmas dinner, a plate of cucumber Christmas trees looks lovely on the table and is perfect for healthy snacking without ruining dinner.

To make a cucumber Christmas tree, you’ll need a toothpick, cucumber and, if you’d like, a carrot. Use a vegetable peeler to slice long strips of cucumber.

Starting at the smallest end, carefully fold a strip of cucumber back and forth, starting with small folds and getting gradually bigger with each one, until you have created a tree shape.

Then, push a cocktail stick through to skewer them from top to bottom.

If you don’t have a carrot, use a 2 cm piece of cucumber as the trunk of the tree. Alternatively, you can slice the carrot into slices roughly 1cm thick. Save a couple of slices to be the tree trunk and use a mini star cutter to create a star to place at the top of the tree.

Easy Christmas deviled eggs

Another great appetiser with a festive twist, deviled eggs are a good source of protein and these ones use healthy ingredients for their green colour.

For this easy Christmas recipe, you’ll need: 6 hard boiled eggs, an avocado, 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons of yellow mustard, 1 tablespoon of sweet relish and a diced red pepper.

Peel your hard boiled eggs and slice them in half lengthwise. Add the yolks to a bowl and set the whites aside for later. In the bowl, add the other ingredients, mash them all together with a fork and season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the mixture into a piping bag, or a sealable plastic bag, and pipe the mixture onto the egg whites.

Garnish each deviled egg with the diced bell pepper and store them in the fridge until you’re ready to serve them. They’re a little retro, but they’re a great savoury treat for your kids throughout the holidays. Plus, they’re perfect for adults to enjoy at holiday parties too!

Healthy foods for a school Christmas party

Chocolate dipped oranges

A fun snack that will make your kids lick their lips, chocolate-dipped oranges are a healthy option for school Christmas parties. They’re also super simple, and perfect to make with your kids.

You’ll need 5 easy-peel oranges, 75g of dark chocolate, 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and 2 teaspoons of desiccated coconut.

Start by peeling the oranges and separating them into segments. Next, melt the chocolate and coconut oil together in a saucepan over low heat. Stir it continuously until it is melted and combined.

Dip each orange segment into the melted chocolate and place it on a baking tray. Once all of the segments have been dipped, place the baking tray in the fridge for 5 minutes to set.

After 5 minutes, remove the tray from the fridge and dip them a second time in the chocolate and immediately sprinkle with the desiccated coconut.

Return to the fridge for another 5 minutes to set again and enjoy these sweet treats within 24 hours.

Candy Cane Fruit Platter

Incredibly easy to make, the candy cane fruit platter is a fun Christmas snack for sharing. Not only are these candy canes tasty treats, but they’re fun for kids to make and enjoy.

For one fruit candy cane, you’ll need 8 strawberries and a banana. Slice each of these into pieces roughly 1 1/2cm thick.

Then, alternate the fruits and arrange them on a plate in the shape of a candy cane.

Naughty but nice Christmas treats

While healthy Christmas snacks for kids tick all the boxes for parents, we also know there needs to be some give and take when choosing Christmas treats. That’s why we have included some holiday treats that are a healthier choice but still have a naughty twist.

Santa brownies

For our first naughty Christmas snack, we have brownie squares adorned with strawberry Santas. We’ll leave the choice of brownies up to you, but we’d recommend the healthier brownies by the BBC.

Once you’ve cooked your brownies and they’re cooling, you’ll need to create your frosting. For this, mix 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1/8 cup of softened butter, 1 tablespoon of milk and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Slice the tops off your strawberries, you’ll need one for each brownie square. And, once the brownies are cool, you can assemble your strawberries.

This last step could be the perfect time to get the kids involved! Add a circle of frosting onto the centre of the brownie square, place the strawberry onto that and then add a ball of frosting to the top.

Almond cookies

If you’re looking for more Christmas cooking ideas, almond cookies are a winner for Christmas snack time, even with younger children.

You’ll need 2 cups of fine almond flour, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil, sliced almonds for topping, 4 teaspoons of water and a pinch of salt.

Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray.

In a medium bowl, add the almond flour, sugar and salt. Whisk these together to combine, breaking up any clumps as you go. 

Next, add the water and coconut oil, stirring until the dough is combined. It will feel wet but crumbly.

Scoop a tablespoon of dough and roll it into a smooth ball, then gently flatten them to 1 1/2cm thickness on the baking tray. 

Press a sliced almond into the middle of each cookie and then bake the cookies for 18 to 20 minutes.

Finally, let your Christmas snack cool on a wire rack. To make a truly perfect Christmas snack, why not sprinkle a dusting of icing sugar ‘snow’ on the top?

Christmas cornflake wreaths

These no-bake Christmas cornflake wreaths are quick and easy to make, and, in moderation, these fun Christmas snacks make a nice addition to any holiday party.

For this recipe, you’ll need 12g butter, 45g mini marshmallows, 45g cornflakes, natural green food colouring, and red m&ms for the berries.

Line a baking tray with baking paper and weigh out the ingredients. Add the butter and mini marshmallows to a microwavable mixing bowl and melt them in the microwave at high heat, stirring the mixture every 10-15 seconds.

After removing the bowl carefully from the microwave, add in the cornflakes and combine the mixture. Add a few drops of green food colouring and give it a stir.

As this is a no-bake recipe, it’s a great opportunity to get your kids involved for more Christmas fun. Your kids can use a tablespoon to scoop the mixture out of the bowl and place it onto the baking paper.

Shape the wreaths with your fingers and add the M&Ms as the red berries. After an hour or so, the wreaths will set and be ready to enjoy!

Share your healthy Christmas snacks for kids with us!

Baking and eating as a family is a great way to bond and have fun – and it’s an added benefit to encourage healthy eating with your Christmas treats.

We’d love to see your healthy Christmas snacks for kids and as we know, other parents are always looking for fun ideas! Share your Christmas treats with us on Instagram or Facebook.