Easy Recipes That Kids Can Make

From breakfast to dinner (and all the meals and snacks in between), these easy recipes are perfect for kids who are ready to get their hands dirty in the kitchen — with a little bit of grown-up supervision, of course!

This is the perfect sloppy joe for little hands but with a flavor both kids and adults will love. For little kids: Let them measure out the vegetables. For big kids: Help them stir the meat and assemble the sliders.

Add some crunch to your morning with these egg-filled breakfast tacos. Both little and big kids can help measure, and big kids can help scramble the eggs.

Here are two things children (and adults!) love, in a fun little package. For little kids: Let them help tear the cheese and measure the salsa. For big kids: Let them help shape and season the beef patties and shred the lettuce. Everyone can assemble his or her own taco. The generous amount of taco seasoning on the burgers, plus cooking them in a cast-iron skillet, gives them a crispy, flavorful crust.

Turn kids on to salad with this one that’s fun to assemble and eat. For little and big kids: Let them whisk the dressing and scoop it into the lettuce leaves or cups.

In this mash-up recipe, pizza meets kebabs on the grill. For little kids: Let them dump the ingredients into the bowl, stir them up and tear the basil leaves over the skewers. For big kids: Let them measure out the ingredients, roll out the dough and thread the skewers.

These tofu tenders are crisp on the outside and creamy inside. Serve with the sweet and spicy sauce in this recipe or with any condiment you have on hand. For both little and big kids: Let them help measure and bread the tofu (make sure they use separate hands for the wet and dry ingredients when breading, so little fingers don’t get breaded themselves).

These colorful pinwheels can be made in the morning and kept chilled for an easy lunch or afternoon snack. For little kids: Let them wash and spin-dry the lettuce. For big kids: Let them layer the ingredients and roll up the sandwiches.

This all-in-one milk-and-cookies smoothie makes a nice change of pace for a summer breakfast or afternoon snack. For little kids: Let them help press the buttons on the blender. (Be sure to let it run for a full minute before you add the ice, so the oatmeal-and-raisin mixture gets as smooth as possible.) For big kids: Let them measure the ingredients — it’s the perfect time to teach them the difference between wet- and dry-ingredient measuring cups.

As an appetizer or main dish, this cheese fondue is a fun and interactive meal your little ones can help with. For both little and big kids: Let them help shred the cheese and stir it into the simmering apple juice, and choose and help prep all the dippers.

Who doesn’t love the classic combo of chocolate and raspberry? Add some sweetened cream cheese and you have the perfect dressed-up bite-sized brownies. For little and big kids: Let them help measure, mix and fill. For a bittersweet grown-up version, use strawberry jam or orange marmalade.

Cool chunks of watermelon topped with ice cream make a perfect split for the dog days of summer. For little kids: Let them help mash the berries with sugar. For big kids: Let them measure the ingredients. Everyone can pitch in to build the sundaes.

These pretty toasts are simple to make. For little and big kids: Let them help measure and spread the ricotta on the bread. For big kids: Let them cut the grapes in half.

Nothing smells better and is more fun and messy than making fresh bread with your kids. Both big and little ones get to measure all the ingredients and squish them together in a resealable bag. Let them take turns kneading the dough, then practice patience as they wait for it to rise, bake and cool.

These genius little lasagna cups are made with a surprise ingredient: ravioli! They fit perfectly into muffin tin cups and add an extra bonus pocket of cheese. Little kids can help measure the ingredients and big kids can help make the sauce. Both can help fill the cups.

Kids will love these copycat mug cakes, which are made in the microwave instead of the oven.

Prepare the breading in a plastic bag, then cut chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. Once the chicken is in the bag, have the kids shake it up until every piece is coated and ready to be fried.

What is black and white and sweet all over? These chocolate and vanilla cookies. Plus, this is the perfect baking project for kids — let them help drop and roll out the dough. Then dunk in a tall glass of cold milk.

As Ree says, these apple stackers “are so much fun to make and even more fun to eat.” Core and slice an apple into rings and let the kids top decorate each slice with peanut butter, granola and a cinnamon-sugar topping. Once the slices are finished, stack ’em up and snack away!