Looking for ways to get your picky eater toddler to eat more vegetables?

We’ve all had mealtime battles with our kids where they eat the bits they like and ignore the bits they don’t – usually the green stuff!

Getting your toddler to eat vegetables can be stressful and if your toddler won’t eat any vegetables at all then you may worry about whether they’re getting a balanced diet.

What to do when your toddler won’t eat vegetables

First of all do not panic. Toddlers are naturally suspicious of foods, it’s part of their built-in defence mechanism to prevent them from eating something poisonous.

I don’t think some of popular culture helps, as certain TV shows make a point of presenting fruit and veg as a bad thing. However I do think TV is getting better, with more shows celebrating veg than talking it down.

When your toddler refuses to eat vegetables then focus on the things they do like. Do they eat fruit? If so encourage this after meals and at snack time to help them get their five-a-day servings of fruit or vegetables as recommended by the NHS.

The next thing to do is to try making vegetables more exciting! I’ve got lots of tips below about how you can engages your child more about veg but start with the basics and show them the veg. Lay it out on the table and talk about what each thing is. Let them hold the veg and play with it.

Why not challenge them to make a little salad (you’ll need to help with chopping of course) but they can decide the quantities that go into the salad bowl.

Stay upbeat and enthusiastic. If your child still refuses to try it, just try again another day. It’s important not to make this a negative thing in your child’s head as they are likely to dig their heels in.

How to get a toddler to eat vegetables

Getting your toddler to eat vegetables starts as soon as they are babies and you give them their first tastes of solids.

If you get them eating the rainbow – a wide variety of vegetables – early on at every meal then they will become used to this part of their diet.

Sometimes the trick can be to try and incorporate vegetables into meals your child does like. For example placing hidden veg into pasta sauces.

However we want our kids to love vegetables and be happy to eat them just as they are!

While this might feel impossible if your child only wants beige food to eat, there are lots of things you can try to get them excited about vegetables.

If your child is refusing to even taste a vegetable, these tips will help!

You may also like: Toddler dinner ideas

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Ways to get your picky toddler to eat their vegetables

Give them vegetables before dinner

When you try to cook dinner, are your kids at your feet asking when it’s going to be ready?

Capitalise on that eagerness to eat by putting out some vegetables for your toddler to pick at before you serve dinner!

They do not need to be cooked!

Some vegetables that work great for this idea are:

Carrot sticks
Cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
Cucumber sticks
Little florets of cauliflower
Green beans
Salad leaves such as cress and lettuce

I know it sounds a little weird but honestly it works a treat!! Think of it like a little starter.

For some reason my kids are way more open to trying different stuff during the short period where they are waiting for their dinner to be ready.

Make smoothies together

This is a fun activity and a great way of getting your child to eat more veggies! You can sneak things like spinach and kale into fruit smoothies and your child will be none the wiser.

Or show them that those veggies can taste amazing by making it together.

You will need a blender of some description to make these.

There are some wonderful ideas for healthy toddler smoothies over at Yummy Toddler Food.

Get them to help you out in the kitchen

Kids love to pretend they are just like you! Give them some responsibilities when it comes to preparing the food for dinner and this may ignite an interest in eating the vegetables.

Obviously things like knives are a no-go, but you could get your toddler to arrange the salad into the salad bowls or pull the cherry tomatoes off of their stalks.

Hide the veg

We want our toddlers to fully embrace veggies and they will get there eventually. But for now if you just want to get those healthy veggies into their tummies then hiding the veg in their meals can be the way forward.

I thoroughly recommend getting one of these Kenwood Mini Choppers which hardly take up any space and are great for turning carrots, onions, spinach and all manner of other veg into a finely chopped or paste-like consistency that toddlers won’t spot in their meal.

Great recipes for hiding veg include my shepherd’s pie recipe for toddlers, pasta sauce (just simmer the veg with a tin of chopped tomatoes then blend with a stick blender) and pizzas.

With pizza you can hide veggies in the pizza sauce.

There are some more great recipe ideas for toddlers who won’t eat their veggies at the end of this post.

Pair vegetable sticks with dips

Veggie sticks can prove to be more of a winner when they’re paired with dips!

Try hummus, mild salsa or one of these three delicious dips for kids from BBC Food.

Another great option is serving asparagus with a boiled egg. Dipping those asparagus spears into the yolk is delicious and a different way to get your child eating eggs too!

Cut back on the snacks

Anyone else got a toddler who asks for a snack every five minutes?

Sometimes its boredom and sometimes it is genuine hunger. But whatever the reason they are asking for lots of snacks, try to cut back on them.

A child who has a genuine appetite at dinner time will be far more inclined to eat the things on their plate rather than pick through only the usual stuff they love.

Set a new routine that limits snacks to once or twice per day.

Go for healthy snacks that will satisfy their hunger but won’t leave them too bloated.

Snack time is also a great opportunity to get your kids eating vegetables! As I said above, it’s often boredom that makes them want a snack, so offer them some carrot sticks.

No veg, no dessert

Sometimes you need to get tough. Give your child a reasonable portion of veggies on their plate (not too much) and tell them they need to eat all of it to get dessert.

Be clear about this expectation before they sit down for dinner, rather than introducing it towards the end of the meal which may spark a tantrum.

Be really encouraging and offer a dessert they love as a reward if they do well with eating their veg.

Try making veggie nuggets

Repurpose the vegetables into something that looks a little more appealing to them.

Homemade veggie nuggets are a great option as your child will simply see the breadcrumb on the outside and not the veggies on the inside. Often the hardest thing with toddlers is convincing them to taste something and not judge it with their eyes!

Identify the vegetables they really love

What veggies do they love to eat?

Although you eventually want your child to be eating a variety of veg, start with the ones they will tolerate. For toddlers this is normally carrots, cucumber and cherry tomatoes.

With carrots you may find they prefer the slightly sweeter chantenay carrots to the normal type. Try varieties of veg to see if you can spot what your child prefers.

Part of overcoming this challenge as a parent is to keep trying. It can be disheartening, and you may feel like giving up, but keep offering different veggies, cooked in different ways, and you will find something your toddler loves!

Make the plate look cool

I’ve never been great at edible art but I can just about put together a smiley face on a plate with some broccoli, carrot sticks, tomatoes and cucumber!

Try doing something different with the presentation of their food to make it more exciting to them.

There are some wonderful ideas for food art your toddler will love over on this post.

Why not challenge them to make their own food art? Playing with their food may make them more inclined to give it a try.

Do not give up

Making vegetables a part of their meals every single day is key.

It can feel a bit soul destroying to cook lots of food that your child wastes but don’t give up.

Remember to eat lots of vegetables in front of your child, because they will often be fascinated by what you are eating. This is how I got my kids to try asparagus!

Grow your own

It is remarkable how enthusiastic kids can get about food they have sown and grown themselves.

We’ve done it in our garden with tomatoes, parsley and strawberries. This year we’ve planted some spinach too.

Try to carve out space for a vegetable patch in your garden. If you don’t have room you could try a large pot.

Get your child to grow some simple vegetables, such as tomatoes or green beans and herbs. You will be amazed how excited they are by the process and it often makes them way more willing to eat the food!

Something about the process of doing it themselves just makes them more open to trying the food they have grown.

If you do not have any space at home for growing your own vegetables, then look for a local pick-your-own farm.

This makes for a great day out with the family plus you can let your child have free reign on the farm. They pick whatever they want, as long as they are prepared to try it once you get home.