Grab your shamrock cookie cutter, break out the green food colouring, and have some fun cooking with the kids this St Patrick’s Day. From tricolour macarons to shamrock pizzas, here are 8 fun & easy St Patrick’s Day recipes your kids will love.
Liven up St Patrick’s Day with these green-inspired recipes. They’re all easy to make, and all guaranteed to give you clean plates!
Fun and Easy St Patrick’s Day Recipes
#1. St Patrick’s Day Rice Krispie Shamrocks
Image courtesy of Try Me Tonight
Rice Krispie buns are always a big hit with kids, and even a preschooler could make this fun recipe from Try Me Tonight with a little bit of help.
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#2. Pasta with Pesto
This quick and easy pesto recipe will transform a bowl of pasta into a St Patrick’s Day supper. For a tasty alternative to regular pesto, try our vegan pesto recipe.
#3. Cheese on Toast with a Shamrock Twist
Image courtesy of Snappening.com
What could be simpler than cheese on toast? Follow these instructions on Snappening.com and melt cheddar onto a slice of toast, then cut it out with a round cookie cutter. Add a slice of green pepper to the top to form a natural shamrock. As an alternative to toast, you could use a savoury muffin.
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#4. St Patrick’s Day Macarons
Macarons take a bit of time to prepare, but this great video from Steves-Kitchen.com will guide you through how to make perfect St Patrick’s Day macarons.
#5. Shepherd’s Pie with a St Patrick’s Day Twist
Image courtesy of Taste.com.au
For more confident cooks, create a beautiful St Patrick’s Day dinner by making a shepherd’s pie like this one from Taste.com.au — and the twist? Use sweet potato as the topping, then sprinkle over some finely chopped parsley or thyme to finish the makeover.
#6. St Patrick’s Day Soup
Image courtesy of Bord Bia
Soups are so simple to make, and this tasty potato soup from Bord Bia can be prepared in advance and reheated for after the St Patrick’s Day Parade. You could replace the sorrel with spinach to get a brighter green colour.
#7. Shamrock Pizza
Image courtesy of Once Upon A Cutting Board
This is a cool idea from Once Upon A Cutting Board for making shamrock pizzas. Using shop-bought dough or a simple scone dough recipe for the base, everyone can add their own toppings to create their own customised shamrock pizza.
#8. Fruity Leprechaun
Image courtesy of Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons
These fun fruit creations over on Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons are so cute. Getting your child to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day can sometimes be a chore. By letting them build fun art on their plate with portioned fruit and vegetables, they’ll soon be asking for seconds.
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Does your family have favourite St Patrick’s Day recipes? Leave a comment below and let us know — we’d love to hear from you!
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the easiest St Patrick’s Day recipe to make with young kids?
The Rice Krispie shamrocks (#1) are the simplest starting point — even a preschooler can help shape and decorate these with a little supervision.
Can I make any of these recipes ahead of time?
Yes. The St Patrick’s Day soup (#6) is ideal for making in advance and reheating after the parade, and the macarons (#4) can also be made a day or two early and stored in an airtight container.
How can I make these recipes greener without artificial food colouring?
A few of these recipes get their colour naturally — try spinach instead of sorrel in the soup for a brighter green, or lean on naturally green ingredients like pesto, green pepper, and kiwi or grapes for the fruit snacks.
Are any of these recipes suitable for a school or party lunchbox?
The cheese on toast shamrocks, shamrock pizza, and fruity leprechaun snacks (#3, #7, #8) all travel well and work nicely as lunchbox additions or party food.
Related Articles
- 8 Fun St Patrick’s Day Crafts Kids will Love
- 5 Fun St Patrick’s Day Activities for Kids
- 5 Kid-Friendly Fruit Snacks
Save These Ideas
No printable this time, but it’s worth bookmarking this page or saving it to your recipes folder so you have all 8 ideas ready to go when St Patrick’s Day rolls around.
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