Packed with nutrients, easily available, and fast to cook, eggs are my go-to ingredient for crazy rushed mornings. The egg is a one-of-a-kind superfood, which is not just inexpensive, but also very versatile.
Is egg good for my kid?
Before jumping on to cracking some shells, you should know that this tiny oval holds a ton of nutrition. Some of the obvious benefits and advantages of the egg for your kids are:
- Protein: it helps in the growth and development of the body and brain,
- Choline: known for boosting brain memory and lutein and Zeaxanthin which improves vision and eyesight,
- Essential vitamins and omega-3: Egg provides some of the major essential vitamins like vitamin-D, B-12, folic acid, and omega-3, all of which promote in faster growth and development.
Easy egg recipes for kids
The thing about a kid’s palate is that unlike we grownups (who can appreciate different notes and levels of flavors), kids prefer simpler food with less contrasting tastes and flavors and tend to like food that is less complicated for the tongue.
I am sharing some of the recipes that work for me and my girls. Most of these are breakfast recipes, which are perfect for a weekend morning (if you wish to cook with kids) and for a rushed weekday morning (when you don’t have time to drink your morning coffee while it is hot). Some of these can even be prepared in advance to earn a couple of minutes to drink that coffee hot!
Most of these recipes are therefore simplified versions with a fewer number of ingredients to make the flavor less complex for kids and the process a little easier for mommies.
Scrambled egg lion
This is a simple scrambled eggs and toast with a Picasso and Michelangelo twist to it. We make some fluffy, moist scrambled eggs and use them as a lion’s mane on a plate while a grilled piece of toast (cut in almost oval shape) makes the face of a lion. Some thin slices of red peppers serve as ears and sliced olives as eyes. You can also use a slice of ham in place of bread to make the face.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 bread slice
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsps milk
- 1 sliced olives
- sliced tomatoes or red peppers
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Crack open eggs in a bowl. Add milk, salt, and pepper and whisk it. This would be a good time to ask your kids to help beat the eggs.
- Heat butter in a pan. Once it melts, add beaten eggs, and keep mixing with a spatula.
- Cook the eggs for 1-3 minutes, depending on how gooey your kid likes his egg, and scoop out on a plate.
- Plate the meal. If the kids weren’t already a part of cooking get them in now!
- Take the toast and roughly cut the shape of a lion. If you have a cookie cutter, this is a good time to use it.
- Place the toast on the plate and arrange scrambled eggs around the toast to give it a look of the mane.
- Finish the look with olive slices as eyes, tomato or red pepper slices as ears and a tiny slice of cucumber with dill leaf on it as a mouth.
Egg clouds
This is literally the easiest recipe with the least amount of ingredients, actually just 1: egg. The actual recipe calls for using an oven and needs a few minutes of baking. If you prefer, you can easily make gorgeous and delicate egg clouds in the microwave in less time.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Crack the eggs and separate whites and yolks into 2 different bowls.
- Place the whites in a bigger bowl as we need to whisk them to more than double in volume. Be careful not to puncture the yolks while separating as we need them intact for the recipe.
- Use an electric beater to whisk the egg whites once you’ve got all them separated. Whisk until stiff peaks are formed.
- Take a greased (oven or microwave-safe) pan and scoop out beaten egg whites in 4 dollops.
- Place 1 yolk on each dollop carefully, sprinkle salt, and bake.
- Preheat oven to 165°C (if baking in the oven) and cook 3-4 minutes for a runny yolk. For a well-cooked yolk bake for 3-4 minutes more.
- Cook for 1 minute (if using a microwave) for the semi-cooked yolk and 30 secs more for the well-cooked yolk.
- Serve it with toast or ham and see it disappear!
Notes
This is the basic version of the recipe with no flavors and spices added but if you wish to spice it a bit, feel free to add some seasonings or add-ons like cheese or bacon.
Deviled pancakes
This is a perfect mix of 2 of my kids’ favorite foods: pancakes and eggs. The best part is that these are bite-sized portions, which makes them a perfect snack both for a 4 pm snack or a kids’ party.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 2 Tbsps milk
- 4 Tbsps butter
- salt to taste
- 1 package pancake mix 7 oz or 200g
- water/milk as specified in the pancake mix instructions
- add-ons like bacon, ham, cheese, or vegetables cut in small cubes
Instructions
- Crack open eggs in a bowl. Add milk and salt and whisk it. This would be a good time to ask your kids to help beat the eggs.
- Heat butter in a pan. Once it melts, add beaten eggs, and keep mixing with a spatula.
- Cook them for 1-3 minutes, depending on how gooey your kid likes his egg, and set aside.
- Mix the pancake mix with water or milk and make small pancakes slightly bigger than a coin in size (around 1-inch diameter).
- Arrange pancake bites on a large plate and put 1 teaspoon of scrambled eggs on each pancake.
- Serve it with add-ons and let kids choose their favorite.
Notes
A radical suggestion (from my younger one) is trying M&Ms with this combo. Let me know what your kid feels about that!
Breakfast egg muffin cups
Full of finely grated colorful veggies, it’s a full meal in itself. This one is called savory cupcakes in my home and rightly so. They resemble a vanilla cupcake with lots of rainbow sprinkles in it. You can also replace the all-purpose flour with multi-grain or whole-wheat substitute. Cook a bigger batch and save some for lunch or a snack.
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 2 Tbsps all-purpose flour
- ½ cup finely grated mixed vegetables carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.
- ¼ cup grated cheese
- 2 tsps melted butter
- 2 tsps milk
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350° F (180° C).
- Beat eggs with butter for 1-2 minutes until smooth.
- Add milk and mix well. Set aside. Mix flour, salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic powder.
- Incorporate the dry mixture in the egg mix. Add grated cheese and vegetables and mix again.
- Fill muffin tins 2/3 full.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
- You can also cook these in the microwave for 2-3 minutes on MEDIUM heat.
- Take out from the oven and serve warm.
Egg-chila (Savory Indian pancakes)
Egg recipes for kids are popular in Indian cooking. This recipe keeps the spices to a minimum.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup rice flour
- ½ cup chickpea flour
- salt to taste
- ¼ tsp chili powder skip if your kid cannot handle spicy food
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp cumin seeds or cumin powder
- 2 tsps oil or butter
- water as needed
Instructions
- Mix rice and chickpea flour together with the salt, chili powder, turmeric, and cumin. I sometimes skip rice flour and replace it with whole wheat flour to change the taste, but it also changes the texture and consistency as rice flour binds more than whole wheat flour.
- Beat eggs in a separate bowl and add the dry mixture to them.
- Add some water until it has a slightly runny consistency.
- Grate your favorite vegetables and mix into the batter if you want to sneak in some veggie goodness.
- You can also make a puree of vegetables and mix it into the batter. You will then need to adjust the amount of water in the batter.
- Set it aside for 10 minutes.
- Heat a pan (cast iron or non-stick) and add butter to melt.
- Pour a ladle full of the batter and spread on the pan evenly to a thin crepe-like thickness.
- Let it cook on one side for around 1-2 minutes.
- Remove it carefully from the pan and flip to cook on the other side.
- Let it cook on the other side for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from flame and serve with mint chutney or tomato ketchup.
Omelette pizza
This one is for every pizza-loving kid (and to every parent trying to run away from carbs!). I have used pepperoni here as the topping. You can replace it with chicken sausage or even paneer or tofu for a vegetarian option.
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp marinara sauce
- 6-8 slices pepperoni
- ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese
- red, green and yellow pepper slices
- 3-4 olives sliced
- 1 tsp butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C).
- Beat the egg well.
- Heat pan and melt butter.
- Pour the beaten egg and spread over the pan evenly.
- Let it cook for around 1-2 minutes until the egg is no longer runny.
- Transfer to an oven-proof dish.
- Place grated cheese, pepperoni, pepper, and olive pieces on top of the egg.
- If you wish to add any more toppings, add them now.
- Put pizza in oven for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Take it out of the oven and cut it into slices.
- Alternatively, if you wish to continue to cook on a stovetop, place the egg pizza in a pan and cook covered for 1-2 minutes on medium to low heat to melt the cheese.
- Serve hot.
Breakfast egg cups
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 4 bread slices
- 1 small chopped onion
- 1 small chopped tomato
- ½ cup finely chopped mixed vegetables carrot, broccoli, etc.
- ½ cup grated cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° F (165° C).
- Take a muffin tin and place a bread slice in it.
- Press a bread slice into the tin, using a thin glass or your fingers, so that it takes shape of a cup.
- Crack an egg in it.
- Add chopped onions, tomatoes, vegetables.
- Sprinkle some salt and pepper.
- Add cheese.
- Repeat with the rest of the bread slices.
- Put the muffin tin in the oven.
- Cook for 15 minutes for a runny yolk.
- Cook it for 5 more minutes or until the yolk is done if your kid likes well-cooked yolk.
- Remove from oven and serve hot.
Deviled egg palette
Taking deviled eggs to another level, this recipe is sure to get the attention of even the pickiest eater. I use different vegetables to get various shades, making the final dish looking like a colorful palette. Here I am using beetroot to get a pretty pink color, turmeric for yellow, tomato puree and tomato ketchup for red, tomato and carrot puree for orange, and basil for green. And the best part? It is loaded with a variety of nutrients.
Ingredients
- 10 hard-boiled eggs
- ½ boiled beetroot pureed
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 handful basil leaves
- ½ cup tomato puree
- 2 tsps tomato ketchup
- ½ cup boiled carrot pureed
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut hard-boiled eggs in half and empty out the yolk in a bowl.
- Mash yolk to a smooth paste and divide into 5 smaller portions.
- Add beetroot puree and salt and pepper to the 1st portion.
- Mix well and you’ll get a bright pink color to the mixture.
- For green color, add basil and salt to a blender and make a paste. Add a little water if needed.
- Add this green paste to the 2nd portion of yolk and mix well.
- For the 3rd portion, add turmeric, salt, and pepper and mix. You’ll get a nice yellow color.
- For the next batch, add ¼ cup tomato puree and tomato ketchup. Mix well.
- Taste this one and add salt only if needed as tomato ketchup already contains salt.
- Now for the orange color, mix the rest of the tomato puree with carrot puree and mix with the last batch.
- Fill 4 halved portions with each color.
- Arrange on a large plate in the shape of a palette and enjoy with your kids.
Egg fried rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked rice
- ½ cup assorted vegetables
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 small chopped onion
- 1 clove chopped garlic
- 1 tsp chopped ginger
- 1 egg
- 2 tsps butter or oil
Instructions
- Heat a pan and add half the butter.
- Add beaten egg and keep mixing with a spatula to break it into small pieces.
- Take out cooked eggs and add the rest of the butter.
- Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute or less.
- Add chopped onions and cook for 1-2 minutes until translucent.
- Add soy sauce and cooked egg.
- Mix and add cooked rice.
- Mix well and let it cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Serve hot.
Scrambled egg salad sandwich
It may sound strange, but my kids love eating takeaway sandwiches at delis at airports, especially the egg salad sandwiches. Since it's been a long time since we have gotten to an airport, I recreated this sandwich at home and now it has been our Sunday breakfast for quite some time. The only change I made to the recipe was replacing mayonnaise with Greek yogurt.
Ingredients
- 2 bread slices
- 1 egg
- ½ Tbsp butter
- 1 tsp Greek yogurt
- sat and pepper as per taste
- fresh greens like lettuce few leaves
- 1 slice cheese
- 1 tomato sliced
Instructions
- Toast bread slices.
- Crack open egg in a bowl and whisk it. This would be a good time to ask your kids to help beat the eggs.
- Heat butter in a pan. Once it melts, add beaten eggs, and keep mixing with a spatula.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add salt and pepper to the Greek yogurt and whisk to a smooth consistency.
- Spread the yogurt on the bread slices.
- Assemble sandwich: Place lettuce leaves, cheese slice, tomato slices, scrambled eggs on one slice of bread and cover with another slice.
- Cut lettuce leaves and tomato into smaller pieces to make it convenient and less messy for kids to eat.
- Cut the sandwich diagonally and serve.
- Wrap it in a piece of paper if your kids miss the takeaway feel of sandwich.
Egg Maggi or Ramen instant noodles
If you’ve ever been to India, you would know Maggi is not just a dish but an emotion. I have yet to meet a person (Indian or non-Indian) who doesn’t like Maggi or Ramen. Everyone has a different and interesting twist in making their bowl of this 2-minute noodle. I made this combo of egg and Maggi for the first time for my husband and me for a lazy Sunday morning and it has been improved and polished over years. When I first noticed my girls enjoying Maggi, I knew I have to introduce my egg Maggi to them and they loved it immediately.If you live in a part of the world where Maggi is not available, try using any instant noodle locally available. This recipe works perfectly fine with any type of noodle. I have tried it with a couple of local Thai instant noodles (Mama or similar) and they came out delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 pack instant noodles of your choice Maggi or any other
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Crack the egg in a bowl and beat it well.
- Follow the instructions on the pack to cook.
- Drop the beaten eggs from a spoon into the pot while the noodles are cooking. Make sure the water is boiling when you start dropping the egg. As the egg starts to cook with the noodles, they start to look like fine threads or noodles. If it doesn't become thread-like, but ends up as bigger pieces of egg, don't worry. It’s normal. It is still going to taste the same.
- Cook for the time prescribed on the pack of noodles.
- Remove from heat and savor the egg noodles.
Notes
Fair warning: this usually comes out so delicious, you might get greedy in sharing it with your own kid, so better make a bigger pot!
