Need a way to help your family eat more vegetables? These veggie cups are a fun option for kids and make getting your daily dose of vegetables easy!
Pack them with your favorite dipping sauce and watch them disappear from the fridge.
A little backstory on this snack recipe: at the age of 2, my daughter decided that all things veggies were no longer an option. No matter how hard I tried to make veggies appealing, she refused to eat them.
A few years later, these veggie cups made an appearance at a birthday party, and with some encouragement from her friend, Casey, she grabbed a veggie, took a bite, and liked ‘colorful’ foods again.
For a while, she called these snack cups “Casey’s cups” and asked for them frequently.
Veggie Snack Cups
Veggie cups are a great snack that’s fun and convenient to eat. You can prep them with an assortment of vegetables and stash them in the fridge for school lunches or veggie snacks to munch on while at the office.
If your kids (or you) aren’t a fan of raw vegetables, try giving them a quick steam in the microwave before assembling the cups. This works great with carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower and can even enhance their flavor with the dip.
What to Put in a Veggie Cup
Usually, I prep this snack with ranch dressing, baby carrots, and celery, but you can customize these veggie cups with any of your favorite dips and vegetables. Grab a few ideas in the list below:
- homemade ranch dressing
- homemade hummus
- red pepper hummus
- baby carrots
- celery sticks
- cherry/grape tomatoes
- broccoli
- sliced bell peppers
- sugar snap peas
- asparagus
Want more delicious recipes to include in your snack routine? Check out the Best Homemade Kids’ Snacks on the Planet.
It’s filled with creative and tasty snacks you’ll want to make again and again!
How to Assemble Veggie Cups
Here’s how to assemble your own veggie cups step-by-step:
- Add the dip
Add your choice of dip or sauce to the bottom of a 6 to 8-ounce storage cup; 2 tablespoons should do the trick. - Add the veggies
Place the veggies, standing up, into the dip. - Seal
Top with lid and seal. - Save for later
Once prepped, these veggie cups will stay good for up to 3 days.
You can also watch how to put these snack cups together in the video below:
More Ways to Get Kids to Eat Veggies
I have plenty of healthy meals ideas your picky eater will eat and ask you to make on repeat! Each recipe is a kid-favorite option recreated with better ingredients and hidden veggies to bump up the nutrition.
- Blueberry Smoothie – with invisible spinach!
- Hidden Veggie Pasta Sauce
- Zucchini Pizzas
- All Meat & Veggie Chili
- Broccoli Nuggets
Easy Veggie Cups with Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- 4 ribs celery, sliced into sticks
- 4 ribs carrots, peeled and sliced into sticks
- ½ – 1 cup ranch dressing
Instructions
- Place 1-2 tablespoons of ranch dressing at the bottom of each cup, and fill each container with 1 cup of sliced veggies.
- Close the lid and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
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Dorothy Williams says
My grandson is very picky about his veggies. What was acceptable to eat last week may not be an acceptable option this week. So smoothies to the rescue. Our households have tried a couple of the smoothie freezer options and they seem to be working in sneaking in a few “extras”.
Hilary says
My six year old daughter can be 50/50. Some days she loves ’em all and others not so much. I do the best I can without forcing them. She loves pickles (do they count?) ;). She loves dip and hummus so I offer those as much as I can. I also try to alternate snacks. If her last snack was a cookie then the next one must be a healthy one. It doesn’t always work but it’s a starting point.
mechele says
My 4 yr old nephew lives with me and he is a very picky eater however, he loves pancakes and strawberry banana smoothies. So, i puree veggies into his pancake batter and i add carrots to his strawberry banana smoothies…
Rachel says
Dip. Dip. And more dip! That’s our go to for veggies! Our older kids will eat most veggies if they are raw, less likely with some minimal complaining if they are cooked. Our two year old is doing ok with some of them as long as there is dip! We still can’t get her to eat yummy peppers though.
Meredith C. says
My preschooler has gone the way of peer pressure when it comes to her formerly healthy veggie eating habit we worked so hard to instill from weaning. Before: eating plates of pasta tossed with Mamma’s famous “spinach sauce” and now picking every fleck of green – even dried herbs out of everything. It’s been frustrating. One thing we’ve gotten through with is to make green smoothies and to have her help me make them. She likes the sweet taste and helping out. Another favorite is pesto -and you can really mix it up with pesto – I’ve made it with kale, spinach or chard instead of all basil! And my pesto pizza kick it up an extra notch by adding a layer of finely chopped greens under the cheese.