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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Ellen says
My kids love veggies dipped in hummus! They list it as a top 3 favorite food along with pizza and mac n cheese. I can’t wait to try veggies and ranch with this recipe.
Teresa says
My 4 yr old doesn’t object to veggies so much as to chewing (think kale and skin of sweet peppers) — he’s lazy. My 8 yr old just makes a face to most veggies but eats them diligently for nutrition. So, I skin tomatoes before cooking, choose soft leafy greens like spinach, cook napa cabbage and broccoli that much longer, pull the thick fiber strings from the celery for the younger one, and leave all but the most tender watercress for the adults. When the younger came home one day looking for carrot sticks (short-lived), I rushed to get them to him. He also likes the zucchini more tender while the older one likes them less cooked. So, I cut them into two different thicknesses so that I can saute them in the same pot while satisfying both preferences. I assume this is just a phase. Haha
The ranch veggie sounds like a definite possibility. The older child likes celery, from “Wonder Pets” days, while the younger shy away from it (chew factor). The dressing dip might be just the thing to get him to eat it. I already know the older child will love it. What a great idea, and so simple and portable.
Donna Jacobs says
I do not have to fight my girls to eat veggies. They LOVE them. Both have a dairy allergy so they know eating veggies are safe and won’t hurt them!!
Bari says
maybe my toddler will eat this…
Shanna Chambers says
I get my son to eat them by buying cute little cups or containers and let him put what kind of art work he likes.