Children’s Day 2026: 4 favourite recipes with nutritious twist, from pumpkin mac and cheese to ragi muffins

Children’s Day is a chance to treat little ones to favourite foods. Try favourite recipes with nutritious ingredients like oats, ragi and pumpkin.

Children's Day 2026: Celebrated on November 14 in India, Children's Day is a day to make your little ones feel special, perhaps with their favourite treats, such as muffins and noodles. The smile on their faces as they dig in makes the effort worthwhile. But health-wise, these snacks do not have much nutritional variety. Hence, you can swap the ingredients, and add healthy ingredients such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains when you make them at home. ALSO READ: Happy Children's Day 2026: 100+ wishes, cute images, status, messages and greetings to share on November 14

Chef Ravish Mishra, executive chef at The Leela Palace, Chennai, shared some easy recipes with HT Lifestyle that give familiar favourites a nutritious twist. From veggie mac and cheese, to dark chocolate banana muffins, you can make your sweet and savoury snacks healthier for kids.

1. Ragi and dark chocolate banana muffins

Makes 10–12 muffins

Children have a soft spot for muffins.

Ingredients

• Ragi (finger millet) flour- 100 g
• Whole-wheat flour- 60 g
• Unsweetened cocoa powder- 20 g
• Ripe banana, mashed- 180 g (about 2 medium)
• Jaggery powder- 50 g
• Eggs- 2 (about 100 g), or 100 g thick plain yoghurt for an egg-free version
• Milk- 80 ml
• Cold-pressed vegetable oil or melted unsalted butter- 45 ml
• Baking powder- 1 tsp
• Baking soda- ½ tsp
• Vanilla extract- 1 tsp
• Dark chocolate chips (60–70%)- 40 g
• Pinch of salt

Method

• Preheat the oven to 175°C. Line a 10–12 cup muffin tray with paper liners.
• Whisk the eggs, mashed banana, jaggery, milk, oil and vanilla until smooth.
• In a separate bowl, sift together ragi flour, whole-wheat flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture just until combined. Do not overmix. Fold in half the chocolate chips.
• Divide the batter evenly into the muffin cups and top with the remaining chocolate chips.
• Bake for 16–20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
• Cool for 5–10 minutes before serving.

2. Rainbow vegetable hakka noodles with sesame

Noodles are go-to savoury snacks for kids. Make them healthier!

Ingredients

• Whole-wheat or millet noodles- 250 g
• Carrot, julienned- 80 g
• Red and yellow bell peppers, thinly sliced- 100 g
• Broccoli, small florets- 80 g
• Baby corn, sliced- 60 g
• Sweet corn kernels- 60 g
• Spring onion, sliced- 40 g
• Garlic, finely chopped- 2 cloves
• Low-sodium soy sauce- 1½ tbsp
• Sesame oil- 1 tsp
• Neutral cooking oil- 1 tbsp
• Rice vinegar- 1 tsp
• White sesame seeds- 1 tsp
• Black pepper- ¼ tsp, or to taste
• Salt- only if needed

Method

• Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions until just tender. Drain, rinse briefly with cool water and toss with a few drops of oil to prevent sticking.
• Heat a wok or wide pan over high heat. Add the cooking oil and garlic; stir for 15–20 seconds.
• Add carrot, broccoli and baby corn. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, keeping the vegetables slightly crisp.
• Add the bell peppers and sweet corn and cook for another 1–2 minutes.
• Add the noodles, soy sauce, sesame oil and rice vinegar. Toss quickly over high heat until evenly coated.
• Finish with spring onion, sesame seeds and a little black pepper. Taste before adding salt, as soy sauce is already salty.
• Serve immediately.

3. Apple, peanut butter and oat chocolate energy bites

Makes 14–16 bites

Oats make your snacks healthier.

Ingredients

• Rolled oats- 120 g
• Unsweetened peanut butter- 80 g
• Soft dates, pitted- 100 g
• Apple, finely grated and squeezed lightly- 80 g
• Unsweetened cocoa powder- 15 g
• Chia seeds- 10 g
• Flaxseed powder- 10 g
• Desiccated coconut- 20 g
• Cinnamon powder- ½ tsp
• Vanilla extract- ½ tsp
• Dark chocolate, finely chopped- 20 g
• Milk- 1–2 tbsp only if required for binding

Method

• Place the oats, dates, cocoa, chia, flaxseed, coconut and cinnamon in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Add peanut butter, grated apple and vanilla. Pulse until the mixture begins to clump.
• Fold in the chopped dark chocolate. If the mixture feels dry, add milk one tablespoon at a time.
• Refrigerate the mixture for 20–30 minutes to firm it up.
• Roll into small bite-sized balls using clean hands.
• Chill for another 30 minutes and serve cold or slightly chilled.

Chef’s tip: For nut-free schools, replace peanut butter with sunflower-seed butter. Avoid whole nuts for young children; use finely ground seeds instead.

4. Hidden-veggie mac and cheese with pumpkin and carrot

Serves 4

Add healthy ingredients to mac and cheese.

Ingredients

• Whole-wheat macaroni- 250 g
• Pumpkin, peeled and cubed- 150 g
• Carrot, peeled and sliced- 100 g
• Milk- 300 ml
• Cheddar cheese, grated- 100 g
• Parmesan, grated- 20 g
• Whole-wheat flour- 15 g
• Unsalted butter- 15 g
• Garlic- 1 small clove, optional
• Nutmeg- small pinch
• Black pepper- a small pinch
• Salt- to taste

Method

• Steam or boil the pumpkin and carrot until completely tender. Blend with 100 ml of the milk until smooth.
• Cook the macaroni in lightly salted water until just al dente. Reserve 100 ml of the pasta water, then drain.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and cook for about 1 minute without browning.
• Gradually whisk in the remaining 200 ml milk. Cook for 2–3 minutes until lightly thickened.
• Stir in the pumpkin-carrot purée, cheddar, parmesan, nutmeg and pepper. Cook gently until the cheese melts and the sauce is smooth.
• Add the cooked macaroni and toss. If the sauce is too thick, loosen with a little reserved pasta water.
• Serve warm, optionally topped with a small amount of grated cheese.

Chef’s tip: For a baked version, transfer to a small baking dish, top with 1–2 tbsp whole-wheat breadcrumbs and bake at 190°C for 8–10 minutes until lightly golden.