Herbs and spices are an easy way to add pizzazz to your meals, and they’re also an enticing way to encourage your kids to try new foods. Kids tend to like familiarity, and may be more willing to try new foods flavored with tastes they recognize.
You can introduce herbs and spices to your child as early as eight months, but these new flavors might be too much on the tummies of younger babies. Start slowly and gently with introducing herbs and spices to ensure your kids don’t have any digestive reactions. Add a small amount of an herb or spice to baby food purée, and go from there. Sprinkle cinnamon on apple slices or mix garlic in spaghetti.
For older kids, engage them in growing kitchen herbs. They’ll have a feeling of ownership that will make them more open to eating foods flavored with the herbs they’ve grown.
Here are some kid-friendly herbs and spices, and a few foods you can try them with:
Sweet flavors
Mint – Mint is a sweet, summery herb that adds a whole new dimension of flavor to any fruit.
Cinnamon – Cinnamon is a versatile spice with a warm taste that’s perfect for all seasons. Pair it with apples, bananas, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin.
Nutmeg – Like cinnamon, nutmeg can be used on just about anything. It complements apples, apricots, nectarines, peaches, and blueberries. It does have a somewhat strong flavor, however, so go easy on it in your kids’ dishes if they’ve never had it before.
Ginger – The aromatic and slightly peppery flavor of ginger goes well with white beans, pears, and peaches.
Savory flavors
Basil – Fresh basil has a rich fragrance with a peppery and minty taste, making it a perfect companion for squash, zucchini, and tomatoes.
Dill – Fresh dill has a soft, slightly sweet flavor, while dried dill is a little more tangy. Sprinkle it in with peas, cucumber, squash, zucchini, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, and beets.
Other flavors
Garlic – The mildly spicy flavor of garlic kicks up the flavor in just about every dish! Add it to black beans, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), white beans, broccoli, spinach, and tomatoes.
Lemon or orange zest – Citrus flavors enhance squash, asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, blueberries, strawberries, and more.
What are your kids’ favorite herbs and spices?
