In this day and age, our eyes and smartphones always “eat” before we do – to a point where some of us value presentation over taste solely for the ‘gram. Likewise, children also often eat with their eyes more than their taste buds, which can make food preparation tough for parents, especially when it comes to incorporating must-have nutrients such as fruits and vegetables.
But, one Japanese dumpling artisan seemed to have managed to nail both taste and presentation by transforming ordinary gyozas into cute popular characters such as Pikachu and Miffy! She’s definitely not alone in the food design world, as we’ve found plenty of food artists who also put a lot of thought into food presentation with their own unique styles.
With home-based learning (HBL) back in place again, you can definitely take advantage of these cute DIY food ideas and turn them into a bonding session with the kids on weekends.
From themed bento boxes and fruit platters to cute bakes, check out the top 12 Instagram and TikTok accounts we love for some of the cutest meal designs that you can do for your little ones. Or, take our advice and rope them in to help you in the kitchen!
1. Lee Samantha (@leesamantha)
Graduating from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School, Samantha Lee is a chef, food artist, and also a mom who cooks up adorable meals for her kids. She uses her Instagram account as a platform to share her endearing and delicious creations like the one below.
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This dish might look very artistic and intricate, but don’t let its looks fool you – it uses just simple ingredients that we often consume every day and includes a good mix of carbohydrates, protein, and vegetables.
Making up the bathtub is a fried omelette, accompanied by cauliflower that resembles bath foam, as well as brown rice that’s shaped like a bear. Adding some colour to the plate are some vegetables on the side! This is definitely a must-try if you want to spice up a simple meal for your child.
2. Tian Min (@5ambento)
A mother of two girls, Tian Min started creating various themed bento boxes as a way to create happy memories for her kids – and what better way to do so than through the meals that they eat every day, right?
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Instant noodles may be the last thing you’d want to cook for your little ones, but Tian Min takes it to a new level by carefully plating basic instant noodles with fresh-cut mushrooms and spring onions, and a customised Hello Kitty hard-boiled egg.
Instant noodles aside, Tian Min also makes a variety of bento sets, where no two designs are ever the same. The possibilities are basically endless with bento boxes when you let your creativity run wild.
3. Michelle Lim (@foodmakesfun)
Also run by a mom who finds joy in creating fun foods for her kids, this is definitely an account you should look out for – from bento boxes to impressive flat lays, Michelle Lim does it all!
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As Michelle proves it with this simple S’more recipe with a twist, coming up with cute food creations doesn’t always require the most complex ingredients. All you need are square crackers sprinkled with Milo powder, plus bear-shaped marshmallows to sit atop the cracker.
This would definitely make a great snack for a movie night with the family if you ask us!
4. Wang Mei Ji (@wangmeijibuns)
Based in Taiwan, Wang Mei Ji claims to be the queen of 3D-style buns and judging by her grid, we can’t say that she’s wrong.
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Just scroll through her Instagram page and you’ll find various steamed buns in different characters as well as special occasion-themed creations for Chinese New Year and Easter. More recently, Mei Ji even made a Sumiko Gurashi edition that’s sold in exclusive gift boxes.
From experience, we know that making steamed buns from scratch aren’t exactly the easiest and not everyone might be equipped with the skills and kitchen tools to nail it. If you’d still like to give it a try, you can start with this character-themed tang yuan recipe that we found instead.
While the recipe shows you how to whip up glutinous rice balls that look like characters from Winnie The Pooh, you can always get creative and change it up with some Inspiration from Wang Mei Ji’s many steamed bun creations.
5. Yuka (@hgsy430)
Running out of breakfast ideas for your kids? Fret not, Yuka has got you all covered with everything from cute pancakes to beautiful Japanese sandwiches and dessert.
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Many people have been obsessing over Japanese sandwiches in the last few years and we can see the appeal – stuffed between two slices of bread is an extremely thick and fluffy layer of whipped cream accompanied by fruits, making it a sweet treat that no child (or adult) can resist.
Take a leaf out of Yuka’s book and jazz up your Japanese sando with adorable characters that your kids love. Also worth trying from Yuka’s account are Miffy pancakes, Rilakkuma swiss rolls, and Pikachu pudding!
6. Michaela (@cutechichai)
If you need to learn fun ways to sneak fruits and vegetables into your child’s diet, you can pick up a tip or two from Michaela.
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With countless fruit and vegetable creations on her feed, you can tell that Michaela definitely has her way around kids with her food art.
For a little bonding session with your child, you can replicate Michaela’s fruit rainbow platter which you can easily recreate by simply cutting fruits of your choice that match the colours of the rainbow. Once you’re done, just start decorating the plate to your liking together with whipped cream and granola, and voila!
7. Kids Food Inspo (@kids_food_inspo)
With the help of this account, you no longer have to be afraid of being unsuccessful in sneaking some fruits and vegetables into your child’s diet anymore!
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One particular #foodinspo that we like is this kid-friendly spread that looks to be inspired by a cheese-and-cold cut platter. Filled with crackers, fruits, and chocolate, the child-friendly version is very easy to put together, and you could even customise it to your children’s liking with their favourite snacks and treats!
You can also take it one step further with this DIY fruit kebab recipe that gives you room for personalisation for the little ones.
All you need is a set of alphabet cookie cutters to spell out your child’s name before skewering the cut fruits on a stick to resemble a kebab.
8. Candace Mama (@cancan_ku)
If you haven’t noticed, most of the food design accounts are started by mothers who wanted to cook up healthy yet good-looking for their children – just like Candace!
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If waking your child up for school is requiring more effort lately, these adorable LINE FRIENDS toasts might just be able to save you some energy.
Instead of simply slapping on some spread on your bread, go the extra mile by carefully shaping your spread of choice into a cute character that would entice your little one to automatically get out of bed to enjoy the special breakfast.
9. Sarah Lescrauwaet-Beach (@edible_food_art_for_kids)
These gorgeous masterpieces by Sarah might look like they belong in an art museum but trust us, they’re all just made out of fruits!
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Making use of every fruit possible, Sarah definitely loves her childhood Disney characters through the designs shown on her feed. This Pooh-and-Tigger fruit platter might look tough to pull off but really, it’s just about picking fruits with the colour scheme that matches the theme that you’re going for.
10. The Lunch Punch (@thelunchpunch)
The lunchboxes featured on this account are definitely not as kawaii as those intricately designed Japanese bento boxes, but we reckon they’re perfect for children who prefer vibrant, colourful meals over cute food art.
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From lunch packs and snack boxes to fruit platters and sweet treats, the number of creations you can adopt is simply endless. There are plenty of ideas that let you pre-pack them the night before too so that you can snooze a little bit more in the morning.
11. Amy (@cookingwithamyy)
@cookingwithamyyAntwoorden aan @agnieeeeeeee i couldn’t eat these? ##seal ##meringue ##cuteanimals ##seals ##foryou♬ Bee Gees – More Than A Woman – ⭐️✨?
Amy is known in the world of TikTok for making adorable meringue floaties in various characters, and you can try a few of her recipes to make cute drink toppings to spice things up for the little one!
@cookingwithamyyAnother Icebox Cookie Character. Who dis? ##iceboxcookies ##disney ##cookies ##foryou♬ Good News – Mac Miller
Also available on her channel are tutorial videos on how to make character icebox cookies – these totally forgo the use of an oven and only require you to simply place the dough in the fridge to harden before serving!
12. Liza Stian (@lizastian)
@lizastianRice with broccoli and cheese stuffed chicken breast for today’s lunch for my husband ??##lunchformyhusband ##foodtiktok ##lunch♬ Belicot felithcech – CheemLord
While Liza found fame for documenting all the lunch boxes she makes for her husband, there are still plenty of cute inspirations that you can get from her account when you run out of ideas on what to pack for your children’s lunchboxes – there’s bound to be something that’ll definitely lift their mood and put a smile on their faces!
Feature image courtesy of Creative Live and Yuka.
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