Rainbow Themed Food Ideas for Kids

Who doesn’t like rainbows?  These rainbow recipes are easy to make and fun to eat.  They are great for St. Patrick’s Day, Spring, parties, and really anytime.  Check out the fun recipes  below that include: rainbow waffles, rainbow pudding, rainbow cupcakes, rainbow pancakes, a pot of gold snack

Rainbow Waffle

Rainbow Waffles for kids

Ingredients: waffle mix, gel food coloring, food storage bags with twist ties or piping bag, tall cup, whipped cream, waffle iron

Step 1:  Make the waffle mix according to the box

Step 2:  Place a food storage bag inside the tall cup.  You will need one storage bag per color.

Step 3: Place about 1/2 a cup of the mixture into the bag.

Step 4: Add red gel food coloring to the mixture.  Secure the bag with a twist tie.  Mush the bag with your hand until the color is completely blended.  I have my niece and daughter mix the colors, they loved it and it kept them busy.  Repeat this step with each color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet ( I only used one purple color).  The back of the food coloring box with give you directions on how to make the colors.  It doesn’t show you how to make the purple colors but red and blue make purple.

Step 5: Place all the colors in a row in order of the colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.  Place them with the tips facing up.  Snip off the very tip of the bag.

Step 6: Starting with red make a circle around the waffle iron, repeat this with each color.

Rainbow Waffle mixture

Step 7: Break the waffle in half and put on the plate.  Squeeze some whipped cream on each side to represent clouds.  Enjoy!

Rainbow waffle

Rainbow waffles

 

Rainbow Pancakes

Ingredients: pancake mix, food coloring

Step 1:  The first thing you will do is make the pancake batter according to the directions. I used 1 cup of pancake mix to make silver dollar pancakes in the seven colors of the rainbow.

 

Step 2:  Once the batter is made you’re going to separate it into seven small bowls.  I used child-size cereal bowls.

Step 3: Now you’re going to add a couple of drops of different color food coloring in each bowl.  This is the perfect time to teach the kids about mixing colors.  Most food coloring packages come in red, blue, green, and yellow.  You can show the kids that if you mix yellow and red you will get orange and red and blue to make purple.

Step 4: Cook the pancakes how you normally would.  Then stack them in order of the colors of the rainbow.  Roy G. BIV  Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet.

Rainbow Pudding

Materials: Jell-O instant pudding, milk, food coloring, whip cream, sprinkles, clear plastic cups, bowls, spoons, optional chocolate coins (for St. Patrick’s Day)

Step 1:  The first thing you will do is make the Jell-O instant pudding according to the directions.  You’re going to need 2 cups of instant pudding per snack.  Separate the Jell-O into 7 separate bowls.  One bowl per color.

Step 2: Next you’re going to add food coloring to each bowl of pudding.  You’re going to make the colors of the rainbow. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet.  ROYGBIV

Step 3:  Place the bowls in the line for the colors of the rainbow ROY G. BIV. Now, you’re going to layer the colors. Have the children start at the red bowl and put 2 small spoonfuls of each color in their plastic cups.

Step 4:  Put some whipped cream on top of the last color.  The whipped cream will be the cloud at the end of the rainbow.

Step 5:  Pour some sprinkles on top then top with a chocolate gold coin. Enjoy!

Rainbow Cupcakes

Rainbow cupcakes

Ingredients: White cake mix, gel food coloring, food storage bag with twist ties (or piping bags), tall cup,  optional: for frosting Cool Whip and Jell-O instant pistachio pudding mix

Step 1: Make cake mix according to the box.  Mine made 15 cupcakes

Step 2: Place one food storage bag inside the tall cup.  You will need one storage bag per color.  Place about 1/2 cup of the mix into the bag.

Step 3: Squeeze the red food gel into the bag.  Secure the bag with the twist tie.  If you are making this with a child, this is a fun part for them.  They can mush the mixture in the bag, so the color is completely blended.  Repeat this step with all the colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet). I skilled the indigo and just made one purple.

Follow the directions on the food gel container to make different colors.  I only make one purple color, and it was hard to make the purple colors.

Step 4:  Once all your colors are mixed place them in the order of the colors of the rainbow.  Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet. This step makes it easier when you are piping your colors.

Step 5:  Place the tips of the bags facing upwards and snip the end off.  Keep the tips facing up, so the mixture does not spill out.

Step 6:  Starting with the purple (indigo and violet)  color, first pipe a small amount into each cupcake wrapper.  Repeat with the other colors in this order purple (indigo and violet), blue, green, yellow, orange, and red

Step 7:  Let the cupcakes bake according to the box.

Optional:

Step 8: Pour half of the Cool Whip container into a bowl.  Add the entire packet of Jell-O instant pistachio pudding mix into the bowl.  Mix the Cool Whip and pudding mix together until completely blended.  Ice cupcakes with the mixture when they are completely cool.

You can also add a gold coin on top!

*You can mix and flavor instant pudding with Cool Whip to make a nice light frosting.

Rainbow Pot of Gold

Pot of gold rainbow snack

This rainbow pot of gold snack is cute and easy to make. It is a great idea for a classroom snack or great idea for parents to make for a troop, party, or any other special event.

Materials: Clear plastic sandwich bags, green ribbon, Rolo candies, and colorful Twizzlers.

Step 1: Place 3 or more colorful Twizzlers into the plastic sandwich bag.

Step 2: Add 3-4 Rolo candies.

Step 3: Close the sandwich bag tightly at the top, so the Twizzers bend like a rainbow. Tie it with a green ribbon.

Rainbow Bunt Cake

rainbow buntcake

The rainbow bunt cake came out great.  I let my daughter do most of the mixing and decorating.  She had a blast mixing all the colors. I love baking with her. 

It is a good way for us to spend quality time together.

This is a great recipe not only for St. Patrick’s Day but for Spring in general.  Follow the step-by-step directions below to make your very own rainbow bunt cake.

little girl mixing cake batter

Ingredients:  one vanilla cake mix, red, blue, green, and yellow food coloring, Cool Whip (let the Cool Whip thaw out in the refrigerator), one box of Jell-O pistachio instant pudding mix, one box of Jell-O vanilla pudding mix, green sprinkles

Recipe

Step 1:  The first thing that you are going to do is make the cake mix according to the package.  I always add one box of Jell-O instant vanilla pudding to the mix.  It makes the cake come out very moist.

Step 2: Once the cake batter is complete, pour the mixture evenly into four bowls.  My daughter wanted to help with this. We lost about 1/4 of our mixture.  It landed everywhere but in the bowl.

Step 3: Add a little bit of food coloring to each bowl.  Start off with only a couple of drops.  You can always add more, but you cannot take it away.  I suggest the adult add the food coloring.  It can stain your hands for a little while.

batter with food coloring

Step 4:  Mix until the food coloring is well blended.  This is important.  You want the color to be even.  In the picture below the red looks a little orange.  In person it took on a pinkish color.  I never seem to get a bright red right however, when it was cooked it looked more like red.

bowls fill of cake batter and food coloring

Step 5:  My daughter loved this part.  You want to add each color to the bunt pan.  If you want to have the colors in the order of the rainbow do it in this order: Red, Yellow, Green, Blue.  I messed this part up and started with the blue first.  Then I realized that you flip the bunt pan over and blue would be on top, but help my daughter liked it, so it worked out.

colored cake batter placed in a bunt pan

Step 6:  Now it’s time to prepare the icing.  This is one of my favorite icing recipes.  It’s much lighter than store bought icing and tastes great.  Take one container of Cool Whip and mix it with 1 package of Jell-O Instant Pistachio Pudding.  Keep mixing until the instant pudding is completely dissolved.

Cool Whip and Jell-O used to make the frosting

Step 7:  Once your cake has cooled completely it’s time to decorate.  I let my daughter go to town with the icing and the sprinkles.  She had the best time.

Iced rainbow bunt cake for Spring or Saint Patrick's Day
Inside of the rainbow bunt cake

The rainbow cake came out great!  My daughter said it was like eating a rainbow.  She had the best time making it.  Hope you enjoyed out rainbow themed food ideas!