What are the top vegetables for picky eaters?
What are the top vegetables for picky eaters?
Post Author
Post Author
Dahlia Rimmon, MS, RDN
Editorial Manager
Medically reviewed by
Medically reviewed by
Nicole Silber, RD, CSP, CLC
Dietitian
Dr. Ali Alhassani, MD, FAAP
Pediatrics and Sleep Training Expert
What is picky eating?
Picky eating is a type of eating behavior where kids have strong aversions to specific foods, food groups, and/or food textures, resulting in a limited diet. Picky eaters may have inconsistent food preferences, refuse food or meals, or have rigid eating rituals. Most children go through one or more phases of picky eating, typically beginning around age one. These behaviors often peak during toddlerhood (ages 1 to 3), with the most intense period usually occurring between 18 months and 2 years. However, this timeline can vary—some children are born picky, while others may have fussy eating patterns well into their teenage years.
Children have varying nutritional needs, based on their age, periods of growth, and activity level, and it’s developmentally normal for their appetites to fluctuate. It's typical for children to eat more on some days and less on others, or to eat varying amounts throughout the day. Appetite fluctuations can concern parents who may not understand or anticipate these typical age-appropriate changes.
While picky eating behaviors are especially common during toddlerhood, these behaviors may re-emerge later in children who have sensory processing issues, anxiety, fear of new things, or other rigid behaviors. It’s important to address picky eating early on to ensure your child receives adequate nutrition for healthy growth and development.
“I find that helping parents manage their expectations around picky eating is incredibly important,” says Nicole Silber, RD, CSP, CLC, Pediatric Registered Dietitian at Summer Health. “Often parents see picky eating emerge, and panic, so it's helpful for parents to understand that this is very normal, and often passes with age as long as the children are given the opportunities to overcome it on their own.” This includes fostering a positive relationship with food and between feeder (parent) and eater (child) to prevent power struggles.
Types of picky eating behaviors
Texture aversions: Some children prefer crunchy foods like crackers, while others favor smooth foods that require minimal chewing, like yogurt or applesauce.
Food presentation: A child may be selective about how food is presented or prepared. For example, a toddler may happily eat sliced chicken but refuse it if mixed into a rice dish.
Sensory aversions: Some children are sensitive to food smells, or the way a food feels, which can influence their willingness to eat.
Picky about specific foods or food groups: Some children are selective about particular foods or entire food groups, showing strong preferences or complete refusals.
Why are children picky eaters?
While there is no universally accepted reason why children develop picky eating behaviors, several theories attempt to explain it. One widely accepted idea is that picky eating is linked to a child's growing sense of independence. Around their first birthday and throughout toddlerhood, children begin to assert control and autonomy, including over what they eat. Refusing food can be one of the ways they express that control.
Another theory points to heightened sensory sensitivity, particularly to taste, smell, and texture. This may be an evolutionary trait that helped protect young children from consuming potentially harmful or poisonous plants while foraging in nature. In this view, being cautious or “picky” about unfamiliar foods may have once served a survival purpose.
Some children exhibit picky eating behaviors during their toddler years due in part to fluctuations in their caloric needs. As growth spurts come and go, so does their appetite. During periods of slower growth, they may eat very little, while during rapid growth phases, their appetite might increase significantly. This natural inconsistency can make eating patterns unpredictable and inconsistent.
Teething (especially the eruption of back molars around age two) can also influence picky eating. These teeth can take weeks to fully emerge and may cause discomfort, making eating less appealing and painful.
Additionally, some toddlers do not have fully developed oral motor skills, which are essential for chewing and swallowing. Poor oral motor skills can make the act of eating overwhelming and frustrating, and they may rely on specific foods or textures for comfort and ease. “Some children haven’t fully developed their oral motor skills, or can be sensory-sensitive,” explains Silber. “Because eating involves a lot of sensory systems, oral motor skills, and coordination, it can be overwhelming and not appealing to children who may have weaknesses in those areas.”
Why are vegetables a common food that kids reject?
Children often crave consistency because it gives them a sense of comfort and control—and vegetables are far from consistent. No two pieces of broccoli are exactly alike in color, texture, or taste. One day it might taste sweet and the next, it could be bitter or earthy. Compare that to a frozen waffle, which looks, smells, and tastes exactly the same every time, which children find reassuring.
Texture is another reason. Some vegetables have fibrous, mushy, or stringy textures (which can be especially off-putting for children with sensory sensitivities). Taste plays a role too. Vegetables often have a naturally bitter flavor, especially when not prepared in a kid-friendly way. Evolutionarily, young children tend to have a stronger preference for sweet flavors, so they may naturally reject bitter foods.
Lastly, a lack of early and repeated exposure to vegetables can make rejection more likely. When vegetables aren't regularly offered in a positive and pressure-free way, kids may not develop familiarity or comfort with them, increasing the chances they'll say no when they are served.
Simple tips to help your kids enjoy vegetables
When it comes to helping children learn to enjoy vegetables, exposure is key. Many kids need repeated, low-pressure interactions with food (sometimes 10 to 15 times or more) before they feel comfortable eating it. These exposures don’t have to involve taking a bite. Simply looking, touching, smelling, licking, or spitting it out are all meaningful steps forward.
This approach is especially important because it shifts the focus away from expecting your child to eat the food. Instead, it encourages you to take a step back and prioritize exposure and engagement over immediate consumption. Here are some simple ways to encourage exposure and engagement:
Get kids involved in the kitchen: Let them help wash, peel, or chop vegetables (there are plenty of kid-safe knives available). If chopping is too challenging, involve your child in unpacking vegetables from the grocery bag or washing them in the sick to build familiarity.
Let them control the interaction: If your child doesn’t want a vegetable on their plate, let them be the one to remove it because even that is tactile engagement.
Incorporate food play: Making rainbows out of fruits and vegetables is fun and a pressure-free way to build exposure.
Model healthy eating: Children learn by watching, so family meals where everyone is eating a variety of foods, including veggies, can make a big impact over time.
Offer small portions: A single broccoli floret or a few cucumber slices can be less intimidating than a full serving. A big pile of vegetables can be visually overwhelming.
Add flavor: No one loves bland or mushy vegetables and neither do kids. Try roasting vegetables with olive oil, sautéing with garlic, or using herbs, butter, or a sprinkle of salt. Making them crispy in the oven or air fryer is another great option.
Offer dips: Many kids enjoy dunking their veggies in flavorful dips like hummus, pesto, ranch, or guacamole. Dipping adds a fun and interactive twist to eating vegetables.
Adjust the presentation: If whole vegetables are too big of a step, consider chopping them up and mixing them into foods your child already enjoys, like pasta, pizza, or quesadillas. Even if they pick them out, they're still getting exposure.
Picky eating is a process that requires time and patience. The goal isn’t to force children to eat vegetables, but to create repeated, positive experiences that build familiarity, comfort, and, eventually, a willingness to try them.
Helpful parenting tips to deal with picky eating
Focus on exposure: The goal isn’t to get your child to eat the food right away—it’s to help them become familiar with it over time. Looking at, touching, smelling, or even playing with food are all important steps toward eventual acceptance.
Manage your expectations: Many parents overestimate how much food their child needs and unintentionally pressure them to eat more. This pressure often backfires and intensifies picky eating. Trust your child’s appetite and respect their signals of fullness.
Establish structured meal and snack times: Avoid constant grazing throughout the day. Instead, offer meals and snacks at set times, ideally with two to three hours in between. This helps ensure your child comes to the table with an appetite, which can improve their openness to trying new foods.
Allow your child to feel hunger: It can be uncomfortable for parents to see their child hungry, but that hunger is a natural and healthy signal. A child who feels hungry is often more motivated to eat, which can make mealtime more successful.
Top vegetables to try with picky eaters
There isn’t a universal list of “top” vegetables for picky eaters. Every child is different, with unique tastes and preferences. However, there are some general trends that can help guide your choices. Many children tend to prefer crunchy, flavorful vegetables over soft or mushy ones. For example, raw carrots and roasted or air-fried broccoli often appeal more than steamed carrots and broccoli. Crunchy textures provide sensory feedback, helping kids better feel where the food is in their mouth, which can be more comfortable (especially for children with sensory sensitivities).
Color and presentation also matter. Bright, colorful veggies like red bell peppers or purple cauliflower can be more visually appealing and fun to eat. When it comes to flavor, many kids gravitate toward milder, slightly sweet vegetables rather than those with bitter or earthy notes.
Some examples include:
Carrots
Zucchini
Sweet bell peppers (red, orange, yellow)
Cucumbers
Corn
Sweet tomatoes
Butternut squash
Sweet potato/yams
Japanese sweet potato
Green beans (especially crispy or sautéed)
Jicama
Peas
Should parents hide vegetables in their kids' food?
Sneaking or hiding vegetables in your child’s meals isn’t usually the best long-term strategy. While it might help increase their nutrient intake temporarily, it doesn’t give them the exposure they need to actually learn to accept and enjoy those vegetables. Over time, this approach can also erode trust, especially if they discover a hidden ingredient they didn’t expect.
That said, it’s completely okay to blend or finely chop vegetables into foods your child already enjoys as a way to boost nutrition and gently build tolerance. Just make sure you're also offering a visible piece of that vegetable on the plate or telling your child about the vegetable addition.
FAQs
Why do kids prefer fruit over vegetables?
“This isn’t true for all children,” explains Silber. “Fruit is sweeter and appeals to the children who prefer that flavor but parents tend to offer fruit more as babies versus vegetables so less exposure usually yields less consumption.”
How often should vegetables be served to kids?
Exposure is key when it comes to helping children accept and eventually enjoy vegetables. “I recommend offering a vegetable at least two to three times per day, or at two meals/snacks,” says Silber. This might look like carrot sticks with lunch, roasted broccoli at dinner, and cucumber slices as part of an afternoon snack.
What are common preparation methods to improve vegetable tolerance?
Adding olive oil or avocado oil when roasting or sauteeing
Everything-but-the-bagel spice
Low sodium soy sauce
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Parmesan cheese
What are some meals to add vegetables to?
Homemade pizzas
Mac n cheese
Blended into meatballs or meatloaf
Homemade tomato sauce
Scrambled eggs or omelet
Smoothies
Soups/stews
Quesadillas
If you have questions about picky eating, reach out to your local or Summer Health pediatrician for support. Summer Health is a pediatric telehealth platform offering 24/7 care, providing answers for everything from urgent concerns to everyday questions about your child’s health.
What is picky eating?
Picky eating is a type of eating behavior where kids have strong aversions to specific foods, food groups, and/or food textures, resulting in a limited diet. Picky eaters may have inconsistent food preferences, refuse food or meals, or have rigid eating rituals. Most children go through one or more phases of picky eating, typically beginning around age one. These behaviors often peak during toddlerhood (ages 1 to 3), with the most intense period usually occurring between 18 months and 2 years. However, this timeline can vary—some children are born picky, while others may have fussy eating patterns well into their teenage years.
Children have varying nutritional needs, based on their age, periods of growth, and activity level, and it’s developmentally normal for their appetites to fluctuate. It's typical for children to eat more on some days and less on others, or to eat varying amounts throughout the day. Appetite fluctuations can concern parents who may not understand or anticipate these typical age-appropriate changes.
While picky eating behaviors are especially common during toddlerhood, these behaviors may re-emerge later in children who have sensory processing issues, anxiety, fear of new things, or other rigid behaviors. It’s important to address picky eating early on to ensure your child receives adequate nutrition for healthy growth and development.
“I find that helping parents manage their expectations around picky eating is incredibly important,” says Nicole Silber, RD, CSP, CLC, Pediatric Registered Dietitian at Summer Health. “Often parents see picky eating emerge, and panic, so it's helpful for parents to understand that this is very normal, and often passes with age as long as the children are given the opportunities to overcome it on their own.” This includes fostering a positive relationship with food and between feeder (parent) and eater (child) to prevent power struggles.
Types of picky eating behaviors
Texture aversions: Some children prefer crunchy foods like crackers, while others favor smooth foods that require minimal chewing, like yogurt or applesauce.
Food presentation: A child may be selective about how food is presented or prepared. For example, a toddler may happily eat sliced chicken but refuse it if mixed into a rice dish.
Sensory aversions: Some children are sensitive to food smells, or the way a food feels, which can influence their willingness to eat.
Picky about specific foods or food groups: Some children are selective about particular foods or entire food groups, showing strong preferences or complete refusals.
Why are children picky eaters?
While there is no universally accepted reason why children develop picky eating behaviors, several theories attempt to explain it. One widely accepted idea is that picky eating is linked to a child's growing sense of independence. Around their first birthday and throughout toddlerhood, children begin to assert control and autonomy, including over what they eat. Refusing food can be one of the ways they express that control.
Another theory points to heightened sensory sensitivity, particularly to taste, smell, and texture. This may be an evolutionary trait that helped protect young children from consuming potentially harmful or poisonous plants while foraging in nature. In this view, being cautious or “picky” about unfamiliar foods may have once served a survival purpose.
Some children exhibit picky eating behaviors during their toddler years due in part to fluctuations in their caloric needs. As growth spurts come and go, so does their appetite. During periods of slower growth, they may eat very little, while during rapid growth phases, their appetite might increase significantly. This natural inconsistency can make eating patterns unpredictable and inconsistent.
Teething (especially the eruption of back molars around age two) can also influence picky eating. These teeth can take weeks to fully emerge and may cause discomfort, making eating less appealing and painful.
Additionally, some toddlers do not have fully developed oral motor skills, which are essential for chewing and swallowing. Poor oral motor skills can make the act of eating overwhelming and frustrating, and they may rely on specific foods or textures for comfort and ease. “Some children haven’t fully developed their oral motor skills, or can be sensory-sensitive,” explains Silber. “Because eating involves a lot of sensory systems, oral motor skills, and coordination, it can be overwhelming and not appealing to children who may have weaknesses in those areas.”
Why are vegetables a common food that kids reject?
Children often crave consistency because it gives them a sense of comfort and control—and vegetables are far from consistent. No two pieces of broccoli are exactly alike in color, texture, or taste. One day it might taste sweet and the next, it could be bitter or earthy. Compare that to a frozen waffle, which looks, smells, and tastes exactly the same every time, which children find reassuring.
Texture is another reason. Some vegetables have fibrous, mushy, or stringy textures (which can be especially off-putting for children with sensory sensitivities). Taste plays a role too. Vegetables often have a naturally bitter flavor, especially when not prepared in a kid-friendly way. Evolutionarily, young children tend to have a stronger preference for sweet flavors, so they may naturally reject bitter foods.
Lastly, a lack of early and repeated exposure to vegetables can make rejection more likely. When vegetables aren't regularly offered in a positive and pressure-free way, kids may not develop familiarity or comfort with them, increasing the chances they'll say no when they are served.
Simple tips to help your kids enjoy vegetables
When it comes to helping children learn to enjoy vegetables, exposure is key. Many kids need repeated, low-pressure interactions with food (sometimes 10 to 15 times or more) before they feel comfortable eating it. These exposures don’t have to involve taking a bite. Simply looking, touching, smelling, licking, or spitting it out are all meaningful steps forward.
This approach is especially important because it shifts the focus away from expecting your child to eat the food. Instead, it encourages you to take a step back and prioritize exposure and engagement over immediate consumption. Here are some simple ways to encourage exposure and engagement:
Get kids involved in the kitchen: Let them help wash, peel, or chop vegetables (there are plenty of kid-safe knives available). If chopping is too challenging, involve your child in unpacking vegetables from the grocery bag or washing them in the sick to build familiarity.
Let them control the interaction: If your child doesn’t want a vegetable on their plate, let them be the one to remove it because even that is tactile engagement.
Incorporate food play: Making rainbows out of fruits and vegetables is fun and a pressure-free way to build exposure.
Model healthy eating: Children learn by watching, so family meals where everyone is eating a variety of foods, including veggies, can make a big impact over time.
Offer small portions: A single broccoli floret or a few cucumber slices can be less intimidating than a full serving. A big pile of vegetables can be visually overwhelming.
Add flavor: No one loves bland or mushy vegetables and neither do kids. Try roasting vegetables with olive oil, sautéing with garlic, or using herbs, butter, or a sprinkle of salt. Making them crispy in the oven or air fryer is another great option.
Offer dips: Many kids enjoy dunking their veggies in flavorful dips like hummus, pesto, ranch, or guacamole. Dipping adds a fun and interactive twist to eating vegetables.
Adjust the presentation: If whole vegetables are too big of a step, consider chopping them up and mixing them into foods your child already enjoys, like pasta, pizza, or quesadillas. Even if they pick them out, they're still getting exposure.
Picky eating is a process that requires time and patience. The goal isn’t to force children to eat vegetables, but to create repeated, positive experiences that build familiarity, comfort, and, eventually, a willingness to try them.
Helpful parenting tips to deal with picky eating
Focus on exposure: The goal isn’t to get your child to eat the food right away—it’s to help them become familiar with it over time. Looking at, touching, smelling, or even playing with food are all important steps toward eventual acceptance.
Manage your expectations: Many parents overestimate how much food their child needs and unintentionally pressure them to eat more. This pressure often backfires and intensifies picky eating. Trust your child’s appetite and respect their signals of fullness.
Establish structured meal and snack times: Avoid constant grazing throughout the day. Instead, offer meals and snacks at set times, ideally with two to three hours in between. This helps ensure your child comes to the table with an appetite, which can improve their openness to trying new foods.
Allow your child to feel hunger: It can be uncomfortable for parents to see their child hungry, but that hunger is a natural and healthy signal. A child who feels hungry is often more motivated to eat, which can make mealtime more successful.
Top vegetables to try with picky eaters
There isn’t a universal list of “top” vegetables for picky eaters. Every child is different, with unique tastes and preferences. However, there are some general trends that can help guide your choices. Many children tend to prefer crunchy, flavorful vegetables over soft or mushy ones. For example, raw carrots and roasted or air-fried broccoli often appeal more than steamed carrots and broccoli. Crunchy textures provide sensory feedback, helping kids better feel where the food is in their mouth, which can be more comfortable (especially for children with sensory sensitivities).
Color and presentation also matter. Bright, colorful veggies like red bell peppers or purple cauliflower can be more visually appealing and fun to eat. When it comes to flavor, many kids gravitate toward milder, slightly sweet vegetables rather than those with bitter or earthy notes.
Some examples include:
Carrots
Zucchini
Sweet bell peppers (red, orange, yellow)
Cucumbers
Corn
Sweet tomatoes
Butternut squash
Sweet potato/yams
Japanese sweet potato
Green beans (especially crispy or sautéed)
Jicama
Peas
Should parents hide vegetables in their kids' food?
Sneaking or hiding vegetables in your child’s meals isn’t usually the best long-term strategy. While it might help increase their nutrient intake temporarily, it doesn’t give them the exposure they need to actually learn to accept and enjoy those vegetables. Over time, this approach can also erode trust, especially if they discover a hidden ingredient they didn’t expect.
That said, it’s completely okay to blend or finely chop vegetables into foods your child already enjoys as a way to boost nutrition and gently build tolerance. Just make sure you're also offering a visible piece of that vegetable on the plate or telling your child about the vegetable addition.
FAQs
Why do kids prefer fruit over vegetables?
“This isn’t true for all children,” explains Silber. “Fruit is sweeter and appeals to the children who prefer that flavor but parents tend to offer fruit more as babies versus vegetables so less exposure usually yields less consumption.”
How often should vegetables be served to kids?
Exposure is key when it comes to helping children accept and eventually enjoy vegetables. “I recommend offering a vegetable at least two to three times per day, or at two meals/snacks,” says Silber. This might look like carrot sticks with lunch, roasted broccoli at dinner, and cucumber slices as part of an afternoon snack.
What are common preparation methods to improve vegetable tolerance?
Adding olive oil or avocado oil when roasting or sauteeing
Everything-but-the-bagel spice
Low sodium soy sauce
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Parmesan cheese
What are some meals to add vegetables to?
Homemade pizzas
Mac n cheese
Blended into meatballs or meatloaf
Homemade tomato sauce
Scrambled eggs or omelet
Smoothies
Soups/stews
Quesadillas
If you have questions about picky eating, reach out to your local or Summer Health pediatrician for support. Summer Health is a pediatric telehealth platform offering 24/7 care, providing answers for everything from urgent concerns to everyday questions about your child’s health.
References
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