20 Easy Disney Recipes for Kids That Are Equal Parts Foolproof and Magical

If you have kids who love Frozen, Moana and the like, nothing beats a Disney World vacation. But if you don’t have a trip to Orlando on the books, you can give them the next best thing: Disney-inspired mains, snacks and desserts that taste like a trip to the most magical place on earth. Behold: 20 easy Disney recipes for kids that are equal parts delicious, nostalgic and endearing.

Mostly from the official Disney Parks Blog, which occasionally shares DIY recipes modeled after foods you can only get at the parks’ restaurants, these recipes range from an over-the-top grilled cheese to Mickey Mouse-shaped pretzels to a divinely buttery apple pie. The dishes are easy enough for grown-ups to master and for enthusiastic little helpers to get in on the fun. Read on for my top ideas.

• Inspired By: grilled cheese at Woody’s Lunch Box in Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Serves: 4

Picture an impeccably gooey, toasty grilled cheese sandwich. Now, quadruple the cheese and add garlicky mayo to the outside of the bread for good measure. Your kids will relish the cheddar-kissed cream cheese spread, which makes the handheld extra decadent.

• Inspired By: Disney’s Dole Whip, originally found in Aloha Isle at Magic Kingdom's Adventureland
• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Serves: 2

It’s the most iconic easy Disney recipe for kids of all time, if you ask me. Made with nothing but pineapple juice, frozen pineapple and vanilla ice cream, this summery treat comes together in a blender. The trick to getting a flawless soft serve swirl at home is piping it through a star-tipped pastry bag into your bowl.

• Inspired By: plant-based cookie fries from the Beaches & Cream Soda Shop at Disney’s Beach Club Resort
• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
• Serves: 32 fries

These dangerously poppable treats lean crunchy, more like biscotti than your average chocolate chipper. At the parks, they’re typically paired with chocolate, strawberry and marshmallow cream dipping sauces. But I wouldn’t blame you for skipping them in favor of a tall glass of milk.

• Inspired By: Canadian cheddar cheese soup from Le Cellier Steakhouse at Epcot
• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Serves: 10

This buttery soul-soother boasts an entire pound of shredded white cheddar cheese. Need I say more? Substitute vegetable broth, ginger ale or even white grape juice for beer if you’d rather not use alcohol, and skip the Tabasco if your kids are opposed to spice.

• Inspired By: Totchos at Woody’s Lunch Box in Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Serves: 4 to 6

Tater tots take over for tortilla chips in this potato-forward spin on nachos. They’re topped with beef and bean chili, homemade queso and crunchy corn chips for good measure, along with scallions and sour cream. Make the chili in advance so you can assemble the totchos at a moment’s notice.

• Inspired By: apple pie from Whispering Canyon Café at Disney World’s Wilderness Lodge
• Time Commitment: 2 hours
• Serves: 8

This beauty is sort of a cake-pie hybrid, if you ask me. It’s loaded with tart Granny Smiths, one of my favorite apples for baking (namely because they hold their shape in the oven instead of turning to mush). In addition to a buttery, crumbly pie crust, the recipe calls for a batter that transforms into a cake-like top layer when baked.

• Inspired By: Kitchen Sink Sundae from the Beaches & Cream Soda Shop at Disney’s Beach Club Resort
• Time Commitment: varies
• Serves: varies

Nothing beats a recipe that’s no cooking (or baking) and all assembly. As the name implies, the Kitchen Sink Sundae calls for a whopping 23 toppings, ranging from peanut butter chips to candy bars to toasted almonds, and five different ice creams, but you can really let your picky kids’ cravings (and the ingredients you actually have on hand) make the call.

• Inspired By: gourmet mac and cheese from the Mac & Cheese Marketplace at the 2020 Taste of Epcot International Food and Wine Festival
• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Serves: 6 to 8

Garlic, herbs and, you guessed it, extra cheese make this mac and cheese a notch above the rest. Personally, my favorite thing about this easy Disney recipe for kids is the buttery, crunchy toasted panko breadcrumb topping. (I also love the unexpected addition of mustard powder for depth of flavor and a zingy edge.)

• Inspired By: Walt’s Chili from Carnation Café at Disneyland
• Time Commitment: 3 hours and 15 minutes
• Serves: 4

Walt Disney himself was a big fan of chili, often eating it while he was at the studio. This led the Disney family cook to craft a recipe that was later obtained from Walt’s oldest daughter, Diane. The dish would eventually be served at Carnation Café, where park-goers can still order it today. But until you can make it to Disneyland, why not serve it up at home?

• Inspired By: gingerbread-cream cheese muffins from Isle of Java and Harambe Fruit Market at Animal Kingdom
• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Serves: 12

Seasoned with plenty of warm spices (ginger! cinnamon! nutmeg!) like its holiday namesake, this muffin recipe also includes a sweet-and-tangy cream cheese filling, which will curb the heat just right for tiny snackers. P.S.: A comparable runner-up is Disney’s mini gingerbread Bundt cake recipe.

• Inspired By: churros from various Disney Parks around the world
• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Serves: 4

One treat that’s always worth standing in line for at the parks? Churros. This Disney dessert comes together with a handful of pantry staples and a flurry of cinnamon sugar. Serve it with chocolate sauce or dulce de leche, depending on what your kid prefers.

• Inspired By: pumpkin pancakes from various Disney restaurants, such as Kona Café at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and River Belle Terrace at Disneyland
• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Serves: 10 pancakes

Halloween is a huge deal at the Disney parks. Fans flock there for scary-delicious dishes like pumpkin soup, pumpkin bars and Jack Skellington everything. My personal favorite? These pumpkin pancakes, which taste just as divine with cream cheese frosting as they do with maple syrup.

• Inspired By: Mickey Pretzels from various Disney venues, such as Trek Snacks at Animal Kingdom and The Land Cart at Epcot
• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Serves: 4

They start with store-bought pizza dough, making them easy enough for newbie bakers (and Disney-loving kids) to tackle at home. Go the extra mile by making cheese dip from scratch for dipping (or serve them with mustard and call it a day).

• Inspired By: Grey Stuff at Be Our Guest Restaurant at Magic Kingdom and Red Rose Taverne at Disneyland
• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 15 minutes (includes chilling time)
• Serves: 12

This is a pudding-like dish that’s typically served at Beauty and the Beast-themed restaurants at Disney parks. (FYI, Lumiere references the dish when he sings, “Try the grey stuff, it’s delicious. Don’t believe me? Ask the dishes.”) While the way it’s served changes from time to time—it can be served atop a cupcake or on its own, as a mousse, among other ways—the flavor profile is the same: cookies and crème. No wonder Lumiere was such a fan.

• Inspired By: beignets at various Disney restaurants, such as Scat Cat’s Club at Disney World’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
• Time Commitment: 3 hours (includes resting time)
• Serves: 10 large or 24 small

Yes, they’re a labor of love. But this NOLA staple just might become your kids’ new favorite breakfast once they taste it. The instructions call for 11 different ingredients, all of which are likely already in your pantry (except for maybe dry yeast).

• Inspired By: the Star Wars franchise
• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Serves: 12

Part retro lunchbox snack, part Star Wars-inspiredcuteness. “It’s the kind of project you could split up into two nights, if you wanted, baking the cookies the first night (and OK, nibbling on a few), then decorating them the second,” Davison explains.

• Inspired By: The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Serves: 6

“They’re surprisingly easy to make, as long as you have a silicone mold and a black food coloring pen,” Davison claims. “What you fill them with is totally your call, beyond the standard hot cocoa mix: [think] mini marshmallows, candy, sprinkles and sugar eyes. I opted for a blend of black, red and green sprinkles, Sno Caps and candy eyes.”

• Inspired By: The Mandalorian
• Time Commitment: varies
• Serves: varies

What I wouldn’t give to see teeny-tiny Grogu eat one of these charming confections. “You can use any cupcake flavor or recipe as the base (though I’m partial to chocolate),” Davison notes. “From there, the hardest part is breaking the Oreos in half to form The Child’s ears.” Sound easy enough?