Description
Healthy Bug Snacks turn fresh fruits and vegetables into playful caterpillars, ladybugs, butterflies, and snails. This easy no-cook recipe gives children a fun way to help prepare a colorful snack for parties, school activities, or afternoons at home.
Ingredients
Scale
- 6 medium celery stalks, washed and trimmed
- 1 crisp apple, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 cup seedless green or red grapes
- 1 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 small cucumber, sliced into thin rounds
- 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter or sunflower seed butter
- 1/2 cup softened cream cheese or dairy-free cream cheese
- 24 thin pretzel sticks
- 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons edible candy eyes, optional
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Cut the celery stalks into pieces about three inches long and pat them completely dry.
- Toss the apple slices with lemon juice to slow browning.
- Slice grapes lengthwise when serving younger children, slice the strawberries, halve the tomatoes, and slice the cucumber.
- Place the peanut butter and cream cheese in separate bowls, then break several pretzel sticks into shorter antennae and legs.
- Spread peanut butter over half the celery pieces and cream cheese over the remaining pieces.
- Make caterpillars by lining grapes or blueberries across the spread and adding a grape head, pretzel antennae, and chocolate chip eyes.
- Make ladybugs by placing a strawberry slice or tomato half on a cream cheese base and adding a blueberry head and chocolate chip spots.
- Make butterflies by placing strawberry slices beside an apple slice or celery body and adding pretzel antennae.
- Make snails by standing a cucumber round or apple slice in the spread and adding a grape head and short pretzel feelers.
- Arrange the finished bugs on a platter and serve immediately.
Notes
- Pat the celery and other produce dry so the creamy spreads hold the toppings securely.
- Replace peanut butter with sunflower seed butter, hummus, yogurt, or dairy-free cream cheese when needed.
- Cut grapes, tomatoes, apples, and pretzels into age-appropriate pieces and supervise young children.
- Prepare the bugs shortly before serving for the crispest texture.
- Store unused ingredients separately in airtight refrigerator containers for up to two days.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Snack
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 bug snacks
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 9
- Sodium: 130
- Fat: 8
- Saturated Fat: 2.5
- Unsaturated Fat: 5
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 18
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 4
- Cholesterol: 8