Best recipes for teenagers
Worried about your teenager's eating habits? Help them learn new skills in the kitchen with our simple but nutritious recipes, including easy desserts
Looking for the best recipes for your teenager? It's a time of life notorious for parental power struggles, and food can be just one of the issues up for debate. The desire to feed our children well is a primal instinct and one we have for good reason, but trying to take too much control over your teen's diet can end in disaster.
Sometimes, the key to getting teenagers to eat a balanced diet and maintain a healthy relationship with food is enabling them to gain independence in the kitchen (take a look at our kids' kitchen series, designed with children in mind).
We’ve put together a selection of recipes that will help your child gain the basic skills they need to cook confidently on their own. Now all you'll have to argue about is the washing-up...
Next, discover our summer party ideas for teenagers and quick after-school suppers for when you're strapped for time.
1. Stir-fries
When encouraging your teen to cook, the best approach can be to help them organise the ingredients they need, then take a step back. You can always be on hand if they need it, but 'helicopter parenting' will almost certainly be unwelcome in a hot kitchen.
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Stir-fries are a great starting point for the beginner cook, because they're simple, speedy and can be packed full of fresh veg. From pineapple, beef & ginger to simple vegetable & prawn noodles, these recipes make the perfect springboard for cooking balanced meals, independently.
Watch our video for more information on how to make a stir-fry.
Simple stir-fry
Spicy paneer stir-fry with crispy garlic
Pineapple, beef & ginger stir-fry
Noodle stir-fry with crunchy peanuts
Thai prawns & green beans
Our top stir-fry recipes
2. Pizza
Although making pizza from scratch may sound daunting, it only takes a handful of basic ingredients to make the homemade pizza sauce and bread base. Alternatively, just use a shop-bought pizza base that they can layer with their favourite toppings. After they see how easy it is, you may even start to get requests for a pizza oven!
Pizza with homemade sauce
Rainbow pizza
Pizza margherita in 4 easy steps
Roast cauliflower cheese pizza
Our best pizza recipes
3. Curry
Making a curry is all about balancing flavours and textures. It's best to start with the basics, so teens can experiment and add extras as they go along. This peanut & coconut curry is a good option as it makes use of the roasted veg from our easy summer vegetable traybake, so your teenager will get to learn a handy base recipe too.
Our vegan Thai curry uses tofu and plenty of veg to provide bulk, while curry paste, lime and coriander provide a fresh burst of flavours to complement the creamy coconut milk. Or try a classic chicken curry, made creamy with ground almonds and Greek yogurt.
Vegan Thai green curry
Easy chicken curry
Creamy lentil & veggie curry
Our easiest curry recipes
4. Pasta
For many teens, pasta will be one of their go-to meals after flying the nest. Help them expand their pasta repertoire with our failsafe recipes, including a healthier tuna pasta & aubergine bake, punchy meatball bake, pesto pasta, spaghetti bolognese, green spaghetti & meatballs and a cheesy pasta bake. Once they've got the hang of the basic techniques in these recipes, they'll be able to take on a range of other dishes.
Our easiest pasta recipes
Sausage pasta recipes
Chicken pasta recipes
Vegetarian pasta recipes
Healthy pasta recipes
5. Bowl food
Bowls are a great option when your kids want to put together a colourful lunch or energising breakfast. They're also an easy way to get them eating a range of fruit and veg, while honing their culinary creativity.
Chipotle turkey & avocado grain bowl
Chicken & veg bowl
Burrito bowl with chipotle black beans
Quick chicken hummus bowl
Feta & clementine lunch bowl
All our bowl food recipes
6. Homemade burgers & sandwiches
Our five-star-rated chicken & halloumi burgers need just 5 minutes to prep, and make use of nifty shortcuts, including jarred roasted peppers and ready-made hummus. For a plant-based option, our homemade falafel burgers simply require a food processor, plus a few helpful hands for shaping the patties.
Homemade beef burgers
Fried chicken waffle sandwich
Sausage sandwich with pesto
7. Quesadillas
Even making something as simple and delicious as a quesadilla from scratch can feel like a real milestone. They're versatile, easy to customise, and a great way to practise basic kitchen skills like slicing and frying vegetables and handling hot pans.
Sweet potato & chorizo quesadilla
Squash quesadilla
Grilled courgette, bean & cheese quesadilla
Chicken Kiev quesadilla
All our quesadilla recipes
8. Omelettes
Omelettes are a great standby meal for a hungry teen, making use of common storecupboard ingredients. Once they’ve cracked the basic recipe they can start getting creative with ingredients like feta & semi-dried tomatoes or chorizo, potato & cheese. Plonk your teenager down in front of our how to make a perfect omelette video, and they shouldn’t go too far wrong.
Omelette wedges
Spanish omelette
Chorizo, potato & cheese omelette
Omelette in a bun
All our top omelette recipes
9. Chilli
Chilli is one of those classic recipes often passed down through generations with a few special family twists along the way. Whether your teens want to stir up a meaty classic or hearty plant-based version, our quick and hassle-free recipes will form a great base for them to master this comforting one-pot.
Slow-cooker chilli con carne
Chilli con carne
Veggie chilli
All our chilli recipes
10. Smoothies & milkshakes
If getting your teenager to eat breakfast is a battle, a smoothie might make a good compromise. There’s something quite satisfying about blitzing one of these up, and they also make for a good mid-afternoon booster. Super-simple to make, our peach Melba smoothie and breakfast super-shake should be able to tempt most teens into action. For a fun party activity, why not make your own vanilla milkshake bar?
Strawberry green goddess smoothie
Two minute breakfast smoothie
Breakfast super-shake
Peach Melba smoothie
All our smoothie recipes
11. Bakes
Simple baking recipes are a great way of gaining confidence in the kitchen, and the show-off potential can make them more appealing to a new chef. If you are worried about your teenager's sugar intake, then this may help channel that desire for a sugar fix into something more wholesome. Baking something quick and easy can also make for a therapeutic break between study sessions.
Giant cookie cake
Choc chunk, cashew & cranberry cookies
Chocolate brownie bites
Sugar-free banana cake
Our easiest baking recipes
12. Easy desserts
If your teenagers are relatively new to the kitchen, these easy desserts will help them increase their confidence while also reaping the rewards with a delicious, sweet result. For a cheesecake-inspired treat, our no-cook strawberry sundaes are a simple assembly job. If they're feeling a little more adventurous, our bubble waffles – inspired by the ultra-popular Hong Kong dessert – are a fun project that can be topped with their favourite ice cream.
Ice cream sundae bar
Cinnamon roll pancakes
Banana, chocolate & tahini cheat's ice cream
Air-fryer ice cream cookie sandwich
No-bake flapjacks
BBQ s'mores
Get more teenage cooking inspiration:
Healthy eating: what adolescents need
Healthy lunches for teenagers
Party ideas for teens
How to talk to your teenager about food
Summer party ideas for teenagers
Are your kids kitchen-averse or budding chefs? We'd love to hear in the comments below...
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