Make the most FUN Strawberry Santas as a festive and healthy holiday snack. You need only 3 ingredients and 5 minutes to make these little Santa hats!
I am a big fan of easy snacks that the kids can help make—both to let them engage with their food in a low pressure way and also because it’s fun to do together. (My cookbook Food Play is about this exact thing!)
I love to let the kids take the lead on making this Christmas snack since there’s no cooking involved—and the cutting can be done by even little kids with a kid-safe knife.
And then you can let their creativity and imagination take charge of turning the fruit and yogurt into Santa hats.
Why This Recipe Works
This fresh fruit strawberry Santa snack is made with just 3 simple ingredients, it can be done by toddlers, and it’s simple, nutritious, and fun.
(You may also like Graham Cracker Houses and my Salt Dough Ornaments.)
Table of Contents
Ingredients You Need
To make these super simple Strawberry Santas, here’s what you need to have on hand.
- Strawberries: These make the red “hat” portion of the Santa hats. You can cut the stems off of the berries ahead of time or have the kids help you do that step.
- Banana: Banana slices form the white band of the Santa hat.
- Yogurt or whipped cream, optional but recommended! I usually use a yogurt tube (the Siggi’s brand is nice and thick) to make this extra easy.
- Chocolate chips: Optionally, you can add mini chocolate chips to the front of the banana slice as “eyes.” Adhere them with a little yogurt.
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Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the process involved in making this Strawberry Santas recipe. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full specifics.
Step 1. Wash the berries and remove the stems. Peel the banana and slice into rounds.
Step 2. Place banana slices on plate and add a drop of yogurt to the tops.
Step 3. Place a berry on top of the banana slice.
Step 4. Finish the hat with yogurt or whipped cream.
TIP: You can set this snack activity up for the kids or have them help from start to finish—it’s totally up to you!
Frequently Asked Questions
They are best served soon after making since the sliced bananas won’t store that well without browning, but they are fast to make so this usually isn’t a problem. (You could also let kids make their own if having them at a holiday party.)
If you prefer to use cream cheese or cheesecake filling instead of the yogurt, you can totally do that. I find that the yogurt is super easy, so that’s usually what we go with.
If you use yogurt tubes, you can plan to let the tube be the piping bag. Otherwise you can put yogurt into a plastic storage bag and snip off one corner to make a DIY piping bag, or use an actual piping bag. Whatever is easiest for you works here.
Santa Hat Dessert
This easy holiday dessert or finger food takes zero forethought (other than having the ingredients), and it’s interactive. The little Santa hats are fun to make and eat!
I also love it around the holidays since it’s a fun way to serve produce in the midst of all of the cookie trays.
Best Tips for Success
- Try this right at snack time so the kids can chop, assemble, and eat!
- You can cut the stems off of the berries ahead of time or have the kids help you do that step.
- Use yogurt, whipped cream, cream cheese, or even my no-bake cheesecake dip filling for the top.
- Add the yogurt to a zip top sandwich bag to make a little piping bag to easily put the topping on the hat. Cut off an end of the bag with kitchen scissors.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear what your kids think about this fun recipe idea, so please comment below to share. I so appreciate all feedback!
Easiest Strawberry Santas
Ingredients
- 4 cups strawberries (or 1 16 ounce container)
- 1 large ripe banana
- 2 tablespoons yogurt any flavor or whipped cream
Instructions
- Wash and dry the berries. Cut off the stems so the base is flat.
- Peel and cut the banana into rounds.
- Place the banana rounds on a plate and top each with a berry to make a hat.
- Add a little yogurt on top of each berry to make the puff ball. We like to use a yogurt tube, which makes squirting a small amount on the berry easy, but you can also use a little knife or spoon.
- Eat!
Notes
- Try this right at snack time so the kids can chop, assemble, and eat!
- You can cut the stems off of the berries ahead of time or have the kids help you do that step.
- Use a ripe banana for the best flavor.
- Make and assemble right before eating.
- Use yogurt or whipped cream for the top. (We used a yogurt tube to make adding the little dollop easy!)
Nutrition
This post was first published November 2020.
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