Rainbow recipes for St. Patrick’s Day are a lot more appealing than dyeing everything green in our opinion. And of course, we could celebrate by eating corned beef and shepherd’s pie, but why would we when we could spend the weekend eating the rainbow instead? From sweet to savory, breakfast to dessert, we’ve found 20 rainbow recipes that are perfect for celebrating the holiday with your kids all day, er, weekend long.
Go ahead and stock up on your food coloring now! (Natural food coloring works, too, by the way. Phew.)
Related: 4 rainbow foods that go too far. Or do they
You’ll totally win the “fun mom” award with this happy Rainbow Belgian Waffles recipe at Dinner then Dessert. And the whipped cream clouds are perfection.
This Rainbow Smoothie at The First Year deserves major wow points. Isn’t it gorgeous? This one isn’t for the mom who likes to sleep as late as possible in the mornings though (ahem, me), because you’re basically making 7 different smoothies. That said, if you want to make them ahead of time, you can freeze them as popsicles too (very top). And popsicles for breakfast is pretty cool.
Rainbow Pancakes | Oh Joy!
These rainbow pancakes at Oh Joy! are such a fun way to start your St. Patrick’s Day — in fact, they’ve been on our list of favorite rainbow recipes for St. Patrick’s Day for years! If mixing up all these different colors of pancake batter on a school morning overwhelms you, though, you can always prep these the night before so that you can whip them up quickly in the morning.
Related: More great rainbow recipes for a lucky St. Patrick’s Day.
Ooh, I love how pretty this Rainbow Veggie Pizza is at Mom Dot. If your family members are Friday Night Pizza regulars like mine, this will be such a fun way to incorporate the holiday. Although, I’ll probably make a rainbow spread of topping options so that my picky-eaters can choose how colorful they want their own to be.
Rainbow Grilled Cheese | Photo by Leah Nolan for Glitter and Bubbles
Wow: not quite sure what to think of the Rainbow grilled cheese trend, but this recipe at Glitter and Bubbles is pretty amazing. Would you dare?
Since St. Patrick’s Day is also the first day of our spring break (early, I know), I’m planning to fire up the grill for these tropical Rainbow Hawaiian Chicken Kebobs at Gimme Some Oven. Yay for spring weather!
Did you catch our tutorial on how to make Rainbow Pasta? This would make such a fun dinner tossed with some grilled chicken and veggies. We’d skip the heavy sauce, though, since it will ruin the impact of the colorful noodles.
Related: 12 amazing unicorn party treats. Because unicorns love rainbows too.
Unicorn Candy Bark | Hello, Wonderful
I think my kids would explode with excitement if I made the Unicorn Candy Bark at Hello, Wonderful that Stacie found while rounding up unicorn party recipes. Because unicorn and rainbows go hand in hand, right? And even if not: wow. Just, wow!
Let’s say that this Rainbow Funfetti Dip at Twinspiration is healthy since it’s made with low-fat yogurt, because this is a seriously big bowl of awesome that your kids will love. Reason enough to make it. But, you know, the yogurt helps.
The Rainbow Pudding that Katie of Good Life Eats whipped up for Make is so colorful and fun, but I was wary of mixing so many flavors in one serving. Then I realized that this was actually a very simple from-scratch pudding recipe — all vanilla flavored. Yum! This would be such a fun after-dinner treat for the kids.
Mmm, I have such a hard time turning down a homemade Rice Krispies Treat, and these Rainbow Rice Krispie Treats at The Gracious Wife are perfect for St. Patty’s Day. Don’t miss Michelle’s tips for making those layers go down without too big a mess.
Claire’s recipe for Rainbow Mini Cakes at Sprinkles and Sprouts is from scratch, but you could easily replicate it using a boxed cake mix in a pinch. That said, don’t skip reading her recipe — she has some great tips about getting the colors right and cutting those tiny layers so that they don’t all apart.
How crazy fun is this Rainbow Twizzler Cake at Cake Whiz! Those of us who don’t have the time (or, um, maybe won’t take the time?) to make a big cake like this from scratch can totally dress up a store-bought cake with these cute embellishments. But be sure to read her tips on how to get the Twizzlers to stay on, because it would go from really fun to really sad if all these decorations fell off.
If you want a cute rainbow dessert recipe that looks special without a ton of effort, check out these these beautiful rainbow cookies at Dessert for Two. They do require a piping bag, tip, and an afternoon to make several flavors of icing, but if that sounds like fun to you or your kids, I say go for it. The result is lovely and I adore that they don’t have to be “perfect” to totally come out great.
I absolutely love the look of these homemade rainbow donuts at The First Year. If you’re short on time, just pick some up some store-bought donuts and then let the kids do the Fruity Pebbles sorting for you by following her instructions. Most cheerful breakfast — or after-school treat, or classroom party treat — ever!
The rainbow fudge recipe at Wine and Glue had me at “3-ingredient recipe.” Yes, it really is! Now consider that you will need to make 6 different bowls of fudge for each layer of this cute rainbow dessert, but hey, that’s what dishwashers are for. (And did I mention only three ingredients?)
This rainbow frozen yogurt bark at A Night Owl totally redeems its sugary sprinkles with a big helping of nonfat Greek yogurt, making it slightly healthier than the other cute rainbow desserts here I think older kids could even make it themselves without supervision — as long as you’re okay with them heavily sampling the ingredients along the way.
Related: Our favorite boozy dessert recipes for an adult St. Patrick’s Day.
The great thing about this rainbow cupcake recipe at Mommy’s Fabulous Finds is that the rainbow itself is totally store bought — just check out her tutorial to see the secret ingredient! This way, all you have to do is whip up a few components yourself and boom. Rainbow dessert perfection, no advanced candy-sculpting skills required.
If you’re looking for a cute rainbow dessert for little kids who may not care so much about the rainbow shape, but are all about multi-colored sprinkles, try these no-bake rainbow bite desserts at A Cultivated Nest. I think my son will flip over the hidden M&Ms inside once he discovers them!
Raise your hand if this DIY Lisa Frank-inspired rainbow cake takes you way back! It’s a bit of a commitment, but if you’re a child of the 90s like I am, it might be worth it for a gorgeous twist on a classic Swiss roll cake that calls to mind such a fun blast from the past. Check out the full instructions at Club Crafted — even if you skip the homemade chocolate leopard pattern on top.
Other recipes you’ll love:
How To Make Rainbow Donuts: 5 Quick and Easy Recipes Kids Will Love
7 creative, cute rainbow desserts from easy to OMG. Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day
How to make an easy rainbow cake
How to make Rainbow Salsa: A St. Patrick’s Day recipe that’s as fun as it is healthy.
How to make rainbow pasta: It’s not just for unicorns!
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Top image: Alexander Grey on Unsplash
