Aronia berries are tart and dry, so most kids will not love them straight from the bag. Mixed into the right recipes, though, their deep purple colour becomes the star. Here are some family-friendly ways to try them.
Start with colour, not taste
Kids eat with their eyes first. A spoonful of aronia turns yogourt, smoothies and pancakes bright purple, which is often reason enough to give it a try. Let them stir the powder in themselves and watch the colour change.
Kid-friendly ideas
- Purple smoothie: blend banana, frozen berries, yogourt and a teaspoon of aronia powder. See our smoothie recipes for more.
- Popsicles: pour leftover smoothie into popsicle moulds and freeze.
- Yogourt swirl: stir a little aronia jam or a few drops of juice syrup into plain yogourt.
- Purple pancakes: replace a spoonful of flour with aronia powder in your usual pancake batter.
- Muffins: add chopped dried aronia berries instead of raisins.
- Spritzer: a splash of aronia juice in sparkling water makes a pink-purple drink without added sugar.
Tips for serving to little ones
- Mix it with sweeter foods they already like.
- Dilute juice: aronia juice is strong; mix it with plenty of water or sparkling water.
- Watch for choking: small, firm foods such as whole dried berries can be a choking risk for young children. For toddlers, chop or soak dried berries, or use powder or juice mixed into food, and always supervise eating.
- Allergies: if your child has food allergies, introduce any new food carefully and talk to your doctor if you have concerns.
Grow and learn together
Aronia is a hardy shrub that grows in much of Canada, which makes it a fun garden project. Kids can help plant a shrub, watch the white flowers in spring, count the berry clusters in summer and pick the dark berries in late summer. In fall, the leaves turn bright red. Our complete guide to aronia berries has growing tips.
A few more ideas for curious kids:
- Compare aronia with blueberries: which is sweeter, which has darker juice? (Answer: aronia, by far.)
- Use aronia juice as natural paint on paper and watch the colour shift when you add a drop of lemon juice or a pinch of baking soda.
- Make a simple chart of the shrub through the seasons.
