Hey Mama, You Can Do a Healthy Easter Basket—and Still Make It Magical
- Ashley Marie
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
Between the colossal candy crush of yesteryear and the “that’s-not-even-fun” baskets filled with kale chips and judgment, there’s a middle ground—a healthy Easter basket for kids that still feels like Easter. It doesn’t have to be all sugar or all sprouts.
With a few simple swaps (and zero Pinterest-level crafting), you can build a basket your kids will love and feel good about giving. Trust me—they won’t even notice the difference. As I put together my Easter Sunday plan for my two kiddos, I wanted to share the simplicity of it with you to help with your shopping.
Healthy Easter Basket Candy Brands
Creating a healthy Easter basket for kids can be both fun and nutritious! With these ideas, you can make a delightful Easter basket that emphasizes healthy eating while keeping it fun and exciting.
Brands like Alter Eco, Surf Sweets, and Enjoy Life make it easy to find healthier candy options that kids will love. Happy Easter basket making!
The Sweet Side of Healthy Easter Baskets
When it comes to the sweet side of a healthy Easter basket, it’s all about smarter swaps—not skipping the fun. Choosing high-quality dark chocolate or snacks made with real fruit juice means less added sugar, fewer artificial ingredients, and a little extra nutritional value. It’s still a treat—just a better one.
Dark Chocolate Eggs and Treats
Choose high-quality dark chocolate, like from brands such as Unreal peanut butter cups, Lily's candy coated "eggs", or That’s it fruit bars. These options skip the artificial junk and focus on simple, recognizable ingredients—think real fruit, organic cocoa, and less sugar. They're sweet enough to feel like a treat but balanced enough that you won’t regret tossing them in the basket.
Keep the Candy "Clean"
Look for gummy treats made with real fruit juice from brands like Surf Sweets or Smart Sweets. These brands offer candy with fewer artificial dyes, no high-fructose corn syrup, and plant-based ingredients. It’s a simple way to keep the candy fun while staying closer to clean eating values you actually feel good about.
Free Recipe to Make Gummies at Home
I'm working on the first Legg Day Fitness cookbook and I wanted to share, as an Easter treat to you, my favorite gummies recipe to make at home.
MORE LEGG DAY RECIPES: Check out our healthy, easy recipes page
Incorporate More Fruit Into a Healthy Easter Basket
Include seasonal fruits like strawberries, blueberries, and mini oranges to bring a fresh, colorful touch to your healthy Easter basket. These naturally sweet options add flavor without the sugar overload.
Want to make it feel extra festive? Add a few chocolate-covered strawberries dipped in dark chocolate for a treat that feels indulgent but still fits the healthy theme. Apple chips are another great option—crispy, kid-friendly, and perfect for snacking without added junk.
Creative, Not Complicated, Snacks
If you're looking for something a little smarter than jelly beans and marshmallow chicks this Easter, try a homemade trail mix with nuts of choice, raisins, throw some Unreal m&ms in thereIt's the kind of snack that actually fills you up without the sugar crash later.
Packed with protein, healthy fats, and just enough chocolate to keep it fun, it works just as well tucked into a healthy Easter basket as it does set out in a bowl for everyone to snack on during the family gathering.
Making Homemade Trail Mix is as simple as tossing mixed nuts, seeds, whole-grain or protein cereal, homemade granola, dark chocolate chips, and Unreal milk chocolate gems to replace traditional M&Ms. Add Cadbury eggs or try Lily’s candy-coated pieces.
For something crunchy and salty, go for baked options like Jackson’s sweet potato chips, Siete Chips, or coconut oil-based popcorn like Lesser Evil.
Homemade Granola Recipe
Add an Artistic Touch to Your Healthy Easter Basket
Coloring eggs doesn't have to make a big mess on the table. Look to DIY craft kit options for decorating eggs, like the EggMazing Easter Egg Mini Decorator Kit.
Look for grab-and-go decorative yet functional tools, like Easter Cookie Cutters, and whip up a batch of your favorite recipe.
Get the Kids Involved in Healthy Easter Food
Choosing healthy options doesn't have to be the difference between a cupcake and a carrot. You can get items that tap into your child's independence while helping them make healthy decisions. These habits can last a lifetime!
Add a fun baking set to the healthy Easter basket. Choose from pink baking sets or blue baking sets to match your child's personality.
Consider pairing that with everything they need to start baking, like these whole grain cookie and muffin options.
Healthier Drinks for Easter
Choose 100% fruit juice boxes instead of juice drinks that are often packed with added sugars and artificial ingredients. These provide a natural source of vitamins and are usually better received by kids and adults alike.
If you’re looking for something fizzy, go with flavored sparkling water that has no added sugars or sweeteners—just fruit essence and bubbles. It’s a refreshing, low-calorie alternative to soda that still feels like a treat.
Look for cute Easter cups to make drinking water or juice that much more fun on Easter. You can also opt for a color-your-own Easter cup to keep the kids busy the day or two before Easter.
Focus on Things Other than Food
It’s easy to fill an Easter basket with candy and call it done, but there’s a lot more room for creativity and meaning. Tuck in an Easter-themed book or two for quiet time reading, and you’ve instantly added a little heart and imagination to the holiday.
One of my favorite options is the handwritten letter from the Easter Bunny touting the importance of healthy eating. Here's a sample letter if you want to save it or use it. You can place it where the bunny ate all those carrots you left out for him!
This small touch turns the basket into more than just a sugar rush—it becomes part of a story.
Keep the Creativity Going
Outside the Easter basket, surprise your little one with Easter-themed foods like bunny butt pancakes, fruit pizzas in the shape of an egg with Sweet Loren's sugar cookie dough, colorful displays of yogurt mixed with berries, and hard-boiled eggs bunnies with carrots.
Healthy Easter Baskets Made Easy
As parents, we get the opportunity to create magic and long-lasting memories for our kids. It is worth seeing their little faces light up with pure joy, excitement, and happiness. Savor the chaos and enjoy these precious moments.
I put together more than four dozen of my favorite Easter toys, candies, snacks, and crafts for you to explore through my Amazon Storefront. Hopefully, I've helped make this holiday a little bit easier for you—WE GOT THIS!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission from Amazon if you make a purchase—at no extra cost to you. Ashley Legg of Legg Day Fitness trusts every product shared here.
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