November is full of little hands making paper turkeys and counting down to the big meal. Snack time can join in. Below are 8 Thanksgiving snacks that use foods you probably already buy in the fall, and each card shows the two components it credits, so you can plan your menu around it.
Looking for crafts, games and holiday recipes? See Thanksgiving Fun. This post is just snacks.
🍽️ Quick Refresher: What Counts as a CACFP Snack?
A reimbursable CACFP snack includes two of the five meal components: fluid milk, meats/meat alternates, vegetables, fruits and grains (7 CFR 226.20(c)(3); USDA FNA, CACFP Snack Meal Pattern). A few rules matter more than usual at holiday time:
- Milk and juice can’t be the only two components. Milk, fruit juice and vegetable juice can make up only one component of a snack (7 CFR 226.20(c)(3), Table 4).
- Juice counts once a day. Juice must be pasteurized and full-strength (100% juice), and it can count toward the fruit or vegetable component at only one meal or snack per day (7 CFR 226.20(a)(2)(i) and (a)(3)(i)).
- Pie and cookies don’t count as the grain. Grain-based desserts don’t count toward the grains component (7 CFR 226.20(a)(4)(iii)). Pumpkin pie can still be a treat on the side; just credit the snack with other foods.
- One whole grain-rich serving a day. At least one grain serving each day, across all meals and snacks, must be whole grain-rich (7 CFR 226.20(a)(4)(i)(A)). Choosing whole grain-rich crackers, bread or cereal at snack is one easy way to cover it.
- Watch the sugar in cereal and yogurt. Breakfast cereals can have no more than 6 grams of added sugars per dry ounce, and yogurt no more than 12 grams of added sugars per 6 ounces (7 CFR 226.20(a)(4)(ii) and (a)(5)(iii)(B)).
- Milk follows the age rules. Age 1: unflavored whole milk. Ages 2 through 5: unflavored milk (whole, 2%, 1% or fat-free). Ages 6 and older: flavored or unflavored (7 CFR 226.20(a)(1)). Our guide to milk by age in CACFP has the details.
- Roast or bake, don’t deep-fry. Foods deep-fat fried on site can’t be part of a reimbursable snack (7 CFR 226.20(d)).
These ideas are for children 1 and older. Babies under 1 follow the infant meal pattern, and fruit and vegetable juice isn’t served to infants (7 CFR 226.20(b)). Minimum serving amounts depend on age group: check Table 4 in 7 CFR 226.20(c)(3) or the FNA snack meal pattern.
🦃 8 Thanksgiving Snacks That Credit
Real recipes, crediting already done
🍗
Turkey & Cranberry Bites: Turkey Sausage + Whole Grain Crackers
Mini turkey patties with sage and a warm apple-cranberry topping: Thanksgiving dinner in one bite. Serve one recipe serving (½ oz eq meat) with ½ oz eq whole grain-rich crackers. The topping is a bonus: it adds ¼ cup fruit, less than the ½ cup a snack needs, so the crackers are your second component. Chop the cranberries small for children under 4.
Meat/Meat Alternate
Grain
Get the USDA recipe →
🎃
Pumpkin Bread & Milk: Whole Grain Pumpkin Bread + Milk
A whole grain-rich pumpkin bread with cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. USDA’s recipe credits it as a grain, not a dessert: 1 piece gives 1 oz eq grains. Serve it with ½ cup (4 fl oz) of unflavored milk (whole milk for age 1). Bake it the day before and the snack is ready.
Grain
Milk
Get the USDA recipe →
🍠
Sweet Potato Hummus Turkey: Sweet Potato Hummus + Veggie Feathers
Spread ¼ cup of sweet potato hummus on a plate for the turkey’s body, then fan ½ cup of veggie sticks behind it for feathers: cucumber, bell pepper strips and soft-cooked carrots. In USDA’s recipe, ½ cup of hummus gives 1.25 oz eq meat alternate, so by our math ¼ cup gives about 0.6 oz eq, above the ½ oz eq a snack needs.
Meat/Meat Alternate
Vegetable
Get the USDA recipe →
🥕
Cranberry Orange Carrots: Glazed Carrots + Whole Grain Roll
Carrots glazed with orange juice, cinnamon and nutmeg, with a few dried cranberries: a side dish straight off the holiday table. ½ cup gives ½ cup vegetable. Add ½ oz eq of a whole grain-rich roll or crackers. Chop the cranberries small for children under 4.
Vegetable
Grain
Get the USDA recipe →
🌽
Stuffing-Spiced Corn Cakes: Corn Cakes + Pear Slices
These corn cakes are made with whole grain cornmeal and whole-wheat flour and seasoned with sage and rosemary, so they taste like stuffing. One corn cake gives 2 oz eq grains, so serve at least a quarter of a cake (½ oz eq); half a cake is easier to cut. Serve it with ½ cup of soft pear slices.
Grain
Fruit
Get the USDA recipe →
🥞
Golden Squash Hotcakes: Squash Hotcakes + Applesauce
Mini hotcakes made with whole-wheat flour, shredded squash and apple pie spice. One recipe serving gives ½ oz eq grains (plus a little vegetable). Serve with ½ cup of unsweetened applesauce for dipping.
Grain
Fruit
Get the USDA recipe →
Little hands, big Thanksgiving fun
🦃
Apple Turkey: Apple Slices + Whole Grain Crackers
Kids fan ½ cup of thin apple slices into tail feathers behind a whole grain-rich round cracker, then add a small cracker piece for the head. Serve ½ oz eq of whole grain-rich crackers in all (check the package: it’s usually more than two). Use soft or thinly sliced apples for children under 4.
Fruit
Grain
🎩
Pilgrim Hat Crackers: Cheese + Whole Grain Crackers
Kids top whole grain-rich round crackers (½ oz eq) with small squares of sliced cheese for the hats and thin cheese strips for the bands. Use ½ oz of natural cheese in all; check how other cheese products credit in the Food Buying Guide.
Meat/Meat Alternate
Grain
Please note: Amounts meet the snack minimums for ages 1 to 5 (the same for both age groups). Ages 6 and older need more: see Table 4 in 7 CFR 226.20. Crediting for the six recipes comes from the USDA standardized recipes in the Child Nutrition Recipe Box. Store-bought crackers, rolls and cheese vary, so check them in the Food Buying Guide. Always verify products, serving sizes and crediting with the Crediting Handbook for CACFP and your sponsor or state agency before serving.
🧒 Serving Tips for Little Ones
For children under 4, cut foods into small, thin pieces (including apple and cheese), cook hard vegetables like carrots until soft, and skip whole nuts and popcorn. Follow your program’s guidance on textures and allergies, and swap any food a child can’t have for another one from the same component.
Planning your holiday menus? Join our Teach Me Tuesday, Keeping Kids Entertained (and Fed!) During the Holiday Season, on Tuesday, November 10.
📚 Resources
Not in the food program yet? Find a sponsor and get started for free →
