Raddish Kids Review | Are Raddish Kids Recipes Healthy?

A while ago, I wrote a comparison between the Raddish Kids subscription box and Kids Cook Real Food.

Both services are definitely perfect for kids who love to cook, or kids who want to learn to cook. I don’t see us as competition but as complementary.

Now that I’ve actually gotten my hands on a box, I can make a proper review of the Raddish Kids kit. I’m honored that they sent one to me, and Leah and I had fun digging into it. Ultimately, we gave it away as a fun member giveaway, and one of our 17,000 member families enjoyed it greatly.

Pros of the Raddish Kids Subscription Kit

We know behind the scenes that when parents want their kids to get in the kitchen, they don’t search for cooking classes, they search for recipes.

Even though the Internet is saturated with all kinds of recipes, everyone still wants a new one. That’s a huge benefit of the Raddish kit. Every month your kids will get three unique recipes that are written just for them.

The boxes never repeat, so you’ll never get a duplicate no matter how long you keep your subscription.

Raddish Kids Recipe Layout

The Raddish recipes are very visual, with cartoon pictures of every ingredient, tool, and step in the instructions.

Unlike Kids Cook Real Food, Raddish does use measurement abbreviations, so for a while, your kids might be asking you what “tsp” or “lb” means.

Does Raddish Kids Have Healthy Recipes?

Because everything is ultimately from scratch, the recipes from Raddish will be what I might call healthy-ish.

You’ll find real vegetables, meats, and fruits, but you’ll also see ingredients like bread crumbs and chocolate chips. The recipes are on the right track; but if you are a 100% real-food family, you might not like things like white flour or a few of the processed ingredients.

In the kit we reviewed, the chicken parmesan recipe had a really nice extra section about how to make your own marinara.

I love that it’s flexible. For families who are a little nervous about from-scratch cooking, they can buy a jar of spaghetti sauce at the store. For families who are ready to go a little deeper, the simple five-ingredient recipe for homemade marinara sounds delicious.

Cultural Connections and Skill Development

Every recipe card includes some sort of historical or cultural connection to the food or ingredient or perhaps the history of the food.

There are also quick tutorials on how to master some basic cooking skills. For example, in the box we reviewed, kids could learn how to mince garlic, wash dishes, and pound meat.

You know I’m a huge fan of skill development for kids, so I loved seeing this.

However, I also think that seeing is believing, and understanding how to do something by reading it can be tricky. I would like to see Raddish include skill videos like we do at Kids Cook Real Food in the future.

Family Bonding With Raddish Kids

Each kit includes some “family date-night activities,” along with some permanent Table Talk question cards that are used for conversation starters at the table.

There were four in our box, so I imagine every box has four that you could add to a jump ring and keep near the table.

Raddish Kids Bonus Material

Each month also includes some bonus material online, like additional recipes, lesson plans for teachers, musical playlists, and activities, along with dietary adaptations for top allergens like dairy, eggs, gluten, meat-free, and vegan. You definitely won’t run out of things to do with a Raddish kit.

Raddish Kids Review: Parts that Aren’t My Favorite

Getting a Tool Every Month

Some people would put this under positives, but I never really like being surprised with something that I might already have.

If your kids love having their own tools and you don’t mind having a few more items in your kitchen, perhaps you’ll love this aspect. I have heard from some of our Kids Cook Real Food members who also joined Raddish Kids that sometimes the tools are fairly low-quality and probably only cost a dollar or two.

The plastic garlic press we got seems to be about a mid-range quality, and I wouldn’t be shocked if it was more like dollar-store quality once you put some wear on it. I admit we did not try it out because we wanted to give away the kit to a KCRF member family.

Raddish Kids is Based on Recipes Not Skills

I say over and over that kids need the skills before they can make recipes.

That’s why I think Kids Cook Real Food is an important precursor if you’re going to join a subscription membership, like Raddish, that just sends the recipes.

I was pleased to see that skill-building was included with each recipe; but as I mentioned above, I really feel like it’s difficult to learn how to do something just by reading about it in text.

It’s Kind of Pricey

Depending on how long you prepay your subscription, a Raddish Kids box in 2023 ranges between $20 and $24 a month.

Because you’re not actually getting any food, you can expect that a few dollars of that would cover the tool, and then they feel like fairly expensive recipe cards, all things considered. I don’t really feel the need in my family to have fancy, stiff recipe cards at a premium price.

On the other hand, if this is something that’s important to you and would totally motivate your kids because they do like colorful things and having something of their own, then it’s probably a great deal. It’s all about what you choose to spend your money on, right?

Are Raddish Kids Recipes Allergy-Friendly?

No. Raddish Kids is very clear on their website and every time I’ve seen interactions on social media that they do not adapt for allergies. There aren’t any alternate recipes.

So if you have food allergies, you’ll need to figure out how to make substitutions on your own. Either that or Raddish probably isn’t a good fit for your family.

I thought it was strange after seeing over and over that Raddish isn’t allergy-friendly that way in the back of the envelope, there’s a little note saying that you can find modifications for every recipe online.

However, when I tried to find my box, I couldn’t figure out where it was. If you’re keeping up with the months, that might be a little easier. So I’m really happy to see that Raddish is adapting for allergies; but it’s still not incredibly friendly, just because you have to go from the paper to a screen to look it up.

Bottom Line: What Did We Think of the Raddish Kids Subscription Box?

I was glad to get a chance to review a Raddish box because I have long been very curious to see everything that’s in them.

Overall, I was pleased with the organization and presentation and somewhat pleased with the helpfulness of the recipes.

I do feel that Raddish and Kids Cook Real Food are on the same team — getting kids excited about cooking in the kitchen.

It’s not something I would buy for my own kids, but I’m just not a subscription box kind of person. I prefer to be in control.

If you love surprises and have kids who want to spend more time in the kitchen, Raddish is a good option to try out. But I’m not sure that I would recommend getting a full-year subscription right at the start.

See for yourself how it goes in your house!

What You Should Do Next:

1. Subscribe to The Healthy Parenting Connector

I interview experts about kids’ health every week – stay in the loop with a quick Saturday morning email:

2. Try a Free Preview of my Cooking Class for Kids

Our members’ favorite lesson is always our 10-minute knife skills and safety class, teaching techniques with unique & memorable phrases from butter knives to chef’s knives (ages 2-teen). Take a peek here and try it out with your kids.

3. Enroll in the Online Cooking Course for Kids:

Enroll now in the Wall Street Journal’s #1 recommended online cooking class for kids (also rated 5 stars on Facebook). See what fits your family best HERE.