Apricot Stuffed Celery is a simple, healthy snack that the whole family will love - perfect for lunchboxes, parties or as a nutritious finger food any time; made with crisp celery sticks filled with creamy filling and sweet dried apricots, this wholesome version is toddler-friendly with no added salt or sugar, easy to pick up, great for baby-led weaning and can be adapted to use cream cheese or yogurt for the filling, stuff with raisins instead of apricots, or keep very simple with just nut butter for fussier eaters; follow this simple recipe for a crowd-pleasing appetizer that introduces your child to crunchy vegetables while keeping everything nutritious, safe and utterly delicious.
General Information
- Servings: 4 (about 2 small stuffed celery pieces per child)
- Keywords: toddler-friendly, no salt, no sugar, apricot, celery, avocado, soft, healthy
- Calories: ~87 kcal per serving
- Protein: ~1.8 g per serving
- Carbs: ~8 g per serving
- Fats: ~6 g per serving
- Preparation time: 15 minutes
- Cooking time: 5 minutes
Hi, I’m Olivia - a web designer, mum of two boys (aged 3 and 7), avid quilter and home cook. My husband works FIFO so I rope the kids into the kitchen to help, and this is one of the easy, no-salt, no-sugar snacks the boys love. It’s gentle on little tums and designed so nothing is a choking hazard when you follow the steps.
Ingredients
- 4 medium celery stalks (about 240 g total before trimming)
- 1 ripe avocado (about 150 g whole; ready when slightly soft to the touch)
- 2 ripe fresh apricots (about 120 g total)
- 2 tablespoons plain full-fat natural yogurt (30 g) - no added sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice (5 ml) - optional, helps keep the avocado from going brown
- A small splash of warm water for smoothing if the mix is too thick (optional)
Utensils you will need:
- Small chopping board
- Sharp knife (adult use) and a small child-safe knife if your older child helps
- Steamer or saucepan with a sieve/colander
- Small mixing bowl
- Fork or small potato masher
- Spoon and measuring spoons
Directions
Safety first: Always supervise toddlers while eating. All cuts below are designed to make pieces soft and small so they are not choking hazards.
- Wash hands and call in the helpers. I stick a tea towel over my favourite quilting scissors as a joke and the boys laugh every time.
- Wash the fruit and celery under cold running water. Rub gently with your hands to remove dirt. Adults only: pat dry with a clean towel.
- Trim the celery: place one stalk on the board and slice off the pale root end and leafy tops. You only want the crunchy middle. Cut the stalks into 6 cm lengths. For toddlers we are going to soften and then cut them small, so 6 cm is a good working length.
- Joke: My 7-year-old says we are making celery “boats”. My 3-year-old wants a motor for his celery boat. No motors today.
- Soften the celery (this reduces choking risk): put the pieces into a small steamer or a saucepan with 2 cm of water and a heat-safe colander sitting above the water. Cover and steam for 4 to 5 minutes until the celery is tender when poked with a fork. If you do not have a steamer, simmer with 2 cm water in the pan, cover, and check after 4 minutes. Drain and cool on a plate.
- Tip: The celery should be bendy and soft, not crunchy.
- While celery is cooling, prepare the filling. Slice the apricots in half and remove the stone. Chop the apricots very small - aim for pieces no larger than about 5 mm across - or mash them with a fork if you prefer a smooth filling. For toddlers I find a mostly smooth mix with tiny soft bits is safest.
- Safety tip: Apricot stones are hard. Remove carefully and keep them away from small hands.
- Cut the avocado in half lengthwise, twist to open, and remove the stone. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon into your mixing bowl. If you are nervous about the knife step, an adult should do this part. Mash the avocado with a fork until creamy. If your avocado is very ripe, it will be smooth quickly.
- Fun quip: I tell the boys we are making “green butter” and they always giggle.
- Add the chopped or mashed apricot to the avocado and mix gently. Stir in the plain yogurt and the teaspoon of lemon juice if using. If the mixture seems too thick to pipe into celery, add a splash of warm water, one teaspoon at a time, to loosen it. The final texture should be smooth and spreadable, with any apricot pieces tiny and soft.
- Joke: If the filling resists being spread, give it a pep talk. Works about as well as it does for putting on socks.
- Cut the steamed celery pieces again into toddler-safe bites. For the 3-year-old, slice each 6 cm piece lengthwise into thin strips no wider than 8 mm, then cut each strip in half so final pieces are around 3 cm long and thin. For the 7-year-old, you can be a little looser, but keep them soft and manageable.
- Reason: Thin, short pieces are much safer for young kids than long, hard sticks.
- Spoon or pipe small amounts of the apricot-avocado mix into the groove of each celery piece or spread a thin layer on top. Aim for a bite-sized dollop so each piece is easy to chew. Wipe any messy hands or faces as you go.
- Joke: If your toddler decides to wear more filling than they eat, that just means you made the recipe right.
- Arrange on a plate and serve immediately. If you need to store, put leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and use within 24 hours. Give a quick check before serving again to make sure texture is still soft.
Feeding notes:
- Always sit with your child while they eat and offer small amounts at a time.
- For safety, cut and prepare all pieces as described. Do not give raw whole celery sticks to toddlers under 4 without adult supervision and adapted softening.
- If your child has allergies to apricot or avocado, replace the apricot with mashed banana or very ripe pear (also mashed), but check for introduced sugars in store-bought fruit products.
Recommended Sides
- Soft wholegrain toast fingers, cut into thin strips and lightly toasted until soft, for older toddlers.
- Steamed carrot coins, cooled and sliced to about 5 mm thick.
- Small cubes of soft, ripe pear (finely mashed for younger toddlers).
- A small tub of plain natural yogurt for dipping.
Jokes
- Why did the celery go to school? To become a little stalker. The boys groan and then giggle every time.
- What do you call a tired avocado? A guac-ward. My 7-year-old says that one is peak dad material.
- My three-year-old told me the apricot filling needed sunglasses because it was too cool. I agreed and put it on a plate.
If you want, I can give you a version without yogurt for very dairy-sensitive kids or show how to make this into a mini lunchbox portion for the big kid.
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