Cooking Vocabulary Words (Free Spanish Lessons for Kids)
With this awesome Spanish cooking vocabulary, you’ll be more than prepared the next time your children ask what you are doing in the kitchen! Every child goes through a stage in their lives when they’re curious about every single thing their parents or older siblings do, which introduces a great window of opportunity to teach them how things work, new skills, and words.
Here, you’ll find all the Spanish words related to cooking, and even some tips on healthy food you can include in your meals as your children learn a whole new language.
You will also find awesome downloadables of Spanish cooking and kitchen vocabulary to reinforce your children’s learning process!
Download FREE Cooking Vocabulary in Spanish Activities for Kids!
Type your name and email below to get three activities for kids about cooking vocabulary in Spanish! You will receive: -Utensils Printable Labels -Vegetables Odd One Out Worksheet -Memory Game
Explore more FREE SPANISH LESSONS FOR KIDS! ➡️
Enjoy over 70 unique lessons + free activity packets to download.
Cooking Utensils – Los utensilios de cocina
You know the feeling of placing specific kitchen utensils out of your child’s reach to avoid accidents. Fortunately, with this list of kitchen utensils in Spanish, you can teach them the proper use of each implement while they learn new words!
Useful Kitchen Utensils Vocabulary
| English | Spanish |
| bread knife | el cuchillo para pan |
| chopping board | la tabla para picar |
| colander | el colador |
| frying pan | el sartén |
| grater | el rallador |
| kitchen shears | las tijeras de cocina |
| ladle | el cucharón |
| measuring cup | la taza medidora |
| meat knife | el cuchillo para carne |
| oven mitts | los guantes para horno |
More Useful Kitchen Utensils Vocabulary
| English | Spanish |
| peeler | el pelador |
| pizza slicer | el rebanador de pizza |
| pot | la olla |
| pressure cooker | la olla a presión |
| rolling pin | el rodillo |
| salad spinner | la ensaladera |
| saucepan | la cacerola |
| spatula | la espátula |
| strainer | el escurridor |
| timer | el cronómetro |
| whisk | el batidor |
| wooden spoon | la cuchara de madera |
Utensils at the Table
How about the utensils that we use at the table once we are done with our delicious meal? Here are some useful terms:
| English | Spanish |
| cutlery | los cubiertos |
| fork | el tenedor |
| knife | el chuchillo |
| pepper mill | el pimentero |
| salt shaker | el salero |
| spoon | la cuchara |
Example Spanish Sentences
These helpful sentences with cooking instructions and safety guidelines in Spanish teach your children or students to be cautious in the kitchen.
Alcánzame el sartén, por favor.
Hand over the frying pan, please.
Usa el batidor para hacer la masa de los panqueques.
Use the whisk to make the pancake batter.
La taza medidora nos ayuda a hacer una receta perfecta.
The measuring cup helps us to make a perfect recipe.
Asegúrate de usar guantes para horno.
Make sure to wear oven mitts.
Programa el cronómetro para saber cuándo sacar el pastel del horno.
Set the timer to know when to remove the cake from the oven.
Being Healthy Is Fun!
As children grow, their likes and dislikes for different foods, vegetables, or fruits change. Check out this awesome list of Spanish vocabulary to teach your kid about food groups and how to make delicious and nutritious meals.
Vegetables – Los vegetales
Vegetables tend to be a kid’s least favorite part of a meal, but I’m sure that with these new words every dish will be an exciting learning opportunity!
Vegetables in Spanish
| English | Spanish |
| artichoke | la alcachofa |
| beetroot | la remolacha |
| broccoli | el brócoli |
| cabbage | el repollo |
| carrot | la zanahoria |
| cauliflower | la coliflor |
| celery | el apio |
| chilly pepper | el chile pimiento |
| corn | el elote |
| cucumber | el pepino |
More Vegetables Vocabulary
| English | Spanish |
| eggplant | la berenjena |
| garlic | el ajo |
| lettuce | la lechuga |
| mushrooms | los hongos |
| onion | la cebolla |
| peas | los guisantes |
| potato | la papa |
| pumpkin | la calabaza |
| turnip | el nabo |
| yam | la batata |
Example Spanish Sentences
Prueba una zanahoria; te gustará.
Try a carrot, you’ll like it.
Debemos comer vegetales porque son saludables.
We should eat vegetables because they’re healthy.
Agreguemos lechuga a la ensalada.
Let’s add lettuce to the salad.
Fruits – Las frutas
It’s safe to say fruits are a little bit more loved than greens! With this list of fruits in Spanish, your next visit to the farmer’s market will be much more fun.
Fruits Vocabulary in Spanish
| English | Spanish |
| apple | la manzana |
| apricot | el albaricoque |
| banana | la banana |
| blackberry | la mora |
| muskmelon | el melón |
| cherry | la cereza |
| fig | el higo |
| grapes | las uvas |
| kiwi | el kiwi |
| lime | la lima |
More Fruits Vocabulary in Spanish
| English | Spanish |
| mango | el mago |
| orange | la naranja |
| papaya | la papaya |
| peach | el durazno |
| pineapple | la piña |
| plum | la ciruela |
| raisin | la pasa or la ciruela pasa |
| strawberry | la fresa |
| watermelon | la sandía |
FUN FACT! Even if they don’t seem like it, these are some fruits that we used to mistake for vegetables:
| English | Spanish |
| avocado | el aguacate |
| lemon | el limón |
| tomato | el tomate |
Example Spanish Sentences
¡Hagamos un coctel de frutas!
Let’s prepare a fruit cocktail!
I want oranges and apples in my lunchbox.
Quiero naranjas y manzanas en mi lonchera.
¿Quieres poner pasas en el pastel?
Do you want to put raisins in the cake?
Explore more FREE SPANISH LESSONS FOR KIDS! ➡️
Enjoy over 70 unique lessons + free activity packets to download.
Protein sources – Las fuentes de proteína
Looking for high-protein and super healthy meals? Make your next dishes extra tasty with these Spanish vocabulary words!
| English | Spanish |
| black beans | los frijoles negros |
| chickpeas | los garbanzos |
| kidney beans | las habichuelas |
| lentils | las lentejas |
| legumes | las legumbres |
| lima beans | las habas |
| peanuts | los maníes |
| pinto beans | los frijoles pintos |
| soybeans | la soja |
| quinoa | la quinoa |
Example Spanish Sentences
Los frijoles negros son comunes en la dieta latinoamericana.
Black beans are common in the Latinamerican diet.
Las lentejas son deliciosas y muy nutritivas.
Lentils are delicious and highly nutritious.
La soja tiene mucha proteína y nada de colesterol.
Soybeans have a great amount of protein and no cholesterol.
Meat and Dairy – Las carnes y los lácteos
Also known as daily consumption foods, las carnes y los lácteos are usually kids’ favorites. Let’s dive into more Spanish cooking vocabulary!
| English | Spanish |
| beef | la res |
| chicken | el pollo |
| lamb | el cordero |
| pork | el cerdo |
| poultry | las aves de corral |
| red meat | la carne roja |
| turkey | el pavo |
| white meat | la carne blanca |
PRO TIP! For each of these types of meat, be sure to use the term la carne de and then add the name of the source.
Example Spanish Sentences
Me gusta la carne de res.
I like beef.
Hoy comeremos carne de cerdo.
Today, we will eat pork.
Dairy Vocabulary in Spanish
We use dairy in lots of dishes and basic meals like a yummy bowl of cereal, here you have a handy Spanish cooking glossary:
| English | Spanish |
| cheese | el queso |
| cheddar cheese | el queso cheddar |
| goat cheese | el queso de cabra |
| milk | la leche |
Non-Dairy Milks in Spanish
Over the years, other types of milk have become part of our diets. In the following table, you’ll see non-dairy milks to teach your learner!
These options are flavorful, healthy, and even eco-friendly!
| English | Spanish |
| almond milk | la leche de almendras |
| oat milk | la leche de avena |
| rice milk | la leche de arroz |
| soy milk | la leche de soya |
Example Spanish Sentences
El cereal sabe mejor con leche de almendras.
Cereal tastes better with almond milk.
La leche de avena es buena para la salud.
Oat milk is good for our health.
Let’s Cook! – ¡Vamos a cocinar!
Ready to get some amazing food along with your kid? Enrich your child’s Spanish cooking vocabulary with these cooking verbs:
To bake – hornear
¿Quieres hornear un pastel?
Do you want to bake a cake?
Hoy voy a hornear un pie.
Today I will bake a pie.
To boil – hervir
Debemos hervir el agua para el spaghetti.
We need to boil water for the spaghetti.
Ten cuidado, estoy hirviendo agua.
Be careful, I’m boiling water.
To chop – picar
Ayúdame a picar algunos vegetales, ¡con mucho cuidado!
Help me chop some vegetables, be very careful!
To cook – cocinar
¿Qué quieres aprender a cocinar?
What do you want to learn how to cook?
To unfreeze – descongelar
Debemos descongelar la carne antes de cocinarla.
We have to unfreeze the meat before we cook it.
To fry – freir
Hoy vamos a freír pollo.
Today we will fry chicken.
To let ___ sit – dejar reposar
Debemos dejar reposar la masa para el pastel.
We need to let the dough sit for the cake.
To peel – pelar
Let me teach you how to peel an apricot.
Déjame enseñarte cómo pelar un albaricoque.
To rinse – enjuagar
Enjuaga los fideos antes de cocinarlos.
Rinse the noodles before cooking them.
To stir – revolver
Revuelve la salsa lentamente.
Stir the sauce slowly.
To whisk – batir
Ayúdame a batir los huevos.
Help me whisk the eggs.
Meals – Las comidas
Hopefully all this Spanish cooking vocabulary has sparked some ideas for you to teach your child new and exciting activities to include in daily life.
After cooking an elaborate nutrient-filled meal, it’s time to taste it!
Learn more: Meals in Spanish for Kids
| English | Spanish |
| breakfast | el desayuno |
| brunch | el brunch or el desayuno tardío |
| dessert | el postre |
| dinner | la cena |
| lunch | el almuerzo |
Example Spanish Sentences
¿Qué vamos a desayunar?
What are we having for breakfast?
¿Podemos comer pizza para el almuerzo?
Can we eat pizza for lunch?
Estoy lleno, no quiero cenar.
I’m full, I don’t want to have dinner.
Quiero un pastel para el postre.
I want a cake for dessert.
Learn more: A Kid’s Guide to Yummy Snacks in Spanish
Talking About Our Tasty Meals
Along with the cool Spanish cooking vocabulary, here are some sentences in Spanish we use to indicate whether we enjoyed our food (or not)!
Qué delicioso estaba ese pastel.
The cake was delicious!
No me gustó mucho el almuerzo.
I didn’t like lunch so much.
El desayuno estaba para chuparse los dedos.
Breakfast was finger-licking good!
Me encanta la fruta porque es dulce.
I love fruit because it is sweet.
Espero que la cena tenga mucho sabor.
I hope dinner is very tasty.
El pollo no tenía sabor.
The chicken was bland.
4 Spanish Activities to Teach Cooking Vocabulary
1. Label items in your kitchen in Spanish
An easy and effective way for kids to introduce themselves to new Spanish cooking vocabulary is to print out some labels and paste them to kitchen utensils. This way, every time your children pick up an item, they’ll see the word in Spanish and repeat it!
2. Odd One Out
This is an excellent way for kids to associate objects that share similarities or have differences. It’s also an opportunity for them to analyze and observe things more closely and wonder why something doesn’t share characteristics with other objects.
The main idea for this entertaining game is to have various sets of objects; in each set, the kids will see that some objects share characteristics, for example, four objects are fruits. However, in each set, there will be one object that does not share such qualities, let’s say, there’s a vegetable; the kids will have to identify and figure out why that particular object does not fit into the set.
3. Watch cooking channels in Spanish where kids cook
Latin America is known for cooking exotic and interesting dishes whose flavors explode on our taste buds! If you’d like your child to become familiar with Spanish cuisine, you can watch cooking channels along with them!
There are a lot of shows that involve kids cooking, which will make it more fun and they’ll watch someone just like them putting their knowledge to work!
4. Play memory game using our downloadable content packet
Memory games are an excellent way to assist your child in memorizing new words. With the awesome Spanish cooking vocabulary you saw above and the cool downloadables available, you and your child have hours of fun ahead of you!
Enhance Your Kid’s Spanish Education
Did you find this Spanish cooking vocabulary useful? Say no more! You can sign your child up for a free class today to get them talking in Spanish to one of our kid-friendly, certified Spanish teachers who your kid is certain to adore!
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