
Spanish Food and Cooking Words for Your Preschooler
While you’re in the whirlwind of raising a preschooler, it’s so much fun to funnel their endless energy into learning Spanish! In addition to the hundreds of exciting, hands-on activities at your fingertips that you can find through a simple Google search, we’ve compiled new words and lesson ideas for you.
This blog post will help you guide your little one to learn Spanish food and cooking words while you share all the fun extras we have for you, such as:
- Colorful flashcards with real-life images to help your child understand the words
- Coloring pages for your little one to practice coloring in between the lines
- More than 100 new Spanish vocabulary words for you to choose from in your lesson(s)
This guide to Spanish food and cooking words will help you to teach the following vocabulary themes for you to pick and choose as you see fit:
- Utensils
- Cooking verbs
- Meals
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Protein
- Dairy
- Desserts
- Adjectives to describe food

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Cooking Utensils in Spanish
One of my favorite parts of cooking is playing with all the fun utensils! Take a look at our list of utensilios and let me know in the comments if we’re missing any one of your favorites!
English | Spanish | Pronunciation |
knife | El cuchillo | koo-chee-oh |
fork | El tenedor | tay-nay-dor |
spoon | La cuchara | koo-cha-rah |
bowl | El tazón | tah-sohn |
plate | El plato | plah-toh |
cup | El vaso | bah-soh |
mug | La taza | tah-sah |
pot | La olla | oh-yah |
pan | El sartén | sar-tane |
apron | La gabacha | gah-bah-cha |
teapot | La tetera | tay-tay-rah |
measuring cup | La taza de medida | tah-sah day may-dee-dah |
baking tray | La bandeja de hornear | ban-day-ha day or-nay-ar |
timer | El reloj automático | ray-loh ow-toh-mah-tee-koh |
chopping board | La tabla de cortar | tah-blah day kor-tar |
grater | El rallador | rah-yah-dor |
rolling pin | El rodillo | roh-dee-yoh |
whisk | El batidor | bah-tee-dor |
spatula | La espátula | es-pah-too-lah |
cutlery | Los cubiertos | koo-byair-tohs |
casserole dish | La cacerola | kah-ser-oh-lah |
measuring spoons | Las cucharas medidoras | koo-char-ahs may-dee-dor-ahs |
oven glove | El guante de horno | wan-tay day or-noh |
bread basket | La cesta de pan | ses-tah day pan |
Download our exclusive set of Spanish Utensils Flashcards!
Cooking Action Verbs
While you’re playing, cooking, and teaching in Spanish, the action verbs are an essential part of your lesson. Whether you plan to revolver la salsa or amasar la mezcla, you’ll need to describe to your preschooler the actions that they’re performing in Spanish. Here is a list of verbs you can pick from to bring your Spanish lesson to life!
English | Spanish | Pronunciation |
break | Quebrar / romper | kay-brar / rome-pear |
melt | Derretir | day-ray-teer |
spread | Untar | oon-tar |
layer | Poner en capas | poh-nare en kah-pahs |
roll out | Extender | ex-ten-dare |
fry | Freír | fray-eer |
peel | Pelar | pay-lar |
mix | Mezclar | mase-klar |
whip | Batir | bah-teer |
sauté | Saltear | sal-tay-ar |
taste | Degustar / probar | day-goo-star / proh-bar |
cut | Cortar | kor-tar |
chop | Picar | pee-kar |
slice | Partir en rabanadas | Par-teer en rah-bah-nah-dahs |
grate | Rallar | rah-yar |
boil | Hervir | air-beer |
steam | Cocer al vapor | Koh-sare al bah-por |
pour | Echar | ay-char |
add | Agregar | ah-gray-gar |
roast | Asar | ah-sar |
bake | Hornear | or-nay-ar |
stir | Revolver | ray-bole-bare |
weigh | Pesar | pay-sar |
Food Words in Spanish for Preschoolers
Let’s get to the meat of your lesson (literally)! While this list of foodstuffs is long, it’s up to you to choose the types of foods (and meals) you want to introduce in your lesson. Feel free to print out this guide and keep it for future cooking classes you create with your preschooler!
Meals
English | Spanish | Pronunciation |
breakfast | El desayuno | day-sah-yoo-noh |
lunch | El almuerzo | al-mwair-soh |
snack | La refacción | ray-fak-syohn |
dinner | La cena | say-nah |
Vegetables
English | Spanish | Pronunciation |
avocado | El aguacate | ah-gwah-kah-tay |
beans | Los frijoles | free-hole-ays |
bell pepper | El chile pimiento | chee-lay pee-myane-toh |
broccoli | El brócoli | broh-koh-lee |
cabbage | El repollo | ray-poh-yoh |
carrot | La zanahoria | sah-nah-or-yah |
corn | El maiz | mah-ees |
cucumber | El pepino | pay-pee-noh |
eggplant | La berenjena | bay-rain-hay-nah |
garlic | El ajo | ah-ho |
ginger | El jengibre | hane-hee-bray |
kale | La col rizada / El kale | kole ree-sah-dah / kah-lay |
lettuce | La lechuga | lay-choo-gah |
mushroom | El champiñón / El hongo | cham-peen-yohn / ohn-goh |
onion | La cebolla | say-boh-yah |
pea | La arveja | ar-bay-ha |
potato | La papa | pah-pah |
pumpkin | La calabaza | kah-lah-bah-sah |
spinach | La espinaca | ay-spee-nah-kah |
sweet potato | El camote | kah-moh-tay |
tomato | El tomate | toh-mah-tay |
zucchini | El calabazín | kah-lah-bah-seen |
Fruit
English | Spanish | Pronunciation |
apple | La manzana | man-san-ah |
banana | El banano | bah-nah-noh |
blueberry | El arándano azul | ah-ran-dah-noh ah-sool |
cantaloupe | El melón | may-lone |
coconut | El coco | koh-koh |
grape | La uva | ooh-bah |
mango | El mango | man-goh |
orange | La naranja | nah-ran-ha |
peach | El durazno / El melocotón | doo-raz-noh / may-loh-koh-tone |
pear | La pera | pay-rah |
strawberry | La fresa | fray-sah |
watermelon | La sandía | san-dee-ah |
Well, that’s a good bit of food so far! If it’s still not enough and you’d like an insanely comprehensive list of vegetables and fruit in Spanish, check out our Ridiculously Long List of Vegetables and Fruits in Spanish.
Protein
English | Spanish | Pronunciation |
quinoa | La quinoa | kee-noh-ah |
almonds | Las almendras | al-men-drahs |
oats | La avena | ah-bay-nah |
lentils | Las lentejas | lane-tay-has |
soybeans | La soya | soh-yah |
kidney beans | Los frijoles colorados | free-hole-ays koh-loh-rah-dohs |
chickpeas | Los garbanzos | gar-ban-sohs |
peanuts | Los manías / los cacahuates | man-ee-yahs / kah-kah-wah-tays |
eggs | Los huevos | way-bohs |
chicken | El pollo | poh-yoh |
beef | La carne de res | kar-nay day race |
tuna | El atún | ah-toon |
turkey | El pavo | pah-boh |
fish | El pescado | pay-skah-doh |
shrimp | El camarón | kah-mah-rone |
Dairy
English | Spanish | Pronunciation |
milk | La leche | lay-chay |
butter | La mantequilla | man-tay-kee-yah |
cheese | El queso | kay-soh |
yogurt | El yogur | yoh-ger |
cream | La crema | kray-mah |
cottage cheese | El requesón | ray-kay-sohn |
condensed milk | La leche condensada | lay-chay kohn-den-sah-dah |
parmesan cheese | El parmesano | par-may-sah-noh |
mozzarella | La mozzarella | mot-sah-ray-lah |
ice cream | El helado | ay-lah-doh |
Desserts
While introducing healthy vegetables and fruits to your preschooler is necessary, we can’t deny how special it is to make and share a yummy dessert together! This is why our list of desserts gets a whole section of its own. After you take a look at the list of popular desserts from Latin America, can you think of something that’s missing? Let us know in the comments!
Spanish Dish Name | English Translation |
Arroz con leche | rice pudding |
Alfajor | stuffed cookie covered in chocolate |
Churro | cylindrical fritter |
Quesillo | flan |
Tres leches | caked dipped in three types of milk |
Torta de queso | cheesecake |
Galleta de azúcar y manteca | sugar cookies |
Pudín de pan | bread pudding |
Would you like to try baking cookies with your preschooler in Spanish? Learn Spanish While You Cook! Baking Cookies with Your Toddler.
Food Adjectives in Spanish
While you’re busy gathering more ingredients for the dish you plan to make, your preschooler is likely to be taste-testing what you’ve set out on the table. Help your little one describe the flavors and texture of the food with these simple adjectives!
English | Spanish | Pronunciation |
sweet | dulce | dool-say |
salty | salado | sah-lah-doh |
bitter | amargo | am-ar-goh |
sour | agrio | ah-gree-oh |
bittersweet | agridulce | ah-gree-dool-say |
burnt | quemado | kay-mah-doh |
crunchy | crujiente | kroo-hyane-tay |
dry | seco | say-koh |
excellent | excelente | ek-say-len-tay |
flavorful | sabroso | sah-broh-soh |
good | bueno | bway-noh |
hot | caliente | kah-lyane-tay |
juicy | jugoso | hoo-goh-soh |
moist | húmedo | oo-may-doh |
spicy | picante | pee-kan-tay |
sticky | pegajoso | pay-gah-ho-soh |
slimy | baboso | bah-boh-soh |
Add even more value to your lessons with these fantastic Spanish preschool lessons, resources, and free printables from Homeschool Spanish Academy!
Weather
- Spanish Spring Words for Preschool
- Spanish Summer Words for Preschool
- Spanish Winter Words for Preschool
- How to Teach Your Preschooler Weather Words in Spanish
Various Themes
- How to Teach Your Preschooler Spanish Greetings
- How to Teach Your Preschooler Colors in Spanish
- How to Teach Your Preschooler the Opposites in Spanish
- Animals and Their Habitats in Spanish for Preschool
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Free Spanish Entertainment
Sign up for a free class with Homeschool Spanish Academy to try out our Preschool Spanish Program for yourself! Your child will be speaking Spanish from the first class.
Want more free preschool Spanish resources? Check out these posts!
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