17 Free Felt Food Patterns

Foods are a common toy for many children. Food toys encourage children to be interested in food and pretend to cook, dine and entertain, but they’re often made from plastic. The abundance of plastic is an issue in itself, but it’s also often discarded and not biodegradable, leading to pollution in the oceans and a significant risk to aquatic life.

Aside from these risks, plastic also contains many additives, such as flame retardants and BPA, which are toxic when they break down. Plastic also readily absorbs a lot of other toxins, such as pesticides. You don’t want that in your child’s mouth!

For a softer, washable and eco-friendly alternative, check out these 17 free felt food patterns made from natural fiber felt.

Making Felt Foods

Felt foods are a great alternative to plastic for children’s toys, but they also require minimal effort and sewing, so they’re a quick and easy way to create personalized food toys for your children.

Merino wool felt is a thick, soft, eco-friendly felt that works for both hand and machine sewing. It also works with a Cricut machine and comes in a variety of colors, which is perfect for creating unique felt food toys.

Like wool felt, bamboo felt is eco-friendly, comes in many colors and is lightweight enough for easy hand or machine sewing. It’s also suitable for a Cricut or other cutting machine and withstands heat without melting or shrinking like other felts. Unlike wool felt, however, bamboo felt is made entirely from plant-based materials.

Other than your felt and patterns, all you need is a sewing machine or a needle and thread to create these fun, non-toxic food toys for your children.

1. Blueberry Pancakes

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so why not start with a fun treat like blueberry pancakes? This simple pattern requires very little sewing and uses some embroidery thread for detail work.

Instructions credit: Wonderful DIY

2. Bacon and Eggs

For a heartier pretend breakfast for the play kitchen, try out this pattern for bacon and eggs. Fortunately, this project is simple enough to make as many eggs or bacon strips as you want.

Instructions credit: The Gunny Sack

3. Doughnuts

Who doesn’t love donuts? This tutorial is really easy, and once you learn the basics, you can use your imagination to create all different sizes and types of donuts.

Instructions credit: Lisa Honey

4. Sliced Bread and Cheese

These sandwich basics are a great start for a full deli-style collection of mix-and-match sandwich ingredients.

Instructions credit: Crafting News

5. Burger and Fries

With just a little batting, you can create a hearty pretend burger and fries for your child, free of fat and grease. This project has a few more elements than others, but the smaller details like pickles, cheese and French fries can be used for other play food as well.

Instructions credit: Lia Griffith

6. Ice Cream Cones

No summer is complete without ice cream. These ice cream cones take a little work, but thanks to the forgiving nature of felt, they’re still a great choice for a beginner. Don’t forget to add some beads for sprinkles!

Instructions credit: One Creative Mommy

7. Cupcakes

Cupcakes are a children’s party staple, which is why making a felt pretend cupcake will give your child endless entertainment. These cupcakes are simple to make, so use your imagination to create some exciting toppings, like sprinkles and fruit.

Instructions credit: Life is Made

8. Chicken Legs

The key to imaginative play food is giving your child variety and a lot of mix-and-match options, which is why these chicken legs are such a great idea. They’re quick and easy to make, but they can easily be paired with a variety of other side dishes and vegetables to make a meal.

Instructions credit: Art Threads

9. Corn on the Cob

I love the detail in this one! The pattern is simple to create, and the work comes from making the individual kernels, but it’s worth it for the end result.

Instructions credit: While Wearing Heels

10. Whole Tomatoes

You may have plenty of sliced tomatoes for your pretend sandwiches, but what about whole tomatoes? These are a great addition to the rest of your play vegetables. They also make a fine traditional pincushion.

Instructions credit: One Little Imp

11. Mixed Vegetables

This carrot, tomato and potato tutorial is for fleece, but felt could easily be substituted for a more realistic and lighter-weight play food.

Instructions credit: Sew Mama Sew

12. S’mores and Campfire

Few foods are more commonly associated with summer nights than s’mores. With this tutorial, you’ll be able to create your own felt campfire, s’mores and roasting marshmallows.

Instructions credit: Lia Griffith

13. Chinese Takeout

This Chinese takeout chow-mein is adorable! The instructions call for wooden skewers and a wire for the takeout box, but those can easily be substituted with more felt to make it more suitable for young children.

Instructions credit: Blog Lovin'

14. Turkey Dinner

There’s some time before the holiday season comes back around, so get ready with this whole turkey dinner play food. This pattern is a little more work than the others, but what a great pretend food for your child to have while you’re making the real thing.

Instructions credit: Assemble Shop

15. “Peelable” Cantaloupe Slice

This inventive idea uses a magnet to create a fruit slice with a removable peel. The instructions are for cantaloupe, but this idea can be used for oranges, watermelon or any other fruit you can think of.

Instructions credit: Newfoundland News

16. Circus Animal Cookies

The pink-and-white animal cookies are a popular treat for many children, which is why this tutorial is the perfect addition to the list. The cookies themselves are simple, so it’s easy to add plenty of detail and make a full set of these cute cookies.

Instructions credit: XO XO Grandma

17. Chocolate Chip Cookies

These chocolate chip cookies feature adorable little smiles and frowns for some extra whimsy. Once you make the cookies, you can change their facial expressions for your own unique touch.

Instructions credit: Life is a Party

As you can see, there’s virtually no limit to the possibilities for fun felt foods for your child to play with. As you make more and more of these projects, you may even find yourself coming up with your own ideas for new and exciting play food for your child.

Making any of these fun foods from these free felt food patterns? Tag us on Instagram @ecofriendlycrafting to show off your projects and be sure to check out our wide selection of bamboo and wool felt.