We keep seeing images of unicorn toast on our Instagram and Pinterest pages. So we wondered: Is it worth the hype? And what really is unicorn toast anyway?
Read on for the truth about unicorn toast, and a chance to win a $25 Visa gift card so you can buy the ingredients to make it yourself (or not)!
Unicorn toast in simple terms is just cream cheese on bread. The cream cheese is colored to resemble something pretty (as pretty as a unicorn). Its new cousin, mermaid toast, is similar but it uses just blues and greens to resemble the ocean. We can only assume that it was invented for children who want to eat rainbows for breakfast.
From what I can tell, there are two most popular ways to color the cream cheese. 1. Food coloring. 2. Natural pigments, such as beet juice (red), chlorophyll (light green), algae (blue-green), turmeric root (yellow) and spirulina powder (light blue).
There was no way I was buying chlorophyll or spirulina powder for my kids' breakfast. Mostly because I had no idea what they are or where the heck to even buy them. So I decided to go a different route.
We still made two versions - the classic with food coloring and then a second where we mushed up fruit and mixed it into the cream cheese, so it was still colorful, but also gave it extra flavor and nutrients.
I drafted my two sons, ages 6 and 10, into this project, since wasn't this really about them anyway? Here's what we found:
We separated out cream cheese into four bowls and my kids picked the colors. They had fun mixing in the food coloring and spreading it on the toast in a design. And then it tasted like... cream cheese on toast. Nothing more than that. It was a quick, fun, DIY activity to do together, but do I really need my son to have a blue mustache from breakfast and a ton of colored bowls to wash? #UnicornTruth: Don't bother.
As I mentioned, there was no way I was buying algae, but why can't I just get brightly flavored berries instead? So I got raspberries for red, blackberries for purple and mango for yellow. I cut the mango into small pieces and the kids mushed the berries into the cream cheese. This was a lot chunkier than the food coloring cream cheese, but also looked a lot more appetizing. And it added flavor! Almost like a cream cheese and jelly mixture. Make sure to mix in a lot of fruit so you can really taste it. Best part: my son who doesn't love fresh berries was happy to eat them in this form. So was it worth it? It still made a mess and I wouldn't recommend it when you are rushed for time, but for a special weekend morning, it was a fun and healthy treat. #UnicornTruth: Go for it!
For more inspiration, check out these #unicorntoast Instagram photos here.
There are two ways to enter:
Simply comment below and tell us what your favorite breakfast food is.
AND/OR
Tweet about the giveaway!
Click here to Tweet: "Entered the @SheSpeaksUp Visa gift card giveaway & learned the #UnicornTruth about unicorn toast! bit.ly/2mIdWy0"
*One lucky commenter or Tweeter will be chosen at random to receive a $25 Visa gift card. Giveaway is open through April 9th, 2017 to U.S. residents at least 18 years of age. Entrants must be a member of SheSpeaks. If you are not a member, click here to join. Winner will be notified by email.
Update: Thanks to all who entered. Congratulations to winner Ladygem616!
My favorite breakfast food is probably waffles, though I eat those more for dinner than breakfast
i love waffles and smoothies for breakfast
Such great recipes!
weekday: greek yogurt weekend: french toast
My favorite breakfast food is avocado toast.
My favorite breakfast food is plain old pancakes with egg and bacon on the side
My fav breakfast food would be Belgium Waffles and some homemade bread for toast.
I love stuffed french toast! I usually stick to eggs and spinach, though.
My favorite breakfast food is overnight oatmeal
I make whole wheat blueberry muffins for breakfast.
Jimmy dean breakfast sandwiches
I love making smoothies with Greek yogurt, chia seeds, banana, and apple. It keeps me filled until lunch and is good for me.
looks interesting I like cream cheese on a bagel
My mom's french toast or simple (or not so simple) oatmeal makes my weekends happy. During the week, I tend to just grab fruit or a smoothie.
I love most cold cereals for breakfast.