Learning how to make baby food at home might sound daunting but it’s actually insanely simple! And not only will you save a ton of money but you will also have total control over what goes into your baby’s food!
This post will walk you through exactly how to make baby food at home, what supplies you’ll need to start, and how to store your homemade food for later.
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How To Make Baby Food At Home
4 Reasons to Start Making Baby Food at Home
- Control the Texture– Baby food needs to be thin at first when you baby is first learning to eat but it will slowly get thicker to prepare them for real food. Making baby food at home allows you to create the right texture and thickness for your baby.
- You Know Exactly What’s In It– Homemade baby food means avoiding additives and preservatives.
- It Tastes Better– Fresher food will always taste better. Try a bite of homemade baby food vs. storebought if you don’t believe me.
- It is Significantly Cheaper– The estimated cost to buy store bought baby food for 3 meals a day (3 jars/pouches) for a year is almost $1100. In contrast, making your own baby food costs approximately $300 a year for the same amount of food.
What You Need to Make Baby Food
- A Saucepan & Spatula– To cook or steam vegetables.
- A Food Processor or Blender– I love using my Ninja Professional Plus Blender. It does a fantastic job and is super easy to clean.
- Immersion Blender- If you want your baby food as smooth as it comes in the store, an immersion blender is the way to go. I personally own and love this one! As a bonus it has attachments for baking too!
- A Freezer Tray– You can choose to freeze your baby food in normal ice cube trays or buy baby food freezing trays like this one from WeeSprout.
- Large Tupperware Containers or Ziploc Bags (If you want to stock up)- I find it easiest to have a day that is dedicated to baby food prepping. I make all the different kinds of food, freeze them in trays, and pop them into large containers (one for each different flavor).
- Labels– Keeping track of what food is what, what date it was made, and when it needs eaten by can feel overwhelming. I highly recommend using these water dissolvable food labels.
- Reusable Pouches– These reusable food pouches are great for homemade baby food on the go. And even once I’m done with baby food, I still love using these for things like yogurt and applesauce for toddler snacks out of the house.
Best Foods to Start With
When you are picking foods for baby food, keep in mind that this will be your child’s first impression of food. That in mind, I recommend going for a vegetable first. While fruit isn’t bad it can make them think that all food tastes sweet and make them hesitant to want vegetables after that.
And while some veggies can be difficult to get as smooth as storebought baby food, these four foods are very easy to turn into a smooth puree thanks to their original texture being very soft.
- Sweet potato
- Avocado
- Butternut Squash
- Carrots
How to Make Homemade Baby Food Step-by-Step
I recommend setting aside about 2-3 hours one day a month to make multiple different baby food flavors and get them prepped for the freezer. That’s literally all it takes!
So, here’s how to do it!
- Cook (if necessary) your desired produce on the stovetop, in the oven, or in the microwave. However you choose to cook it, just make sure it is cooked until tender. I typically use frozen veggies because they are cheaper and require very little prep before cooking.
- Place the produce you cooked in a blender or food processor with 1/4 cup of water or breast milk. Blend them together.
- Add a 1/4 cup water or breast milk at a time until it reaches the desired consistency. For a stage one food, you will want the puree to be watery and be able to drip off of a spoon. As your baby gets older and you move to thicker stage two purees, simply blend the puree for a shorter amount of time and add less liquid.
How to Store Homemade Baby Food
When I make a batch of baby food, I keep a couple ounces out for the next few days and I freeze the rest for later. Freezing baby foods will allow you to food prep for weeks or months at a time!
How to Freeze:
- Choose and make the puree of your choosing.
- Put a little into the fridge for the next couple days.
- Transfer the remainder of the puree into baby food freezer trays or ice cube trays. I like using these silicone ice cube trays with lids but make sure to cover the tray with plastic wrap if yours doesn’t have a lid.
- Let the uree freeze for at least 3 hours (or until solid)
- Empty the tray into a storage container or Ziploc bags.
How to Thaw Homemade Baby Food
When thawing purees for your baby, keep in mind that a standard ice cube is equal to one ounce of baby food.
Thawing in a Microwave
Place the desired amount of food into a microwave save glass bowl. Place the microwave on defrost and microwave for 15 seconds at a time, stirring in between. Repeat until the food is just thawed and barely warm to the touch.
Thawing in a Fridge
While thawing in the fridge does take a little more planning, it’s a great option if you don’t have a microwave. Simply place your baby food in the fridge in these four ounce mason jars (or something similar) to prep food the night before. Plus, they come with both lids and labels to make life so much easier!
Thawing on the Stovetop
Add any cubes of the puree you want to thaw into a saucepan and thaw over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until it is thawed and slightly warm. Make sure to taste the food yourself before giving it to your baby to make sure that it isn’t too hot.
Homemade Baby Food Safety Tip
Be sure to check the temperature of the food before serving to your baby. I’ve found the easiest way to do that is using these Nuby baby safety spoons that turn white if the food is too hot.
Homemade Baby Food vs. Store Bought
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Common Mistakes to Avoid
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FAQs on Homemade Baby Food
How long does homemade baby food last?
Homemade baby food with fruits and/or veggies typically lasts 2 or 3 days in the fridge. If it has meat or breastmilk in it, you’ll want to use it within 24 hours. However, if frozen, homemade baby food can last for 3 months in the freezer.
Do I need a baby food maker?
Not at all! I’ve made baby food for all 3 of my babies and never once used one! Between a blender and an immersion blender you can make great homemade baby food!
Can you use frozen vegetables?
Yes! I actually think frozen vegetables make things a little easier. I always have them on hand and I don’t have to worry about them spoiling before I’m able to make the food.
Simple Baby Food Puree Ideas
Stage 1 Recipes (4-6 months)
A stage 1 baby foods are very thin and watery, able to drip off a spoon easily. Stage 1 foods are made of one single fruit or vegetable to help watch for food allergies and sensitivities in your little one and are typically best for babies ages 4-6 months who are just starting food.
I recommend giving your baby a puree with just the single vegetable at first and then adding in the optional spice later on if they tolerant the vegetable well.
Stage 1 Veggie Purees
Pea Baby Food Puree– My little guys absolute favorite food!
- 1 (12 oz.) bag frozen peas (this is equal to about 2 cups of peas)
- 1 cup of water or breastmilk
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger or ginger paste
Sweet Potato Baby Food Puree
- 2 large sweet potatoes
- 1 cup of water or breastmilk
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic OR 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
Carrot Baby Food Puree
- 1 bag of baby carrots
- 3/4 cup water or breastmilk
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger or ginger paste
Broccoli Baby Food Puree
- 1 (12 oz.) bag of frozen broccoli
- 1 cup of water or breastmilk
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon thyme
Green Bean Baby Food Puree
- 1 (12 oz.) bag frozen green beans (or 2 cups fresh or frozen)
- 1 cup water or breastmilk
- Optional: A small pinch of dried parsley
Butternut Squash Baby Food Puree
- 1 butternut squash (feel free to cook your squash with 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil to give your baby some healthy fats)
- 1/2 cup water or breastmilk
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Avocado Baby Food Puree
- 3 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
- 1/4 cup water or breastmilk
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon garlic
- Optional: 1 teaspoon lime juice
Stage 1 Fruit Purees
***Quick Tip: I like to mix these fruit purees with rice cereal or baby oatmeal to fill my baby up a little more while cutting down on the amount of sugar he is eating.
Banana Puree
- 3 ripe bananas
- 1/2 cup water or breastmilk
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pear Puree
- 5 ripe pears, peeled and chopped up
- 1/4 cup water
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Peach Puree
- 3 cans peaches in 100% fruit juice (drain 2 or the 3 cans and keep 1 can’s juice for the puree)
- 3/4 cup water
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Strawberry Puree
- 2 cups frozen strawberries
- 1 cup water or breastmilk
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon dried mint
Blueberry Puree
- 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1 cup water or breastmilk
- Optional: 1 tsp lemon juice
Mango Puree
- 2 cups fresh or frozen mango
- 1/2 cup water or breastmilk
Stage 2 Recipes (Babies 6-9 months)
Stage 2 foods are thicker than stage 1 foods and contain multiple ingredients instead of just one. Your babies appetite will also start growing at this age and their portion sizes will start to get larger.
Stage 2 Veggie Purees
Sweet Potato + Pepper
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1 cup of red pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup water or breastmilk
Peas + Carrots
- 1 (12 oz.) bag frozen peas (or 2 cups peas)
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup water or breastmilk
Broccoli + Cauliflower
- 1 (12 oz.) bag of frozen broccoli & cauliflower (or 1 cup cauliflower and 1 cup broccoli)
- 1 cup water or breastmilk
Pumpkin + Carrots
- 1 cup carrots
- 1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup water or breastmilk
Stage 2 Fruit Purees
Banana + Blueberry
- 2 cups frozen blueberries
- 2 ripe bananas
- 1 cup water or breastmilk
- Optional: 1 teaspoon ginger paste
Peach + Chicken
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast, boiled
- 1 (15 oz.) can of peaches in 100% fruit juice (do not drain juice)
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- Optional: 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Mixed Berry Apple
- 2 cups frozen mixed berries
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup water or breastmilk
- Optional: 1 teaspoon dried mint
Banana + Avocado
- 3 ripe bananas
- 2 ripe avocados
- 1/2 cup water or breastmilk
This post was all about how to make baby food at home! While it may feel daunting to make your own baby food at first, it honestly can be a lot of fun! Give it a try and I don’t think you’ll regret it!
-Beautifully Busy Mom
Don’t forget to save these recipes and tips for later!
