Make feeding your baby easier with this go-to list of healthy baby food recipes. Each of the 50+ ideas is easy to make, flavorful, affordable, and nutritious.
To help make feeding your baby easier, this resource breaks down baby food ideas by age. Below you’ll find ideas for what to feed a 6 month old, an 8 month old, a 10 month old, and a 1 year old.
With options for purees, early finger foods, baby-led weaning foods, and baby combinations, you will be covered with easy baby meals and baby snacks.
Many of these ideas can also be enjoyed by the entire family, including toddlers and older kids too, so you don’t have to cook separate meals for everyone.
Remember: Each child is unique, has a unique appetite, and will progress through the phases of starting solids differently, so adjust as needed for your child.
Why These Recipes Work
Each baby food recipe here is made using accessible, affordable, and nutritious ingredients with simple methods. This means each is doable for a busy parent to prepare and yummy enough for baby to enjoy.
(You can also try my Homemade Baby Food Combinations, Baby Pancakes, foods for baby-led weaning, and the yummiest Baby Pasta.)
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Baby Food Recipes 6+ Months
Offering a 6 month old baby nutritious, flavorful foods is a great way to set them up to experience a range of flavors when starting solids. Some babies will show more interest in food than others, so don’t worry if your baby takes a month or so to get into food…or dives right in from the start!
You can, of course, use Baby Oatmeal and Baby Rice Cereal, and feed these purees to baby or offer them on a preloaded spoon so baby can feed herself.
Featured Review⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“I have been trying to make all of these, so far the lentil soup is a huge hit! I froze it in cubes and even add it to other vegetable purees sometimes. Thank you so much for such an accessible list of recipes for my baby!” —Jessica
Apple Puree
Learn how to make fresh, homemade apple puree in minutes with this SUPER quick and easy method.
There’s no one right serving size for every child, so start with a smaller amount and offer more as indicated by baby. When they turn their head or close their mouth, end the meal—it’s usually pretty obvious when they want to be done!
Easy Avocado Puree
Learn how to make SO EASY avocado puree for your baby—and the best way to prevent it from browning so you can store leftovers for later.
This easy baby food is rich in healthy fats, super smooth, and has a mellow flavor. This is a great puree to make when you’re eating something like tacos so you can have some, too!
Banana Puree Baby Food
Turning ripe banana into a super smooth baby food is quick and easy—which makes this Banana Puree baby food a great one to start with and make often as your baby explores solid foods!
Use a ripe banana with at least some brown spots for the best flavor in this puree.
Best Broccoli for Baby (Puree and BLW-Style)
Broccoli is a nutritional powerhouse that is easy to prepare for babies. Learn how to make broccoli puree, BLW-style broccoli, and broccoli finger foods.
Learn how to make nutritious Broccoli Puree and a super easy method for baby led weaning style broccoli. Both start with the same technique, so you can do either (or both!).
Butternut Squash Baby Food Puree
Transforming a whole or precut butternut squash puree into smooth, silky baby food is so easy.
You can make this puree to feed to a baby or toddler, or as a simple side dish for the whole family to share.
Favorite Carrot Baby Food
Turn fresh carrots into a simple, nourishing Carrot Baby Food with this easy method—whether or not you have a baby food maker.
Turn fresh carrots into a simple, nourishing baby food for baby with this easy method to make Carrot Puree. Read the Notes for additional flavor options and storage information.
Cantaloupe for Baby
Learn safe ways to serve cantaloupe to a baby (and to toddlers) with this easy guide.
Learn safe ways to cut and serve cantaloupe to a baby (and to toddlers) with these easy options. Be sure to start with a ripe, soft melon to reduce the risk of choking.
5-Minute Mango Puree
Learn the easiest way to transform fresh or frozen mango into a smooth homemade baby food with this easy Mango Puree.
You can use either fresh or frozen mango for this recipe. It can be served by itself or mixed together with another puree, plain yogurt, oatmeal, or cottage cheese. (It also works as an adult food drizzled over fish tacos or stirred into a drink.)
Easy Green Bean Baby Food
Green beans are such a common veggie and one that can be flavored in so many ways that it’s a wonderful option for babu. I love making this puree as a baby-led weaning food or as a Stage 1 or 2 puree. (You may also like my Boiled Green Beans as a BLW option.)
Learn how to make quick and flavorful Green Bean Baby Food as a baby-led weaning food or as a Stage 1 or 2 puree. Plus, find tips on how to store and mix the puree with other flavors to make yummy baby food combinations.
5-Minute Peach Puree
Transform ripe peaches into perfectly smooth Peach Puree that babies, toddlers, and grown-ups will love.
You can use either fresh peaches or thawed frozen slices to make this recipe. Serve it as a baby food or use it to add flavor to yogurt, oatmeal, or even vanilla ice cream.
Easy Pear Puree
Learn how to make the EASIEST Pear Puree for your baby or toddler with a super simple method and the best flavor.
Use ripe pears—they should give just a little to the touch and smell like a pear—for the best flavor in this puree. Some babies may want a few spoonfuls, some a bowlful. Follow baby’s cues to determine the right amount for them.
Easiest Pea Puree
This super simple Pea Puree is so fresh and delicious. It’s an easy baby food or side dish that you can add flavor to as desired.
The serving size for baby food can vary widely based on the age and appetite of the baby, so follow baby’s cues for being done—they will close their mouth and/or turn their head or start to fuss. End the meal when you see those things happen.
Fresh Raspberry Puree
Learn how to blend up the easiest Raspberry Puree as a Stage 1 baby food—or as a simple fruit sauce to stir into yogurt, applesauce, oatmeal, or with pancakes.
This tastes best with raspberries that taste good to you, so taste one before you start! (See the Notes for suggestions on what to do if they’re a little tart.)
Favorite Sweet Potato Baby Food
With a single super simple cooking method, you can roast sweet potato wedges to serve in 3 yummy ways—BLW, mashed, or pureed into classic sweet potato puree.
You can serve this as wedges, a thick mash, or a thinner puree to your baby or toddler. (Adults will love the wedges, too!)
Quinoa for Babies (Quinoa Baby Food)
Transform nutrient-rich quinoa into a delicious baby food—with options for older kids and parents to share it—with this simple method.
Transform nutrient-rich quinoa into a delicious baby food—with options for older kids and parents to share it—using this simple method. (Find flavor variations and storage tips, too.)
Favorite Zucchini Baby Food
Zucchini is such a great baby food since it’s quick to cook, endlessly versatile, and can be prepared one way to serve as a puree or for baby-led weaning.
Learn the easiest way to make flavorful Zucchini Baby Food—with options for baby-led weaning zucchini and also zucchini puree—with one simple method. Plus: Find storage and serving tips.
Baby Food Recipes 8 Months
Once baby has had a range of foods, you can start offering more textures and combinations such as the recipes and ideas below.
Easy Mango Smoothie
This Mango Smoothie recipe is creamy, naturally sweet, and easy to make. Serve in a pouch or a straw cup.
This fresh Mango Smoothie is thin enough to drink through a straw and thick enough to eat with a spoon. And of course, it’s super creamy!
Extra Veggie Marinara Sauce
Add extra veggies to your next pot of marinara sauce for more nutrition and the classic flavor that your family expects. (You may also like my Vegetable Sauces for Pasta.)
Banana Bread Oatmeal
Share this naturally sweet oatmeal recipe that relies on ripe banana for amazing flavor.
When you use a really ripe (or over ripe) banana in this recipe, it tastes so much like banana bread—but is much faster! See the options for which toppings make this even more delish.
Shortcut Butternut Squash Risotto
This shortcut Butternut Squash Risotto has a super simple method and make-ahead steps so you can cook this family meal even when the littles are underfoot!
You can cook the rice ahead of time and do Step 1 ahead. Or make the whole dish ahead and warm to serve when needed.
Overnight Oats
They pack protein, probiotics, vitamin C, fiber, and healthy fats—and all you need to do to make them is to stir the ingredients together and let it hang out in the fridge while you sleep!
You can easily double (or triple!) the recipe to make more servings. It uses a 1 to 1 ratio of yogurt to applesauce so you can easily scale it up. Make this the night before you plan to serve it.
Red Lentil Soup
With rich flavors and a creamy texture, this is a yummy soup to share with a baby.
With plant-based protein and Vitamin C-rich veggies, this brightly flavored Red Lentil Soup—with sweet potato, ginger, and coconut— is a perfect fast family dinner ready in less than 30 minutes.
Creamy Carrot Soup
With fruits, veggies, and beans for creaminess and added nutrients, this is a delicious soup to share with a baby.
This creamy Carrot Soup is easy and comforting, and it’s a great vegetarian soup to share with the kids. Add some crackers or pita alongside to round out this meal.
Baby Food Recipes 10 Months
Continue offering nutrient rich fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains, protein, iron-rich foods for kids, and some dairy such as plain whole milk yogurt.
Most babies at 10 months are able to pick up and eat pea-size pieces of food, so aim for about that size with their baby finger foods and be sure to dice them up. Foods should also continue to be soft, so make sure the foods are easy to squish between your fingers.
Soft finger foods are great for this age (they’re often called “Stage 3 baby foods“).
Babies at this age can eat many of the same foods as the rest of the family, but still may need extra attention to the size of their food (a small dice is good) and the texture. Continue to avoid anything too crunchy, sticky, or hard.
Extra-Veggie Baby Pasta
Serve up a filling, yummy baby meal with this easy pasta. It includes a tomato based sauce with extra veggies and beans blended in for an iron-rich meal perfect for lunch or dinner.
Adding beans and extra veggies helps make this easy baby pasta satisfying, nutritious, and yummy. Serve it more or less saucy as you like. (You can even freeze the sauce for easy future meals.)
2-Ingredient Baby Pancakes
Made with just egg and a fruit or a veggie, these baby pancakes are super simple and super tender. A perfect first pancake!
Blend up a fruit or veggie with an egg for the fluffiest, easiest, healthy baby pancakes. These use just 2 ingredients, have four flavor options, and are a perfect texture for both babies and toddlers. See the NOTES at the bottom for the flavor variations.
zucchini slice
With just a few simple ingredients, you can bake up these Zucchini Slices. It’s great as a BLW Breakfast or lunch, and can be diced up for babies.
Transform basic ingredients—including a pile of zucchini—into this protein-packed Zucchini Slice to share with the kids. It’s an easy breakfast or lunch that stores well and is easy to make ahead. (See the Notes for options to up the flavor as desired.)
Easy Carrot Hummus
This easy Carrot Hummus recipe, which packs in a cup of fresh carrots, is an easy baby meal. Spread onto a toast stick or serve off of a spoon.
Taste the hummus and adjust for salt as needed. You may need more depending on whether or not you started with canned beans, and sometimes after the hummus sits in the fridge, it needs another sprinkle of salt.
Simple Sauteed Apples with Cinnamon
Made with just three ingredients (and no added sugar!), these simple Sauteed Apples are a yummy way to serve apples to babies. Dice small to serve. (These Baked Apples work, too.)
You can use any type of apple you have or like, though generally tart cooking apples (like Granny Smith or Pink Lady) soften nicely without falling apart too quickly.
Quick Sauteed Cinnamon Pears
Whenever I have a few pears on hand—or pears that just won’t ripen—I love turning them into these cooked pears. Cook until soft and dice to serve.
Transform any variety of pears into these delicious cinnamon cooked pears. Serve them as a simple side or snack, or cut a little smaller for a finger food for babies.
Quick and Easy Sesame Tofu
Tofu is one of my go-to affordable protein sources and after serving it to my kids enough times, they finally like it and I can never seem to make enough.
This simple pan-fried Sesame Tofu is a perfect match for sauteed veggies and rice, or pasta, or even potatoes and roasted veggies!
Favorite Sweet Potato Pancakes
These healthy Sweet Potato Pancakes are made with whole grains, taste naturally sweet, and are a yummy way to pack some veggies into breakfast.
Plan to have your mashed sweet potato ready to go so these come together quickly. Serve with any pancake topping you prefer—applesauce, maple syrup, nut or seed butter, or yogurt.
Easy Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
Made with just a few wholesome ingredients, this Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal cooks up fast and easily—which is exactly what you want in a breakfast!
Made with nutritious ingredients including rolled oats, apples, raisins, and milk, this Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal is ready in minutes. Plus, it’s delicious and high in fiber.
ABC Baby Muffins (with Apple, Banana, and Carrot!)
Made with a nutrient-packed ingredient list, these tender Baby Muffins are a perfect first muffin.
These are deliberately very moist (and moister than regular muffins) to ensure they are easy for baby to chew and swallow, so expect that from the interior. They have three types of produce in the mix and are a yummy breakfast or snack.
Baked Oatmeal Cups with Cinnamon and Raisins
These easy Baked Oatmeal Cups are an ideal way to serve oatmeal to babies, baby-led weaning style, and to toddlers who like to feed themselves.
Transform plain oats into a yummy and easy-to-eat finger food with this baked oatmeal cups recipe. You can double the recipe to make more if desired.
Pastina Soup
This cozy soup is filled with soft textures and can be served more or less brothy.
With just a handful of simple ingredients, you can make this cozy Pastina Soup to share with the kids in under 30 minutes. Look for little star “pastina” pasta in the pasta aisle.
Extra-Veggie Minestrone
This is a great soup for babies eating finger foods and is so easy to make, too.
With a streamlined method and a quick cooking time, this veggie-packed vegetarian minestrone soup (that big kids and parents will also enjoy!) is filled with vegetarian protein and super yummy Italian flavors.
Homemade Chicken Nuggets (with Sweet Potato)
They’re packed with nutrition and have a veggie right in the mix for an extra healthy punch.
Crispy on the outside and tender in the middle, these Homemade Chicken Nuggets are both easy and delicious. You can prep the sweet potato up to 5 days ahead if that’s easier for you, too. Try serving these with ketchup, ranch, or marinara sauce.
Sheet Pan Sweet Potato Hash
With an easy method, this Sheet Pan Sweet Potato Hash is a simple breakfast-for-dinner idea that comes together super fast. Dice everything into small pieces to serve.
Try this easy breakfast-for-dinner idea the next time you need a super easy and nutritious family dinner.
Best Baked Salmon Cakes (Salmon Patties)
Learning how to make Salmon Cakes is easy—and it’s a convenient and affordable way to serve healthy fish to a family.
These tender Salmon Cakes are easy, flavorful, and an affordable way to serve salmon to the whole family. Try over salad, grains, or tucked into a roll as a salmon burger.
Best Healthy Meatball Recipe (with Veggies)
With 3 kinds of veggies and the texture and flavor your kids expect, this Healthy Meatball recipe is a perfect family dinner option.
With the texture you expect from a traditional meatball but added nutrition from three types of veggies, your whole family will love these.
Homemade Baby Food Recipes for 1 Year Old
As your baby turns into a toddler, they can continue eating the same types of food—and you can keep expanding the textures you offer. And remember to offer a variety of foods for the best range of nutrients and foundation of flavors.
These are some of our favorite recipes for 1-year-olds.
Favorite Baby Cookies
With a few flavor options—and a chance to use up lingering baby food purees including sweet potato, apple, and banana!—these cookies are both nutritious and yummy.
You can use any puree that you like the flavor of in this recipe—it works best with purees that are the consistency of mashed banana or mashed sweet potato.
Easy Zucchini Fritters
This idea is really great in the summer because it’s an easy way to use a lot of zucchini, but it also works at any time of the year.
Baked Banana French Toast Sticks
Make a batch of these super yummy Banana French Toast Sticks to share with the kids. It’s so much easier to bake French toast, rather than standing by the stove flipping each slice, and the leftovers store so well for future meals!
You can use any sliced bread that you like. I typically use whole grain or sourdough. You can also bake full slices of bread, then cut into sticks with kitchen scissors. See Notes for allergy-substitutions.
5-Ingredient Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
If your family loves creamy, cheesy pasta and you’re looking for a simple way to up their veggie intake—because aren’t we always?!—this super simple 5-Ingredient Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese needs to be on your menu asap.
Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
With a simple cheese sauce—no standing and stirring over the stove here!—a solid dose of veggies, and a super creamy final result, this Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is a fast lunch or dinner option for toddlers.
With a simple cheese sauce—no standing and stirring over the stove here!—a solid dose of veggies, and a super creamy final result, this Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is a fast lunch or dinner option for toddlers. (And the rest of the family, too!)
Easy Cheesy Rice (With Veggies!)
It’s SO easy, versatile, and stores wonderfully in the fridge. And it’s downright delish!
This Cheesy Rice recipe has four options to add in veggies and has been a staple of my family’s diet for a few years now. It’s SO easy and versatile—and stores wonderfully in the fridge. And it’s downright delish!
Homemade Broccoli Tots
With a handful of accessible, nutritious ingredients, you can bake Broccoli Tots that are soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Crispy on the outside and tender in the middle, these tots are a seriously fun way to serve broccoli. You can cook the rice up to 5 days ahead of time and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake the tots.
Quick & Easy Sauteed Carrots
They’re mild, the flavors of the carrots shine through, and you can let them cook unattended on the stove top while you get the rest of a meal ready.
These simple Sauteed Carrots are one of my go-to veggie recipes to make for my family. They’re ready from in under 20 minutes from start to finish, and the end result is tender, naturally sweet carrots.
Simple Green Smoothie
Start the day (or snack time!) with a simple Green Smoothie that’s designed to taste good and be easy to make. It’s not too thick, includes accessible ingredients, and is sweet enough to help kids enjoy every sip.
Frozen bananas give the smoothie a creamy, naturally sweet base, though you can make this with a fresh banana as long as the other fruit is frozen. It’s easy to add whatever berries or fruit you have on hand, so customize it for your kiddo.
Quick Spinach Pesto with Pasta and Peas
It’s mild, easy to make, and is a super quick family dinner that’s ready in about 20 minutes!
This bright green pesto is cheesy and mild, making it a perfect sauce for a quick dinner of pasta and peas!
Big Batch Vegetarian Bean Chili Recipe
I love that this chili recipe is packed full of beans and veggies, making it a great source of Vitamin C and A, as well as vegetarian protein and fiber.
When serving this to a little one, I like to drain off much of the broth. This makes it a little easier (and less messy) for them to eat. If your family likes spice, add in a dash or two of cayenne pepper.
Frequently Asked Questions
When starting to think about starting solids with baby, you’ll see a lot of labels of baby food stages. Learn what the terms Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 3 mean related to baby food—and the ages and recommended recipes that correspond to each. Baby Food Stages can be helpful to understand, though they are just a general guide.
You can puree almost any soft food in a blender simply by adding enough water to get the blender to blend. It’s often not possible to do a small quantity in a regular blender, but you can do 1-2 cups and freeze small portions in an ice cube tray.
Just transfer the frozen cubes to a zip top freezer bag for storing baby food.
You can feel free to go with a nutrient dense fruit, vegetable, or baby cereal, or with something rich in iron such as beef. The rules have relaxed a lot in recent years, so as long as the food is a single food without added sugars or salts, there are really a lot of options!
Some favorites include avocado, sweet potato, Baked Apple Slices, chicken puree, and carrot baby food.
You can puree any foods that you’d like to spoon feed your baby by adding a little breastmilk, formula, or water to the desired consistency.
Best Tips for Success
- Babies should avoid most added sugars, and salt for baby should be limited, so simply eliminate them as needed from any recipes.
- If you’re making something to share with a baby, you can salt your serving to taste.
- Aim for baby food to be soft and easy to squish between your fingers.
- Make sure baby is sitting upright in their highchair to lessen choking risks.
- My sample baby feeding schedules may help, too.
I’d love to hear which recipes your baby liked best, so please comment below to share!
This post was first published September 2019.
