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Easy Homemade Baby Food Recipes (6 Months+)

Tayyab Sattar020 mins
Illustration of three bowls of smooth baby food puree in orange, green and pale yellow, with a baby spoon

The easiest homemade baby foods are simple foods you already cook: sweet potato, avocado, banana and oats, carrots and peas, red lentils, chicken, fruit and plain yogurt. Cook them until soft, then blend or mash them to suit your baby’s age. Don’t add salt, sugar or honey. Most babies are ready for solids around 6 months, and every recipe below can be offered from then if you get the texture right (CDC).

Two things matter most in the first months. First, offer iron-rich foods early, such as meat, lentils and iron-fortified cereal (AAP). Second, move gradually from smooth to lumpy to finger foods. Each recipe below gives a texture for 6, 7–9 and 9–12 months, plus fridge and freezer times.

Ages: 6 months+ · Texture notes for each stage in every recipe

Safety first

  • No honey before 12 months, not even in cooking. It can cause infant botulism (CDC).
  • No salt, stock cubes or gravy in baby food, and no added sugar (NHS).
  • Cow’s milk: fine in cooking and as yogurt, but not as a drink before 12 months (CDC).
  • Choking: start smooth. When you move to finger foods, make them soft enough to squash between your finger and thumb. Never serve whole blueberries or grapes or raw apple chunks to babies (CDC). Always sit your baby upright and stay with them while they eat.

Is your baby ready for solids?

Watch your baby rather than the calendar. The CDC lists these readiness signs (CDC):

  • Sits up alone or with support, and controls their head and neck
  • Opens their mouth when you offer food
  • Swallows food rather than pushing it back out onto their chin
  • Brings objects to their mouth and tries to grasp small objects

Starting solids before 4 months is not recommended. If you’re unsure, ask your pediatrician (or health visitor in the UK).

How to make baby food at home: the basics

  • One new food at a time at first. The AAP suggests offering one new single-ingredient food every 3–5 days and watching for reactions (AAP). Once a food is familiar, mix it freely.
  • Don’t delay common allergens. Egg, dairy, peanut (as thinned peanut butter), wheat, fish and sesame can go in alongside other first foods. Waiting past 4–6 months doesn’t prevent allergies. If your baby has severe eczema or an egg allergy, talk to your doctor before introducing peanut (AAP; NIAID).
  • Thin with breast milk, formula or the cooking water for a smooth 6-month texture. Then mash thicker and lumpier over the next few months.
  • Vary grains. Rice doesn’t need to be the first or only grain. Oats, barley and multigrain are all good options (AAP).

8 easy baby food recipes

1. Avocado puree

Mashed avocado puree for babies in a small bowl

Age: 6 months+ · Time: 5 min, no cooking · Allergens: none of the top 9

Ingredients: 1 ripe avocado; a little breast milk, formula or water (optional).

  1. Halve the avocado, remove the pit and scoop out the flesh.
  2. Mash with a fork or blend until smooth. Thin with a little milk or water if needed.

Texture by age: 6 months: smooth. 7–9 months: fork-mashed. 9 months+: soft ripe strips or small cubes to pick up.

Why it works: it needs no cooking and is soft and rich in fat. Babies and young toddlers need about half of their calories from fat (AAP). Avocado browns quickly, so serve it fresh rather than storing it.

2. Sweet potato puree

Smooth orange sweet potato puree for babies

Age: 6 months+ · Time: 25 min · Makes: about 1 cup (240 ml) · Allergens: none of the top 9

Ingredients: 1 medium sweet potato; water, breast milk or formula for thinning.

  1. Peel and chop into small chunks.
  2. Steam or boil for 15–20 minutes, until very tender.
  3. Blend or mash, thinning with liquid as needed.

Texture by age: 6 months: smooth. 7–9 months: mashed with soft lumps. 9 months+: soft roasted wedges or cubes.

Tip: sweet potato is a common first food and a common ingredient in shop-bought blends. Rotate it with other vegetables rather than serving it every day. Variety is the AAP’s main advice for limiting heavy metals in any baby food (AAP).

3. Banana oatmeal

Baby oatmeal with mashed banana

Age: 6 months+ · Time: 10 min · Allergens: milk if made with dairy. Oats may contain traces of wheat, so check the label.

Ingredients: 1/4 cup (25 g) rolled oats or iron-fortified infant oat cereal; 1/2 ripe banana; water, breast milk or formula. Whole cow’s milk is fine to cook with.

  1. Cook the oats in water until very soft (blend rolled oats first for younger babies), or mix infant cereal as the pack directs.
  2. Mash the banana and stir it in. Thin to the texture your baby manages.

Texture by age: 6 months: smooth and runny. 7–9 months: thicker. 9 months+: thick enough to scoop, or baked into soft no-sugar oat fingers.

Why it works: iron-fortified infant cereal is one of the iron-rich first foods the AAP suggests (AAP). The banana sweetens it, so you don’t need to add sugar.

4. Carrot and pea puree

Carrot and pea puree for babies

Age: 6 months+ · Time: 20 min · Allergens: none of the top 9

Ingredients: 1 large carrot; 1/4 cup (35 g) peas, fresh or plain frozen.

  1. Peel and chop the carrot small. Steam it with the peas for 10–15 minutes, until both are very soft.
  2. Blend or mash, adding cooking water as needed.

Texture by age: 6 months: blend very smooth, because pea skins can be tough. 7–9 months: mashed. 9 months+: soft-cooked carrot sticks and squashed peas. Never serve raw carrot sticks or whole peas to babies (CDC).

5. Apple and blueberry puree

Purple apple and blueberry puree for babies

Age: 6 months+ · Time: 15 min · Allergens: none of the top 9

Ingredients: 1 apple (peeled, cored, chopped); 1/4 cup (35 g) blueberries, fresh or frozen.

  1. Steam the apple for about 10 minutes, until tender.
  2. Add the blueberries and cook for 5 more minutes. Blend until smooth and cool before serving.

Texture by age: 6 months: smooth. 7–9 months: lightly blended. 9 months+: soft-cooked apple slices, plus blueberries squashed flat or quartered. Uncut berries and raw apple chunks are choking hazards (CDC).

6. Chicken and vegetable mash

Chicken, carrot and potato mash for babies

Age: 6 months+ (blended smooth) · Time: 30 min · Allergens: none of the top 9

Ingredients: 1/2 skinless, boneless chicken breast or thigh; 1 small carrot; 1 small potato; water (no stock cubes).

  1. Chop everything small. Simmer in water for 20–25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through with no pink, and the vegetables are very soft.
  2. Blend with some of the cooking water, or shred the chicken finely and mash the vegetables.

Texture by age: 6 months: blended smooth. 7–9 months: finely minced. 9 months+: soft shreds. Avoid chunks of meat, which are a choking hazard (AAP).

Why it works: meat is one of the iron- and zinc-rich foods the AAP recommends from the start of solids (AAP). Storage: fridge 1 day only (cooked meat). For a desi twist, try our salt-free chicken yakhni: the same chicken, simmered with gentle whole spices.

7. Red lentil and carrot dal (masoor dal)

Red lentil and carrot soup for babies

Age: 6 months+ · Time: 30 min · Allergens: none of the top 9

Ingredients: 1/4 cup (50 g) red lentils (masoor dal), rinsed; 1 small carrot, chopped; 1 small onion, chopped; 1 cup (240 ml) water; optional pinch of ground cumin or turmeric. No salt.

  1. Put everything in a pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 20 minutes, until the lentils fall apart.
  2. Blend smooth for young babies, or leave thicker for older ones. Take out the baby’s portion before you add salt or chili for the rest of the family.

Texture by age: 6 months: smooth and runny. 7–9 months: thick and mashed, and lovely over soft rice. 9 months+: as family dal (unsalted portion), served with soft roti pieces.

Why it works: lentils are a plant source of iron, one of the foods the AAP lists for early iron (AAP). In many Pakistani and Indian homes, a soft, unsalted dal like this is one of the very first family foods a baby shares.

8. Mango yogurt

Plain yogurt swirled with mango puree for babies

Age: 6 months+ · Time: 5 min · Allergens: milk

Ingredients: 1/4 cup (60 g) plain, unsweetened, full-fat pasteurized yogurt; 1/2 ripe mango.

  1. Blend or mash the mango until smooth.
  2. Swirl it into the yogurt and serve.

Why it works: yogurt can be offered before 12 months, even though cow’s milk as a drink waits until after the first birthday (CDC). It’s also an easy way to introduce dairy, one of the common allergens. Choose plain yogurt, because flavored baby yogurts often contain added sugar.

How to store, freeze and reheat homemade baby food

  • Cool quickly: within 1–2 hours of cooking, then refrigerate or freeze (NHS).
  • Fridge: use within 2 days, or within 1 day for anything with meat, fish or egg (NHS; University of Illinois Extension).
  • Freezer: freeze in ice-cube trays, then move the cubes to a labelled, dated freezer bag. They’re best within 1 month and stay safe beyond that if kept frozen (University of Illinois Extension).
  • Defrost in the fridge overnight or on the microwave’s defrost setting, never at room temperature. Use within 24 hours.
  • Reheat once only, until steaming hot all the way through. Then stir well to remove hot spots, let it cool, and test the temperature before feeding.
  • Throw away anything left in your baby’s bowl. Don’t save it for later.

Signs of a food allergy and what to do

Mild reactions can include hives or a rash around the mouth, vomiting or diarrhea. If you notice them, stop that food and call your pediatrician.

Call 911 (US), 999 (UK) or your local emergency number immediately if your baby has swelling of the lips, mouth or tongue, is struggling to breathe or breathing very fast, turns blue, grey or pale, or becomes limp or floppy (NHS).

Baby food recipe FAQs

What is the best first food for a baby?

There’s no single best one. Include iron-rich foods early, such as pureed meat, lentils or iron-fortified cereal, alongside vegetables and fruit (AAP). Avocado, sweet potato and oats are easy, gentle starters.

Can I use frozen fruit and vegetables?

Yes. Choose plain frozen produce with no added salt, sugar or sauce, and cook it until soft before blending.

Can I add spices to baby food?

The key rules are no salt, no stock cubes, no honey and no added sugar (NHS). Many families use a pinch of mild spices like cumin, turmeric or cinnamon from early on. Keep chili heat out of your baby’s portion.

When can my baby have cow’s milk?

Your baby can have cow’s milk as a drink from 12 months. Before that, it’s fine in cooking (like the oatmeal above) and as yogurt or cheese (CDC). From 6 months you can also offer small sips of water from an open or straw cup, 4–8 oz (120–240 ml) a day at most (AAP).

Keep going

This article is for general information only and isn’t medical advice. Every child is different. Talk to your pediatrician (or GP or health visitor in the UK) about your child’s needs, especially if your child has a food allergy, eczema, a medical condition, or trouble with feeding or growth. If your child is choking or has signs of a severe allergic reaction (swelling of the lips or face, trouble breathing, becoming floppy or pale), call 911 in the US, 999 in the UK, or your local emergency number.

Sources

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