18 Amazing Stage 2 Baby Food Purees
18 Amazing Stage 2 Baby Food Recipes that will rock your baby’s taste buds! These colorful homemade combination purees are full of flavor, and nutrients and are a fun way for your baby to experience the wonderful world of food, one which they will never forget. It’s going to be a foodie trip of a lifetime, so pack baby’s spoon and away we go! Great 6+ month baby food, or Stage Two Baby Food.
Medically reviewed and co-written by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).
Combination Baby Purees
Now that your baby has made their way through some or all of these delicious stage one purees, they can now move on to the more exciting world of combination purees (or stage two purees)!
With a few exceptions, most foods are now for the eating! Curry, kale, mangos, raspberries, beef, vanilla beans, asparagus, tandoori and even salmon can be on the menu.
So it’s time to tempt baby’s taste buds and start developing their palettes to love foods that are fresh, colorful, and full of good-for-you nutrients.
Looking for even more baby food ideas? You can also check out my best-selling cookbook for even more information and recipes.
Stage Two Broccoli, White Bean and Apple Puree
Watch this video to see how easy it is to make a stage two puree!
Frequently Asked Questions
Stage 2 Baby Purees, or Combination Puree, are made with multiple ingredients such as fruits, vegetables, grains, yogurt, meats, spices, and herbs. Stage 2 Purees are still smooth but are usually thicker in consistency than Stage One Purees.
It is safe for you to move on to Stage Two Purees after your baby has tried several single-ingredient Stage One purees and you feel comfortable with your baby having more exposure to a variety of foods. This transition from Stage One to Stage Two purees usually happens between 6-8 months.
Helpful Tools
These tools will make it a lot easier to make homemade baby food purees. For more of my favorite kitchen tools make sure to check out my shop.
- blender or food processor
- baking sheet
- saucepans
- knives
- veggie peeler
- spatula
- freezer tray
- storage containers for fridge
- stasher bag
- reusable pouches
- baby food maker
How to Make Stage Two Purees
There are two different strategies you can take when making homemade stage two purees – the first one is taking single-ingredient purees and combining them when thawed into a delicious new combination puree. For example – you can take 2 frozen cubes of broccoli puree and 1 frozen cube of apple puree, thaw them and then mix together to get a new combination puree for baby! Below I will give you some ideas on what you can do with any freezer stash you have on hand.
The second method is to cook delicious combination recipes that combine fruits, veggies, spices, grains and proteins in new and interesting ways for your baby. Below I have listed 18 fan-favorite recipes that have wowed babies for years!
Easy Combination Purees
- Apple + Carrot
- Banana + Avocado
- Carrot + Sweet Potato
- Broccoli + Apple
- Mango + Yogurt
- Green Beans + Banana
- Pear + Strawberry
- Peas + Broccoli
- Blueberry + Oat Cereal
- Sweet Potato + Strawberry
- Blueberry + Banana
- Peach + Strawberry
- Mango + Squash
- Broccoli + Quinoa Cereal
- Broccoli + Green Bean + Pear
- Squash + Banana + Sweet Potato
- Strawberry + Rice Cereal + Carrot
- Peas + Pears + Broccoli
- Avocado + Strawberry + Oat Cereal
How to Store Baby Purees
Every recipe below has specific instructions on how to store that particular puree, but these are the general guidelines.
Refrigerator
You can store the puree in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezer
Most homemade puree can be frozen for up to 4 months.
- Spoon puree into a freezer storage container. Do not overfill.
- Place the lid on the storage container or cover with a piece of saran wrap, and label with the date and recipe name.
- Place the tray into the freezer and let it freeze completely — preferably overnight.
- Pop-out the baby food cubes and place them in a ziplock baggie or stasher bag. Don’t forget to relabel the baggie or stasher bag for future reference.
Need more information on how to store your baby foods? Head over to my Best Baby Food Storage Containers – Plus 6 Tips on Freezing and Thawing post!
Feeding Tips
- Try adding a little seasoning or spice to purees – babies like flavor! Or consider changing the temperature of purees from time to time, to slightly warmed or slightly chilled. Varying these aspects adds to the sensory experience!
- Place a small amount of puree on the tray during spoon-feeding, so that your baby can dip their fingers or hands in the puree. Allowing your baby to explore foods in this way helps them learn to self-feed and can help them be more willing to try new textures and foods in the future.
- Have a spare spoon (or three!) – even very young babies often want to be involved in feeding themselves as much as possible. Giving your baby an extra spoon to hold can be helpful in giving her a sense of control and also promotes hand-eye coordination. Allow your baby to use spoons as a teether during the meal. There are many great options out there but a few we particularly love include the Olababy 3 Piece Set, the NumNum Pre-Spoon GOOtensils, and the ChooMee FlexiDip Baby Starter Spoons.
- Purees are great to keep in your baby’s regular rotation of foods – but if you start feeding with traditional weaning using purees, make sure to progress beyond eating ONLY purees. Once your baby can safely and comfortably swallow purees (usually by 7 or 8 months) it’s time to introduce other textures, such as teething biscuits and soft-cooked finger foods. Moving onto additional textures in a timely manner may help prevent feeding difficulties at a later age.
Broccoli, Apple + White Beans Baby Food Meal
Apples, Butternut Squash and Carrots with Curry Baby Food Puree
Apple, Raspberry with Vanilla Baby Food Puree
Chicken, Squash + Cauliflower Baby Food Meal
Mango + Kale Baby Food Puree with Ginger
Pumpkin Chicken Baby Food Puree
Broccoli + Asparagus Baby Food Puree with Tarragon
Banana, Cherry + Beet Baby Food Puree
Cauliflower, Apple + Tandoori Baby Food Puree
Roasted Root Veggies + Thyme Baby Food
5-Minute Banana, Blueberry + Avocado Baby Food Puree
Fennel, Peach + Pea Baby Food Puree
Purple Carrots, Blueberries with Nutmeg Baby Food Puree
Blueberry Chickpea with Rosemary Baby Food Puree
Spiced Pear Oat Baby Food Puree
Sweet Potato, Mango with Ginger Baby Food Puree
Roasted Strawberry + Salmon Baby Food Puree
Blueberry, Mango + Avocado Baby Food Puree
3 Berry + Apple Baby Food Puree
Carrot, Corn & Pumpkin Baby Food Puree
Get the recipe: Stage 2 Baby Purees: Blueberry Chickpea Puree
Ingredients
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 cup chickpeas, strained and rinsed
- pinch fresh rosemary, coursely chopped
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor, add in the blueberries, chickpeas and rosemary.
- For a smooth stage 2 puree, puree on high for 1-2 minutes or until completely smooth, adding in 1 tbsp of water at a time to achieve this consistency.
- For a chunky stage 3 puree, pulse for 10 seconds at a time, scraping down sides every 30 seconds and stopping when you have desired consistency, adding in 1 tbsp of water at a time to achieve this consistency.
Notes
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18 Comments on “18 Amazing Stage 2 Baby Food Purees”
I can’t wait to try these! Thank you for the awesome recipes!
I can’t wait to try these! Thank you for the awesome recipes!
Have your recipes been taken down? When I click on any links for actual recipes, I keep getting page not found errors. I got almost all of my recipes from your page with my first baby and now I am ready to make all of the good recipes for my 2nd but can’t find any of them. Let me know if I am doing something wrong!
I just switched platforms for my site so we are having some technical challenges with some pages, but all the recipes are still there. I think we got them all figured out but let me know if you are still having troubles. Thanks for using my recipes with your two babes!
I have been looking for new exciting recipes to try for my little one. These sound so delicious I can’t wait to try them.
Hi! Love your site. Just have a quick question. Our pediatrician recommended trying new foods individually, but our baby is 8months! What would you recommend in terms of trying some of your stage two recipes but having a few ingredients she hasn’t tried mixed in with things she has tried?
Hello,
I love love love your site ! I tried posting questions I have concerning my child’s purée journey under another post but I’m not sure it posted. My child is 6 months and 4 days and about 3 weeks ago we started her on purées. She has had golden potatoe, carrots, green peas, sweet potatoe and bananas. She is currently on stage one but I wanted to know if it’s ok to sort of Combine one and two. Tomorrow for a week, I plan on introducing apples , broccoli, chicken with some carrots, avocados with bananas and pear. During stage one , can you combine two ingredients if u have tried them already ? I do stay on the items about 3-5 but at this rate she will be going into stage 3 by 10 1/2 months . I am using your recipes but I was and am a little delayed on moving forward because I’m not sure if I’m doing it correctly. I’m also going to try the quinoa but she doesn’t like the boxes oatmeal or rice cereal in her food. Another question, o feel like she may be losing weight during this purée process. She is fully breastfed but could it be that my combinations aren’t packing in calories?
Thanks for all your questions! Yes, you are doing it correctly. Once you can combine two ingredients once she has tried both of them, this doesn’t matter on the age. So if you tried bananas and avocados and they are good you can combine both of them together at any time. Once you have tried a good amount of different foods (I would say 10-15), you can skip the intro phase and just serve the combination purees. That is unless you or any immediate family has an allergy to a certain food – I would serve that separately. Weight – at this stage your baby will lose and gain weight in stages and depending on how much they are rolling over, crawling, etc. They usually gain weight and then grow taller, gain weight then grow taller. So as long as you are still serving breastmilk or formula and some purees or finger foods, you are good to go. Of course, if you are concerned, you should talk to your pediatrician. You got this mama!
Ok great I’ll try about 10-15 foods and then I’ll go into the combination of stage 2. If it looks like a child doesn’t like the taste of a food (broccoli purée ) should I skip it, or follow the 21 days rule ? I’ll speak to the doctor on weight gain . Thanks so much !
Hi,
Your stage 2 recipes are not displaying again. When I go to print the page is empty and only shows the image of the 18 recipes.
Hello,
I’ve tried a ton of your recipes and my baby girl loves them! I do on the other hand have issues with the recipes pertaining to meat. She just turned 7 months and we are trying to introduce her to protein. Is that normal for babies to like the meat options less than the fruits or veggies? and if so, is it ok to use the recipes that have other sources of protein in the mean time like your bluberry rosemary and chickpea? I know you aren’t a doctor but what is the importance of protein at this point? I’m also weighing out that the problem may be that she likes the initial taste of the meat once its prepped and pre storage(she ate all of it that day) but not when its reheated the next day. That was a beef dish but she hated the chicken and the cod and the beef after the second day. I just want to know if maybe i should try later down the line or start baby led-weening when it comes to the meat. I’m just desperate lol
Meat and plant based items like beans and lentils are an important source of protein for baby. At this point, feeding baby is all about exposure to new tastes, textures and smells as well as teaching them how to actually eat real food. So while they don’t actually need any of the nutrients from the food, they do need to learn how to eat the foods. You can certainly hold off on the pureed meat dishes until a little later (9 months is a good age) or try some baby-led weaning meat and bean items. You can serve roasted chicken chopped pieces or a drumstick, a chunk of cooked salmon, strips of beef, etc. Think either small “pea” size piece or large hand holding strips. You can continue to do purees as well as baby-led weaning. Let me know if you have any more questions. Happy to help:)
Thanks for your comprehensive article on everything one needs to know about baby food! I’ve been capturing screenshots from so many websites all night that I doubt I’ll remember everything. Now I can simply refer to your stage-by-stage guide to kickstart my baby food journey! Love your recipes~ Colorful and nutritious!
Would like to ask if these Stage 2 combination purees can be made in bulk and kept frozen?
So glad you found this post informative! You can definitely make these purees in bulk and freeze for later!
I made the blueberry, chickpea and rosemary purée today and my 7mo loves it! But it turned out almost gelatin like… is it supposed to be like that?
How long are you blending the puree? Are you rinsing the chickpeas? If you blend chickpea liquid too much you get what is called Aquafaba and can be whipped into an egg replacement (it looks like whip cream if blended long enough). That may be what you are running into. If not, let me know and I can help troubleshoot more.