Kale with Lemon Baby Food (Puree & BLW)

Kale for baby? Absolutely! While kale has a reputation for being a little bitter, I’ve found two easy ways to make it a hit with little eaters. For a smooth puree, steam it with naturally sweet apples to balance the flavor. For baby-led weaning, simply sauté a large kale leaf until tender and let your baby explore it on their own. Both methods are great for babies 6+ months.

Here’s what I’ve learned over the years about feeding kale to babies: a little goes a long way.

The first time I made kale puree for my little one, I steamed an entire head of kale, blended it up, and proudly served it to my 7-month-old. The result? Not great. For starters, after all that work, I ended up with about three bites of puree. And secondly (and more importantly), straight kale puree is intense. My baby and I took a bite at the same time, our eyes got really big, and I swear I could hear her thinking, “Mom… what in the world is this?” Girl, same.

So, back to the kitchen I went. This time, I used much less kale and added chopped apples to create a naturally sweet, creamy base. Success! The apples balanced kale’s earthy flavor perfectly, creating a smooth puree that my baby happily ate… and one I was more than happy to finish myself.

For baby-led weaning, I like to take a different approach. Kale can sometimes stick to your baby’s tongue, the roof of their mouth, or the back of their throat, which may cause some gagging. To help with this, simply sauté a large kale leaf for a few minutes until tender before serving. You can also finely chop or shred kale and mix it into foods like meatballs, scrambled eggs, pasta sauce, or muffins for an easy way to introduce this nutritious leafy green.

Let’s Get Blending –>

Kale for Baby-Led Weaning

Kale is a great first food for baby due to all of its health benefits. It can be served on its own with some seasonings or mixed into other dishes for a nutritional boost.

• 6+ months – cooked and finely chopped, whole or as a puree: Steam or sauté finely chopped kale and mix it into meatballs, veggie patties, or omelets. You can also serve baby a whole kale leaf with the rib left on to help make it easier to hold. Another way is to load a kale puree onto a self-feeding spoon before handing it over to your baby for them to self-feed.
• 9+ months – cooked or raw, finely chopped: Serve finely chopped cooked or raw kale as a finger food for babies who are learning to use their pincer grasp. You can also continue to fold chopped and cooked kale into other foods.
• 12+ months – cooked or raw, chopped: You can start to serve your toddler more roughly chopped pieces of raw kale, in dishes such as salads. You can also continue to serve cooked kale or finely chop or shred raw kale into smaller pieces if your toddler is more accepting of this method.

Get the recipe: Kale with Lemon Baby Food (Puree & BLW)

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Kale for baby? Absolutely! While kale has a reputation for being a little bitter, I've found two easy ways to make it a hit with little eaters. For a smooth puree, steam it with naturally sweet apples to balance the flavor. For baby-led weaning, simply sauté a large kale leaf until tender and let your baby explore it on their own. Both methods are great for babies 6+ months.

Yield: 4 servings

Prep: 5 minutes minutes

Cook: 10 minutes minutes

Total: 15 minutes minutes

Author: Michele Olivier

Course: baby food

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Ingredients 

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• 2 medium apples, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 cup kale, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

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Instructions 

• In a medium saucepan, bring 2″ of water to a boil over medium heat. Place the apples and then the kale into a steamer basket, cover, and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the apples are tender. Reserve steamer water. Let cool slightly.
• Place the cooked apples and kale into a blender or food processor. Add in the lemon juice. Turn on the blender or food processor and puree for 1-2 minutes on medium. If the puree is too thick, add 1/4 cup of the reserved liquid at a time until you achieve the desired consistency.
• Let cool slightly and then feed to your baby. Store the rest of the puree in the fridge or freezer for a later meal.

Notes

Age: 6+ months

For Baby-Led Weaning: heat a skillet over medium-low heat and add 2 tsp of olive oil. Add 1 cup of roughly chopped kale and let cook for 3-4 minutes or until the kale is just slightly wilted. Squeeze 1 tsp of fresh lemon juice over the kale and stir. Serve the kale to your baby in an age-appropriate way – either in chopped small pieces, as a whole leaf, or as a puree on a self-feeding spoon.

Storage: You can store the kale puree in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months. You can store the cooked kale pieces in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. 

Spices/Herbs: Adding spices to your baby’s foods is a great way to introduce more complex flavors at an early age. Some great spices and herbs to add to cooked kale are a pinch of mild curry, garlic powder, and cumin, or you can add in a pinch of chopped fresh parsley, chives, mint, and cilantro.

 

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Medically reviewed and cowritten by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).