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A grid of stage one baby food purees.

Get the recipe: 15 Stage One Baby Food Purees

4.9 stars (65 ratings)
These simple homemade baby food recipes are made with nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables with an added pinch of spice that makes these purees out-of-this-world delicious! Great for 4+ months of age!

Ingredients 

Pea Baby Food Puree

  • 2 cups peas, fresh or frozen
  • 1 medium zucchini, roughly chopped (optional)
  • 4 mint leaves, roughly chopped (optional)

Sweet Potato Baby Food Puree

  • 2 large sweet potatoes
  • 1/4 tsp mild curry powder (optional)
  • 1/4-1 cup liquid, (water, fresh breast milk, formula or sodium-free chicken stock) for pureeing

Roasted Banana Puree 

  • 4 bananas, cut lengthwise
  • 1/8 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped (optional)

Carrot Baby Food Puree

  • 2 pounds carrots, trimmed, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
  • 1/2-1 cup liquid, (water, reserved water, fresh breast milk, formula or low-sodium stock) for pureeing

Apples Baby Food Puree

  • 6 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Broccoli Baby Food Puree

  • 2 cups broccoli, chopped into small florets
  • 1 small white potato, apple or pear, peeled and roughly chopped, roughly 1/2 cup (optional)
  • 1 tbsp good quality olive oil (optional)

Butternut Squash Baby Puree

  • 1 butternut squash
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme, roughly chopped (optional)
  • 1-2  tsp olive oil (optional)
  • 1/2-1 cup liquid (water, fresh breast milk, formula, low or no-sodium stock or bone broth), for pureeing

Green Bean Baby Food Puree

  • 1 pound green beans, fresh or frozen, trimmed
  • 1 big pinch fresh basil, cilantro or parsley, finely chopped (optional)

Creamy Mango-licious Baby Food Puree

  • 2 cups fresh or frozen mango, deseed, peeled and roughly chopped. If using frozen mangos, thaw first
  • 1 medium banana (optional)
  • 1 pinch nutmeg (optional)

Pear Baby Food Puree

  • 6 pears, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1/8 tsp cardamom or cinnamon (optional)
  • 1/4 cup water

Peach Baby Puree

  • 3 fresh peaches or 12oz frozen peaches, do not thaw frozen peaches – use frozen
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla bean pod (optional)
  • 1 pinch pinch nutmeg (optional)

Basic Chicken Baby Puree

Homemade Baby Rice Cereal

  • 1 cup brown rice, I prefer organic short grain
  • 2 cups water for cooking
  • 1-2 cups of liquid for blending, (water, fresh breastmilk or formula)

Red Pepper Baby Puree

  • 2 red bell peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup white potato, apple or pear, peeled and roughly chopped

Oatmeal for Babies

Avocado for Baby

  • 1/4 avocado
  • 1 tsp breast milk, formula or water

Instructions 

Pea Baby Food Puree

  • In a medium saucepan, bring 2″ of water to a boil over medium heat. Place the zucchini in a steamer basket, and place over boiling water. Cover and steam for 5 minutes.
  • Add in the peas, and steam for an additional 3-5 minutes. Reserve steamer water. Let cool slightly.
  • Add the zucchini, peas and mint leaves to a blender or food processor and puree for 1 minute or until you have achieved the desired texture. If the puree is too thick, add in 1/4 cup of the reserved steamer water until you have the right consistency.
    Note on Zucchini: while this is a 2 vegetable starter puree, zucchini allergies are very low, so I added it to this recipe to give the peas a mild taste and smoother texture. You can completely leave them out if you prefer. Just steam the peas as directed.  

Sweet Potato Baby Food Puree

  • Heat oven to 400°. Line baking sheet with tin foil, parchment paper or a silicone mat.
  • Wash and dry the sweet potatoes. Prick with a fork in several places and then place the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes – 1 hour or until a fork can easily prick the sweet potato. Let sit until cool to touch.
  • Make a cut into the skin of the potato lengthwise and peel away the skin of the potato. Scoop out the sweet potato meat and place into a blender or food processor, adding in the mild curry powder and water.
  • Puree on high for 1-2 minutes or until smooth, adding in additional liquid in 1/4 cup increments if needed. I had to add in 1 cup of water to the puree pictured. Serve or freeze for a later meal.
    Additional Spices: Feel free to use the following spices instead of the curry – 1/2 tsp of cumin, 1/4 tsp of nutmeg, 1/2 tsp of cloves, 1 fresh garlic clove, 1/2 tsp of chopped fresh thyme, 3-4 basil leaves, 1/2 tsp chopped rosemary or even a big pinch of fresh ginger or 1/2 tsp ginger powder. Or you can leave out the spices altogether.
    A bowl full of sweet potato puree for baby.

Roasted Banana Baby Puree 

  • Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Place bananas on a baking sheet and roast for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool slightly.
  • Place bananas and rosemary into a blender or food processor and puree for 1-2 minutes or until completely smooth. You may need to add additional water, so start by adding in 1/4 cup increments until you get the desired consistency.
    Additional Spices: This recipe is also great with 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cloves, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, or for a fun twist, 1/2 tsp mild curry.
    Note on Bananas: while any ripeness of bananas will work, I have found that the bananas that are ripe to very ripe tend to work best in this recipe.
    A hand holding a freezer tray full of a banana puree for baby.

Carrot Baby Food Puree

  • In a medium saucepan, bring 2″ of water to a boil over medium heat.
  • Place the carrots into a steamer basket, cover and cook for 9-11 minutes or until tender. Reserve steamer water. Let cool slightly.
  • Place the carrots, nutmeg and 1/2 cup of liquid into a blender or food processor and puree for 1-2 minutes on high, adding 1/4 cup liquid at a time until you achieve the desired consistency. Serve and enjoy, or freeze for later.
    Notes on Nutmeg: adding in spices to babies first purees are completely optional, but totally safe. Nutmeg rounds out the acidic taste carrots sometimes have and make this puree taste grounded and full-bodied.  
    Additional Spices: Feel free to substitute 1/2 tsp ginger powder or 1/4 fresh ginger, 1/2 tsp mild curry powder, 1/4 tsp cloves, 1/2 tsp finely minced fresh chives or 1/2 garlic clove instead of the nutmeg. 
    A small bowl full of carrot puree for baby with carrots around the bottom.

Apples Baby Food Puree

  • In a medium saucepan, place the apples, water and cinnamon. Cover and heat on medium-low for 15-20 minutes or until apples are tender. Let cool slightly.
  • Transfer all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend for 1-2 minutes or until completely smooth. For a chunky puree, quickly pulse the ingredients 10-15 times or until you receive your desired consistency. Serve or freeze for later.
    Additional Spices: Feel free to sub in these spices instead of the cinnamon for this recipe – 1/8 tsp of cloves, 1/8 tsp of nutmeg, 1-2 leaves of fresh mint, 1-2 leaves of fresh basil, a pinch of fresh or 1/4 tsp of ginger powder or even 1/4 of coriander for a fun twist.
    Apples: you can use any sweet apple in this recipe – Gala, Honeycrisp, Fuji, McIntosh, etc.
    Freezer Tray filled with apple puree for baby.

Broccoli Baby Food Puree

  • In a medium saucepan, bring 2 inches of water to a boil over medium heat. Place the broccoli and potato (or apple/pear) into a steamer basket and place over boiling water, cover and steam for 10-12 minutes or until the broccoli and potato are tender. Reserve water from the steamer. Let cool slightly.
  • Add the broccoli, potato and olive oil into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth, adding the reserved water from the steamer basket in 1/4 cup increments if needed.
    Adding In Spices: Feel free to add in 1 tsp of chopped chives, 2-3 mint leaves, 1 tsp of chopped cilantro, 1/2 tsp cumin or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Butternut Squash Baby Puree

  • Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Line baking sheet with a silicone mat, tin foil or parchment paper.
  • Cut butternut squash in half, deseed and place flesh side up, skin side down. Optional - Feel free to drizzle the squash with 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil for some added healthy fat.
    Bake for 45 minutes or until you can easily prick the squash with a fork. Let cool until you can handle the squash with your hands.
  • Scrape off the skin and discard. Place the butternut squash into a blender or food processor. Add thyme and puree for 1-2 minutes, adding water in 1/4 cup increments until you have your desired consistency. I had to add 3/4 cup of water to my puree shown below.
    Additional Spices: Feel free to sub the thyme for 4 basil leaves, 1 tsp chopped rosemary, 1 tsp ginger powder, or 1 big pinch of fresh ginger, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, or even 1/2 tsp of coriander.
    Small bowl of butternut squash puree along with a blue napkin and white baby spoon with a hand holding the bowl.

Green Bean Baby Food Puree

  • Fill a medium saucepan with 2” of water and bring to boil over medium heat. Place the green beans (fresh or frozen) into a steamer basket over the boiling water, cover, and cook for 10 minutes or until tender. Let cool slightly. Reserve steamer water.
  • Transfer the green beans and herb to a blender or food processor and puree for 1-2 minutes or until smooth, adding reserved steamer water in 1/4 cup increments if needed until you reach your desired consistency.
    Adding Spices: you can add a big pinch of roughly chopped basil, cilantro, mint, parsley, or chives to this puree before blending. 
    Green bean puree in a bowl with produce surround it.

Creamy Mango-licious Baby Food Puree

  • Place the mango, banana and nutmeg (if using) into a blender or food processor. Puree for 1 minute or until completely smooth. If your mango is not ripe enough, you might need to add in up to 1/4 cup of water while blending to get the right consistency. Serve or freeze for later.
  • Mango Tip: I usually find that organic frozen mangos are easier and cheaper to find than fresh organic mangos, but if mangos are in season when you are making this recipe, by all means, you can use fresh over frozen. For fresh mangos, simply peel and chop. 
    3 reusable pouches with mango baby food puree inside.

Pear Baby Food Puree

  • In a medium saucepan, place the pears, cardamon and water, cover and heat on medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, or until tender. Let cool slightly.
  • Using a slotted spoon, scoop the pears out of the saucepan, leaving water behind, and into a blender or food processor. Blend for 1-2 minutes until you have your desired consistency. If your pear puree is too thick, add the leftover cooking water in 1/4 cup increments.
    pear baby food puree in a gray bowl for baby surrounded by chopped pears and cinnamon.

Peach Baby Puree

  • If using fresh peaches, peel, pit and slice the peaches. If using the fresh vanilla bean pod, cut in half and then slice open lengthwise. Take the back of your knife or spoon and scrape out all of the vanilla bean, reserve.
  • In a medium saucepan, add the peaches and water, cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes (fresh peaches) – 10 minutes (frozen peaches). Right before the peaches are done cooking, add in the vanilla and nutmeg (or any other spices you prefer) and stir until incorporated—Cook for 1 more minute.
  • Using a slotted spoon, transfer the peaches to a blender or food processor, leaving all excess water in the saucepan. You do not want to add any additional liquids, or the puree might be too thin. Starting on low and increasing to high speed, puree the peaches until smooth and creamy. Serve to baby or freeze for later.

Basic Chicken Baby Puree

  • In a medium saucepan, bring the cubed chicken, broth, and parsley to a boil over medium heat. Turn the heat down to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until chicken is just cooked through. Let cool slightly.
  • Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a blender or food processor, leaving the broth in the saucepan. Reserve the broth.
    Starting on low and working your way up to high-speed, puree the chicken until you reach your desired consistency, adding in broth in 1/4 cup increments if needed. I had to add in just 1/4 cup of broth to get the consistency seen in this photo.
    Extra Healthy Fat: For some extra healthy fat, this puree is also wonderful, with a teaspoon of grass-fed butter (salt-free) added to the blender right before pureeing.
    Gray baby bowl full of chicken puree for baby food.

Homemade Baby Rice Cereal

  • IMPORTANT STEP: Place the rice in a fine-mesh colander and rinse with water until the water runs clear.
  • Transfer the rice to a medium saucepan and add 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer for 35-45 minutes or until the rice is tender and the water is evaporated. Each batch of rice cooks a little differently, so taste at 35 minutes to see if the rice is tender. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let rest for 10 minutes, covered. If using fresh breast milk or formula for blending, I would remove the lid and let the rice cool for 15 minutes.
  • Place the rice into a blender or food processor and add 1/2 cup of liquid of choice. Blend for 1-2 minutes on medium-high speed until completely smooth and creamy, adding in the additional liquid in 1/4 cup increments, if needed, until you have your desired consistency.
    Small white bowl filled with pureed homemade rice cereal for baby.

Red Pepper Baby Puree

  • In a medium saucepan, bring 2″ of water to a boil.
    If using a potato: place it in a steamer basket and steam for 10 minutes before adding peppers, and cooking for another 5-7 minutes.
    If using pear or apple: add in the red peppers and apple or pear and steam for 5-7 minutes or until tender. Reserve steamer water. Let cool slightly.
  • Add in all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor and puree for 1 minute or until completely smooth, adding in a tablespoon of water at a time if needed.
    White bowl filled red pepper puree.

Oatmeal for Babies

  • In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add in 1 cup of old-fashioned oats along with the chia seeds, hemp seeds and any spices you are using. Turn down the heat to medium-low and cook the oats for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until all of the water is gone and the oats are soft. Let cool slightly. 
  • Transfer the oats to a blender or food processor and puree for 1-2 minutes, adding water in 1/4 cup increments if needed, until completely smooth. I had to add 1/2 cup of water to my oatmeal. You will want the oat cereal to be on the thinner side, so it doesn't become sticky. The oats will continue to absorb liquid as they cool, so you can add more water, fresh breast milk, or formula as needed. Serve to baby or freeze for later. 
  • Type of Oats: This recipe is for old-fashioned oats: for steel-cut or instant oats, read the full post. 
    Adding Spices: you can add a big pinch of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice mix or a smaller pinch of nutmeg or cloves to these oats before blending. 
    Chia and Hemp Seeds: are added for a nutritional boost, but you can add or omit them if you prefer. You can get both of these at any health food store or online here (chia/hemp).
    Bowl of oatmeal for baby with spoon resting on top of gray bowl.

Avocado for Baby

  • Place the avocado on a cutting board, and taking the back of a fork, smash until you get your desired consistency. For a smooth puree, add in the liquid and smash until completely smooth.
    You can also puree together 1/2 an avocado and 1/2 a banana for 1 minute in a blender or food processor for an extra creamy food for baby.
    Smashed avocado in a small bowl with spoon resting next to it with puree on it.

Notes

Age: 4-6 months and up
 
Yield: roughly 15-25 ounces, depending on the recipe
 

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