How To Make Your Own Baby Food

I began making baby food with my first son because I loved the idea of using fresh fruits and vegetables to make baby purees, I actually enjoyed making it, I liked knowing exactly what he was eating, and it was cost-effective. I decided to give it a try and soon it became a way of life for our family.  I continued and ended up making our own baby food for both of my boys in their first years. I usually made a weekly batch of baby food on the weekends for the upcoming week and sometimes an extra batch for the freezer. 

Easy Foods to Mash By Hand

(great to have around for an emergency “mash”)

Bananas, Avocados

“Wash & Throw in the Blender” Fruits

Fruits: Blueberries, Strawberries, Cheerios (extract the pit), Kiwi, Cranberries, Grapes, Bananas, Peaches, Melons

Steaming Fruits and Vegetables

(Pears, Apples, Green Beans, Beans, Asparagus, Broccoli, Sweet Potatoes, Squash, Apples, Carrots, Zucchini, Cauliflower, Corn, Cucumber, Eggplant, Pumpkin, Spinach, Tomatoes, Turnip, Peas)

1. Boil water in a pot.

2. Add the diced/chopped vegetable or fruit

3. Poke with a fork to check status. When the fork pierces into the food easily, you’re done boiling it.

4. Remove the pot from stove top.

5. Drain out most of the water.

6. Puree. Use a food processor or a blender if you have those. (Add more water to thin, add more fruit/vegetable to thicken)

Roasting Vegetables

(Green Beans, Beans, Asparagus, Broccoli, Sweet Potatoes, Squash, Apples, Carrots, Zucchini, Cauliflower, Corn, Cucumber, Eggplant, Pumpkin, Spinach, Tomatoes, Turnip, Peas)

1. Chop and peel vegetables

2. Coat a pan lightly in Extra Virgin Olive Oil, then lay the vegetables on the baking pan.

3. Drizzle a little oil over the vegetables, add spices (optional), and bake in the oven at 400 degrees on the top shelf until the vegetables are throughly cooked.

Tool Options For Making Baby Food

(*the appliances/tools that I personally use and highly recommend)

(click on the title of each product to see price and reviews at amazon.com)

*Food Processor

*Blender

*Mini Blender

Blender Stick

Specialty Tools For Making Baby Food

Baby Food Grinder

  Baby Bullet

Baby Breeza 

Baby Chef Ultimate Baby Food Maker

Storing Your Homemade Baby Food

*Baby Cubes

An easy way to store and freeze homemade baby food is to use Baby Cubes. Baby Cubes are the perfect size and so easy to toss in a bag to take with you to a restaurant, on a play date, and to use at home. Each Baby Cube equals approximately 1 ounce of food.  Using the food cubes method, you will have minimal waste and a quick and easy system for storing baby food.

• Stores in freezer for up to 3 months
• Stores in refrigerator for up to 1 week
• Also great for storing breast milk 

*Ice Cube Trays

Another easy way to store and freeze homemade baby food is to use Ice Cube Trays. Ice Cube Trays hold approximately 1 ounce of food.  They are great for freezing baby food in a way that allows you to combine the cubes to make different mixtures (ex. a cube of peas, a cube of carrots, and a cube of corn can be combined into a medley.) After the cubes are frozen you can pop them out and store them in a plastic baggie with the name of the food and the date they were frozen.

• Stores in freezer for up to 3 months
• Also great for storing breast milk 

Other Recommended Baby Food Storage Options: 

Mackenzie is a follower of Jesus, wife, mama of two toddler boys, teacher at heart, and coffee lover. She was a lower school elementary teacher for over 6 years, with a master's degree in Reading, and is a certificated Reading Specialist. She currently works part-time at a private school allowing her more time at home with her little guys.

Mackenzie has blogged 500 posts here.