20 Stage One Homemade Baby Food Recipes
Is your baby ready to start solids? Then, I’ve got you covered with 20 easy Stage One Baby Food Purees that will tempt your baby’s taste buds! These simple recipes feature fresh fruits, veggies, and grains – with just a hint of spice for extra flavor. Whether you are going to make the Ridiculously Good Apple Puree or the Best Broccoli Baby Puree, your baby (and you!) won’t be disappointed. These purees are great for babies 6+ months.
Thinking about making your own baby food but not sure where to start? Feeling a little intimidated by the idea?
Don’t worry, I’ve got you!
Inside this post, you’ll find 20 of my all-time favorite Stage One Baby Food Purees, loved by millions of parents and babies around the world. These recipes have racked up hundreds of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reviews for a reason – they’re simple, flavorful, and baby-approved!
When I first started feeding my oldest, Ellie, I had no clue where to begin. I was overwhelmed by all the options and didn’t know what I could (or should) make. But after years of experimenting, and thousands of ounces of baby food later, I learned one thing: feeding your baby doesn’t have to be hard, scary, or time-consuming.
Whether you’re just starting solids or looking to expand your baby’s palate, I’ll walk you through it step-by-step so you can feel confident in the kitchen and proud of every little bite your baby takes.
#mymomhack – if this is your first time making baby food – then I suggest you start by reading my VERY in-depth Guide on How to Make Homemade Baby Food AND check out my best-selling cookbook: Little Foodies: Baby Food Recipes for Babies & Toddlers with Taste!
Homemade Baby Food Video
Top Baby Food Purees
With so many options, it might be hard to know where to start! Let me make it easy for you – these are the top ones I would make today if I had to pick.
Top 3 Veggie Puree
- The Best Broccoli Baby Food
- Ridiculously Good Carrot Puree Recipe for Baby
- 5-Star Sweet Potato Baby Food
Top 3 Fruit Puree
My Personal FAVE
Feeding Tips for Baby
- Make sure baby is showing readiness signs for eating – good control of their head and trunk, sitting with minimal assistance, bringing hands or toys to their mouth, and appearing interested in your food when you’re eating.
- Follow your baby’s lead – when feeding purees from a spoon, sometimes there’s a tendency to keep offering bites past the point of your baby being full. Always follow your baby’s cues for when they are done eating. Turning away from the spoon, closing her mouth, or pushing food away are all signs that your baby is finished with the meal.
- Throwing spoons – is a common phase that all babies go through at one point or another. One of the best ways to handle spoon throwing is to ignore it and keep feeding your baby as usual (with an extra spoon you already have at the table). If your baby ends up also throwing back up spoons #2 AND #3, simply encourage your baby to eat with their hands until they appear to be finished with the meal.
20 Baby Foods (that baby will love)
Ridiculously Good Apple Baby Food Puree
This Apple Baby Puree recipe is a wonderful first food for baby! A delicious nutrient-dense puree that baby will go gaga over!
Get the recipe
The Best Broccoli Baby Food Puree (20 Minutes)
Do you want your child to grow up loving broccoli? Then, I've got you! This Broccoli Baby Puree is a great way to introduce the coveted green veggie to your baby for one simple reason – it's delicious! I've tested this recipe several times over the years, and this recipe was the clear winner! So, if you're looking for an easy broccoli puree for your baby, this is it! Great baby food for 6+ months – stage 1 baby food!
Get the recipe
5-Star Sweet Potato Baby Food (6+ months)
Looking for the best-tasting sweet potato recipe for your baby? Then, I've got you! The first time I made this puree, I'm pretty sure I ate more than my baby! I kid you not – It's literally that good! And apparently, I'm not alone because this puree has dozens of 5-star reviews from parents like you! We add in a pinch of mild curry powder to pump up the flavor – the end result is creamy, naturally sweet yet also somehow earthy, and beyond delicious. Now, let's get cooking!
Get the recipe
Spoon-Worthy Pea Baby Puree (Stage One)
Say hello to one of the greenest (and most delicious!) first foods for baby—this smooth Pea Puree with mint! Lightly steamed sweet peas are blended with a hint of mint, making for a simple, flavorful combo that’s anything but boring.
Get the recipe
Ridiculously Good Carrot Baby Food Puree (stage one)
Filled with nutritious steamed carrots and a pinch of nutmeg – this puree will sure to delight your little ones taste buds!
Get the recipe
The Best Oatmeal Cereal for Babies (10 Minutes)
This Oatmeal Recipe for Baby is made with simple nutrient-dense ingredients in less than 10 minutes, and it's perfect for baby's first bite or added into their favorite fruit or veggie puree. Great for 4-6+ months and up.
Get the recipe
The Best Avocado Baby Food – Puree & BLW
Looking to serve avocados to your baby? Then, I've got you! Avocados are one of my favorite foods to serve to babies because you can easily blend them into a smooth puree, smash them into a chunky puree, slice them into finger food, or cut them into pieces with an easy-to-grip handle for baby-led weaning – all in the matter of minutes!
Get the recipe
Roasted Banana Baby Puree (Stage 1)
This Roasted Banana and Rosemary Baby Puree recipe is sssooooo delicious, you will want to eat it as well.
Get the recipe
The Best Butternut Squash Baby Food with Thyme
This Roasted Butternut Squash Baby Food Puree is a smooth and creamy first puree for baby! Great for 6 months and up – Stage 1 baby food.
Get the recipe
Scrumptious Green Bean Baby Puree (Stage One)
Green beans are steamed until just tender and then pureed with a pinch of cilantro for a mild taste for your baby's palate. Great for 6+ months.
Get the recipe
Creamy Mango-licious Baby Food Puree
This 5-minute Mango Baby Food Puree is a great way to introduce baby to the magical taste of one of the world's healthiest fruits – MANGOS!
Get the recipe
Spoon-Worthy Pear Baby Puree (Stage One)
This smooth and creamy homemade Pear Baby Puree is a wonderful first puree for baby – easy on the taste buds and great for their growing bodies!
Get the recipe
Peach & Vanilla Baby Puree (Stage One)
This Peach Baby Food Puree is so good, you might just find yourself sneaking a few spoonfuls! With naturally sweet, juicy peaches and a hint of vanilla bean, it’s smooth, creamy, and packed with flavor. Perfect for babies 6 months and up, this Stage 1 puree is a great addition to your baby’s growing repertoire of purees.
Get the recipe
The Best Basic Chicken Baby Food Puree
This homemade Basic Chicken Baby Puree is a great addition to your baby's favorite purees for extra protein and flavor! It's an incredibly simple recipe with big flavor and nutrition! It's perfect as a Stage One Baby Food or 6+ months.
Get the recipe
Homemade Quinoa Baby Cereal (4+ months)
This smooth and creamy Homemade Quinoa Baby Cereal has an earthy and robust taste and is loaded with protein, fiber, iron, folate and magnesium. It’s great served as a meal itself or mixed with baby’s favorite fruit or vegetable puree.
Get the recipe
Asparagus & Mint Baby Food (puree & baby-led weaning)
With this informative guide, learn how to serve asparagus to your baby. Asparagus is full of essential nutrients, making it a great first food for babies 6 months and up. Serve it as a baby food puree on a self-feeding spoon, as a solid for the finger food stage, or for baby-led weaning.
Get the recipe
Pumpkin Baby Puree
This Pumpkin Baby Food Puree is a creamy and flavorful way to introduce baby to the tastes of the season!
Get the recipe
The Best Basic Beef Baby Food (6+ months)
Beef? For Baby? Yes! This homemade Basic Beef Baby Food is an excellent addition to your baby’s favorite purees – both of my babies loved it mixed with this carrot puree – for extra nutrients and flavor! This is a wonderfully simple recipe where we simmer beef and oregano in a no-sodium beef broth before blending, which makes for an incredibly flavorful puree! Great for 6+ months.
Get the recipe
5-Star Homemade Baby Rice Cereal
Using only 1-ingredient, this Homemade Baby Rice Cereal is a simple and easy recipe to make baby!
Get the recipe
Red Pepper Baby Puree
This Red Pepper Baby Puree recipe is a smooth, creamy and naturally sweet puree that is loaded with vitamin A, B6 and C. Great for 4+ months and older (or stage 1 puree).
Get the recipe
Get the recipe: 20 Stage One Baby Food Recipes: Apple Baby Puree
Looking for the most ridiculously good apple puree for your baby? Then, I’ve got you! This puree has hundreds of 5-star reviews for one reason only: it’s good—like, really, really good. The recipe can easily be made with a baby on your hip, in 20 minutes, and with only 2 ingredients. I’ve made this recipe countless times over the years, fine-tuning it along the way to make it absolutely perfect! And now it’s your turn, so let’s good pureeing!
Ingredients
Ridiculously Good Apple Baby Food Puree
- 6 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)
Instructions
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.
Notes
Age: 6 months and up
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.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @babyfoode on Instagram and hashtag it #babyfoode!
Medically reviewed and cowritten by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).
58 Comments on “20 Stage One Homemade Baby Food Recipes”
Hi! I saw in a comment you said each recipe says how long it can be frozen for. I’m not sure if I’m just missing it, but I’m not seeing that anywhere.
Thanks! The recipes are great though!!
Hi! Scroll down until you see the subheading – How to Store Baby Food. It’s in that section. Of you can click through the individual recipes and it’s covered in the recipe card notes at the bottom of each post. =) xo, Michele
This may sound strange, but, the pureed foods are for me a 59 year old. I cannot digest regular types of vegetables and fruits. No seeds or skins allowed. Since being told to use baby foods, I have had more fruits and vegetables in 1 month than I did for an entire year. I notice the store bought green beans are gross, I tried adding salt but still gross. I want to start making my own so thank you for ideas.
You are so very welcome! I’m glad my recipes can help you. It’s important that purees taste great for babies and adults – unlike the store bought brands. Take care! xo
Can I use thawed breast milk?
It is preferred that you use fresh breastmilk if you are going to be freezing the purees.
I just made some of these for my daughter and added formula for the liquid to thin it out. I am freezing most of them and I realized that formula is only good for 24 hours once made. How does freezing affect this? Is it still safe to freeze with added formula?
You can freeze formula in purees – completely safe:)
hello dear!
I am new mom here looking for baby solid food recipes and thanks for this site for it gives us idea on what to offer our babies by the way I just want to ask about oatmeal what brand do you perefer for oats? i’ve been searching for oats but i can’t find an oats for baby
I usually use the store-brand, or Bobs Red Mill rolled or old-fashioned oats (sometimes the gluten-free version since I am gluten-free). Hope that helps.
Wonderful recipes
Thank you! So glad you are here.
This was a great recipe to introduce peanut butter. I added 1 tablespoon and my daughter loved it!
Very hopeful
I love it its amazing, I made one for my little sister she liked it 😁😘
So happy to hear you made some baby purees for your baby sister! Sounds like you are a great big sister:)
My brother is allergic to peanuts & treenuts so i get nervous about allergens 😅. So would you only avoid the spices if the family member is allergic to that specific spice? Or one thing at a time if there are ANY allergies??
I would recommend talking with your pediatrician to come up with a game plan on peanuts with your little one. But spices should be fine.
Are all of these freezer friendly and if so for how long?
Yes, all of these purees are freezer friendly. Most of them are good in a freezer for up to 4 months, but each recipe card has the exact dates.
In the rice cereal, have you ever used instant brown rice?
I have used 20-minute brown rice with great results. So I would say it will work, but I am not for sure. If you try it, let us know how it works.
Can I put any of my baby puree in a food flask to the day care for lunch?
Yes, that’s a great idea!
Great recipes! With my fourth child I finally am making my own baby food! With your recipes! I’m curious about mixing two fruits/veggies as a first stage ? I thought you are supposed to use one at a time? A little confused with being told different things all the time .
I’m so impressed you are making your own baby food with 4 kids at home! You are amazing! I give directions in each recipe card to use just the single ingredient for the puree. For some watery veggies/fruits (peppers, zucchini, mango) or very strong tasting (peas), I have found that adding in a small amount of apple, pear, potato, etc., helps give the main veggie/fruit some creaminess and thickness that it needs. In all the cases where I add in the extra ingredient, those have very little allergens for babies. But it’s up to you, you can definitely leave them out if you prefer. It’s also very common to serve baby multiple ingredients to baby right from the start. Hope that helps.
Great post. Thanks for sharing the valuable information on baby food.
Can i add formula milk into rice instead of water for a 4 month old. ?
Yes! I would add the formula (or fresh breast milk) into the puree while blending the rice so that you don’t lose any of the nutrients.
Thanks for the great recipes and suggested spices! My baby loved them as intro foods until she realized that there was better food on my plate and stopped eating her purees. We ended up switching to BLW. Thanks for making it an easy transition!
So glad you found these recipes helpful. Make sure to check out my Guide on Baby-Led Weaning for your next feeding journey!
Hello, thanks for all these great recipes! I’ve heard it’s good to add rice cereal to all purées for babies, is this true or can most do without? Also, is it ok to freeze things like the banana recipe or avocado recipe? What’s the best way to thaw out foods that have been frozen, is it ok to put them in the microwave for a few seconds or is it safer to defrost using boiling water as the heating method?
Great qustions – you can add rice cereal to purees if you prefer, but you don’t have to. Serving fruit and veggies purees is also great. I added a grain puree once a day starting at age 9 months, but that is just what I did. You can freeze the banana and avocado puree – there should be instructions on each of their recipe cards. Just freeze them right away and they shouldn’t discolor. Read this guide for all the freezing/thawing quesitons.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you so much for all this information and guidance! Everything is so extremely helpful! I wasn’t sure where or how to start. The recipes, the starter guide, the supply list, just your general advice, it all helped a lot. I was so anxious about making our own baby food and worried about how much time it would take or even just how to do it. So far everything has been going so great! I’m sure I’ll have questions as our little journey continues, we are only about a week or two into this new little phase, a messy but fun one! So THANK YOU for making it so easy for this stressball of mama! THANK YOU!!
So happy to hear this has helped you so much on your baby feeding adventure! Make sure to sign up for the 5 Day Free Baby Food Guide where I give you even more information!
Waw am sooo happy to read this my baby is a breastfed baby of 4months 2weeks have not tasted anything apart from breastmilk please want to introduce her to puree which should I start with ?
I love introducing avocado and banana first, but you can start with any puree on this list. They are all amazing for baby’s first bite!
Wowza!!! There are so many tasty looking things on this page! Definitely saving this page. We can’t wait to try this, thank you
I have to save it in my wall for my children. Thanks for sharing and love your site.
Thanks for all these AMAZING recipes! I am working on making this today, I am sure my boy’s will love it!
Love your site!
Wanted to see if you recommended doing a new food every day or every couple of days? We are planning on starting on Monday. So should I just introduce avocado by itself at two different times that day and then maybe switch to sweet potato? Then a couple days later I can offer both if he likes them? Thank you in advance!
Yes.. that sounds like a great plan! I think for the first couple of foods you offer baby, having a day or two in between is a good idea for allergies but also to get them used to having different tastes in their mouths, but then you can speed that up to a new food every day if you wish.
I’m viewing this on my phone and there are SOOOOO many ads it’s insane and extremely frustrating. All I want is to see the recipe and I have to keep scrolling and scrolling and there’s lots of ads and that weird video pop up and it’s incredibly annoying.
I’m sorry your experience on my site was frustrating. Ad placement have gone up in the last couple of weeks as I make my living off of ads (since my content is free) and the entire advertising industry is taking a hit right now. I will take another look at it and adjust going forward. Also, once you are in a recipe post there is a teal button at the very top that will take you directly to the recipe card. I hope this helps.
Think I’ll try the carrots & the red pepper recipes next. I’ve already made green beans, broccoli, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, pears, apple, mango & avocado. All without spices.
You are on a roll! Way to go!
Do you have recipes stage 1 for babies with eczema and milk allergy?
All of these recipes should be good for a baby with eczema and a milk allergy.
My son is 5 months old and has HLHS which is a congenital heart defect. Weight gain is an issue for him. He is currently 11 pounds and drinks Breastmilk with added formula. We will be starting food soon. I’m looking for some high calorie baby food ideas. If you have any recommendations please email me.
I’m sorry to hear of your sons heart defect. Some good healthy high calorie foods for 4-6 month olds would be smashed avocado and smashed cooked egg yolks. You can also add coconut oil, grass-fed butter, olive oil, whole milk plain yogurt or whole fat plain goats yogurt to any (and all) purees. You can also add homemade bone broth into the purees as you blend them. Let me know if you need more information and how these foods go over with him.
Do you strain any of your baby foods or find the need to? Or just purée? I started with green beans and carrots as 2 of our first foods and the texture didn’t seem right. I used the instant pot to cook, maybe I needed to cook longer? Thanks for any help.
Hi! Yes I would recommend straining the puréed foods to get out small seeds and extra clumps. If it still seems too runny, try adding rice cereal for a thicker consistency along with a few scoops of formula powder. If it is too thick, you can always add a tad bit more water or any other liquid (like breast milk, water, broth, etc). Hope this helps!
I never strain my purees, but Amy you have some good options if that works for you! I usually cook harder veggies under just soft when pricked with a fork and then puree. You do have to give the blender some time to work – usually 1-2 minutes and then you will get a similar consistency to what is shown in the photos. Hope that helps.
You can also add good quality oils to their foods, that is what a GI recommended to me when I had trouble with my son. Coconut oil, good olive oil etc. A little goes a long way
How do you freeze/store it? And also about how long will it be good for once frozen/stored? Thanks in advance!
would it be okay to start with avocado with cilantro?
Yes. Absolutely! Avocado is one of my favorite first foods for baby.