How to Make Homemade Baby Food
Updated September 2025 · 6 min read
To make homemade baby food, steam or boil soft vegetables and fruit until tender, then blend or mash to the texture your baby is ready for, adding a little cooled boiled water, breast milk or formula to loosen. Cook without added salt or sugar, cool quickly, and store safely — up to two days in the fridge or freeze in small portions. Always reheat thoroughly and cool before serving.
- Steam or boil until soft, then blend or mash to the right texture.
- Add cooled boiled water, breast milk or formula to reach a smooth consistency.
- No added salt or sugar; keep it simple and single-ingredient at first.
- Fridge up to ~2 days, or freeze in small portions; reheat thoroughly, then cool.
Why make your own
Homemade baby food is economical, lets you control exactly what goes in (no added salt or sugar), and makes it easy to match textures to your baby’s stage. It doesn’t need to be fancy — a single steamed vegetable, blended, is a perfect first purée.
The basic method
- Prep: wash, peel and chop soft fruit or vegetables.
- Cook: steam or boil until tender — steaming keeps more nutrients. Skip added salt, sugar and stock.
- Blend or mash: purée for early weeks, mash for a lumpier texture as your baby progresses.
- Loosen: add a little cooled boiled water, breast milk or your baby’s usual formula to reach a smooth, droppable consistency.
- Cool and serve: cool to just-warm and check the temperature before offering.
Easy first purées
- Steamed sweet potato or butternut squash.
- Steamed carrot, broccoli or peas.
- Mashed ripe banana or avocado (no cooking needed).
- Cooked apple or pear.
Once single foods are going well, you can start combining them — carrot and lentil, apple and pear, sweet potato and chicken.
Batch cooking and storage
- Cool quickly — within about an hour of cooking.
- Fridge: store in a sealed container and use within roughly two days.
- Freezer: freeze in an ice-cube tray or small pots for handy single portions, and use within about a month. Label with the date.
- Reheating: heat until piping hot all the way through, stir well, then cool to lukewarm before serving. Don’t re-freeze thawed food, and don’t save half-eaten portions.
Hygiene
Wash your hands and equipment well, and keep raw meat, poultry and fish separate from other foods. Cook animal proteins thoroughly.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make homemade baby food?
Steam or boil soft vegetables or fruit until tender, blend or mash to the right texture, and loosen with a little cooled boiled water, breast milk or formula. Cook without salt or sugar, and cool before serving.
How long does homemade baby food last?
Roughly two days in the fridge in a sealed container, or about a month in the freezer in small portions. Always cool it quickly after cooking and label with the date.
Can you freeze homemade baby food?
Yes u2014 freezing in an ice-cube tray or small pots gives convenient single portions. Reheat thoroughly until piping hot, stir, then cool before serving, and donu2019t re-freeze thawed food.
Sources
Feeding and safety guidance in this article reflects the recommendations of bodies such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UK’s NHS. It is general information, not medical or dietary advice — always follow the guidance of your own paediatrician, health visitor or a registered dietitian, especially if your baby has allergies, reflux or any health condition.