Homemade Baby Food: How to Make, Store and Serve Purees (and Is a Baby Food Maker Worth It?)

Quick answer: To make homemade baby food, wash and peel fruits or vegetables, cook them until very soft by steaming or microwaving, then blend them with a little breast milk, formula or water until smooth. Start around 6 months with single-ingredient purees, then mix foods and make the texture thicker over the next few months. Keep fruit and vegetable purees in the fridge for up to 2 days (1 day for meat or egg), or freeze them in ice cube trays and use them within 3 months. Never add honey, salt or sugar. A baby food maker is handy but not necessary: a blender and a steamer basket do the same job.

Making your own baby food sounds like a big project, but it is mostly cooking vegetables until they are soft and blending them. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says a blender, food processor or handheld mixer is all you need, and you can start with foods you’re already cooking for the rest of the family.

This guide covers when to start, the equipment you actually need, step-by-step instructions, the best first foods, how to store purees safely and whether a baby food maker is worth buying. It also includes what worked for us at home.

When can babies start eating homemade baby food?

The AAP recommends breast milk only for about the first 6 months, then adding solid foods while you keep breastfeeding for as long as you and your baby want. Formula-fed babies start solids around the same age. According to USDA WIC, most babies are ready at about 6 months, and solid foods should not start before 4 months.

Look for these signs that your baby is ready:

• Sits up with little or no support and has good head and neck control
• Shows interest in food, watching you eat and reaching for your plate
• Opens their mouth when a spoon comes near
• Brings toys and hands to their mouth
• No longer pushes food straight back out with their tongue

Breast milk or formula is still your baby’s main food until 12 months, so first purees are about practice and new tastes, not calories. If you’re not sure how much to offer, see our guide on how much a 6 month old should eat.

What you need to make baby food

• Something to cook with: a pot with a steamer basket, or a microwave-safe bowl with a lid.
• Something to puree with: a blender, food processor or stick blender, or simply a fork for soft foods like banana and avocado.
• Something to store with: ice cube trays or silicone freezer trays, freezer bags or containers, and a marker for labels.
• Optional: an all-in-one baby food maker that steams and blends in one jar (more on that below).

How to make baby food purees, step by step

1. Wash your hands and tools. Clean the cutting board, knife and blender with hot, soapy water.
2. Prepare the food. Wash and peel produce and remove seeds, pits and tough skins. For meat, remove bones, skin and fat.
3. Cook until very soft. Steaming or microwaving keeps more nutrients than boiling, according to Cleveland Clinic. Vegetables should mash easily with a fork. Cook meat, poultry and fish all the way through.
4. Blend until smooth. Add a little breast milk, formula or water, a teaspoon at a time, until the puree is thin and smooth. The AAP suggests making the first purees thin and thickening them gradually.
5. Cool and check the temperature. Stir well and test a little on the inside of your wrist. It should feel lukewarm, not hot.
6. Serve a small amount in a separate bowl. Start with 1 or 2 teaspoons, and throw away whatever is left in your baby’s bowl after the meal.
7. Store the rest right away. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers as soon as they have cooled (see the storage section below).

Best first foods to make at home

Start with single-ingredient purees so you can spot any reaction, then try mixes once your baby has had each food on its own. The AAP notes that some foods need to be offered 8 to 10 times before a baby eats them well, so don’t give up after one funny face.

Iron matters from around 6 months. The AAP recommends offering iron-rich foods such as iron-fortified oat cereal or meats, and introducing common allergens like egg, dairy, peanut and fish early too. If your baby has severe eczema or an egg allergy, talk to your pediatrician before introducing allergens. For more ideas, see our list of the best first foods for baby led weaning.

How to thicken textures as your baby grows

Smooth purees are only the starting point. Over the next few months, make purees gradually thicker and lumpier so your baby learns to chew and move food around their mouth.

• Around 6 months: thin, smooth, single-ingredient purees.
• Around 7 to 8 months: thicker purees and mashed foods with soft lumps, plus mixes of foods your baby already eats.
• Around 8 to 10 months: small portions of soft, finely chopped finger foods such as cooked vegetables, pasta and well-cooked meat, according to Mayo Clinic.

By then, many families simply mash or chop whatever the rest of the family is eating, taking the baby’s portion out before adding salt. Our 9 month old feeding schedule has a sample menu for that stage.

How to store homemade baby food safely

Homemade purees have no preservatives, so they spoil faster than store-bought jars. University extension food safety guides, including those from North Dakota State University and the University of Maine, give these limits:

To freeze purees, the AAP suggests the ice cube tray method:

1. Spoon the cooled puree into a clean ice cube tray. Each cube holds about 1 ounce.
2. Cover the tray and freeze until solid.
3. Pop the cubes into a freezer bag or container, and label it with the food and the date.
4. Use frozen baby food within 3 months.

A few safety rules:

• Thaw frozen cubes in the refrigerator overnight, or in a sealed bag under cold running water, never on the counter.
• Never refreeze baby food that has been thawed.
• Don’t feed your baby straight from the storage container. Saliva on the spoon lets bacteria grow in the leftovers.
• If you reheat in the microwave, stir well and check the temperature, because microwaves heat unevenly.
• When in doubt, throw it out.

Is a baby food maker worth it?

A baby food maker is an all-in-one machine that steams food and then blends it in the same jar. Some can also defrost and reheat. It isn’t necessary, since the AAP says a blender, food processor or handheld mixer is enough. But it can be worth it for some families.

It may be worth buying if:

• You plan to make most of your baby’s purees at home for several months
• You want fewer pots and dishes to wash
• You’d like to steam and blend small batches quickly, without watching the stove
• You expect to use it again for a younger sibling

You can probably skip it if:

• You already have a good blender or food processor and a steamer basket
• You plan to mostly follow baby led weaning with soft finger foods
• You’ll mix homemade food with store-bought jars and pouches
• Counter space in your kitchen is tight

Whichever you choose, look for parts that come apart easily for cleaning and are made of glass or BPA-free plastic. For the gear that helps most before solids start, see our baby must-have list for the first 6 months.

From a Dad of Two: what worked for us

When we started solids, one of the most useful things we had in the kitchen was the Philips Avent 4-in-1 baby food maker. It steamed the food and then blended it, so the food was ready to give to the baby. It can also defrost and reheat, which helps if you freeze batches ahead of time.

Both of our kids were breastfed until about 14 months, so for us purees always came alongside breast milk, never instead of it.

Foods and ingredients to avoid in homemade baby food

• Honey: The CDC warns that honey can cause botulism, a serious type of food poisoning, in babies under 12 months. Don’t add it to purees, cereal or anything else.
• Salt: Don’t add salt to your baby’s food. Take your baby’s portion out before you season the family meal, and skip salty canned foods and processed meats.
• Added sugar: Fruit gives purees plenty of natural sweetness. The CDC advises avoiding foods with added sugars for young children.
• Juice: Offer pureed whole fruit instead. The AAP notes that some fruit juices can contain concerning levels of heavy metals.
• Cow’s milk as a drink: Wait until 12 months. Yogurt, cheese, and cow’s milk cooked into food are fine before then.
• Choking hazards: The AAP lists nuts, raw carrots, whole grapes, popcorn and seeds as choking hazards. Always puree or mash firm foods well.
• Homemade formula: Never make infant formula at home, and don’t let homemade food replace breast milk or formula.

One more note: Mayo Clinic advises against home-prepared spinach, beets, carrots, green beans or squash for babies younger than 4 months, because these vegetables can contain nitrates. Since solids usually start around 6 months, this mainly matters if your baby was advised to start early.

Does homemade baby food have fewer heavy metals?

Not necessarily. Metals like arsenic and lead come from soil and water, so they can turn up in any food, whether you buy it or make it. The AAP says serving a variety of foods is one of the best ways to lower exposure, and that variety matters just as much for homemade baby food. A few practical tips:

• Rotate vegetables instead of serving sweet potato or carrots every day.
• Use oat or multigrain cereals rather than only rice cereal.
• Choose whole fruit over juice.
• If you use well water, ask your local health department about testing it.

Homemade or store-bought: which is better?

Both are fine. Homemade baby food lets you choose the ingredients, can cost less and helps your baby get used to the foods your family eats. Store-bought jars and pouches are convenient and keep longer before they’re opened. Many families do both: homemade on most days, and jars or pouches for travel and busy weeks.

When to call the doctor

Call 911 or get emergency care right away if your baby shows signs of a serious allergic reaction after eating, such as:

• Hives all over the body
• Swelling of the lips, face or tongue
• Wheezing, hoarseness or trouble breathing
• Repeated vomiting or sudden sleepiness

Call your pediatrician if your baby gets a mild rash, vomiting or diarrhea after a new food, keeps refusing solids, has trouble swallowing or often gags and chokes, or isn’t gaining weight as expected. Nemours KidsHealth also advises not offering a food again after any reaction until you’ve talked with your doctor.