Favorite Baby Led Weaning Recipes

Baby-Led Weaning Recipes

Starting solids with baby is a fun milestone but it comes with a large side of, “wait, now what?” To help, I’ve put together all of my favorite baby-led weaning recipes in this one post so you can easily find ones to make for your little one. You can find the best first foods and a primer on how to start Baby-Led Weaning (also known as BLW). For breakfast-specific options, head to this Baby-Led Weaning Breakfasts post. We typically start solids around 6 months, or when baby is able to sit up mostly unsupported and has good head control. You can try any of these foods after that point using the baby-led weaning style of feeding, where you offer baby finger foods right from the start. The key? The foods should be easy to hold, so they are usually cut into sticks about the size of one or two fingers to make them easy for a baby’s hand to grasp. The food should be soft enough to squish between your fingers to ensure baby can safely gum it (other than pieces of meat and toast that baby can gum). And all food should be served to a baby sitting upright in a high chair. This guide to starting solids has more information, too. (Want to incorporate purees? This No-Cook Baby Food post has you covered.)

BLW Proteins

Proteins such as eggs, cheese, yogurt, chicken, turkey, fish, beef, nuts, and seeds can be a staple of baby’s diet from the time of starting solids. Meat and chicken are also good sources of iron, which baby needs to be offered in their food since the iron stores they are born with start to run out around 6 months of age. Sign up for our email updates to get tips and ideas sent to your inbox. Find easy recipes for baby-friendly proteins below.

BLW Eggs

In addition to serving strips of omelet, you can hard-cook eggs and spread the mashed yolk onto toast fingers. Easy and yummy!

Egg Muffins

These Mini Egg Muffins with Cheese and Veggies are a go-to for quick and easy toddler breakfasts on busy mornings. The savory muffins are packed with nutritious ingredients and are so quick to bake up—and they work so well to make ahead!

Zucchini Slice

This is such a fun way to use zucchini since it slices into bars that are easy to hold and dip. That means it’s a great baby-led weaning breakfast, it is an easy lunch or snack for any age, and it’s perfect to make ahead and stash in the fridge until everyone is hungry.

Baby Pancakes

Blend up a fruit or veggie with an egg for the fluffiest, easiest, healthy pancakes for kids. These 2-Ingredient Pancakes use one simple method for all 4 flavors and are a perfect baby pancake or toddler pancake.

Beef Meatballs

With three kinds of veggies and the texture and flavor your kids expect, this Healthy Meatball recipe is a perfect family dinner option. And since the baked meatballs taste so good, the kids will be happy to tuck them into their plates! (Bonus: They freeze well, too.)

Shredded Chicken

Shredded chicken thighs made incredibly tender in a rich tomato sauce with hints of Indian spices…oh yes! This Instant Pot Butter Chicken is an easy family dinner that everyone at the table (babies on up) can enjoy.

Chicken Meatballs

With just four simple and affordable ingredients, you can make tender Baked Chicken Meatballs to share with the kids. Bonus: You can tuck a veggie into the mix and they are perfect to batch-cook and stash into the freezer!

Chicken Puree

Learn how to make iron-rich baby food with this easy recipe for Chicken Puree with three flavor combinations and easy storage tips. This works as a Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 3 baby food.

Turkey Sweet Potato Meatballs

Offer a whole or half meatball to baby to feed themselves, or you can mash and serve on a preloaded spoon.

Overnight Oats

Overnight Oats are a perfect breakfast recipe to make ahead. They pack protein, probiotics, vitamin C, fiber, and healthy fats—and all you need to do to make them is to stir the ingredients together and let it hang out in the fridge while you sleep! Offer this on a preloaded spoon or in a pouch.

Cottage Cheese Dip

This Cottage Cheese Dip is simply blended smooth with a few flavorings, so the result is super versatile. And the flavor is so good.

Whole-Milk Yogurt

Confused by the ever-growing yogurt aisle in the grocery store? Me too, which is why I put together a list of the best yogurts for babies and toddlers—those that are low in added sugars but still taste great! Plus: You’ll find yummiest ways to naturally flavor plain yogurt.

Salmon Cakes

Learning how to make Salmon Cakes is easy—and it’s a convenient and affordable way to serve healthy fish to a family. They can be made with pantry ingredients that are easy to keep on hand. Serve over a salad for you and with simple sides for the kids. And don’t forget the dip!

Baked Tofu

Tofu is one of our favorite plant-based proteins since it’s so budget-friendly and easy to flavor in any way you like. It’s especially great for babies since the texture is soft and so easy to chew—so it can be easier to eat than a lot of meat options.

Peanut Butter (and Nut Butter) Puree

When can baby have peanut butter? That’s such a common question among us parents, and it’s normal to be worried about allergic reactions. Thankfully, there are easy ways to offer peanut butter to a baby and simple tips to keep in mind when introducing it for the first time.

BLW Vegetables

You can mash any cooked vegetable or use a vegetable puree, such as Pea Puree or Spinach Baby Food, as a spread on a toast finger. Hand to baby to self-feed as an easy veggie exposure and taste. Ripe tomatoes can also be cut into thick wedges and served fresh.

BLW Broccoli

Try this super easy side dish recipe for family dinner as an easy way to change up how you serve broccoli. This Roasted Broccoli requires just three ingredients, takes less than 20 minutes, and is slightly sweet and caramelized in the end. So yummy!

Broccoli Fritters

Easy to hold and quick to make, these 15 minute fritters are loaded with broccoli…and are delish for the entire family to enjoy.

BLW Green Beans

Green beans are such a common veggie and one that can be flavored in so many ways that it’s a wonderful option for baby. I love making the puree and offering a whole bean as different texture experiences, so you can choose the one that works best for where you are in your baby-feeding journey.

BLW Sweet Potato

With one super simple cooking method, you can roast sweet potato wedges to serve in one of three yummy ways—BLW style, mashed, or pureed into classic sweet potato puree. It’s so easy to make sweet potato baby food. (And the rest of the family can enjoy it, too!)

Zucchini Sticks

Zucchini is always available as an easy veggie option. And it’s such a great baby food since it’s quick to cook, endlessly versatile, and easy to serve baby-led weaning style or as a puree.

Roasted Butternut Squash

Turning winter squash into a fun and delicious side dish is so easy—and learning how to roast butternut squash means you can turn it into fun shapes, serve as “fries,” and even add flavors like brown sugar or rosemary. And all in less than 20 minutes!

Roasted Carrots

This Roasted Carrots Fries recipe is a vegetable side dish you should bookmark for future family meals. Made with just three simple ingredients, it comes together in under 30 minutes—and most of that is hands-off time when they’re in the oven and you can be doing other things!

BLW Asparagus

Asparagus is a great option for BLW since it’s already the right shape for a baby to easily hold and feed themselves. We’ll just prepare it to ensure it’s soft and easy for baby to gum and eat.

Roasted Acorn Squash

When fresh winter squash like acorn squash is available, it’s such an easy option to make it and share it with babies and toddlers. It’s wonderful as a baby food since it has a naturally sweet, yet subtle, flavor—sort of in the same realm of flavor as butternut squash.

Steamed Cauliflower

Enticing the kids to eat their veggies can be a challenge, but often, keeping it simple—like this Steamed Cauliflower with Parmesan Cheese—can be a little easier on everyone. This recipe is delicious and easy for everyone in the family to eat.

BLW Fruits

There are so many delicious fresh fruit options for feeding baby. Mango, kiwi, avocado, pear, peach, plums, and more can be served ripe and soft in finger-size strips to a baby. And many fruits can be cooked until soft and served for baby to self-feed. For more options on fruits to offer in the BLW style, see below.

BLW Banana

Serving bananas to baby is an easy meal option since they require hardly any prep work, taste great, and are a naturally soft texture that’s perfect for babies. I’m going to share how to serve bananas in the baby-led weaning style in three different ways—in segments, as a half banana, and mashed on a spoon.

Baked Apple Slices

Transform normal apples into refined sugar-free Sliced Baked Apples with this super simple method that takes just 5 minutes to prep. They’re a healthy topping for oatmeal, yogurt, and pancakes—and are also perfect for baby-led weaning!

Baked Pear Slices

With a super simple method and a most delicious flavor, these Baked Pears are a favorite snack for babies, toddlers, and us parents. I love that they are yummy both warm and cold and that they’re a great way to use up pears.

Cinnamon Apple Slices

We love apples prepared in all sorts of ways, including Sliced Baked Apples and Sautéed Apples. And this new version is sort of a mix of those favorites, with an easy pan-cooked method that delivers tender, flavorful apple slices that work for any age in just minutes.

BLW Oranges

Fresh oranges are a food that taste so great on their own but need to be served with some awareness when given to babies and young toddlers. Oranges are rich in vitamin C and flavor, but served the way adults commonly eat them, they are a choking hazard for little kids.

BLW Grains

Pasta, oats, rice, quinoa, and more grains are perfect foods to include in baby’s diet from the time they start solids, as they are rich in B vitamins and complex carbohydrates. Many of these foods can be prepared for the whole family and shared with baby at mealtime.

Coconut Rice

I love making whole grains for my kids, but wow, they can be so messy! Learning how to make Coconut Rice can be a game changer because it’s much less prone to winding up all over the floor since the grains stick together. And also: It’s simply delicious!

Cheesy Rice

This Cheesy Rice recipe has four options to add in veggies and has been a staple of my youngest kiddo’s diet for the past year. It’s SO easy, versatile, and simple to store in the fridge. And it’s downright delish!

Baby Pasta

Serve up a filling, yummy baby meal with this easy Baby Pasta. It includes a tomato-based sauce with extra veggies and beans blended in for an iron-rich meal perfect for lunch or dinner. Plus: The sauce freezes so well so you can have a stash of future meals ready and waiting!

Oatmeal Cups

You can simply make rolled oats or instant oats into oatmeal and serve it on a preloaded spoon or for baby to eat with their fingers.

Quinoa Patties

With just a few ingredients, including quinoa, broccoli, cheese, and eggs, and a super fast method that allows you to make a batch in under 10 minutes, these Quinoa Patties are a favorite meal to share with the kids.

Baby Muffins

Made with a nutrient-packed ingredient list, these tender Baby Muffins are a perfect first muffin. They are easier to chew than a regular muffin, have three kinds of produce, are added-sugar-free, and boast a solid dose of healthy fats—exactly what the littles need!

Apple Pancakes

Combine fresh apples and whole grains for a nutritious breakfast of Apple Pancakes for the whole family. Bonus: You can make them the traditional way on the stove top or as one giant sheet pan pancake!

Yogurt Pancakes

These pancakes are fluffy and really versatile—you can pick one flavor to make for the whole batch or add in a few pieces to each pancake as you go to make a few different flavors. That can be a great option if some in your family love banana pancakes and others prefer chocolate chip.

French Toast Sticks

These are a versatile, affordable alternative to buying frozen ones at the store—and they take less than 15 minutes to make and reheat in 2 minutes!

How to Store BLW Foods

Store leftovers or meal-prepped foods in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or, place into a freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 months. Label each bag so you know what’s inside.

Best Tips for Success

Serve small portions to prevent waste and to prevent overwhelming baby.Review the basics of Baby-Led Weaning and Starting Solids before you start.Share the recipes with baby and sit and eat with her so she can watch you and learn how to eat each food.Make sure baby is sitting upright in a high chair. A bib may help.Serve purees on a preloaded baby spoon that baby can use to feed himself. (The Lalo First Bites set is a great option for gear to get you started.)

I’d love to hear your feedback on this post, so please comment below to share.