Homemade baby food meat recipes

Basic Beef Baby Food Puree (6+ Months)

This homemade Basic Beef Baby Food 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 – 4-6+ months.

Medically reviewed and co-written by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).

Beef Baby Food

Beef, it’s what’s for baby’s dinner! Beef puree, that is. 😉

This beef puree is loaded with so many great nutrients that your baby needs in order to thrive – protein, iron, calcium and folate.

And while it may seem counter-intuitive and perhaps weird (or at least it did to me), beef puree 🥩 is a great first food for your baby.

Just because it’s a nutrient-dense puree doesn’t mean your baby needs bowls upon bowls of it. Since beef puree has a somewhat intense flavor, a few spoonfuls added to your baby’s favorite veggie or fruit puree should be enough.

Is it your first time making homemade baby food? If you answered yes, then I suggest you start this journey by reading my in-depth Guide on How to Make Homemade Baby Food. The detailed article goes over all the essential information such as the best cooking tools to have on hand, safe storage, knowing when your baby is ready for solids, introducing purees, making the best first foods for baby, and more! You can also check out my best-selling cookbook for even more information and recipes.

Beef Puree Video

Watch this video to see how easy it is to make your baby homemade Beef Puree!

Reasons to Love this Beef Puree

simple yet flavorful
packed with protein
great to add to any other fruit or veggie puree that baby loves
baby food for 4-6 months and up
stage 1 baby food
freezer-friendly
homemade

Ingredients

Make sure to read the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions!

Beef: Since beef is the star of the show in this puree, we are going to start with a good piece of meat. We are going to use 8oz of chuck stew meat or cubed sirloin beef. You can also easily scale up this recipe if you want more than 12 ounces of baby food.
Broth: To get that rich, deep beef flavor, we will cook our beef in beef broth. I recommend using a low-sodium, sodium-free, or free-range beef bone broth for this recipe. You can also use any of those variations above with a vegetable broth as well. If you don’t have any of those on hand, you can use water.
Oregano: We are adding dried oregano to give the puree a little more complex taste. This can easily be omitted if you prefer or you can substitute in dried parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme or cilantro.

Grass-Fed Beef: I recommend using grass-fed beef for this recipe, if possible. Grass-fed beef will have more healthy fats, more free Omega-3 fatty acids (healthy fats), vitamins A, E, and B as well as more antioxidants.

Health Benefits of Beef

Protein: Beef is an excellent source of protein, which is essential for proper growth and development of all organ systems and maintaining and repairing tissues. It is considered a complete protein, meaning it has all of the amino acids that are needed to make protein.
Iron: Beef is a good source of iron, needed for making red blood cells, neurodevelopment and preventing iron deficiency anemia, and zinc, needed for growth and development and supporting the immune system.
B12: Beef is also high in B12, which is essential for brain development and healthy red blood cells.
Choline: can also be found in beef, which is also important for brain growth and development.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Boil: In a medium saucepan, bring the cubed beef, broth, and oregano to a boil over medium heat.
Simmer: Turn the heat down to low and cover the saucepan. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the beef is just cooked through. Let it cool slightly.
Puree: Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a blender or food processor and puree until you reach your desired consistency, adding broth in 1/4 cup increments if needed.
Eat: Serve to your baby plain or added into another puree.
Freeze: Store a small portion in the fridge and freeze the rest for another meal.

Tools Needed

These tools will make it a lot easier for you to make this healthy Beef Puree. For more of my favorite kitchen tools make sure to check out my shop.

Saucepans
Blender or Food Processor
Freezer Tray
Storage Containers for Fridge
Stasher Bag
bib with catch pocket
Saucepans

Frequently Asked Questions

When can baby eat beef puree?

Babies can have beef as one of their first foods. When a baby can start on solids is determined by their own rate of development, which generally comes between 4-6 months of age. Some of the developmental milestones babies need to reach in order to start solids include: if your baby has solid control of their head and neck, if your baby has doubled in weight, and if your baby is reaching for or opening their mouth when you eat (see my guide here). Before you start your baby on purees, you should consult with your pediatrician to make sure your child is developmentally ready.

Can beef be baby’s first food?
Yes, beef can 100% be baby’s first food if you want it to be. It is recommended to wait to introduce the top eight allergen foods to baby once a few other well tolerated foods have been introduced, but otherwise foods can be introduced in any order so choose whatever you are most excited for baby to have.

Is beef a common allergen for baby?
No, beef is not a common allergen, however, as with any food, start with a small portion and be aware of any signs that might be an allergic reaction after introducing it.

Does beef cause constipation for babies?
No, beef itself is not known to cause constipation in babies, however it won’t really help with constipation either since it lacks fiber. If baby is eating too much meat, it could replace fiber-rich foods, which could cause constipation.

How to Store Beef Puree

Refridgerator

You can store this puree in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freezer

This puree can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Spoon puree into a freezer storage container. Do not overfill.
Place the lid on the storage container or cover with a piece of saran wrap, and label with the date and recipe name.
Place the tray into the freezer and let it freeze completely — preferably overnight.
Pop out the baby food cubes and place them in a ziplock baggie or stasher bag. Don’t forget to relabel the baggie or stasher bag for future reference.

Need more information on how to store your baby foods? Head over to my Best Baby Food Storage Containers – Plus 6 Tips on Freezing and Thawing post!

Label Tip: Don’t forget to label your purees before you place them in the fridge or freezer with the name of the puree and the date you made it. Take it from me; by the end of the week, you will completely forget what is in your freezer and how long it’s been there. 😉

Great Beef Combination Purees

While this beef baby food is great by itself, it can be a little intense for some babies. I recommend mixing it into one of your baby’s favorite purees as an introduction to the rich taste of beef. Here are some great purees to mix with the beef puree:

Apples
Sweet Potato
Pear
Carrot
Broccoli
Pea
Mango

PUREE FEEDING TIPS

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.
Try adding a little seasoning or spice to purees – babies like flavor! Or consider changing the temperature of purees from time to time, to slightly warmed or slightly chilled. Varying these aspects adds to the sensory experience!
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. ***Give baby plenty of opportunities to practice putting items in and taking items out of containers outside of mealtimes.

Recipe Tips

Use a Slotted Spoon: When transferring the cooked beef from the saucepan to the blender, make sure to use a slotted spoon so you don’t add too much broth into the puree from the start. You only want to add broth if needed while blending. I had to add a 1/4 cup of broth to the blender while I was pureeing this beef.
Reheat Gently: If you are freezing some of this beef puree, reheat it in 20-second intervals. You don’t want to recook the beef.

Recipe

8 ounce beef chuck stew meat, or cubed sirloin beef
2 cups beef or vegetable broth, low or no sodium
1 tsp dried oregano

Boil: In a medium saucepan, bring beef, broth and oregano to a boil over medium heat. Turn to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until beef is cooked all the way through. Let cool slightly.
Transfer: Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a blender or food processor, reserve broth.
Puree: starting on low and working your way up to high-speed, puree the beef until you reach your desired consistency, adding in broth in 1/4 cup increments if needed. I had to add in just 1/4 cup of broth to get the consistency seen in this photo.
Eat: serve to baby plain or added into another puree.
Freeze: store a small portion in the fridge and freeze the rest for another meal.

Age: 4-6 months and up

Yield: 12 ounces

Storage: Fridge – store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.

Saucepan

Blender

Bumkins Baby Bowl

Freezer Tray

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Meat Baby Food Recipe

Peggy Trowbridge Filippone

Peggy Trowbridge Filippone is a writer who develops approachable recipes for home cooks. Her recipes range from Grandma’s favorites to the latest food trends.

Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process

Updated on 05/21/22

Catherine Delahaye / Getty Images

You may know that making baby food is pretty easy, if you've pureed steamed carrots or peas, or even just made applesauce from scratch. But have you ever tried making homemade baby food with meat? It may seem harder, but it's not tough. It's also incredibly flavorful for your baby's tastebuds, and you can control the ingredients as needed.

This recipe is designed for beef, but you can make meat baby food using pork, lamb, chicken, or turkey. In the case of this meat puree, it also includes potatoes, carrots, and peas and is basically a simple recipe for beef stew that's pureed in a food processor. However, if you have a baby food blender you can use that instead, as they tend to puree things incredibly finely and smoothly.

If you use poultry, you can reduce the meat cooking time by half. May be frozen if desired. This recipe is designed for babies six to 12 months old.

2 tablespoons fat, or oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups water, vegetable or fruit juice
4 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cut into pieces
5 medium carrots, scrubbed and cut into pieces
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas, or any other green vegetable

Heat fat in a large-size heavy saucepan over medium-high heat.
Coat the meat in the flour and brown in the fat. Add the liquid and cover tightly.
Simmer over medium heat for 1 1/2 hours.
Add potatoes and carrots. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add frozen peas, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Puree stew into a smooth consistency.
Store in refrigerator up to two days; freeze for two to three months. Serve the baby food cold or at room temperature.

Source: "The Complete New Guide to Preparing Baby Foods," by Sue Castle (Bantam Books)

Tip

It's better to err on the side of what may look like too much when pureeing this stew: it's baby food. If you find that you're having a hard time reaching the consistency you need, add a little more water to the ingredients while pureeing them, until it's thin and smooth enough.

Variations

Any meat can be substituted for beef, but chicken and pork work very well.
Use canned white beans instead of beef. It will cook a lot more quickly, the beans will puree easily, and flavors will still be good.
Swap 1/2 cup of uncooked rice for the potatoes.

How to Store and Freeze Homemade Meat Baby Food

You can keep this baby food, once it's prepared for 2 or 3 days, tops, in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

However, it works really well if you freeze it in ice cube trays and then transfer the frozen food into a zip-close freezer bag. Some types of ice cube trays are designed specifically for baby food and come with lids, which makes it very easy to portion out into sizes for your baby as they grow. You can safely freeze this for up to 3 months.

The 6 Best Food Mills for Making Smooth Purées With Ease

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How to cook meat puree for babies

About nutrition

Photo: Parents

Babies will not try baby meat puree until they are 7-8 months old. At this age, the child grows and develops intensively, and the iron reserves that he accumulated while he was in his mother's tummy and during breastfeeding are depleted in his body. It is during this period that it is recommended to introduce baby meat puree into his diet. Meat is the main source of complete animal protein, which is necessary for a growing man to protect against infections, normal development and formation of teeth and bones. Properly prepared meat puree for the first feeding contains easily digestible iron, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, zinc, B vitamins. It also contains extractives that stimulate the production of digestive enzymes and the digestive system.

It is worth remembering the rules for the introduction of complementary foods. A new product is introduced gradually (over 5-7 days) starting with a small amount. It should be given in the morning to mark an unwanted reaction. Complementary foods are given from a spoon before breastfeeding or formula milk.

When feeding with mashed meat, start with a portion of 3–5 g (that’s 1/2 teaspoon), so that, gradually increasing its size, reach 60–80 g by 1 year. you can buy in the store, ready-made. Is it worth it to "fool around" with home cooking? It's up to you. There is no single answer to the question of which meat purees are best for your baby. But we think you will agree that a homemade recipe guarantees confidence in every ingredient. Yes, and cooking mashed potatoes at home is not difficult. 9Ol000

plastic or metal spoon

meat cutter

plastic cutting board (more hygienic, wood is more difficult to clean and germs can accumulate on it)

blender

actual piece of meat

1. Choosing meat

For the first feeding, it is recommended to choose hypoallergenic rabbit or turkey meat, which are easy to digest and contain little fat. Lamb and lean veal and beef are also not forbidden. Pork for babies will be too fatty and can cause a malfunction in the digestive system, chicken quite often causes allergic reactions.

It is recommended to buy meat for baby meat puree in a trusted store. Since any meat must pass veterinary control, the seller must carry a certificate confirming this procedure. Give preference to whole cuts of meat (not in cubes), fresh and juicy in appearance, not weathered. The cut of a piece of meat should be even, pink. A dark red or whitish cut indicates that the meat was either stored incorrectly, or is far from the first freshness.

To help a mother who is worried about the question “what to feed her baby”, we have prepared a material “What to feed a baby: a baby’s nutrition diary from birth to a year”

Photo: Parents

2. Preparing meat

Before preparing the meat puree for the first feeding, it is necessary to thoroughly rinse the meat under running cold or warm water. Remove fat, veins, skin, films from it and free it from bones.

Then cut a piece of about 10 cm from the whole piece of meat. Meat puree, like other foods for babies, should not be stored. For this reason, at one time you will need a very small piece of meat. The remaining meat can be cut into larger pieces and put in the freezer. Just keep in mind that any food for babies can only be thawed once. A defrosted product cannot be re-frozen: temperature changes create a favorable environment for the reproduction of pathogens. So every time, intending to prepare meat puree for feeding, we take out 1 piece of meat from the freezer. For the first time, this amount is more than enough.

3. Rules for cooking meat for baby puree

Put the meat in a pot of cold water (remember, it must be filtered or bottled) and wait until it boils. After 5 minutes, drain the water (this is necessary to get rid of fat and extractives that make digestion difficult) and fill the meat with new water, it should cover it. Cook the meat until tender over low heat for about 2 hours (turkey, veal and lamb should be cooked until tender for 1-1.5 hours). If the water boils away, add it again. And remember that kids do not need to salt and add spices to the meat.

Find out how to make a menu for a one-year-old baby here: “Almost an adult menu: what to feed a child from one to two years old”

Photo: Parents

cut it into small pieces.

Then grind the pieces in a blender.

To make puree a homogeneous consistency, similar to thick porridge, add a few tablespoons of mixture or vegetable broth to it (meat broth is not allowed for babies!).

Ready-made meat puree can be mixed with vegetable puree, which is already familiar to the baby. So the child will more easily accept the new product. You can also pour a few drops of vegetable oil into the meat puree (7-month-old children are entitled to 5 ml).

The first serving of meat puree should be 0.5 teaspoon. Pay close attention to your child's reaction. If everything is in order, after a week you can increase the portion. By the year the child should already consume portions of 60-80 g of meat. It is best to feed baby meat puree at lunchtime.

Read also: “When a child begins to chew and how to prepare for this”

photo: Parents

Parents

Each mother has his own recipe for making meat puree for infants . We will present some of them.

Homemade meat puree for babies with beef

Needed: 40 g beef, water, 1 teaspoon butter

Cleaned meat, free of bones, membranes and sinews, cut into small pieces. Stew the pieces in a small amount of water until fully cooked, about 2 hours. Cool the finished meat and scroll twice through a meat grinder, and then chop in a blender. This way you will achieve a uniform consistency. Add a little vegetable broth to the resulting puree and bring to a boil. Thoroughly mix everything, add butter.

You can also add some breast milk to the meat puree. But in this case, boiling mashed potatoes is no longer required.

Turkey meat puree recipe

You will need: 100 g turkey fillet, 0.5 cup of water.

Meat can be cooked on the multicooker rack, steamed or boiled in a pot of water on the stove. We cook in a slow cooker by setting the “steam” mode for 40 minutes. We cut the boiled meat into pieces, which we grind with a blender until a homogeneous consistency is obtained. Dilute with water. Since the turkey puree is a little dry, you can pour a few drops of vegetable oil into it. Ready-made meat puree can not be stored in the refrigerator for more than a day.

How to choose the right meat puree for babies in the store? We figured out the issue together with a nutritionist: “Ready-made meat puree for a baby: analysis of the composition”

Svetlana Lyuboshits

5 recipes for delicious meat dishes for babies from the year

When a little gourmet grows up at home, the list of homemade recipes inevitably grows. After all, the baby is interested in new combinations, textures and aromas of various dishes. And it is important for parents that the baby receives all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Meat is one of the most important products that provide the growing body with strength and vitality. Small children are usually very picky about meat dishes, as chewing too tough meat is hard and boring. During this period, a meat grinder, blender and mother's ingenuity help out. We decided to help a little and put together 5 simple meat recipes that are suitable for babies from a year old.

Baby Nuggets
Meatballs with Gravy
Hamé Rice with Meat Puree
Lazy Stuffed Cabbage
Chicken Pasta

Baby nuggets

Fragrant pieces of tender fillet in crispy breading. Comfortable, easy and kids love it! A safe alternative to fast food with the right ingredients!

INGREDIENTS (for 3 servings):

Chicken fillet - 200 gr
Breadcrumbs for breading - 150 gr
Hard cheese - 2 tbsp. spoons
Garlic granules - ¼ teaspoon
Paprika - ½ tsp
Olive oil - 2 tbsp. spoons
Salt, pepper - to taste

Preparation:

Prepare the ingredients. Cut the chicken fillet into small pieces, sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic. Cover and leave for a couple of hours in the refrigerator.
In a separate bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and grated hard cheese. Dip the chicken pieces in the mixture.
Place the nuggets on a greased baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 180 degrees.

Kids love sauces! Try serving nuggets with red tomato sauce or white low-fat yogurt sauce with herbs.

Meatballs with gravy

These juicy, tender meatballs for the little ones will be appreciated even by adults! Such meatballs can be cooked with a margin and frozen. Try pan-cooking, oven-baking, steaming them and see what works best for you.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 servings):

Minced meat - 400 gr
Egg - 1 pc
Onion - 1 pc.
Carrot - 2 pcs
Tomato - 1 pc.
Rust. oil - 30 ml (2 tablespoons)
Meat stock or water - 1 cup
Salt, pepper - to taste

Preparation:

Put the minced meat in a bowl, add the egg and half the onion grated on a fine grater. Mix thoroughly.
Rinse and peel the carrots, then grate on a coarse grater. Remove the skin from the tomato and cut into small cubes, cut the remaining half of the onion in the same way. Fry the onion and carrots in a deep frying pan, then add the tomato and simmer over medium heat for 5-8 minutes. Then add a glass of water or broth and bring the gravy to a boil.
Blind medium-sized meatballs from minced meat, carefully place in gravy. Cover the pan with a lid, reduce heat to medium, simmer for 10 minutes. Then reduce the heat to a minimum and simmer for another 15 minutes so that the sauce is well soaked.

Serve meatballs with mashed potatoes, buckwheat porridge and any other side dish that your baby loves.

Rice with meat puree Hamé

Very quick recipe for a simple dinner for a baby. The beauty of Hamé baby meat puree is that it is versatile, varied and kids love it. If you have a delicious side dish, a full-fledged dish is obtained without difficulty!

INGREDIENTS (for 2 servings):

Meat puree Hamé - 100 gr
Rice - 80 gr
Butter - 2 tbsp. spoons
Onion - ½ small onion
Meat broth - 1 cup
Tomato paste - 1 teaspoon
Dill - 1 sprig
Salt, pepper - to taste

Preparation:

Fry dry rice until golden brown in butter with onions. Add 2 tablespoons of broth, lower the heat and when the broth is absorbed, add more until the broth is gone.
Stir the tomato paste into the cooked rice, add a jar of mashed meat and simmer for another 5 minutes over low heat. Sprinkle with finely chopped dill when serving.

Try this dish with different types of mashed meats, such as Hamé Veal mashed meat or Hamé Beef mashed meat with tongue. We recommend stocking up on saving jars in case there is not enough time to prepare a complex children's dinner or the baby needs to be fed quickly. Then any side dish can be served with perfectly balanced Hamé baby meat puree!

Lazy cabbage rolls

Children's version of favorite cabbage rolls is always a great choice! Minced meat seasoned with sour cream and herbs, combined with juicy stewed cabbage, is guaranteed to bring back nostalgic memories to parents and will definitely be remembered by your little eater.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 servings):

Minced meat - 400 gr
Egg - 1 pc
White cabbage - 200 gr
Carrot - 1 piece
Onion - 1 pc.
Rice - 100 g
Rust. oil - 1 tablespoon
Tomato paste - 2 tbsp
Sour cream - 3 tablespoons
Dill - 1 bunch
Water - 200 ml
Salt, pepper - to taste

Preparation:

Boil and cool the rice. Cut the cabbage, put in a saucepan and pour boiling water for 10 minutes.
Cut the onion into small cubes, grate the carrots on a coarse grater and fry them together until softened.
Drain the water from the pan, add the minced meat, carrots with onions, rice and egg to the cabbage. Mix very well.
Put the formed cabbage rolls (small oblong-shaped meatballs) in a single layer in a baking dish.
Mix sour cream, tomato paste and water, add your favorite spices if desired. Pour lazy cabbage rolls with the resulting sauce and put in the oven to bake for 45 minutes at a temperature of 180 degrees.

Serve lazy cabbage rolls with a sauce of sour cream and finely chopped dill.

Pasta with chicken

In the children's menu of almost all restaurants, you can find pasta or pasta with meat or tomato sauce. This is no accident. Kids love pasta, because it is convenient to take them with a spoon, fork and even hands, they taste good, and they come in different, completely unimaginable shapes. Therefore, feel free to take note of the recipe for this pasta, choose the most beautiful and healthy pasta, and then the matter is small.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 servings):