Instant food for baby

Easy Homemade Baby Food in your Instant Pot

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Did you know that you can make healthy, nutritious baby food right in your Instant Pot? Instant Pot Baby Food is a cost-effective and low-effort method for cooking nutritious meals for your baby at home.

My little munchkin is now almost eight months old. I started her off with pureed baby food that I made in the instant pot at about 6 months, and now slowly transitioned her to enjoy more textured food.

With my older one 6 years back, there was no instant pot, and I can say for sure that making baby food in the instant pot has saved me so much time.

Instant Pot Baby Food is a fantastic way to offer your baby a variety of nutritious foods while saving both time and money. In this post, I'll share how to make an array of stage 1 baby foods as well as a few ways to combine purees to please your little one's palate. If you're looking for more baby-friendly pressure cooker recipes, check out my post on how to make simple homemade yogurt in your Instant Pot.

Jump to:

Why make Homemade Baby Food?
When to Give Baby Food?
How to Offer Homemade Baby Food?
What kind of veggies and fruits can you include for Stage 1 Baby Food?
How to Use the Instant Pot to Make Baby Food
What bowls can I use in the Instant Pot?
Tips for Pureeing Baby Food
Storing Baby Food
Homemade Instant Pot Baby Food Blends
Other Homemade Instant Pot Baby Food Recipes to Try
What to Avoid When Making Baby Food in Instant Pot
How to thaw and reheat frozen baby food?
Instant Pot Baby Food

Why make Homemade Baby Food?

There are so many reasons to make your baby's food at home in your Instant Pot. Not only will you save money (the price of those jars and pouches can really add up), but you'll be able to control the ingredients that go into your baby's food.

Plus, you'll be surprised at how many servings you can get from just one vegetable or piece of fruit, and if you plan well, you can make a big batch of baby food at a time, which will save you time in the long run.

When to Give Baby Food?

When your baby's pediatrician has given you the green light to begin letting your baby try solid purees it can be both an exciting and overwhelming time.

There's a lot of conflicting information on the web these days about when it's appropriate to begin feeding your baby solid foods and whether you should try baby-led weaning or purees. The most important thing to remember is that your baby is unique. It's best to make a decision that is right for your baby and your family.

If you do decide to follow the traditional route of feeding your baby purees, it's best to begin with thinly pureed vegetables and fruits. These are called stage 1 foods, and they're a great way to offer your baby new tastes and nutrients while teaching them the very early fundamentals of self-feeding.

As I mentioned earlier, I started off my daughter with purees (I did look at baby led weaning, but preferred to start with purees), then quickly transitioned to more textured foods.

How to Offer Homemade Baby Food?

My baby is now 8 months and I have been using the Instant Pot to make baby food. We started by introducing one new food at a time, making sure there are no allergies, then zing a new food every 2 days.

The biggest thing to remember when starting your baby on new foods is that you'll need to start slowly. Not only does this give your baby a chance to learn without overwhelming, but it also helps to identify potential allergens so that you can avoid those foods in the future and come up with an appropriate action plan in case your child would come into contact with those foods in the future.

To start offering your baby new homemade baby foods stage 1, start with one single puree at a time, waiting a minimum of 24-48 hours before trying a new puree. Keep an eye on your baby's skin to identify potential rashes, hives, or other changes that could indicate an allergy. Additionally, it's helpful to notice any changes in your baby's breathing or swelling inside his or her mouth.

When in doubt, contact your pediatrician if you are unsure of whether you're seeing something that could indicate a food allergy.

What kind of veggies and fruits can you include for Stage 1 Baby Food?

There are lots of options to start with when making stage 1 baby food recipes in the Instant Pot. Here are some ideas:

carrot
squash
peas
sweet potato
apple
pear
green beans
broccoli
zucchini
beets
peaches

How to Use the Instant Pot to Make Baby Food

Dice your choice of fruits and veggies into small, uniform pieces.
Pour 1 cup water into your Instant Pot's steel insert, then place a low trivet in the bottom. Place 4 ramekins (or other oven safe bowls) filled with the diced fruits & veggies on the trivet.

If there is space, repeat with a second layer of ramekins. You can also add a separating steamer basket between the 2 layers. Close the lid and set the vent to the sealing position. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. When the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally.

Remove the bowls with fruits & veggies carefully. Puree each ramekin separately to the desired consistency, then store as directed.

What bowls can I use in the Instant Pot?

It is recommended to use oven-safe bowls such as these ramekins in the instant pot for pot-in-pot cooking as shown above. I also like to use small steel bowls for cooking in the instant pot.

Learn more about the instant pot pot-in-pot method with this comprehensive guide!

Tips for Pureeing Baby Food

Some purees are thicker and some thin depending on the water content of the fruit or vegetable. For example, sweet potatoes will render a much thicker puree while pureed zucchini is much thinner and more watery.
It is best to add the least amount of water needed when pureeing so that you can add breastmilk or formula or water when serving as needed.
Use a Baby Bullet, small blender, or food processor to blend the veggies and fruits.

Storing Baby Food

You can store your homemade Instant Pot Baby Food in the fridge or freezer. Follow these guidelines for storing baby food safely:

In the fridge: Baby food should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container with a lid. I like to use small glass containers with lids for individual portions. It's easy to see what's inside each container and I can quickly grab a portion of baby food out of the fridge when I'm in a hurry.
In the freezer: Spoon purees into ice cube trays, then cover and freeze for at least 24 hours. When the baby food is frozen, pop the cubes out of your ice tray and place them into zip lock baggies labeled with the type of food and the date the food was cooked. Frozen baby food will stay fresh for up to 3 months.

Homemade Instant Pot Baby Food Blends

You can also play with blending two or more flavors of purees to mix up your baby's meals. Here are some flavor pairings that go well together:

Apple & carrot or butternut squash
Squash and peas or green beans
Pear & zucchini or apple & zucchini
Sweet potato & apple
Beets and butternut squash

Again, you can always add breast milk or formula to your homemade baby food purees for added liquid, fat, and nutrients. You can also add a small amount of unsalted butter to starchy foods like sweet potato & white potato for a little added flavor & fat.

Other Homemade Instant Pot Baby Food Recipes to Try

After working your way through the list above, you can start to play around with different blends, flavors, and textures.

To add a little excitement to your baby's pureed apples, try my 4-ingredient Instant Pot Applesauce recipe.

You can also do potatoes as long as they are boiled to soft, then mashed or whipped with enough liquid to make them smooth. Check out my tutorial for boiling potatoes in the Instant Pot, and try adding a little breast milk or formula to get a smooth consistency.

Tip for making potato baby food: Keep in mind that you should be careful not to over-process your boiled potatoes, or they will turn into a glue-like paste. I recommend mashing them by hand or with an electric hand mixer rather than placing them in a blender or food processor.

Another great option is lentils, but be sure to puree them first before feeding them to your baby. He or she might not be ready for whole lentils even if they are cooked super soft.

Finally, you can also feed your baby pureed soups as long as they are not spicy.

What to Avoid When Making Baby Food in Instant Pot

While it might be tempting to season your baby's food, especially when making purees, it's best to wait until your baby is a little older before introducing any additives other than breast milk, formula, or a little added butter during cooking.

Remember that babies have sensitive tummies and their digestive systems may not be ready to handle things like chili and other spicy substances. Skip the salt & pepper too - they're unnecessary during infancy.

It is also best to avoid sugar and especially honey, as it can cause serious food borne illness in babies under 1 year of age.

How to thaw and reheat frozen baby food?

Take out as many cubes of food that the baby will eat within 1-2 days (do not refreeze thawed food). Thaw then in an airtight container (I prefer glass containers) and let them thaw in the refrigerator.

You can also microwave the food in the container or transfer to a small pan to warm on the stovetop. Make sure to stir the food well and check that the temperature is right before serving to the baby.

Hope you enjoy the benefits of making baby food in your instant pot!

Tried this recipe?Give a rating by clicking the ★ below

Instant Pot Baby Food

Meeta Arora

4.88 from 16 votes

Servings: 10

Calories: 26

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Method: Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker
Ramekins

▢ ½ cup Carrot peeled and diced
▢ ½ cup Squash
▢ ½ cup Green peas frozen
▢ ½ cup Sweet potato peeled and diced
▢ ½ cup Apple diced (you can leave the peel on or remove it)
▢ ½ cup Pear diced (you can leave the peel on or remove it)
▢ ½ cup Green beans trimmed and diced
▢ ½ cup Broccoli diced
▢ ½ cup Zucchini chopped
▢ ½ cup Beets peeled and diced

Pour 1 cup water in the instant pot steel insert. Place a low trivet in the bottom.
Place 3-4 ramekins (or other oven safe bowls) filled with the diced fruits & veggies on the trivet.
If there is space, you can repeat with a second layer of trivets. You can also add a separating steamer basket between the 2 layers.
Close the lid with the vent in sealing position. Press the manual or pressure cook mode on high pressure for 5 minutes. When the Instant Pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally.
Remove the bowls with fruits/veggies carefully. Puree each food separately to your desired consistency, then refrigerate or freeze.

Tips for Pureeing Baby Food

Some purees are thicker and some thin depending on the water content of the fruit or vegetable. For example, sweet potatoes will render a much thicker puree while pureed zucchini is much thinner and more watery.
It is best to add the least amount of water needed when pureeing so that you can add breastmilk or formula or water when serving as needed.
Use a Baby Bullet, small blender, or food processor to blend the veggies and fruits.

Storing Your Homemade Instant Pot Baby Food

In the fridge: Baby food should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container with a lid. I like to use small glass containers with lids for individual portions. It's easy to see what's inside each container and I can quickly grab a portion of baby food out of the fridge when I'm in a hurry.
In the freezer: Spoon purees into ice cube trays, then cover and freeze for at least 24 hours. When the baby food is frozen, pop the cubes out of your ice tray and place them into zip lock baggies labeled with the type of food and the date the food was cooked. Frozen baby food will stay fresh for up to 3 months.

Note: Nutrition facts are for 1 cup of carrots only.

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Calories: 26kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 44mgPotassium: 205mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 10692IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 1mg

Keyword baby food instant pot recipes, instant pot baby food

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15 Instant Porridge Recipe for babies

Published: December 6, 2014 | Last Updated on: June 10, 2022 | by Dr Hemapriya

How to prepare the Instant Porridge ?

Instant Food Mix Recipes

If your baby has recently started on solids, you might also be wondering what kind of feeding chair is best for your baby. Check out our detailed post – High Chair Vs Booster Seat: Your Ultimate Guide to Buying a Feeding Chair.

Buy Healthy Nutritious Baby, Toddler food made by our own Doctor Mom !

This Instant Porridge Food Recipe for babies and infants is the first post of the Travel Series. The main concern of many moms while travelling is

” How to feed their babies quality homemade food?”

Here are some ideas which will help you to carry food for your baby without hassle of carrying too many containers of food items.

Although almost all the recipes look similar, they aren’t so, please carefully read the measurements and make the powders, as a slight difference may affect the taste and shelf life of the powders.

Proportion of the contents

The proportion of cereal and pulse can range from 2:1 to 3:1.

Roasted groundnuts or gingelly seeds could also be added in the proportion 4:1 or 5:1.

Take about 4 Table spoons (according to your requirement, this is a sample measurement) of mix.
Add 100 ml of boiled hot water to get a thick consistency.
Add a tea spoon of oil or ghee to increase the energy content.
Feed the infant with the spoon.
The instant porridge can also be fed to the child after reconstituting with dal, water, gravy, milk etc.
Mashed fruit (Banana, Chiku, Papaya, Mango, etc.could also be added to the food).

The powders have a shelf life of 6 months if preserved in an airtight container.

No time to prepare this powder at home? Don’t worry, we prepare it hygienically and ship it to your doorstep with Free Shipping

Buy Now

I know you would be having lots of doubts and queries, quote them as comments below each recipe so that the answers will be useful for all the readers.

For other posts in this series, click this link Travel with Kids

This post is part of our Travel Series. Do check it out for more articles and tips for traveling with kids, instant recipes for babies and toddlers, Homemade travel food ideas, Tips to entertain toddlers while traveling, kid-friendly travel destinations, Kids travel accessories, Kids travel checklist, Road trip with kids and much more.

Recipe Source – Food and Nutrition Board, Ministry of Women and Child Development.

Buy Healthy Nutritious Baby, Toddler food made by our own Doctor Mom !

Shop now!

Can children be given instant noodles? Is it harmful to feed a child with fast food? It is worth pouring boiling water over them, as literally in 3-5 minutes the "lunch" is ready.

Packets with quick meals will undoubtedly come in handy for an inexperienced housewife, who still has only scrambled eggs as her signature dish. And for women who come home from work late, instant mashed potatoes, noodles and other domestic and imported side dishes are quite suitable. Manufacturers by any means try to attract the attention of the buyer with various useful additives. Almost all fast food dishes are enriched with vitamins (for example, vitamin C, which is also used as a preservative) and minerals (in particular, phosphorus and calcium carbonate), in some of them ordinary salt is replaced with iodized salt.

The range of "quick" side dishes can please even the fussy: on the shelves there are several types of mashed potatoes, rice, buckwheat, noodles and even corn in various combinations with vegetables, mushrooms, cheese and herbs. Their main components are pre-steamed, so they cook much faster than usual. Rice, in addition, is packaged in special bags for cooking.

"First" dishes also abound: soups, soluble in cups, in plastic glasses, trays, and numerous chicken, beef, pork, mushroom and vegetable bouillon cubes. Many housewives have found another use for them: they dissolve dumplings, potatoes and vermicelli in water and boil them, add, instead of salt and spices, to vegetable stew, stewed potatoes with meat, pasta "navy".

Advertisements for fast food almost always feature children. But this does not mean at all that "soups in a glass" can be included in the diet of a child, especially a preschooler, even if he has been transferred to the "common table" for several years. When buying a particular product based on a baby, parents, first of all, should study the packaging in search of the phrase "Recommended (or" Allowed ") for children's nutrition." Otherwise, you can stress the fragile stomach of the child.

The Research Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences is categorically against the introduction of such instant products into the diet of babies. After all, they contain salt, in quantities far exceeding children's norms, citric acid, which is not recommended for young children, as well as spices and seasonings (black pepper, turmeric, onion and garlic extracts) that can irritate the gastric mucosa of a child who is not used to acute food. In addition, such products contain anti-caking agents, flavoring additives, odor and taste enhancers, hydrogenated vegetable fats, extracts of various animal fats, as well as antioxidants, emulsifiers, stabilizers and dyes. Agree, you can’t call them natural products. But they are not contraindicated for healthy adults.

In addition, the baby can cook tasty and soon without any bags. For example, semolina porridge in milk is cooked for no more than five minutes. Two potatoes are easy to peel and finely chop while the water boils - and ten minutes later the child has natural mashed potatoes in a bowl. A light vegetable soup (potato, half a carrot, a handful of cereals and a piece of butter) will take you away from work for thirty minutes instead of five, but you will be sure that you have not "planted" your baby's stomach. In extreme cases (everything happens in life), give the baby a banana: you just need to wash it.

One can, of course, understand "promo moms" exclaiming "How fast!" But the fact that advertising "dads" "So tasty!", To be honest, is hard to believe. After all, all these cubes, bags and cups are more like bachelor's food. A family man will prefer soup that is both thicker and more indulgent. And a loving wife will cook this for him. And, if she is also a good mother, then a lot of time will also be devoted to the full nutrition of the priceless little one.

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12/06/2001

Updated on 08/02/2021

What to cook for children, menu from 1 to 7 years old: 350 recipes with photos

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Here you will find many suitable recipes for children to prepare for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Read more

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