Using vitamix for baby food

How to Make Homemade Baby Food in a Power Blender

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Most homemade baby food in a blender only requires 2 ingredients.

Choose the first ingredient (the flavor) and add to blender: carrots, peas, pears, etc. If the ingredient is a vegetable, it must be steamed prior to blending.
Add the second ingredient to blender: water, formula, or breast milk. Where the recipe calls for water, a formula/water mixture may be substituted. (Do not add formula in powder form).
Blend until desired consistency is achieved.

Who knew that making your own fresh homemade baby food in a Vitamix or Blendtec blender could be so EASY?

Every parent wants to provide their baby with the best nutrition, so what better way than to make your own baby food.

It’s much easier on your wallet (even more so when comparing to organic baby food) AND you get to control what you put in your baby’s body.

You don’t have to be a gourmet chef or have tons of free time to do it either!

Let’s face it, life is busy, especially when you throw kids into the mix! With little prepping, let your high powered blender do the work for you!

Your healthy pureed baby food can last refrigerated for 3-4 days or up to 3 months in your freezer, saving you time during mealtimes since all you have to do is pull it out, thaw, and heat for your sweet little one!

Blender Babes recommends using organic fruits and vegetables when possible.

BABY FOOD IN A BLENDTEC:

Choose 2 cups of one or more ingredients and prepare accordingly. Place into the Blendtec container along with 1/4 cup (60 ml) water, formula or breast milk and secure lid.
For most puree foods, push the SPEED UP button until blender reaches speed 4. Allow the blender to run for 15 seconds and then press the PULSE or “X” button to stop. If mixture is too thick, remove the lid and add additional water, formula or breast milk, 1/4 cup (60 ml) at a time. Continue blending to achieve desired consistency.
Serve immediately or freeze excess baby food in ice cube trays.

BABY FOOD IN A VITAMIX:

Choose 2 cups of one or more ingredients and prepare accordingly. Place into the Vitamix container along with 1/4 cup (60 ml) water, formula or breast milk and secure lid.
Select Variable 1.
Turn machine on and slowly increase to variable 4. Increase speed as needed, depending on ingredients used, to achieve the desired consistency.
Blend for 20-30 seconds. If mixture is too thick, remove the lid plug and add additional water, formula or breast milk, 1/4 cup (60 ml) at a time through the lid plug opening. Continue blending to achieve desired consistency.
Serve immediately or freeze excess baby food in ice cube trays or baby food storage containers.

Tip from the Moms in our Blender Babes Tribe:

To get more nutrients, use the cooking water when blending, unless you are making pureed carrots.

If you are making carrots, do not reserve any left over water to use for thinning out the carrots if baby is under 8 months old as Nitrates may seep into the cooking water.

When making batches of baby food for freezing, only use freshly-expressed breast milk – never use frozen breast milk that has been thawed.

Please consult your child’s pediatrician for specific nutritional requirements and when to introduce solids.

Carrot Baby Food Recipe Tutorial Using a Vitamix!

Banana Baby Food Recipe Tutorial Using a Blendtec!

Note: The Blender Babes now wear activewear.

Some advice from a new mom

Last Updated June 19, 2020

Update May 7th, 2019: New video tutorials and demonstrations!

First one, a 90-second tutorial on making Vitamix baby food!

Second one, a long-form tutorial about mistakes we made while making Vitamix baby food:

Update April 10, 2018: We now have a baby of our own that’s the perfect age to feed baby food purees. Fun!

Here’s a clip of us on the local news talking about making baby food purees.

Video: Baby Food Blending on Local News

Original article from 2016

When the fiancée first pitched an article about baby food purees in a Vitamix, I just about puked. (I also considered inconsolably crying, flailing my limbs, and drooling).

But we were headed to Minnesota for a family weekend and my sister, Alana, was going to be there with her 7-month old son, Norman. Fine.

So I sat down with Alana and asked her some questions.

To my surprise, making baby food purees in a Vitamix (or any blender, for that matter) is actually a pretty awesome thing to do.

Here are a few highlights from the conversation. Afterwards, you’ll find three Vitamix recipes for baby food purees (good for adults, too, that need or prefer to eat their food with a spoon.)

Enter Alana: New mom and maker of her own baby food purees

Alana Matthew, 30, worked in sales at DirecTV for seven years. Now, she is a professional mom. Her parenting style is somewhere between thoroughly by-the-book and progressively perfectionist. Her son is Norman and was playing with (trying to “eat”) some plastic toy during our interview. Despite being my nephew, he is objectively a ridiculously cute baby.

LINY: You are my sister. We got you a Vitamix for your wedding. Besides supporting Life is NOYOKE and being a kind sister, why do you use a Vitamix to make baby food purees for your baby?

Alana: I didn’t know anything about baby food. So when I first picked up a package of baby food, I was surprised it had other things in it besides peas. There’s like lemon, something acid, or, you know, you can read the package… The things are not bad for you. But it’s not peas.

LINY: Preservatives and…

Alana: Yeah. It sits on the shelf. So what is in it? So, if I can give him just peas, then I would prefer to do so.

LINY: Good. It’s like I coached you to say that!

Alana: Yup. I also like it because you can introduce one food at a time. Then, you give it to him for three days to see if he’s allergic. And a lot of the foods that I had to store-buy yesterday (because we’re traveling) are a mix. So, like, mango and peach. But I would prefer to give him just peach. Here is a peach. Here’s what it tastes like and see if he’s allergic.

LINY: Less is more with smoothies, too.

Alana: And also there’s the convenience. The other night, we had so many leftover brussels sprouts. We weren’t going to eat them before they went bad. So I Vitamixed them and froze them for Norman. Instead of wasting them, I fed them to the disposal. *points to the baby*

LINY: So it sounds like it helps avoid waste. Is it actually convenient to use a Vitamix to make baby food?

Alana: Yes, but the cleanup is not. That’s not the Vitamix’s fault, though. That’s just serving homemade baby food in general.

LINY: How does baby food (in your Vitamix) compare to store bought from a price perspective?

Alana: Crazy. A jar, which is a serving, is a little over a dollar. And what is a bag of peas or a bunch of asparagus or brussels or beans?

LINY: Do you get frozen peas? Can you get fresh peas? Is that a thing?

Alana: I get frozen. But, everything else is fresh. And a bag of fresh beans costs like three dollars. And that made three ice cube trays worth. Which is like 14 servings.

LINY: So one pack of peas is worth like 15 bucks of what you’d buy in pre-made baby food.

Alana: It’s probably a dollar per serving versus 20 cents.

LINY: But do you think about that? Price?

Alana: Of course! Coming here this weekend, this was my first time having to buy baby food. And I was like, this is a dollar, per!?

LINY: Certainly you don’t always use your Vitamix to make all his baby food, right?

Alana: Right. There’s easy stuff. He loves banana. Avocado.

LINY: What do you blend up?

Alana: I’ve blended carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, beans, peas, brussels sprouts, asparagus, pears, and apples.

LINY: Not all together, right? Individually.

Alana: Yes. Individually.

LINY: When you do that, do figure out what the ratio should be? Do you add water?

Alana: I steam them. I steam everything before I blend except for the pears and the apples. We have a steamer. It catches the “sweat.” That has all the nutrients, so I put that back in the blend. The steam softens them, too. No water needed.

LINY: So you make the purees and put it into ice cube trays?

Alana: Yup. Then I freeze it overnight. In the morning, I pop them out and put them into big zip lock bags. My freezer bags have labels saying the date and what it is. The night before, I take out three meals and put them in the fridge. That way they’re defrosted for the next day.

LINY: So at Life is NOYOKE, we are 100% dairy free. But we are 100% supportive of breast milk for babies (and dare-prone brothers-in-law who are married to your twin sister). Have you ever made your baby a smoothie with breast milk?

Alana: No. But some people do popsicles. Boobsicles. Great for when they’re teething.

LINY: Our brother-in-law James would eat that.

Alana: But a smoothie? No. But the directions to make baby food say you can add water, formula, or breast milk.

LINY: Okay, back to topic. How much baby food do you make at once?

Alana: It depends on whatever I buy. For example, asparagus, I just buy a bunch.

LINY: Do you have to use your Vitamix’s tamper, or no?

Alana: Yes, sometimes. I did yesterday with the brussels. Because it can get stuck on the sides.

LINY: What advice would you give to mothers about making their own baby food?

Alana: (Speaking to Normie) You think that’s funny? … I think that in the beginning, and I’m still kind of dealing with this, is that I have this overwhelming feeling that I want him to try every single vegetable. And I have to give it to him for three days. But if you’re making homemade baby food purees, the amount of vegetables in the world is endless. But if you’re buying pre-made, there’s three: Peas, carrots, sweet potatoes. So, I try to remind myself that I don’t have to introduce him to every single one. He’ll try them in time.

LINY: Let him make his own mistakes, eh?

Alana: And, he likes pears. So I always have frozen pears in a bag.

LINY: Any other advice?

Alana: It’s a lot of dishes. Because my doctor recommends, basically, two things every meal. So a cereal and a vegetable. Or a cereal and a fruit. Or a fruit and a veggie. And so it’s two dishes right there.

LINY: What do doctors know about nutrition?

Alana: Nothing.

LINY: Thank you. I’m going to link to that article I wrote about Doctors knowing nothing about nutrition. Okay, go on.

Alana: Sometimes I use a baby-sized, cheap mixer we were given. Like for a single peach. “You like peaches, don’t you cause they’re yummy!”

LINY: I get that. If you had an S-Series (in-depth review), you’d really be a one-stop-shop-baby-food-puree-maker-lady.

Alana: So why didn’t you get us that one?

LINY: Because the Pro 750 (in-depth review) is better.

Alana: I think it’s time for a nap.

Other Noteworthy Versions

My Life on a Plate: Baby Food | Butternut Squash Puree
Do It On a Dime FAMILY: How to make baby food: BULK COOKING
MOMables: How to make baby food at home

Recipe

Yield: 15 servings, approximately
You're needed for: 10 minutes
Until it's done: 10 minutes
Lenny Gale

Baby food purees in a blender

Ingredients:

peas - one bag frozen
asparagus - one bunch, fresh
sweet potatoes - 3, peeled
pears - 3, cored
carrots - 3 large carrots
apples - 3, cored
beans - 3 cups
corn - 3 cups
squash - 3 cups

Instructions:

Pick one ingredient.
Peal and seed it.
Steam it.
Blend it.
Pour into an ice cube tray.
Store in freezer for up to three months.
Defrost overnight in refrigerator before serving.

NOTE: This “recipe” is adapted from this baby food puree instructional on the US Vitamix site.

Useful tips for Let’s Talk Baby Food Purees

Here’s a summary of tips for making baby food purees from the convo above:

Embrace the cost savings. They’re significant.
Steam, first. Use the “sweat” in the blend to maximize nutrients.
Use ice trays to freeze the baby food overnight.
Pop cubes into a plastic bag and label.
Pluck food from freezer for next day the night before.
Don’t worry about exposing baby to every food on the planet.
Enjoy the precious moments. It flies by.

What can be prepared for a child in a blender

August 6, 2014FoodHealth

Instead of buying expensive baby food, you can make fruit and vegetable purees at home using a regular blender. Here are five healthy vitamin mix recipes for kids.

Iya Zorina

Author of Lifehacker, athlete, CCM

When your child is 4-6 months old, he starts to pay attention not only to milk, but also to other food. After finishing his bottle of milk, the child may try to take something from your plate. If you've had this before, it's time to add some soft foods to your baby's diet. But before you go shopping for baby puree, try making it at home. Here are five healthy baby food recipes that can be made in minutes in a blender.

Store-bought infant formula contains more sugar and salt and less of the natural fibers that homemade formula would have.

In addition, shop mixes are sterilized, due to which vitamins and other useful substances are killed. And, of course, the price - homemade baby formula will cost you half the price.

So if you have a blender and a few minutes to spare, why not try making your own blend? Here are five recipes that are quite suitable for a child.

1. Apple puree

Apple puree

Ingredients:

water - 100 g;
3 medium red or yellow apples, peeled and cut into small cubes;
cinnamon - 1 pinch.

Combine the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for about 12 minutes until the apples are tender. After that, we send the mixture to a blender and make a puree.

During cooking, you can add as much water as needed. Serve the puree as is, or you can freeze it in ice cube trays and serve it on a hot day.

2. Raspberry-banana puree

Ingredients:

1 banana;
raspberries - 0.5 cup.

Place the ingredients in a blender and blend until desired consistency. The child will surely like the natural sweetness of the mixture, and not only him - not only children, but also adults can enjoy the fruit and berry smoothie. For example, you can add a vitamin sweet mix to ice cream or Greek yogurt.

3. Fiesta fruit breakfast

Fiesta Fruit Breakfast

Ingredients:

water - 75 g;
oatmeal - 1 tsp;
crushed raisins - 1 tsp;
small banana (mashed) - 0. 5 pcs.;
ground flaxseeds (prevent constipation) - 0.5 tsp.

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. After that, reduce the heat to a minimum and cover with a lid, cook for another 10 minutes. Pour the mixture into a blender and blend until desired consistency.

This puree is especially useful for preventing constipation. In addition, the mixture is rich in minerals and vitamins that strengthen the growing body. You can give it to older children, without first rubbing it in a blender.

4. Puree of chickpeas and vegetables

Puree of chickpeas and vegetables

Ingredients:

unsalted chicken broth - 1 cup;
milk (breast or baby food) - 0.25 cup;
chickpeas - 1 cup;
small onion (sliced) - 0.5 pcs.;
carrots (peeled and chopped) - 1 pc.;
celery (washed and chopped) - 1 sprig;
garlic (chopped) - 1 clove;
bay leaf - 1 pc.;
dried thyme - 1 pinch.

Combine all ingredients except milk and thyme in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, covered, until all ingredients are soft.

Drain the broth into a separate saucepan, remove and discard the bay leaf. Add milk and thyme and heat for five minutes.

Pour the mixture into a blender and add some of the remaining broth. The final consistency depends on the amount of broth. Blend in a blender until pureed.

5. Egg, vegetable and rice puree

Egg, vegetable and rice puree

Ingredients:

1-2 hard-boiled egg yolks;
brown rice (boiled) - 1 cup;
vegetables (boiled and chopped) - 0.25 cups.

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. If you don't want to use egg yolks, you can make the mixture without them.

In any case, before formulating formulas, check with your pediatrician about the foods you can and shouldn't give your baby.

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REPOSITORY OF UO "VGAVM"
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Date of production
Scientific notes of the educational institution "Vitebsk Order of the Badge of Honor" State Academy of Veterinary Medicine"	-
2016	On the issue of using quotation marks, uppercase and lowercase letters in drug names
2016	Productive and quality indicators in the production of semi-finished products from broiler chicken meat	Shulga, L. V.; Gaisenok, G. A.
2016	Organoleptic evaluation of meat of fattening young pigs of different genotypes for baby food products	Shamonina, AI; Khochenkov, A. A.; Khodosovsky, D. N.; Bezmen, V. A.; Shatskaya, A. N.; Petrushko, A. S.; Rudakovskaya, I. I.; Dzhumkova, M. V.
2016	The use of the biopreservative "Laktoflor-enzyme" for the preparation of corn silage	Sobolev, D. T.; Soboleva, V. F.
2016	The effect of the new generation adsorbent "Funginorm" on the morphological parameters of the blood of nursery piglets	Sadomov, N. A.; Borodulina, V. I.
2016	The effectiveness of the use of the probiotic feed additive "PROPIGplv" in the diets of sows	Pivtorak, Ya. I.; Bogdan, I. N.
2016	Influence of Vitamix Se and Metifen on the system of antioxidant defense of the body of bulls under nitrate-cadmium load	Nazaruk, N.V.; Guty, B. V.; Murskaya, S. D.; Gufriy, D. F.; Hariv, I. I.; Guta, Z. A.; Vishchur, V.Ya. Malyavko, V. A.
2016	Peasant farms of the Ternopil region - the main producers of milk	Lighter-Moskalyuk, S.V.; Kukhtin, N. D.; Perky, Yu. B.
2016	Milk productivity of cows of the Belarusian Black-and-White breed of various lines under the conditions of OAO Podyeltsy	V. Korobko; Petkevich, O. V.
2016	The effect of age and live weight on the milk productivity of cows of the Belarusian Black-and-White breed under different methods of keeping	Karpenya, S. L.; Shamich, Yu. V.; Annenkov, R. V.
2016	The efficiency of two-stage filtration in the purification of raw milk	Karpenya, M. M.; Portnaya, A. A.; Undercut, W. N.; Bazylev, D. V.; Karpenya, A. M.
2016	Feed yeast is an effective source of protein when growing rabbits for meat	Darmogray, L.M.; Shevchenko, M. E.
2016	Determination of the sorption activity of HamecoTox and Zeolite feed additives	Brezvin, O. M.; Guta, Z. A.
2016	Therapeutic and prophylactic efficacy of the drug "Clozan plus" in fascioliasis in cattle	Yatusevich, I. A.; Smagley, T. N.
2016	Dynamics of changes in the concentration of dicloxacillin in the blood of calves with a group aerosol method of administration	G. Shcherbakov; Yashin, A. V.; Kiselenko, P. S.; Kovalev, S. P.; Kulyakov, G. V.
2016	Etiology and effectiveness of treatment of dogs with bacterial otitis	Kholodny, V. V.; Golovko, V. A.; Severin, R. V.
2016	Preservation of viability of parasitic nematodes at low temperatures	Feshchenko, D. V.; Bakhur, T. I.; Zgozinskaya, O. A.
2016	Histochemical aspects of the distribution of the concentration of ascorbic acid in the adrenal gland and correction of morphological changes in it in broiler chickens with the use of a selenium-containing drug