Learn how to make homemade Baby Food Pouches, no muss, no fuss, with these 15 easy recipe ideas. These are a great way to save money, share lots of flavors with babies and toddlers, and have convenient foods ready to go!
Baby Food Pouches
I always made my own baby food pouches because I like how affordable they are and how once you have a set of reusable pouches, there are so many options! Plus, you can feed many things you’re making for the rest of the family in a pouch, which means you can share flavors with the little ones even if they aren’t quite up to finger foods yet.
I view baby food pouches as one component of feeding a baby and like to mix purees with baby led weaning as a way to expose baby to a wide variety of flavors and textures from an early age. And store bought pouches, whether made with organic ingredients or conventional, can add in more convenience during busy phases.
I also find them very convenient for offering smoothies well into the toddler years!
Your toddler won’t eat? Help is here!
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Ingredients in You Need
What you need for your homemade baby food pouch will depend on what you want to feed your baby, but generally it will include:
- Pureed baby food (sweet or savory), baby oatmeal or rice cereal, or other food with a smooth texture
- Optional: Beneficial fats such as olive oil, hemp seeds, nut or seed butter, or whole milk yogurt.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a preview of how to make a baby food pouch so you know what to expect from the process. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for recipe ideas and best tips, including the amounts and the timing.
- Choose your baby food puree and prepare it. Let it cool as needed. (Or pull out the yogurt or applesauce.)
- Fill the pouch, making sure that the cap is on if using the kind with the zipper opening on the bottom. (Otherwise it will all run right out the top!)
- Store in the fridge or serve to baby.
TIP: As a quick an easy snack option, I like to mix half yogurt and half applesauce right in the pouch.
What can I put into a baby food pouch?
You just need the food to be smooth enough that it easily passes through the opening of the pouch, so anything that’s pureed or the consistency of pureed soup or yogurt will work. Generally speaking you can do:
- Applesauce
- Fruit purees
- Vegetable purees such as beet, carrot, sweet potato, organic peas or conventional peas,
- Baby Food Combinations
- Pureed meats
- Pureed soups
- Smoothies
- Yogurt
My full list of Baby Food Recipes and Shortcut Toddler Meals may help, too.
Flavor Ideas for Baby Food Pouches
These are some of my favorite recipe ideas to add to a pouch.
- Applesauce
- Apple Flax Yogurt: Equal parts Apple Puree and plain yogurt, plus a sprinkle of ground flax.
- Baby Oatmeal with Applesauce mixed in for flavor.
- Banana Yogurt
- Pear Coconut Puree: Pear Puree with full-fat coconut milk mixed in.
- Pear Yogurt: Equal parts Pear Puree and plain yogurt.
- Red Lentil Coconut Soup
- Sweet Potato Tomato Soup
- Mango Smoothie
- Mashed Butternut Squash
- Mashed Roasted Sweet Potato
- Spinach-Pea Puree (alone or with Applesauce)
- Simple Green Smoothie
- Strawberry Smoothie
- Veggie Chili, pureed smooth
TIP: For the foods, like soup, that you’d usually serve warm, you can serve them warm in a pouch too. Just be sure they are warm and not hot. Test on your wrist like you would a baby bottle.
How long can I store baby food pouches?
I recommend making them 24 hours ahead or less so they are as fresh as possible. But you can make batches of purees and stash them in the freezer, so the pouch assembly part is quick and easy.
Do I need a baby food pouch maker?
Honestly? No. I tried one and didn’t like it because it took up space in my cabinets and the pouches themselves weren’t reusable, which seemed like a waste and a lot of money. Using reusable pouches is easy and more affordable.
It can help to have a small baby food maker though, since they are designed to make small portions of baby food.
Best Reusable Pouches
I prefer the silicone Squeasy Gear pouch, which comes in a few sizes (I start with the 3.5 ounce size for babies). It’s easy to learn from as early as 6 or 7 months and the kids can use them for smoothies and applesauce well through toddlerhood as they are very durable. You may want to remove the lid when serving to kids so they don’t play with it.
I also like this set of 3.4 ounce Weesprouts reusable pouches a lot, which are a nice size for babies (there is a larger size too!) and they are easy to clean and use.
Favorite Store-bought Baby Food
There are so many great store bought options for busy parents. I like the Amara Organic Baby Food (paid affiliate link), which locks in the nutrients, texture, and taste of fresh foods. You just add breastmilk, formula, or water— and the flavors are delicious with straight forward ingredients.
I also like Happy Family Organics Clearly Crafted and Plum Organics. Those are just a few options—there is a lot to choose from as you well know from the baby food aisle!
TIP: I recommend serving pouches occasionally along with regular solids from a spoon and baby led weaning style so baby has a chance to learn how to suck, swallow, move all sorts of textures around in their mouths, and gain the skills needed to be ready for finger foods around 9 months.
How to Store
Store pre-made pouches in the fridge for up to 5 days. (So helpful for convenince and to reduce mom guilt to have those ready and waiting for the kiddo.) Store leftover pouches in the fridge for up to 24 hours and serve again. You can also freeze pouches for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature.
Best Tips for Success
- If using puree pouches with a zipper bottom, like this one from Wee Sprout, avoid overfilling to prevent difficulty sealing the pouch. A small funnel may help.
- Be sure the mixture is totally smooth to avoid it becoming stuck in the opening of the pouch.
- Add ½ teaspoon hemp seeds to any mixture for extra fats to help balance the food.
- Add 2 tablespoons full fat coconut cream or plain yogurt to the mashed sweet potato or squash for beneficial fats.
- Try any other Baby Food Combination or my No-Cook Baby Foods in a pouch. We love my Carrot Baby Food and Sweet Potato Baby Food.
- Serve foods you’d usually serve warm (like soups) just warm, not hot. Test on your wrist to be sure the temperature is not hot.
- Combine pouches with baby led weaning foods for a wide range of texture exposure and new flavors after baby starts solids around 4-6 months.
- Add grains such as oats, rice, or other single ingredient foods to the pouches for more variety.
- Find my complete guide to starting solids and softer finger foods.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear your feedback if you try these ideas out, so please comment below to share—I love hearing from you guys!
Best Baby Food Pouches (Easy and Homemade)
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces Apple Puree
- 1½ ounces plain whole milk yogurt (regular or Greek)
- ½ ground flaxseeds (or hemp seeds)
Instructions
- Add the ingredients to a small bowl. Stir to combine well.
- Add to the pouch, avoiding overfilling. If using a zip bottom style of pouch, be sure the cap is on to prevent the puree from coming out.
- Serve or store for up to 5 days. (If storing leftovers in a pouch, store in the fridge and serve within 24 hours.)
Video
Notes
- If using a pouch with a zipper bottom, like this one from Wee Sprout, avoid overfilling to prevent difficulty sealing the pouch.
- Pouch flavor ideas:
- Be sure the mixture is totally smooth to avoid it becoming stuck in the opening of the pouch.
- Add ½ teaspoon hemp seeds or 2 tablespoons full fat coconut cream or plain yogurt to any mixture for extra healthy fats.
- Try any other Baby Food Combination or my No-Cook Baby Foods in a pouch.
- Serve foods you’d usually serve warm (like soups) just warm, not hot. Test on your wrist to be sure the temperature is not hot.
- Omit any added salt or sweeteners as needed.
- Combine pouches with baby led weaning foods for a wide range of texture exposure.
- Store leftover pouches in the fridge for up to 24 hours and serve again.
This is super helpful, thank you!! I’m starting to send pouches with my one year old to daycare for snacks. He’s already eating lots of solid foods so these are just supplemental but he doesn’t know how to eat from the pouch! Any tips on getting him to suck from the top of it? At this point he waits for me to squeeze it into his mouth.
You can do some sessions allowing him to explore the pouch—so give him one and you can either model how to do it right in front of him or squeeze out a little before you hand it over so he’s encouraged to try to get the food himself. It may just take a few tries for him to master it.
Helpful ideas, thanks