Homemade baby food pouches {how-to and 5 recipes}

Name: Homemade baby food pouches
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 3 pouches for each combination
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 apple, core removed and roughly chopped; 1/2 cup cooked brown rice; 1 cup packed fresh spinach leaves (raw); Juice of 1/2 lemon; 1 cup cut pineapple (thawed if frozen); 2/3 cup cooked broccoli florets; 1 ripe mango, peeled, seed removed and roughly chopped; 1/2 cup cooked sweet potato; 1/2 cup cooked quinoa; Juice of 1/2 lemon; 1 ripe banana; 1/2 cup cooked barley; 1/2 cooked chopped zucchini; Juice of 1/2 lemon; 1 ripe pear; 1/2 cup cooked peas; 1 cup raw spinach; Juice of 1/2 lemon

May 13, 2016 By Kathryn Doherty

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Portable, squeezable and with lots of flavor options, homemade baby food pouches are easy to make and a great way to serve healthy fruits, vegetables and whole grains to your little ones!

I made ALL of the baby food for both of my little ones. Which was no small feat because they were very hearty eaters. A good thing, but whew, kept me busy in the kitchen!

I always made big batches of purees, to knock out a bunch at a time, and inevitably, I’d be left with extras when they were moving onto finger foods and self-feeding.

So I started turning those purees into homemade baby food pouches.

(I also have tons of other ideas of ways to use leftover baby food – I didn’t want to waste a bit!)

You can of course buy squeeze pouches in the store.

They have lots of different kinds of applesauce mixes, yogurt squeezies, and fruit and veggie combinations.

But you can make your own so quickly, easily and for much less money. Plus, you can customize them to your little one’s liking and feel good that you’re controlling the ingredients.

My kids are older now – M is 5 next week (yikes!) and J is coming up on 3 – but they still love these squeezies. M says she has lots of friends who bring them for lunch, so she’s always asking for me to send them to school.

And I’m happy to.

I love that it’s an easy way to ensure they are eating their veggies. They will take down one of these pouches in a matter of minutes but they don’t always dig into a big bowl of peas or a plate full of broccoli. #yet #Iwontgiveup

So today I’m giving you the run-down on what I use, how it works and five easy homemade squeezie combinations to get you started.

Equipment for baby food pouches

I have the Infantino Squeeze Station and it’s been great. It’s the only specific baby food equipment I’ve bought and was definitely worth it.

You’ll also need to buy refill pouches (they come in batches of 50 and you will go through them!)

They have other accessories, but I’ve stuck to these basics so far.

You’ll also need an immersion/hand blender or regular blender to make the purees to put into the squeeze pouches.

How to make baby food squeeze pouches

You set up the squeeze station by inserting three pouches into the bottom (they fit through some grooves and sort of snap in.) Then you put the empty containers on top and screw them onto the bags.

Note: Be sure to write the contents and date on your bags before you start to fill them. Much easier than after they’re done.

Next, you spoon your puree mix into each container, filling it almost to the top. You use the press tool and push the puree down into the pouch. It’s a weirdly gratifying feeling.

If the mixture gets stuck or won’t push, you probably have a small chunk in your puree that got caught in the hole. Just unscrew your tube, dump the contents back into your blender and reblend (or pick out the offending piece if you see it).

After the bags are filled, unscrew the tubes and carefully pull the bags out. Twist on the orange top and voila!

You can keep them in the fridge for a couple of days or pop them straight into the freezer to have on hand later.

It’s really easy and actually, really fun!

Notes about baby food pouch combinations:

Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice to all of these to help preserve them. The only exception is the pineapple-broccoli mixture. The citrus from the pineapple is enough on its own.
You can keep the peels on the pears and apples, just be sure to puree them very well so pieces don’t get stuck and prevent the mixture from going into the squeezie bags.
The vegetables and grains need to be cooked and soft, so plan ahead. Or use leftovers. These can be a great way to use up scraps and reduce food waste.
If any of your mixtures seem too thick (because the water content of fruits and veggies can vary), just add a bit of applesauce or a splash of water to the blender until its thin enough.
Each pouch holds about 4 ounces. Most of these batches for me make about 3 squeezies worth. You can of course always double up if you want to knock out a bunch. They freeze great, so you might as well!

Check out the recipes below and get to making some baby food pouches. I hope your little one enjoys!

(And let me know if you want to see another round-up like this – we have lots of other flavor combinations we’ve made over the years that I can share!)

XO,

Kathryn

Yield: 3 pouches for each combination

Homemade baby food pouches

Portable, squeezable and with lots of flavor options, homemade baby food pouches are a great way to serve healthy fruits, vegetables and grains to your little ones!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the apple-brown rice-spinach pouches:

1 apple, core removed and roughly chopped
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup packed fresh spinach leaves (raw)
Juice of 1/2 lemon

For the pineapple-broccoli pouches:

1 cup cut pineapple (thawed if frozen)
2/3 cup cooked broccoli florets

For the mango-sweet potato-quinoa pouches:

1 ripe mango, peeled, seed removed and roughly chopped
1/2 cup cooked sweet potato
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
Juice of 1/2 lemon

For the banana-barley-zucchini pouches:

1 ripe banana
1/2 cup cooked barley
1/2 cooked chopped zucchini
Juice of 1/2 lemon

For the pear-peas-spinach pouches:

1 ripe pear
1/2 cup cooked peas
1 cup raw spinach
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Instructions

Make sure all of your grains and veggies are cooked, if indicated.
Combine all ingredients for each pouch combination in a blender or immersion blender and blend until it’s a smooth, pourable consistency. (See notes.)
Label your bags, set up your station and add the mixture to the squeeze station containers, filled to the indicated line. Push down with the press tool and fill each bag. Remove the bags from the station and twist on the tops.
Store pouches in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To defrost, simply move the pouch to the refrigerator - it thaws in less than a day.

Notes

Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice to all of these to help preserve them. The only exception is the pineapple-broccoli mixture. The citrus from the pineapple is enough on its own.

You can keep the peels on the pears and apples, just be sure to puree them very well so pieces don’t get stuck and prevent the mixture from going into the squeezie bags.

The vegetables and grains need to be cooked and soft, so plan ahead. Or use leftovers. These can be a great way to use up scraps and reduce food waste.

If any of your mixtures seem too thick (because the water content of fruits and veggies can vary), just add a bit of applesauce or a splash of water to the blender until it's thin enough.

Each pouch holds about 4 ounces. Most of these batches for me make about 3 squeezies worth. You can of course always double up if you want to knock out a bunch. They freeze great, so you might as well!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1 pouch
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 50

The different varieties will yield different nutrition information.

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