Mom and toddler eating veggie smiling

Jarred Baby Foods – for the whole family

October 9, 2024 Recipes

Do you have extra jars of baby food that you’re not sure what to do with? Try using them in recipes for the whole family! Jarred baby foods can be an easy way to add flavor and nutrients to many of your favorite dishes.

Read on for creative ways to use up extra jars of baby food.

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Fruits

Jarred Fruits & Vegetables

Can be poured into ice cube trays and frozen as popsicles.
Jarred Fruits and Vegetables

Replace some of the fat or liquid in recipes for muffins, pancakes, or bread with jarred baby food purees.

Add more flavor and thicken sauces and soups by adding in jarred vegetables like sweet potato or butternut squash.

Blend jarred vegetable purees with Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and herbs to create a flavorful salad dressing or dip.

Add jarred fruits to infant cereal or regular oatmeal for added flavor and nutrition.

Use jarred fruits instead of jelly or jam on toast.

Cereals

Jarred Cereals

Mix with mashed bananas, eggs, and a bit of milk to create a pancake batter.

Add into soups or stews to thicken and for extra nutrients.

Dip chicken or fish into beaten eggs, then coat in jarred baby cereal to use as a breading before baking or frying.

Layer with yogurt and fresh fruits to create a breakfast or dessert parfait.

Jarred Cereals
Meats

Jarred Meats

Add into recipes for meatballs, meatloaf, or pasta sauces for a boost of protein and flavor.

Jarred Baby Food Recipes

Teething Biscuits

Great for 6 to 8-month-olds!

  • 1 cup flour (for biscuit mix)
  • ¼ cup flour (for counter surface)
  • 1 cup baby cereal (rice or oatmeal)
  • 1 jar vegetable or fruit baby food
  • ½ cup ice water
  • 3 tablespoons melted butter or cooking oil

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425° F degrees.
  • Mix together 1 cup flour, baby cereal, and jarred baby food.
  • Slowly stir in the oil or butter.
  • Mix in ¼ cup ice water until dough begins to form into a ball. Add a little more ice water if dough is too dry.
  • Sprinkle ¼ cup flour onto the counter or firm surface.
  • Scoop 1-inch portions of dough onto the floured surface, flatten to the thickness of a cracker, then place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
  • Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool all the way before offering or eating.
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Cereal Pancakes

Makes about twelve, 4-inch pancakes.
  • 1 cup flour
  • ½ cup baby cereal (rice or oatmeal)
  • 1 jar of baby food bananas (or any other fruit)
  • 1 Tablespoon melted margarine or butter
  • 3 egg yolks (the yellow part of the egg)
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
  • 1 cup water or apple juice

Instructions

  • In a bowl, mix together all ingredients except the water/juice.
  • Slowly add the water/juice to make a batter.
  • Lightly oil a skillet or frying pan, then heat over medium on the stove.
  • When skillet is hot, carefully pour about ¼ cup of the batter into the skillet.
  • Once the pancake starts to cook and form little bubbles, flip the pancake over with a spatula to cook the other side, about 2-3 minutes.
  • Allow pancake to cool before offering or eating. If your skillet is big enough, you can make more than one pancake at a time.
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Apple Rice Pudding

Extra easy!
  • 1 cup prepared infant rice cereal
  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 2 jars baby food apples (or any other fruit)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, combine the rice cereal and jarred apples.
  • Stir in the cinnamon and yogurt, mixing well.
  • Spoon the pudding into dishes and serve.

Baby Food Meatballs

Remember to always wash your hands and kitchen surfaces before and after working with raw meat.
  • 1 ¼ pound lean ground beef, turkey, or chicken
  • ½ cup baby cereal (rice or oatmeal)
  • 1 cup of shredded white cheddar or mozzarella cheese
  • 1 jar of baby food vegetables
  • 1 egg beaten
  • Pinch of spice such as pepper, garlic powder, and oregano

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400° F.
  • In a bowl, mix together baby cereal and jarred vegetables until smooth.
  • Add remaining ingredients to bowl and mix until well combined.
  • Scoop out small portions of the meatball mixture to form balls the size of small eggs or ping-pong balls.
  • Place the meatballs on a baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes, until brown and cooked through (to 165° F if using chicken or turkey, or 145° F if using beef).
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Sweet Potato Puffs

Perfect for fall!
  • ½ cup rice cereal, single grain
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 jar of baby food sweet potato
  • 1 jar of baby food apples
  • 1 tablespoon butter, unsalted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350° F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.
  • Pour batter into a plastic zip-top bag.
  • Cut a tiny tip off of one bottom corner of the bag, then squeeze small dots of the batter from the corner hole onto the lined cookie sheet
  • Bake at 350° F for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 250° F and bake 20 minutes more.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool. Pick up the parchment paper to loosen the puffs and pour into a glass storage container. Repeat steps 6-8 until you’ve used up all the batter.
  • Be sure the puffs are completely cooled before offering, eating, or storing in a zip seal bag or covered container.
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Recipes adapted from Arizona WIC:
https://www.azdhs.gov/documents/prevention/azwic/agencies/nutrition-education/using-baby-food-in-recipes.pdf

and Minnesota WIC:
https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/wic/recipes/infantfoods.html

REFERENCES:

https://www.maricopa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/94037/Maricopa-WIC-Cookbook—English?bidId=

https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/wic/recipes/infantfoods.html

Feeding a 6-7 Month Old

Feed solids with a spoon and from a bowl, never from a bottle.

Feeding a 10-12 Month Old

Breast milk is the most important source of nutrition for your baby, even after you start offering solid foods.

Feeding a 8-9 Month Old

Feed solids with a spoon. Never put cereal in a bottle.

Tips

Mom new born home

Breast milk and formula feeding:

Around 2-3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months of age, babies may experience a growth spurt when they feed more often.

As they grow babies can hold more milk, so feedings may become further apart and take less time.

To prevent choking, always hold your baby when feeding. Never prop up a bottle to feed.

Start offering whole milk when your baby is one year old.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and that breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months and beyond.

feeding solid foods

Feeding solid foods:

Wait to offer solid foods until your baby:

  • Can sit up and hold up their own head.
  • Opens their mouth when they see food.
  • Can close their lips around a spoon.

To prevent choking, always hold your baby when feeding. Never prop up a bottle to feed.

Try one new food at a time. Wait 5 days before trying another new food to watch for allergies. Food allergies may include wheezing, rash, or diarrhea.

Introduce peanut butter around 6 months. Spread a small, thin smear of peanut butter or nut butter thinly on a cracker.  Watch your baby for any reaction for the next 2 hours.

Babies under one year should NOT have honey due to the risk of botulism. Also, babies should not have foods that can cause choking like nuts or whole grapes.

All babies are different. Talk with WIC or your baby’s healthcare provider about your baby’s needs.

Feeding Cues

Feeding a 4-5 Month Old

Before teeth come in, wipe gums with a soft, clean wash cloth after each feeding, especially before bed.

Feeding a 0-3 Month Old

Newborns have tiny tummies and need to be fed often. In the first few weeks, you may need to wake your baby to feed if they sleep longer than 4 hours.

Growth Spurts

Many babies are fussy during a growth spurt and will want to nurse longer and more often. This is called cluster feeding. This is your baby’s way of helping you increase your milk supply so that you can keep up with their needs. Remember, the more your baby nurses, the more milk your body makes.

Growth spurts can happen at any time, and every baby is different.

They often happen at these ages:

two-three-weeks

2 to 3 Weeks

6 Weeks

three-months

3 Months

six-months

6 Months

What foods can I get?

Authorized Food List
Authorized Food List

Where can I shop?