16 Healthy Breakfast Recipe Ideas For Your Baby

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Adequate infant nutrition is important for ensuring proper growth and development. Since breakfast is the first meal of the day, it should be nutritious and filling. A balanced diet, with a combination of the food groups, including carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals, is important for nurturing a growing baby. Therefore, parents should ensure that the breakfast foods for babies are a perfect blend of nourishment and taste. Introducing fruits, vegetables, meats, grains, and millets can help you provide diverse tastes and nutrition to babies. However, coming up with new breakfast ideas every day may be challenging. Therefore, this post provides you with a list of healthy, wholesome, and easy-to-prepare breakfast recipes that your babies will enjoy. But, before that, let us understand the benefits of breakfast.

Why Is Breakfast Important?

Breakfast is crucial for babies for the same reason it is for adults. It provides calories for initiating the body’s metabolic processes. Even if your baby is fed in the middle of the night, his body would have surely depleted the resources by morning.

Data from the CDC National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) indicates a decline in breakfast consumption among children and adolescents as they age. The percentage drops significantly from 95.8% for children aged 2 to 5 years to 72.9% for adolescents aged 12 to 19. These findings emphasize the importance of establishing a regular breakfast routine and cultivating a positive attitude toward food in children from an early age.

Quick fact

Babies who eat their breakfast are more likely to meet their nutritional requirements. Introducing and establishing a breakfast routine early in life might help them form lasting healthy food habits (1).

16 Breakfast Recipes For Babies

These are some amazing breakfast ideas for your baby’s menu. Remember, breastmilk is the only food your baby must consume until the age of six months. Thereafter, you can introduce solid foods that can make great breakfast foods for babies. Many of these recipes use formula or breast milk. You can use expressed breast milk in the place of formula milk, or simply add water (as you will subsequently read in the recipes). All these breakfast recipes are for babies between six and 12 months of age. This is the age when the baby develops a taste for solid food. Therefore, these recipes can actually be baby-led weaning breakfast ideas.

1. Multi-vegetable puree

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It is a simple and classic breakfast for babies and quite popular as the first breakfast for the baby.

You will need:

• Vegetables of your choice such as potatoes, peas, carrots, etc.
• Water

How to:

1. Start by choosing a mix of vegetables that you would normally give your baby. Cook the vegetables in a pressure cooker or steam or bake until they are soft and tender.
2. Transfer the vegetable and the stock to a blender and blend them till they reach a thin consistency. Vegetable stock contains lot of vital nutrients so never drain it away.
3. Add some boiled water, breast milk or formula to further thin the consistency of the puree if required. Once done, let the mixture cool down and feed it to your little one.

2. Fruit puree

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This is the fruit equivalent of the vegetable puree that has all the goodness of fresh fruits.

You will need:

• Fruits of your choice such as apples, mangoes, bananas
• Water

How to:

1. Fruit puree is a healthy and nutritious breakfast for your little one. Start by peeling and pureeing the fruits of your choice. You can do this putting the fruits in a blender.
2. Add water to thin the mixture if required. Once done you can serve the puree as a breakfast food to your baby.

3. Banana and rice porridge

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Porridge is healthy for adults but also makes an amazing breakfast for babies. A conventional porridge is made using milk, but since we are preparing it for babies, you can opt out of it or use formula or expressed milk instead.

We use rice here since it is gluten-free, unlike wheat, therefore, you need not worry about allergies. It is for this reason, rice flakes can make a great breakfast cereal for babies.

You will need:

• 1 cup rice or rice flakes
• 1 cup chopped banana
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup formula or expressed milk (optional)

How to:

1. Start by cooking the rice or rice flakes by boiling them in a cooking pot till they are soft and mashy without any presence of solid grains.
2. Once the rice is cooked, add some chopped bananas and formula or expressed milk (optional) in the same cooking pot and cook them together for two to three minutes. Keep stirring the mixture so that the banana and rice mix well. In case you would like to dilute the porridge, add some water and cook for additional three to four minutes.
3. Once done, let the porridge cool before feeding. This makes a highly nutritious breakfast for your baby.

4. Oatmeal Banana Porridge

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This is similar to the previous porridge recipe with the replacement of rice with oatmeal. Oatmeals are usually flat, but you can coarsely grind them again using a hand pounder or a blender with a blunt blade. This is to ensure that there are no fine bits of oats when the porridge is ready and that the oatmeal cooks thoroughly.

You will need:

• 2 cups ground oatmeal
• 1 cup chopped banana
• 3 cups of water
• 1 cup formula milk (optional)

How to:

1. Add the ground oatmeal to the water and boil the mixture together. Cook the oats till they are absolutely soft and are easy to mash.
2. Once the oats are cooked, add bananas and the optional formula milk to the cooking pot and cook the mixture for two to three minutes while stirring it all together. Add water and cook for additional three to four minutes in case you need to dilute the porridge.
3. Your oatmeal banana porridge is ready. Serve this healthy breakfast to your little one once it is cold enough to feed him.

5. Rice flour and vegetable porridge

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You can make porridge using rice flour instead of rice grains or rice flakes. Here you can use vegetables in place of fruits to give this healthy breakfast for babies a unique flavor.

You will need:

• 2 cups rice flour
• 1 cup chopped carrots and peas
• 3 cups water

How to:

1. Mix the rice flour and water in a cooking pot. Cook the mixture for five to seven minutes, stirring continuously to prevent the formation of lumps. Keep cooking till the rice flour completely mixes with the water and becomes soft. Once you reach this stage simmer the flame and let the mix cook slowly.
2. In a separate vessel boil some peas and carrots till they are soft. Once done, blend them together using the vegetable stock as thinner.
3. Add this vegetable puree to the rice flour and water mixture. Continue boiling the mixture till they mix well. The porridge is done. Cool it well before feeding it to your baby.

6. Mango and rice porridge

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The natural sweetness of mango combined with the goodness of rice makes a healthy breakfast recipe for a baby.

You will need:

• 1 cup sliced and diced mangoes
• 2 cups rice
• 3-4 cups of water
• 1 cup formula or expressed milk (optional)

How to:

1. Start by boiling the rice and water together to cook the rice. While the rice is boiling, blend some mangoes into a puree.
2. Once the rice water begins to boil, simmer the flame and let the rice cook for four to five minutes. Thereafter, add the mango puree and the optional formula or expressed milk to it. Cook them together for two to three minutes while stirring the mixture to make it homogenous.
3. After completion, serve the porridge to your baby once it is cooled.

7. Barley apple porridge

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Barley makes a great food for babies, and you can use finely powdered barley flour to make some breakfast porridge for your baby.

You will need:

• 1 cup barley flour
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup mashed apple
• 3 tbsp formula or expressed milk (optional)

How to:

1. Mix the barley flour with water and cook them together in a cooking pot for seven to ten minutes. Barley takes a longer time to cook than rice so make sure the barley is cooked properly. Keep stirring the mixture to prevent the formation of any lumps. Once the barley is cooked simmer the flame and let the mixture cook slowly on a low flame.
2. Separately, cut an apple into small pieces and then mash it to smaller pieces.
3. Add the mashed apple and the optional formula or expressed milk to the cooking pot and cook the mixture for five minutes. Stir and mix the porridge while cooking. Once done, let the porridge cool before serving it as a breakfast to your little one.

8. Lentil, carrot and pumpkin mash

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Lentils are a healthy food option for your baby and when combined with vegetables the nutritional value of the preparation increases, thus making it an ideal choice for a healthy breakfast for babies.

You will need:

• Peeled and diced pumpkin
• Red lentils
• Diced carrot
• Water

How to:

1. Boil the pumpkin and carrot together while cooking the lentils separately till they are completely soft.
2. Once the vegetables are done, transfer them to a blender to blend them coarsely or mash them using a masher.
3. Transfer the mashed vegetables into the cooked lentil vessel and cook them together for three to five minutes.
4. Let the mash cool before serving it as a breakfast to your little one.

9. Mashed oatmeal and bananas

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You can mash oatmeal and bananas together to give your baby an amazing start for the day.

You will need:

• 2 cups oatmeal
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup formula or expressed milk (optional)

How to:

1. Add the oatmeal to the water and cook for ten minutes on a low flame.
2. Once the oats have become soft, add the mashed bananas and the optional formula or expressed milk to the mix and simmer for three minutes. Keep stirring the mix so that it cooks well.
3. Let it cool and feed it to your baby.

Charity Curley Mathews, a mother of two and a blogger, shares tips on how to use bananas for baby food. She writes, “For beginners, add enough water so the puree easily pours off the spoon but know this: very ripe bananas are good for slowing things down in the diaper department. If your baby seems constipated, try an underripe banana (i).”

10. Meat-vegetable puree

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The age between eight and 12 months is the time when you will introduce your baby to foods such as meat and eggs. Meat is nutritious and can make a great breakfast food for your baby.

You will need:

• 1 cup sliced vegetables of your choice such as peas, carrot, potatoes, etc.
• 1 cup boneless and minced meat

How to:

1. Start by cooking the vegetables and blending them together once they are cooked. Do not drain the excess vegetable stock since you can use it during blending.
2. The next step is to prepare some meat puree. For this, you need the boneless minced meat of your choice namely cattle, poultry, or fish. Cook the meat till it is soft and tender. Do not drain the meat stock since it can be used to make the meat puree.
3. Once the meat is cooked, blend it into a fine puree. Thereafter, mix the meat puree to vegetable puree and give them a round of blending for a minute. Add some boiled water if you want to thin the consistency. Cool it well before you serve it to your baby.

11. Sabudana (Sago pearls) fruit porridge

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Sago or sabudana makes a nice breakfast food for your baby since it is nutritious and mild on the stomach.

You will need:

• 2 cups sago pearls/sabudana
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup sliced and diced banana or mango
• 1 cup formula or expressed milk (optional)

How to:

1. Start by soaking the sago in water for 15 minutes. Once done, bring the water to boil. Simmer and keep cooking the sago till they are completely tender.
2. While the sago cooks, blend the fruit in a blender to make a fruit puree.
3. Add the fruit puree to the simmering sago. Add the formula or expressed milk. Cook the mixture for three minutes on low flame. Stir it regularly to ensure that the sago, puree and, milk mix well.
4. After completion, let the mixture cool. You can blend this mixture coarsely to ensure all the sago pearls are broken down into smaller bits.

12. Ragi (Finger millet) porridge

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This makes a great Indian breakfast recipe for your baby. Ragi is rich in iron and other vital nutrients and provides ample nourishment to your baby to kickstart the day with energy.

You will need:

• 2 cups of ragi (finger millet) flour
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup sliced and diced banana or mango
• 1 cup formula or expressed milk (optional)

How to:

1. Begin by mixing the ragi flour with water and bringing the mixture to boil.
2. Simmer the mixture and let it cook for ten minutes. In the meantime, make some fruit puree in a blender. Once done, add it to the simmering ragi-water mixture. Add the formula or expressed milk as well.
3. Cook the mix for 3 minutes stirring it continuously to prevent the formation of any clumps. After cooking, let the porridge cool before feeding it your baby.

13. Atta halwa (Wheat dessert)

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This is a breakfast recipe for your little one if he already eats wheat and is not allergic to gluten.

You will need:

• 1 cup wheat flour
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup formula or expressed milk

How to:

1. Start by mixing wheat flour with milk and water then putting it on a stove to cook.
2. Do not add any sugar since it is a baby version of halwa. The formula or expressed milk is going to give the necessary sweetness to this breakfast preparation. Keep cooking the mixture till the wheat is soft and is easily mashable.
3. After completion, let the halwa cool. Then feed it to your baby one small spoon at a time.

Quick tip

Add roasted nuts powder to atta halwa to achieve a nice nutty flavor and enhance the dish’s nutritional value.

14. Boiled chicken chunks and mashed potatoes

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This is a recipe that makes a breakfast finger food for the baby and is quite nutritious at the same time. You can give it to your little one once he is ten-months old by when he will be habituated a variety of solid foods.

You will need:

• 1 cup finely chopped and diced potatoes
• 1 cup boneless chicken minced into small chunks

How to:

1. Chop the potatoes into finer pieces that are small enough for your baby to hold by his finger. The same applies to the chunks of boneless chicken meat.
2. Cook the potatoes and chicken separately till each of them is soft and tender. In fact, they should be tender enough to be swallowed easily without the need of chewing.
3. Once the potatoes and chicken are cooked, mix them together thoroughly. Add some chicken stock to soften the mixture. Once done, serve it to your baby. Let him have it with his own hands and see how he enjoys this delicious breakfast.

15. Mashed sago pearls (sabudana) and potatoes

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Cooked sago can be mashed and mixed with mashed vegetables like potatoes thus making a great breakfast for babies older than ten months.

You will need:

• 1 cup sabudana
• 1 cup chopped and diced potatoes

How to:

1. Cook the sabudana and potatoes separately till they are soft and tender enough for your baby to swallow with ease.
2. Once they are cooked, mix them together and mash them using a hand pounder or using a blender with a blunt blade. Add some potato stock or boiled water to soften the texture of the mix.
3. You can then serve it to your baby who will surely relish this breakfast.

16. Banana spinach pancakes

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Start your baby’s day with a nutritious twist on traditional pancakes! These Green Banana Spinach Pancakes are not only visually appealing but also packed with essential nutrients.

You will need:

• 120g whole-wheat flour
• 1 egg
• 1 ripe banana
• A handful of spinach
• 150 ml whole milk

How to:

1. In a blender, combine 150ml milk and a handful of spinach, blending until the mixture turns green and thin.
2. In a bowl, mash a ripe banana thoroughly with a fork.
3. Add plain flour, green milk, and one egg to the mashed banana. Whisk until a smooth batter forms; adjust thickness with more milk if needed.
4. Grease a frying pan and ladle the batter to make four pancakes.
5. After a couple of minutes, check readiness by tilting the pan; if the pancake moves freely, flip it. Cook the other side for two minutes.
6. Repeat with the remaining batter. Allow the pancakes to cool before serving to the baby.

In addition to these recipes, pancakes, waffles, french toast and smoothies, can also be incorporated as baby food during breakfast.

Quick tip

Choose fresh fruits over canned fruits to prepare baby foods. If using canned fruits, pick options with no added salt or sugar (2).

Infographic: Breakfast Recipes For Babies

There are many healthy and nutritious options for babies’ breakfast. The following infographic includes some ideas for simple and easy breakfast recipes. It is a good idea to start with small amounts and gradually increase them as your baby gets used to the new food. Keep in mind that every baby is different, so it is important to consult their doctor before introducing new foods. Read on!

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Start your day off right with these 10 quick and easy breakfast recipes for kids! Perfect for 10+ months to 2 year olds, these breakfast ideas are sure to please.

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Laura LaceyLMT

Laura Lacey has been working with expectant and new moms for over 15 years, helping them focus on eating right and healthy. She provides the right direction to them whether it is boosting their energy level, milk supply or feeding solids to their babies. Based in Jersey City, she offers in-person as well as virtual sessions. Laura also offers prenatal...more

Rohit GarooBSc, MBA

Rohit Garoo is a writer-turned-editor with over 9 years of experience in content writing, editing, and content marketing. He did his bachelors in Science at St. Xavier's College, Hyderabad, and masters in Business Administration at Osmania University. Also, he holds a certificate in Developmental Psychology from The University of Queensland and loves to expand his knowledge through certifications in various...more

Swati PatwalM.Sc. (Food & Nutrition), MBA

Swati Patwal is a clinical nutritionist, a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) and a toddler mom with more than a decade of experience in diverse fields of nutrition. She started her career as a CSR project coordinator for a healthy eating and active lifestyle project catering to school children. Then she worked as a nutrition faculty and clinical nutrition coach in...more

Vidya TadapatriMSc (Biotechnology)

Vidya did her post-graduation in Biotechnology from Osmania University, Hyderabad. Her interest in scientific research and writing made her pursue a career in writing, in which she now has over five years of experience. She has done certified biotechnology-related training programs under renowned organizations such as Centre For Cellular & Molecular Biology and Department of Biotechnology. Vidya writes health-based articles...more