Oatmeal is a nutritious first food for baby, and the ways to prepare it are nearly endless. Check out 7 of our favorite baby oatmeal recipes, plus more baby oatmeal prep ideas to inspire you (they'll work for all stages of your baby's solids journey!)
Baby oatmeal is a highly nutritious food for your little one.
It's packed with vitamins, minerals, fibers, proteins, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. And because it's high in iron, oatmeal is a powerhouse for keeping your baby's brain healthy.
Best of all, it's a food you can start giving baby once they're ready for solids. By introducing oatmeal early and often, baby will be equipped to choose and enjoy this nutritious food later in life.
And oatmeal is like a blank canvas. The possibilities are endless for feeding baby oatmeal – and introducing other healthy foods along with it. You can mix in fruits, yogurt, and (surprisingly) even some veggies!
Looking for inspiration? Read on for our favorite easy, healthy baby oatmeal recipes for your little one.
What to know before you prepare baby oatmeal recipes
Ready to make these yummy baby oatmeal recipes? All of them require you to prep oatmeal as a base.
Choosing baby oatmeal
When baby first starts solids, baby oatmeal is best. It's thinner and smoother than standard oatmeal, so it's easier for babies to munch and chew.
The easiest option is to use prepared baby oatmeal – one that's already specially prepared for babies' needs.
For all these recipes, we recommend using Ready. Set. Food! Original Organic Baby Oatmeal.
Ready. Set. Food! Organic Baby Oatmeal provides all the benefits of baby oatmeal, and lets you introduce 9 top allergens (peanut, egg, cow's milk, almond, cashew, walnut, sesame, soy, and wheat) to help give baby the best chance at food freedom. You can start feeding baby Organic Baby Oatmeal once they're consistently eating solids.
(You could also blend rolled or steel-cut oats in a food processor before cooking, or puree cooked oats in a food processor with water.)
Cooking and preparing baby oatmeal
Whichever baby oatmeal option you choose, you can easily prepare it with breastmilk or baby's formula. This thins out the oatmeal. It also gives baby a taste of the familiar as they start their new solids adventure, making baby more likely to accept and love the oatmeal.
If using prepared baby oatmeal, you can usually combine it with breastmilk or formula straight from the package. Mix Ready. Set. Food! Organic Baby Oatmeal with breastmilk, formula, or water, and it's ready to use.
But you will need to cook rolled or steel-cut oats in a pot of boiling water, or in the microwave, before adding breastmilk or formula.
To prepare on the stove, in a pot of boiling water:
To prepare in the microwave:
To add breastmilk or formula, follow the instructions on the oatmeal. Or, try this common recipe: In a bowl, mix 1 to 2 tablespoons of baby oatmeal with about 4 to 5 tablespoons of warmed breast milk or formula.
Adding texture later on
When baby gets older and more accustomed to solids, you'll want to add more texture to the oatmeal.
This way, baby will get more experience with chewing and munching, and will be ready to select foods with diverse textures throughout their life.
How to add texture? We recommend mixing in chopped fruits or vegetables (like in some of the recipes below).
Ready for the recipes?
Now, on to our favorite baby oatmeal recipes. They're super easy ways to add variety to your little one's oatmeal and encourage healthy eating! Just prepare the oatmeal, mix in the other ingredients, and watch baby enjoy. Plus, many of these recipes have options to adapt the ingredients based on baby's experience with different textures.
Raspberry-Peach Oatmeal
Inspired by Baby Foode. Makes one serving.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup prepared oatmeal
- ¼ cup combined chopped peaches (with skin removed) and raspberries
- Pinch of cinnamon
Instructions:
- Prepare the oatmeal.
-
Add the peaches and raspberries.
- For a thin puree, blend the oatmeal and fruits in a food processor for 1-2 minutes, or until smooth.
- For a thicker puree, pulse the oatmeal and fruits in a food processor and pulse for 5 seconds at a time. The fruits should be somewhat chunky but mixed.
- For mashed fruits, use the back of a spoon to break the fruits down into smaller chunks and stir as much as you'd like into the oatmeal.
- For older babies and toddlers, dice the fruits into small pieces and stir as much as you'd like into the oatmeal.
- Stir in the cinnamon.
- Serve.
Creamy Cinna-Mango Oatmeal
Makes one serving.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup prepared oatmeal
- ¼ cup diced mango OR 2 tablespoons mango puree
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt with no added sugar
Instructions:
- Prepare the oatmeal.
- Prepare the mango.
- For the smoothest oatmeal, buy or make mango puree.
- To add a slightly chunky puree, deskin and chop the mango, then pulse it in the food processor in 5-second increments until it reaches the desired consistency.
- For older babies, dice mango into small pieces and set aside.
- If adding smooth puree, add 2 tablespoons of puree and mix.
- If adding chunky puree, add 2 tablespoons of puree and mix.
- If adding diced mango, mix your desired amount with the oatmeal.
Blueberry Banana Oatmeal
Makes one serving.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup prepared oatmeal
- 8-10 blueberries
- Half of a ripe banana
Instructions:
- Prepare the oatmeal.
- Prepare the banana and blueberries, and add them to the oatmeal.
- For a thin puree, blend the oatmeal and fruits in a food processor for 1-2 minutes, or until smooth.
- For a thicker puree, pulse the oatmeal and fruits in a food processor and pulse for 5 seconds at a time. The fruits should be somewhat chunky but mixed.
- For mashed fruits, use the back of a spoon to break the fruits down into smaller chunks and stir as much as you'd like into the oatmeal.
- For older babies and toddlers, dice the fruits into small pieces and stir as much as you'd like into the oatmeal.
Strawberry Chia Oatmeal
Inspired by Baby Foode. Makes one serving.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup prepared oatmeal
- ¾ teaspoon chia seeds, plus extra chia seeds to garnish
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 cup strawberries to puree
- Diced or mashed other fruit of your choice, if desired
Instructions:
- Prepare the oatmeal.
- Cut the tops off the strawberries.
- Pour the strawberries into a medium saucepan, over medium-low heat.
- Add 2 tablespoons water to the berry pan.
- Let the berries simmer for 5 minutes and stir as needed.
- Move the berries to a food processor. Add the chia seeds to the processor as well.
- Puree the berries with the chia seeds in 5-second increments, until you've reached the desired texture.
- Mix the oatmeal with the strawberry-chia seed blend.
- If desired and if baby is ready, mix in diced or mashed fruit that would pair well with the strawberries. Try any of the following:
- Mashed blueberries
- Mashed banana
- Diced kiwi
- Diced raspberries
- Diced blackberries
- Diced mango
- Diced peach
10. Top the oatmeal with a sprinkle of the extra chia seeds and serve.
Green Goodness Oatmeal (Avocado, Pear and Kiwi)
Inspired by Baby Foode. Makes 5 ounces of puree. Add your desired amount to a serving of baby oatmeal, and refrigerate the rest for 2 days or freeze for up to 4 months.
Ingredients:
- 1 serving prepared oatmeal
- 2 kiwis, peeled
- ¼ pear, peeled
- ¼ avocado, peeled and pitted
- Diced mango (optional, for older babies)
Instructions:
- Prepare the oatmeal.
- Cut and combine the fruits and vegetable.
- For a smooth puree, puree the kiwi, pear, and avocado for 1 minute in a food processor.
- For a chunkier puree, pulse the kiwi, pear, and avocado in the food processor in 5-second increments, until your desired consistency is reached.
- For older babies, combine the avocado, and pear in a food processor. Pulse into a chunky puree. Then, dice the kiwi and mango (if using), and set aside. You'll mix the diced pieces in with the oatmeal later, after adding the puree.
Alternative option: Combine the oatmeal with your desired amount of cut fruits and avocado, all at once in the food processor. Puree or pulse to your desired texture. Then, mix in diced fruits (if using) before serving.
Butternut Squash Oatmeal
Inspired by Yummy Toddler Food. Makes one serving.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup prepared oatmeal
- 2 tablespoons butternut squash puree
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt with no added sugar (optional)
Instructions:
- Prepare the butternut squash puree, if you'd like to make it at home. Or, you can use a store-bought puree. Choose a smooth puree for younger babies, and a chunkier puree for babies more accustomed to solids.
- Prepare the baby oatmeal and set aside the ¼ cup serving for baby
- Mix in the butternut squash puree.
- Stir in a tablespoon of plain Greek yogurt, if desired.
- Stir in the spice.
- Serve.
Zucchini, Red Pepper And Sweet Potato Oatmeal
Inspired by MJ and Hungryman. Makes one serving.
Ingredients:
- 1 serving prepared oatmeal
- 1 tablespoon zucchini
- 1 tablespoon red bell peppers
- 1 tablespoon sweet potato
Instructions:
- Prepare the veggies.
- For a puree (smooth or chunky), cook the veggies to a soft consistency. Then, chop all the veggies into small pieces for the food processor. (Feel free to make more than you need for one serving, and save the rest for later.)
- For babies accustomed to chewing, or baby-led weaning, cook the veggies to a soft consistency. Then, chop the peppers and zucchini into smaller pieces and mash the sweet potatoes. (Feel free to make more than you need for one serving, and save the rest for later.)
- For a smooth puree, blend the oatmeal and veggies in a food processor for 1-2 minutes, or until smooth.
- For a chunky puree, pulse the oatmeal, peppers, zucchini and sweet potatoes together in a food processor in 5-second increments, to your desired consistency.
- If using chopped and mashed veggies, stir in the desired amount of each.
Baby Oatmeal: Endless Possibilities
The possibilities are truly endless with baby oatmeal! In addition to the recipes we've listed above, try these mix-ins to add vibrancy to baby oatmeal.
You can use any combination you desire – or go beyond this list of ideas. Just prepare baby oatmeal, mix in some of the options below, and serve.
Fruits:
- Blueberries (mashed, cut, or pureed)
- Peaches (diced or pureed)
- Apples (cooked and diced)
- Bananas (chopped and mashed)
- Mangoes (chopped or pureed)
- Raspberries (mashed, cut or pureed)
- Pears (chopped or pureed)
- Strawberries (chopped or pureed)
- Practically any existing fruit puree, including multi-fruit mixtures
- Practically any soft or softened fruit that's chopped/diced into baby-safe pieces
Vegetables:
- Butternut squash (cooked and diced, mashed or pureed)
- Sweet potatoes (cooked and chopped, mashed or pureed)
- Avocado (chopped or mashed)
- Pureed cooked carrots
- Zucchini (cooked and diced, or pureed)
Other mix-ins:
- Plain yogurt (no added sugar)
- Chia seeds
- Cinnamon or other spices
Remember: As baby gets older and more experienced with solids, give them more chopped fruits and vegetables with oatmeal, and move away from smoother purees.
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