Vegetarian baby food recipes are a great variation to meat and fish dishes for any baby, not just for vegetarian children. Vegetarian dishes are often easier to digest, and more “advanced” veggie dishes can be a great next step after the first simple vegetable purees.
Most of the recipes below are suitable for babies that are already used to eating solid foods and enjoying it. This is because the recipes contain several different vegetables and herbs. You find baby food recipes for the first solid foods here!
The taste can, therefore, be a bit too intense for the absolute beginners. In addition, to rule out any food sensitivity, it is always prudent to start with very simple ingredients at first.
The recipes here are vegetarian but not vegan, i.e., some of them do contain animal protein, primarily from milk. If you want to make the dishes vegan, you can substitute the milk with calcium-fortified oat milk, oat cream, or your regular formula or breast milk.
If you have any allergy concerns, consult a doctor before adding new foods to your baby’s diet.
Now to the vegetarian baby food recipes… (Most of these recipes have been shared by my wonderful readers. If you would like to share a baby recipe too, please use the form here or simply add your recipe in the Comments Section at the bottom of this page.)
If you need instructions on how to make baby food, you’ll find them here.
Vegetarian Baby Food Recipes
- Veggie Pot For Babies
- Butternut Squash
- Mashed Potatoes With Herbs
- Carrot Almond Juice
- Lentil Casserole With Rice
Veggie Pot For Babies
(Shared by Jenna, Hereford)
- 1 medium carrot
- 1/2 swede
- 1 leek
- 1/2 small onion
- 30g (1 ounce) peas
- 2 medium potatoes
- 2 veg stock cubes
- 2 cups of water
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 190C (375F).
- Chop all veg up into small enough chunks for your baby.
- With the spuds, peel and slice them about 3mm thick.
- Boil 300ml (2 cups) of water, add the stock cubes, then put the veggies in. Don’t drain all of the stock, leave about half.
- In another pan, put your sliced spuds in some boiling water as well. Cook them off for about 30 mins or until you think it’s soft enough.
- Put the vegetables with the stock in an oven-proof dish.
- With the spuds, drain, and pat them dry, lay them on top of your veggies.
- Put in the oven for 45 – 1hr or until there is a bit of a crisp.
I slightly mashed mine; my son loves this. You can put it in the freezer if you want. You can put a bit of cheese on top.
Hope you try this; your child will love it!
Butternut Squash
(Shared by Kathy, Bedford, IN)
This recipe is suitable for babies from around 6 months of age.
- 1 Butternut squash
- 1 cup of water
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
Instructions:
- Wash squash well. Slice the ends off the neck of squash and discard. Then slice a 2-inch thick piece of the neck and place it in the water in a saucepan.
- Cover the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until squash is fork-tender.
- Remove squash, place in a small bowl, and mash well. Add butter and brown sugar. (Sugar can be left out if your baby accepts the dish without it.)
If you are hesitant about adding butter to your baby’s food, read this article.
Mashed Potatoes With Herbs
(Shared by Aanchal, India)
1-2 baby portions
- 1 boiled potato
- 1 cube of cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tsp butter
- Oregano to sprinkle
Instructions:
- Mash potato well and mix it with grated cheddar cheese and milk, formula, or breast milk.
- Slightly grease a baking dish with butter and put the potato mixture in it.
- Put the rest of the butter blob on the top and sprinkle some oregano. Bake at 150 C (302F) for 10 minutes.
- Since this dish contains cheese, it is suitable from the age of 8 months if you mix the potato with formula or breast milk. If you mix it with cow’s milk, the dish is suitable from 10-12 months old.
Carrot Almond Juice
(Shared by Suhasini, Hyderabad, India)
This recipe can serve one person and is for babies who are at least 1-year-old since it contains honey.
- 1 carrot (preferably organic)
- 2 almonds
- 150 ml of milk
- 2 teaspoons honey
Please note: If your family has an allergy to nuts or fruits such as peaches or plums, your baby may also be allergic to both raw carrots and almonds. Do not serve almonds at all to your baby in such a case without consulting a doctor.
Instructions:
- Wash the carrot properly and peel off one layer. Cut in small pieces.
- Boil the carrot together with the almonds (slightly chopped) and milk until the carrot is tender.
- Grind together the boiled carrot, almond, and milk.
- Add honey to it, but only if your baby is older than 1 year.
That’s it. A delicious and healthy drink for the baby is ready to serve. If you want to try this recipe for a baby younger than one year, substitute the honey with a little bit of apple juice or some mashed, ripe banana to make the juice sweet without the honey.
You can read more about why not to give honey to babies in this article.
Lentil Casserole With Rice
4-6 baby portions or more depending on your baby’s age
- 1.7 cups (4 dl) of boiled red or yellow lentils
- 1 yellow onion
- 1-2 garlic cloves
- 1 carrot
- 3 tablespoons of oil
- 0.5-1.5 teaspoons of curry
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- 3 cups (7 dl) water
- 1 teaspoon of salt or 1 vegetable stock cube. (No salt or salted stock if the baby is younger than 1 year).
- Steamed or boiled rice
Instructions:
- Wash the lentils in cold water for about one minute, and then let them drain.
- Peel and chop the onion and carrot into small pieces.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan and gently fry the onion and carrot (no color).
- Crush the garlic using a garlic press and add it in the saucepan. Add curry and ginger and stir fry for one more minute. Lower the heat.
- Add the lentils, water, and salt or stock cube. Allow to boil gently for 15 minutes.
- Mash as needed depending on your baby’s age and preferences.
- Serve with steamed or boiled rice.
Please note: If your family has a history of allergies to peanuts, your baby may very well be allergic to lentils as well as soybeans. Do not serve lentils to your baby in such a case without consulting a doctor. It is also always prudent to start with a very small portion to see if your baby is in any way reacting to the new type of food.
I hope your baby will like these vegetarian baby food recipes! If you would like to share a recipe, please do so by leaving a comment below or send a message through my contact page. I’d be more than happy to publish your recipe here too!
You can find more vegetarian baby food recipes as well as meat dishes here:
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Paula Dennholt founded Easy Baby Life in 2006 and has been a passionate parenting and pregnancy writer since then. Her parenting approach and writing are based on studies in cognitive-behavioral models and therapy for children and her experience as a mother and stepmother. Life as a parent has convinced her of how crucial it is to put relationships before rules. She strongly believes in positive parenting and a science-based approach.
Paula cooperates with a team of pediatricians who assist in reviewing and writing articles.
