If you are looking for easy, tasty, and vegan or vegetarian baby food recipes that your baby will definitely enjoy, you’ve come to the right place!
In this article, we talk about introducing tofu to your baby’s diet and we give you some easy and tasty recipes for homemade baby food.
The recipes in this article:
Recipe 1 – Tofu, green beans, and broccoli
Recipe 2 – Tofu, brown rice, and cauliflower
Recipe 3 – Tofu, kale, and bell pepper
Recipe 4 – Tofu, avocado, and black beans
Recipe 5 – Tofu, tomatoes, and eggplant
When can a baby eat tofu?
You can give tofu to your baby at the age of 8 months. Tofu has complex proteins, and babies may not be able to digest it at a younger age.
How to prepare tofu?
Tofu doesn’t contain a lot of flavors, so you have to “spice it up” by using other tasteful ingredients. You can also choose to marinate the tofu, for example with Ketjap Manis.
But plain and basic:
Step 1 – Press the slices for about 30 minutes, so all the excess moisture is pressed out of the tofu.
Step 2 – Cut the tofu into cubes.
Step 3 – Put a little dash of oil in the pan and set the temperature to medium-high heat.
Step 4 – Bake it for about 20 minutes. Make sure both sides are golden brown, slightly crispy at the edges but chewy in the middle.
Recipe 1: Tofu, green beans, and broccoli (age 10 months+)
A healthy recipe with a lot of greens.
Ingredients:
- 2 slices of tofu (0,4 inch thick)
- 10 green beans
- 5 broccoli florets
Instructions:
Step 1 – Press the slices for about 30 minutes, so all the excess moisture is pressed out of the tofu.
Step 2 – Cut the tofu into cubes.
Step 3 – Put a little dash of oil in the pan and set the temperature to medium-high heat.
Step 4 – Bake it for about 20 minutes. Make sure both sides are golden brown, slightly crispy at the edges but chewy in the middle.
Step 5 – Rinse the beans and the broccoli. Cut the edges of the beans.
Step 6 – Cook the beans and the broccoli in a saucepan with boiling water, for about 15 minutes.
Step 7 – Pour off the water and let the beans and broccoli cool down for a few minutes.
Step 8 – Put all the ingredients in a blender and mix them into a smooth or chunky puree, depending on the age of your little one.
Recipe 2: Tofu, brown rice, and cauliflower (8-10 months+)
A healthy dinner recipe.
Ingredients:
- 2 slices of tofu (0,4 inch)
- 1 oz of brown rice
- 5 cauliflower florets (medium-size)
Instructions:
Step 1 – Press the slices for about 30 minutes, so all the excess moisture is pressed out of the tofu.
Step 2 – Cut the tofu into cubes.
Step 3 – Put a little dash of oil in the pan and set the temperature to medium-high heat.
Step 4 – Bake it for about 20 minutes. Make sure both sides are golden brown, slightly crispy at the edges but chewy in the middle.
Step 5 – Bring a saucepan with water to a boil.
Step 6 – Cook the brown rice for about 10 minutes.
Step 7 – Rinse the cauliflower florets.
Step 8 – Cook the cauliflower in a saucepan with boiling water, for about 15 minutes.
Step 9 – Put all the ingredients in a blender and mix them into a puree.
Recipe 3: Tofu, kale, and bell pepper (age 8 months+)
A healthy a savory dish.
Ingredients:
- 2 slices of tofu (0,4 inch)
- 1 cup of kale
- 1/3 of bell pepper
Instructions:
Step 1 – Press the slices for about 30 minutes, so all the excess moisture is pressed out of the tofu.
Step 2 – Cut the tofu into cubes.
Step 3 – Put a little dash of oil in the pan and set the temperature to medium-high heat.
Step 4 – Bake it for about 20 minutes. Make sure both sides are golden brown, slightly crispy at the edges but chewy in the middle.
Step 5 – Rinse the kale and steam it for about 10 minutes.
Step 6 – Rinse the bell pepper and slice it into cubes.
Step 7 – Sauté the bell pepper in a pan for a few minutes.
Step 8 – Put all the ingredients in a blender and mix them into a puree.
Recipe 4: Tofu, avocado, and black beans (age 8 months+)
A healthy recipe, packed with proteins.
Ingredients:
- 2 slices of tofu (0,4 inch)
- 1 avocado
- 1 oz of canned black beans
Instructions:
Step 1 – Press the slices for about 30 minutes, so all the excess moisture is pressed out of the tofu.
Step 2 – Cut the tofu into cubes.
Step 3 – Put a little dash of oil in the pan and set the temperature to medium-high heat.
Step 4 – Bake it for about 20 minutes. Make sure both sides are golden brown, slightly crispy at the edges but chewy in the middle.
Step 5 – Slice the avocado in halves and remove the pit.
Step 6 – Scoop out the meat.
Step 7 – Warm the black beans, following the instructions on the can.
Step 8 – Pour off the water and rinse the black beans with hot water if you use canned beans with added sugar and salt.
Step 9 – Put all the ingredients in a blender and mix them into a puree.
Recipe 5: Tofu, tomatoes, and eggplant (age 10-12 months+)
This recipe is for baby’s age 10-12 months, because of the tomatoes.
Ingredients:
- 2 slices of tofu (0,4 inch)
- 1 tomato
- 1/3 eggplant
Instructions:
Step 1 – Press the slices for about 30 minutes, so all the excess moisture is pressed out of the tofu.
Step 2 – Cut the tofu into cubes.
Step 3 – Put a little dash of oil in the pan and set the temperature to medium-high heat.
Step 4 – Bake it for about 20 minutes. Make sure both sides are golden brown, slightly crispy at the edges but chewy in the middle.
Step 5 – Rinse the tomato and put them in a pan with boiling water for about 30 seconds. This will make it easier to remove the skin.
Step 6 – Remove the skin of the tomato, the core, and the seeds. Chop the tomato into pieces.
Step 7 – Peel the avocado and chop it into cubes. Sauté it for 5 minutes.
Step 8 – Add all the ingredients to a blender and mix them into a puree.
Are these recipes freezable?
All can also be refrigerated and make for good meal prep for the week! You should store your batch of baby meals in a refrigerator using an airtight container for up to a period of 72 hours.
You can freeze these baby food recipes into different portions by employing ice cubes or small food storage containers as the recipe can be prepared to make around 5-10 servings.
Which kitchen tools to use
In order to prepare these baby food recipes, you will need the following kitchen tools:
- Blender or food processor
- Knife, fork, and tablespoon
- Vegetable peeler
- Cutting board
- Boiling pot
- Food storage containers or an ice cube form
Nutritional benefits
Tofu is a bit controversial. Some love it, others hate it and avoid it like the plague. Tofu is a food made of condensed soy milk that is pressed into solid white blocks. Most of the world’s soybeans are currently grown in the US, and a very large proportion is genetically modified. Although GMOs are controversial, research has so far not found them to be harmful to human health. (Source: HealthLine)
Tofu is a good source of protein, provides fats, carbs, and a variety of minerals. Tofu is rich in manganese, calcium, selenium, and is a good source of copper, magnesium, iron, vitamin B1, and zinc.
