5x Tofu Baby Food Recipes | Vegan & Easy DIY (2024)

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!

Table Of Contents hide

1 When can a baby eat tofu?

2 How to prepare tofu?

3 Recipe 1: Tofu, green beans, and broccoli (age 10 months+)

4 Recipe 2: Tofu, brown rice, and cauliflower (8-10 months+)

5 Recipe 3: Tofu, kale, and bell pepper (age 8 months+)

6 Recipe 4: Tofu, avocado, and black beans (age 8 months+)

8 Are these recipes freezable?

9 Which kitchen tools to use

10 Nutritional benefits

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.

5x Tofu Baby Food Recipes | Vegan & Easy DIY (2024)

FAQs

How to make tofu for my baby? ›

Choose silken or soft tofu as they will be easiest to blend into a puree, and they can be taken out of the package and used as is, with no need to cook, as long as they are pasteurized. Blend the silken or soft tofu in a blender or food processor, and then offer it to your baby on a pre-loaded spoon.

Which tofu is best for babies? ›

Silken tofu is so soft that it can easily be mixed into scoopable foods or used as a substitute for dairy products like cream or yogurt.

Can babies eat tofu every day? ›

Use tofu in children's daily meals

So children eating a lot of tofu may not be good. But to overcome this shortcoming, pediatricians all encourage mothers and caregivers to give children tofu with meat, egg yolks as well as some other complex protein-containing foods when the baby is born.

What are five ways to prepare tofu? ›

Here are 9 tasty ways to prepare tofu next time you're feeling hungry.
  1. 1 Fry it. Sweet or savory, most foods can be exponentially improved when fried. ...
  2. 2 Scramble it. Tofu has the ability to miraculously mimic scrambled eggs when prepared correctly. ...
  3. 3 Sautée it. ...
  4. 4 Marinate it. ...
  5. 5 Grill it. ...
  6. 6 Bread it. ...
  7. 7 Crumble it. ...
  8. 8 Soup it.
Jan 10, 2023

What to season tofu with? ›

Tofu seasoning rub: Rub the pressed tofu with lots of spices like garlic or onion powder, salt and pepper, nutritional yeast or a spicy taco seasoning, KFC seasoning, Buffalo spice, etc. Tofu marinade: Soak the tofu cubes in your favorite chicken/meat marinade to infuse extra flavor.

Does tofu make baby gassy? ›

If you find your baby reacting to something in your diet, cow's milk products, soy, wheat, corn, eggs and peanuts are often the culprits. Brassica veggies (such as cauliflower, broccoli or brussels sprouts) can sometimes give your baby gas.

What are the 5 types of tofu? ›

Tofu is categorized by texture, or consistency. The texture is determined by the water content in the tofu. The more water, the softer or 'silkier' the tofu; with less water, the tofu is firmer. Tofu is categorized as silken, regular, firm, extra-firm and super-firm.

Which tofu is easiest to cook? ›

Firm and extra-firm tofu are most commonly used in Western recipes, as the mostly solid texture is easy to cut, easy to fry, easy to grill and easy to eat.

Can too much tofu cause problems? ›

Eating tofu and other soy foods every day is generally considered safe. That said, you may want to moderate your intake if you have: Breast tumors: Because of tofu's weak hormonal effects, some doctors suggest that people with estrogen-sensitive breast tumors limit their soy intake.

Is tofu hard to digest for babies? ›

Most types of tofu are easy for babies to gum and break down, so you don't have to do much to make tofu work for your mini muncher — whether or not you introduced solids by spoon-feeding purées or with a baby-led weaning approach (which involves introducing solids in the form of soft, gummable finger foods).

Can you pan fry tofu? ›

To pan fry the tofu: Pour the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the tofu in a single layer (working in batches if needed) and let it brown on all sides. You'll know it's ready when each cube is nice and golden brown.

What not to mix with tofu? ›

What to not serve with tofu? According to studies, a high volume consumption of tofu and spinach together can increase your risk of kidney stones. Tofu and spinach contain calcium and oxalic acid respectively and the combined can form kidney stones.

How to cook tofu for beginners? ›

Cut tofu into cubes. Step 2: Place those cubes in a bowl, and toss gently with 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Step 3: Arrange tofu on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle with some olive oil and salt. Step 4: Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, or until as crispy as you'd like.

What is the secret to cooking tofu? ›

Press it. Tofu contains a lot of water, and you'll want to squeeze most of it out, especially if you're baking, grilling, or frying it. I recommend using a tofu press to do this, because it gives the tofu a delicious chewy texture and makes cleanup a breeze. But having one isn't necessary.

How to give soy to baby? ›

As a baby grows and self-feeds, try steamed edamame, seasoned or marinated tofu stir-fried with vegetables, or a smoothie made with soy yogurt and fruit. Unflavored soymilk is appropriate to offer after a baby turns one.

How is tofu made for kids? ›

It is made from dried soybeans that are soaked in water and then crushed and boiled. Soy milk is separated from the solids. The soy milk is poured into molds to allow the carbohydrate-laden whey to drain off. This results in soft cakes of tofu that are cut into squares and stored under water.

How to prepare tofu without cooking? ›

You can eat raw tofu without cooking directly from the pack, but make sure that you drain off the excess water first because it does not add anything to the experience. Tofu is also called bean curd. It is a white, creamy, soft, relatively flavorless food product made from soybeans.

Does tofu need to be cooked? ›

Tofu can be eaten raw, and so cooking it is completely optional and is mostly done for texture or to bind the sauce to the tofu. You can pan-sear the sides and add it to a colorful stir-fry or deep-fry it and coat it in a savory and sweet sauce.

References

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