Home » Feeding Style » Baby Food Purees » Stage Three » 18 Stage 3 Baby Food Recipes (Easy, Delicious + Homemade)
by Michele Olivier on January 13, 2020 (updated May 24, 2022)
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4.88 stars (24 ratings)These 18 Stage 3 Baby Food Recipes are easy to make, delicious for baby to eat and completely homemade! They are combination purees with soft chunks that will get baby ready for the next stage – finger foods. Great for babies 9-12 months.
Medically reviewed and co-written byJamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).
Stage 3 Baby Food Recipes
Now that your baby has mastered Stage 1 as well as Stage 2 baby food purees, it’s time to move on to the last phase of their puree journey – Stage 3!
Stage 3, or Chunky Purees, is the last stop of the puree culinary adventure for baby – the next phase is finger foods.
What exactly are Stage 3 Baby Purees? Well, put simply, Stage 3 baby foods are a puree with small chewable chunks inside. Having small manageable chunks in a puree gets your baby ready for finger foods by having them explore similar tastes that they are used to but with completely different texture profiles.
Baby has to learn how to move the chunks around their little mouths, how to chew on those chunks and finally they have to learn to swallow them without gagging or choking. It’s a sensory and exploratory practice that takes some time, but trust me, baby will learn how to do all of these things in no time at all.
Looking for even more baby food ideas?You can also check out my best-sellingcookbookfor even more information and recipes.
Reasons to Love these Homemade Stage 3 Purees
- wholesome
- delicious
- freezer-friendly
- nutrient-dense
- full of whole grains – millet, whole wheat pasta, quinoa, etc
- great ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinners
- can be made slightly chunky or really chunky depending on where baby is at with this stage of purees
- baby doesn’t have to have teeth for these chunky purees – they will be able to gnaw at any of these chunks with their gums
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Frequently Asked Questions
When can you introduce baby to stage 3 purees?
You can introduce Stage 3 purees to your baby around 9 months of age. You will want your baby to have had a great deal of practice eating smooth combination purees before you serve them chunky purees.
What are Stage 3 Baby Foods?
Stage 3 baby foods are a thick puree with soft chewable pieces of food inside.
What is the difference between Stage 2 and Stage 3 baby foods?
The only difference between Stage 2 and Stage 3 baby food is that Stage 3 baby foods are slightly chunkier than Stage 2 purees. Traditionally, Stage 3 baby foods are meant to be the last step in the puree process before you start your baby on finger foods. You are giving your baby some time to practice mouthing and chewing on small pieces of cooked foods before handing them solid foods. Of course, you can always introduce finger foods at the same time as Stage 3 purees.
Why are Stage 3 Baby Foods Important?
Stage 3 baby foods are important because they will help teach baby what to do with small chunks of food in their mouths, how to move the chunks around their mouth, how to “chew” these chunks as well as how to swallow them. This stage is important because you are exposing them to a ton of different textures and taste sensations.
How to Make Stage 3 Baby Purees
You can make any homemade Stage 2 baby food puree into a Stage 3 baby food simply by not blending the produce into a smooth puree.
- Cook the fruits, veggies, grains and meat according to the recipe.
- Place in a food processor or blender.
- Pulse the puree in 5-10 second intervals until you have small ‘pea’ size pieces and everything is incorporated.
- Serve to your baby.
Can you do Finger Foods and Stage 3 Purees at the Same Time?
Yes, you can start finger foods at any age! This stage is all about texture and taste exploration, so the more you introduce to your baby now, the easier it will be for them when they start eating table foods. You can read my Ultimate Guide to Finger Foods for more information.
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These tools will make it a lot easier to make homemade baby food purees. For more of my favorite kitchen tools make sure to check out myshop.
- blenderorfood processor
- baking sheet
- saucepans
- knives
- veggie peeler
- spatula
- freezer tray
- storage containers for fridge
- stasher bag
- reusable pouches
- baby food maker
How to Store Baby Purees
Every recipe below has specific instructions on how to store that particular puree, but these are the general guidelines.
REFRIGERATOR
You can store the puree in anairtight containerin the fridge for up to 4 days.
FREEZER
Most homemade puree can be frozen for up to 4 months.
- Spoon puree into afreezer storage container. Do not overfill.
- Place the lid on the storage container or cover with a piece of saran wrap, and label with the date and recipe name.
- Place the tray into the freezer and let it freeze completely — preferably overnight.
- Pop-out the baby food cubes and place them in a ziplock baggie orstasher bag. Don’t forget to relabel the baggie or stasher bag for future reference.
Need more information on how to store your baby foods?Head over to myBest Baby Food Storage Containers – Plus 6 Tips on Freezing and Thawingpost!
FEEDING TIPS
- Have a spare spoon (or three!) – even very young babies often want to be involved in feeding themselves as much as possible. Giving your baby an extra spoon to hold can be helpful in giving her a sense of control and also promotes hand-eye coordination. Allow your baby to use spoons as a teether during the meal. There are many great options out there but a few we particularly love include theOlababy 3 Piece Set, theNumNum Pre-Spoon GOOtensils, and theChooMee FlexiDip Baby Starter Spoons.
- Purees are great to keep in your baby’s regular rotation of foods – but if you start feeding with traditional weaning using purees, make sure to progress beyond eating ONLY purees. Once your baby can safely and comfortably swallow purees (usually by 7 or 8 months) it’s time to introduce other textures, such as teething biscuits and soft-cooked finger foods. Moving onto additional textures in a timely manner may help prevent feeding difficulties at a later age.
- Throwing spoons is a common phase that all babies go through at one point or another. One of the best ways to handle spoon throwing is to ignore it and keep feeding your baby as usual (with an extra spoon you already have at the table). If your baby ends up also throwing back up spoons #2 AND #3, simply encourage your baby to eat with their hands until they appear to be finished with the meal. ***Give baby plenty of opportunities to practice putting items in and taking items out of containers outside of mealtimes.
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Get the recipe:18 Stage 3 Baby Food Recipes: Strawberry Sweet Potato & Farro
4.9 stars (24 ratings)
They are combination purees with soft chunks that will get baby ready for the next stage – finger foods. Great for babies 9-12 months.
Author: Michele Olivier
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Ingredients
- 2 cups sweet potato, peeled and chopped (roughly 2 small sweet potatoes)
- 2 cups strawberries, trimmed and chopped
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup cooked farro
Instructions
Steam: In a medium saucepan, bring 2 inches of water to a boil. In a steamer basket add the sweet potatoes, cover and steam for 15 minutes. Add the strawberries and sprinkle with cinnamon and steam for 3 more minutes. Let cool slightly. Reserve steamer water.
Blend: Transfer the cooked sweet potatoes and strawberries as well as the cooked farro into a blender or food processor. Pulse in 5-10 second increments until all of the ingredients are combined and you have small pieces of food.
Eat: Serve to baby and enjoy.
Notes
Age: 8+ months
Yield: 20 ounces
Storage: Fridge – store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freezer – can be frozen for up to 4 months.
Notes on Strawberries: in the spring time when strawberries are not at their juiciest, I find that giving them a quick steam helps make their flavor more impactful. If you are making this at the height of strawberry season and your strawberries are bursting with flavor, feel free to skip the steaming step and you can add them straight to the blender before pulsing.
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Stage Three
originally published on January 13, 2020 (updated May 24, 2022)
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Kirsten —Reply
Do you still have to introduce all of these ingredients alone first to baby? I am worried because I need to move on from smooth purees, but she has not had these ingredients.
Michele Olivier —Reply
Nope, as soon as you introduce the basic ingredients you can start adding combination purees with chunks, even if your baby hasn’t had them before.
Amanda J —Reply
Have tried a few of these and my baby loves these! We use the instant pot to steam the veggies. Thanks for the great recipes and inspiration!
Michele Olivier —Reply
Great idea to use the Instapot to steam the veggies! Glad you hear that baby loves them!
Marissa —Reply
So my little one needs to move on from the smooth purées and I have an entire freezer full of your stage 2 recipes, how could I turn the already made/frozen stage 2 purées into stage 3? Thank you in advance 💕
Michele Olivier —Reply
This is a great question! You can mix the stage 2 purees you have already have with soft-cooked pasta, cooked grains like farro, quinoa or rice, ground meat, soft-cooked and slightly chopped veggies like sweet potato, broccoli or carrots, ricotta or cottage cheese, etc. Hope that helps.
