It doesn’t feel like fall without a pumpkin spice latte and a pile of pumpkin goodies from Trader Joe’s. Introduce your baby to this fabulous autumn flavor with these recipes featuring pumpkin as the star ingredient. Read on for sweet and savory dishes including smoothies, soft pretzels, soups, risotto balls, purees and more.
photo: Baby Led Weaning Ideas
1. No Sugar Added Pumpkin Pancakes: Pumpkin puree, unsweetened applesauce, oats, spices and a few other ingredients come together to make a delicious short stack of fluffy pancakes perfect for babies who love finger foods. Get the recipe at Baby Led Weaning Ideas.
2. Pumpkin Oatmeal Smoothies: Nutritious for baby and delicious for you too, this smoothie is packed with almond milk, Greek yogurt, oats, bananas and, of course, pumpkin puree. Find the blender-ready recipe on A Happy Food Dance.
3. Pumpkin Bacon Risotto: Here’s a five-star dining experience for your toddler. Turn a delicious risotto into finger food by adding cheese and rolling into small balls. This recipe, available at One Handed Cooks, is also easy to freeze in portions for a future meal.
4. Banana Sweet Potato Pumpkin Bread: Cold and flu season starts right around pumpkin season. This yummy bread recipe boasts immune-boosting powers—and a high fiber content to keep those little bellies feeling full longer. Get the recipe at Your Kids Table.
5. Pumpkin and Red Lentil Soup: Soups are easy for babies to eat and an easy way to introduce them to new flavors. This soup pairs pumpkin with protein-rich red lentils and creamy coconut milk. Plus, it’s thick enough that baby can practice eating it with a spoon. Tone down or skip the red curry paste if baby doesn’t like spicy foods. Scrummy Lane has the recipe.
photo: Fun at Home with the Kids
6. Low Sugar Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins: Muffins are great when you’re on the go, and they’re a sneaky way to get veggies into kids’ diets. This recipe uses brown sugar and maple sugar to add sweetness, but the cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice gives the muffins big flavor. Bonus: This recipe is easy enough for siblings to help prepare. Get the instructions at Fun at Home with the Kids.
7. Pumpkin Soft Pretzels: Soft pretzels are nice for teething tots to gum on and fun for toddlers to help roll out. This recipe adds pumpkin puree and a dash of brown sugar to a traditional recipe to create one of our new fall favorites. Find out how to make them at Oh Lady Cakes.
8. Pumpkin Overnight Oatmeal: Once baby has graduated from baby oatmeal, try this spiced-up overnight oatmeal. Combine canned pumpkin with rolled oats, Greek yogurt and other ingredients, let sit overnight, and wake up to a flavorful breakfast for that hungry baby’s belly (and yours too)! Find the recipe on Simply Shellie.
9. Soaked Banana Pumpkin Baby Biscuits: When your little one is teething, having a healthy treat like these gluten-free biscuits to gnaw on is helpful. While the recipe has quite a few ingredients and requires the batter to sit overnight, once you’re done, you’ll have 45 cookies ready for teething emergencies. Freeze some for the next tooth cutting. Get the recipe at Simple Foody.
10. Pumpkin Molasses Cookies: What do you get when you cross snickerdoodles with pumpkin cookies and molasses cookies? These delicious treats. They’re fluffy, chewy and filled with autumn flavors — and calcium, magnesium and iron, thanks to the molasses. You’ll find the recipe at A Taste of Madness.
11. Pumpkin Waffles: What’s better on a chilly autumn morning than waffles? The pumpkin, ginger and cinnamon make these delicious without maple syrup—and perfect for little hands to pick up and nibble on—but a little drizzle of the sweet stuff makes them even better. Kristine’s Kitchen has the recipe.
photo: Baby Foode
12. Pumpkin + Yogurt + Prune Baby Food Puree: Mix pumpkin, Greek yogurt and prunes together to make a creamy and nutritious puree for your solid-food newbie. Get the recipe at Baby Foode.
13. Homemade Pumpkin Puree: Want to turn that pumpkin you picked from the patch into baby food? Follow the how-to at Six Figures Under.
14. Sweet Pumpkin-Apple Baby & Toddler Puree: While you have that farm-fresh pumpkin puree, mix it with some apples. Naturally Mindful shares a recipe that also includes maple syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg for a yummy fall treat.
15. Pumpkin Banana Puree: If your baby is loving those two-ingredient blends, try mixing a can of organic pumpkin with 3 ripe bananas for an easy-to-prepare puree. Get the details at Baby Food Doctor.
16. Pumpkin + Chicken + Parsnip + Ginger Puree: Get the protein benefits of chicken in easy-to-spoon-feed form along with a flavorful mix of ginger, parsnip and, of course, pumpkin. Find out how to make this blend at Baby Foode.
What are your baby’s favorite fall flavors? Tell us in a comment.
— Julie Seguss & Eva Ingvarson Cerise
