35 Baby Led Weaning Staples You need for your Pantry

There are 35 items blw pantry staples I always have on hand to create easy baby-led weaning (BLW) meals. While striving for a balanced meal (healthy fats, carbs and protein), these affordable items make it simpleton whip up quick meals the whole family will enjoy.

If you are wondering how create a BLW meal or snack in a flash, I share recipes and what is on our daughters’s plate on Instagram (along with our family meals, too!). Check it out here for more uses on these ten BLW pantry staples!

Vegetables

The first food items we have on our BLW pantry staples list are vegetables. Whether they are fresh, frozen or canned we always have vegetables to add to any meal to add to supply important nutrients like vitamin c (and fiber too!).

We use vegetables by:

• Cooking them into omelets (spinach or mushrooms)
• Hiding them in waffles, salmon potato cakes or pumpkin butter
• Using them as a ‘pasta sauce’ when made into a vegetable puree
• Blending them into smoothies (spinach or kale)
• Grating them on top of yogurt (beets)
• Heating them in the air fryer (baby zucchini, broccoli tops, sweet potatoes, or butternut squash)

Fruit

We have fresh fruit on hand weekly based on what is on sale at the grocery store and what is in season. If we do not buy fresh fruit like berries, bananas or pears, we opt for canned fruit, frozen fruit, dried fruit or fruit cups! Fruit cups are something our whole family loves because they do not have added sugar and are perfect finger foods which make it easy for little hands to pick up.

When fruit is in season, we buy it in bulk a freeze it. Fruits like blueberries, strawberries and bananas are consistently stocked within our freezer. To make a balanced meal filled with important nutrients provided by fruit, we blend them into smoothies, put them in baked goods or top them (with chia seeds) on greek yogurt bowls.

To use up some of my freezer breast milk stash, we make a smoothie bowl for a mid day snack. Our go to recipe lately has been:

• 1/4 fresh banana
• 3 frozen strawberries
• 2 ounces frozen breastmilk
• Dollop of Greek Yogurt
• Water or additional breastmilk
  • Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. We serve smoothies out of this straw cup as it can get chucked no the floor without spilling. The only time it leaks is if it is held upside down and liquid drips from the straw.

Canned Tuna, Salmon and Sardines

While always have canned tuna, salmon and sardines stocked in our baby-led weaning pantry. Canned fish can be a great way to support brain and eye health due to the nutrient dense vitamins and minerals found within fish. Not only is fish high in fatty acids like omega 3 and omega 6, they are also high in DHA. To make a balanced meal, we pair our fish with a ‘dressings’ like mashed avocado, mayo, greek yogurt and carbs like pasta, crackers or rice cakes.

One of our favorite canned fish options is sardines. Sardines, specifically the ‘Season’ brand, are wild caught, are low in mercury and are packed in olive oil. This cheap protein source can be purchased for $1 per can at Costco. Sardines are an A+ when it comes to our meal planning grocery list.

Greek Yogurt and Kefir

While not shelf stable, yogurt (dairy or non-dairy) is a favorite on our solid foods list. We opt for whole milk greek yogurt from our local Aldi.

Greek yogurt acts as a great base for fresh fruit, seed butter (like peanut butter or almond butter) and cinnamon. We have added a dollop of agave and maple syrup for a little sweetness, too.

Other ways we use greek yogurt within baby led weaning include:

• Frozen Yogurt Bananas: If your little one has a habit of eating half the banana, cover it in greek yogurt and freeze it for the following day. For exposure to different foods (and potential allergenic foods), consider topping with a ground nut.
• Smoothie Bowls: Greek yogurt and kefir are a wonderful base for smoothie bowls. Smoothies (and smoothie bowls) are one of our favorite quick meal options.
• On top of a homemade waffle (or sourdough bread)
• Yogurt Bark: Spread yogurt onto a pan and top with crushed fruit. Pop into the freezer and break into pieces for later! (This is also a great teething hack!)

Ricotta Cheese and Cottage Cheese

If your little one can has worked through testing food allergies and can eat dairy, these two ‘cheeses’ are blw pantry staples! They are packed with protein and fat. Plus, they make a great alternative to eggs.

Their neutral flavor allows them to take the complexity of other foods. They can be added in to items like oatmeal or pasta. Ricotta cheese is naturally lower in sodium, therefore it is great for the first few months of BLW when monitoring sodium levels throughout the day.

Here are some ideas to incorporate ricotta cheese and cottage cheese into meals the entire family will love:

• Top with Fruit
• Stuffed Shells: Ricotta Cheese, shell pasta, vegetables (onion / spinach), red sauce, ground meat (normally beef), spices
• Oatmeal: Oats, peanut or almond butter, breast milk, cottage cheese, egg, cinnamon
• Stuffed French Toast (Sweet Version): Prepare french toast as normal. Before dipping in egg, fold it half and ‘stuff’ with ricotta cheese and jelly or smashed fruit.
• Stuffed French Toast (Savory Version): Prepare French toast without the cinnamon and vanilla extract. Before dipping in egg, fold in half and stuff with ricotta cheese, spices and smashed black beans.

Eggs

While I currently hesitate to put eggs on the list due to the utter price tag shock I feel each time I grab a dozen from the store – these are a staple for our family.

We prepare eggs in all fashions (fried, hardboiled, scrambled or deviled), making them one of our favorite items for meal prep. Additionally, they are one of the most bioavailable forms of protein (and are also great at replenishing iron stores, too). We put eggs in other items like:

• Waffles and pancakes
• Potato Salad
• Fried Rice
• Oatmeal
• Baked goods

Chia Seeds (and Flax Seeds)

Chia seeds and flax seeds are a powerhouse of fiber, antioxidants and omega (3 and 6). When soaked in liquid, they become a soft, gelatinous texture. They can even replace eggs in some baked good recipes! Plus, chia and flax seeds are one of our top tricks for constipation which can occur when little ones start solid foods (or potty training).

Ways we use Chia Seeds and Flax Seeds:

• Stir in: seeded bread, on top of baked goods, yogurt, smoothies, juice or oatmeal.
• Overnight Oats: Combine oats, chia seeds, yogurt, milk, cinnamon almond or peanut butter and fruit.
• Chia Seed Pudding

Grains and Starches

Some of our favorite whole grains include lentils, quinoa, rice, oats, and barley! We make our bread from scratch and also enjoy pasta and potatoes. Grains and starches are affordable, easy to prepare and can be used in a variety of quick meals.

How we prepare grains and starches:

• Meal Prep: For lentils and quinoa, we cook them once to enjoy throughout the month. If we do not use the quinoa immediately within Quinoa Broccoli Bites, we store them in freezer. Lentils and quinoa thaw out within 15-30 seconds in the microwave.
• Pair with Meat: Pair lentils with meat like ground turkey, beef or chicken for a protein powerhouse. (Also a great way to replenish iron stores)
• Oatmeal Bars: Rather than preparing oatmeal by itself, we enjoy making bars like this Apple Baked Oatmeal.
• Potatoes: Potatoes are versatile whether they are boiled, mashed, fried, baked, etc. Any leftover mashed potatoes we turn into Salmon Potato Cakes (one of our favorite easy recipes). Individual portions of mashed potatoes can also be frozen into individual portions within a Silicone Freezer Tray.

Pre-Packaged Options

Other items on our blw pantry staples list are pre-packed items. While we are a household attempting to to make as many things from scratch as possible, it is nice to have pre-packed options when life gets busy. Our theory is, if the item is within a package, it should be consumed outside the house when on the entire family is on the go or when in a ‘pinch’ (aka we need to go shopping desperately!).

Items like cheese, fruit and vegetable squeeze packets (found cheap and often in bulk at Aldi and Costco), Frosted Mini Wheats, Cheerios, Pirates Booty and crackers are some of our favorites to have on hand.

• Ways to use pre-packaged into a full meal:
  • Cherrios: Yogurt, Cherrios, Fruit
  • Pirate’s Booty (White Cheddar Puffs): Cheese, Protein (egg, meatball, etc)
  • Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

Miscellaneous

Finally, the last of the BLW pantry staples include spices, sauces and dressings. These bring the new flavors and additional nutrition to a meal.

Adding a dash of flavor to a recipe often goes a long way to ensure a palatable dish – especially when it comes to a dash of salt! Let’s face it, vegetables without salt are just plain hard to eat. Seasonings we have on hand include:

• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic (powder and cloves)
• Onion
• Italian seasoning
• Nutritional yeast
• Panko Bread crumbs
• Warming spices: cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg

For dressings and sauces, we have lemon and lime juice, sesame seed oil, balsamic vinegar and a good quality olive oil. I am also a fan of whipping up hidden vegetable sauces, pasta sauce, sour cream or a dollop of mayo to any plate.

Do you have any BLW pantry staples on hand for your little one? If so, share your best first foods with us in the comments!