Life
Steam & Puree With Just One Hand? The Best Baby Food Makers Make Mealtime So Much Easier
If you want to make baby food from scratch, but aren’t sure where to start, the best baby food makers can help you make amazing food with ease. Sometime between the ages of four and six months, most babies are ready to add solid foods to their menu. And baby food that is made from scratch has many perks over premade food: It can save you some major money, help to reduce environmental waste, and also allow you to have full control over what your little one is eating. Regardless of the foods you’re whipping up, the process is pretty much always the same: prep the ingredients (like peel and core apples, for example), steam (or cook), and chop/puree.
When it comes to selecting a baby food maker, the biggest consideration is how simple it is to make the food. The easiest-to-use baby food makers can steam and chop in a single unit. These machines take the guesswork out of making the food, and also make cleanup much simpler. These also tend to be the priciest machines. Other machines might not be able to handle all of the baby food-making steps, but can still make the process easier for you (and they cost significantly less) like pureeing the cooked food to perfection.
Another important consideration when purchasing a baby food maker is how much food the machine can make at a time. If you plan on making big batches of food to store in the freezer, be on the lookout for larger machines. If you plan on making your baby’s food fresh before each meal, a smaller machine may better suit your needs. Some machines can also do more than just make baby food, including warming up bottles, too.
Below, five of the best baby food makers on Amazon that are customer approved.
1The Best Overall Baby Food Maker
It doesn’t get any easier to make baby food from scratch than with this machine. This baby food maker can do it all: It steam cooks, blends, and reheats baby food, all in under 15 minutes. It's so simple to use, you can even do all of the steps one-handed. The sleek machine can make big batches of food (up to 4.7 cups of food at a time) and has an audible alert to tell you when meals are ready to eat. Cleanup is quick and easy thanks to a top-rack dishwasher-safe bowl and basket. Sure, it’s pricey, but you are paying for incredible convenience.
Choose from a range of colors including rose gold and a classic white.
What Amazon reviewers are saying: “I love the baby food maker, it is compact (does not take up much space on the counter) , I also like the fact that I do not have to use a separate steamer, then clean that; then move to a blender etc. Easy to use and easy to clean. I can make several batches of different foods, quickly.”
2The Runner-Up: A Smaller But Less Expensive Baby Food Maker
With a nearly unheard of 4.9-star rating on Amazon, this baby food maker from EVLA's is truly a fan favorite and for good reason. This machine can handle all of the main baby food making steps in a single container: It can steam, blend, reheat, and even defrost. The touch-screen control panel allows you to easily select the meal style whether you want purees or a more solid consistency. Did I mention it cleans itself? Yes, you read that right. Just add some clean water, turn on the self-cleaning cycle, and the machine does the rest (for stubborn, stuck-on food, the stirring cup is dishwasher-safe).
While this baby food maker is much smaller than the first pick (it can only make about 1.5 cups of food at a time), if you aren’t looking to make large batches, this may not be a deal-breaker for you, especially considering the price difference.
What Amazon reviewers are saying: “I couldn’t be happier with this purchase! This Baby Food Processor is truly an all in one - steams food, blends, self-cleans, and sterilizes! [...] I love that blending foods can be modified to our preferred consistency because my LO doesn’t need purées but chopped and the Pulse option allows me to get the safe cuts he needs with almost no effort at all.”
3The Best Baby Food Maker & Bottle Warmer In One
This machine from Cuisinart does double duty: It can make baby food and also warm up bottles, perfect for those who have limited kitchen space or just don't want to have two separate gadgets. The machine steams and purees baby food all in the same bowl, making a sizable 4 cups of food at a time. The built-in bottle warmer allows you to safely heat your baby's bottle to just the right temperature (and most bottles will fit thanks to the included bottle adapter). The machine also comes with a recipe booklet, spatula, and an integrated measuring cup. Reviewers say they have put the bowl and blade in the dishwasher, and the pieces have held up just fine, however, the company doesn't specify that it's dishwasher-safe.
What Amazon reviewers are saying: “As a full-time working mom and part-time student, I am constantly filled with concern about being able to provide my baby (now a toddler) the healthiest start to life. [...] This product was perfect. It allowed me to make the most of the minimal time I had at night to prepare healthy and creative purees that my daughter loved to gobble up. The process with this product will make your life so easy. [...] Walk away and do other chores or simply relax while the veggie/fruit steams. When it’s done, flip the switch in the opposite direction to blend and voila!”
4The Best Baby Food Maker For Extra-Large Batches
Make two different foods at the same time thanks to this two-station food maker from Babymoov. Featuring two steamer baskets and a three-speed blender, you can make up to 11 cups of food at once. It cooks, blends, warms, and even defrosts baby food, so the whole “baby food from scratch” thing is a total breeze. The LCD display is fully programmable and alerts you when the food is ready. The machine can even be used as a bottle warmer and sterilizer, and it's dishwasher safe.
What Amazon reviewers are saying: “The convenience of being able to steam more than one thing at a time and make my purees all at the same time is wonderful. I like having the 3 different settings on the blender as well so I can get the perfect consistency. It is also easier to clean than any blender or streamer I've owned before and breaks down to pack away easily (the cabinet I store mine in is small but because the blender detaches it fits perfectly.”
5The Best Baby-Specific Blender
With the ability to blend, grind, chop, and mill, it’s easy to turn cooked food into baby food thanks to this baby blender from Magic Bullet. The blender can make up to 8 cups of food at a time, and comes with some accessories including a silicone tray (for when you’re making big batches of food for the freezer) and storage cups with a date-dial feature (so you can remember when it was made). The cups and blade are top-rack dishwasher-safe, although the company recommends hand washing when possible, especially the blade. This blender is much cheaper than the other baby food makers, so if you don't mind doing the cooking steps on your own, then this might be a good pick for you.
What Amazon reviewers are saying: “Wow, I love the baby bullet. It's so quick and easy to use. The trays makes life so easy. So glad I got this. Will save so much $ and feel so great that my baby is eating fresh food. A must buy for your baby starting on solids.”
6Also Great: A Baby Food Squeeze-Pouch Maker
For taking homemade food on the go, this squeeze station from Infantino is a must. With more than 1,300 reviews on Amazon and a 4.5-star rating, reviewers love how they can quickly put purees into the oh-so-convenient squeeze pouches (they’re even safe for the freezer). Each single-use pouch holds up to 4 ounces of food, and is super easy to fill: Simply pour in the puree and press down. The machine is even dishwasher-safe.
What Amazon reviewers are saying: “Wish I had this with my other 2 children…would have saved so much time. I honestly did not expect it to be as useful and fun as it was. [...] Definitely freezable.”
Romper may receive a portion of sales from products purchased from this article, which was created independently of Romper’s editorial and sales departments.
