Baby Led Weaning Meatballs

April 10, 2021
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baby led weaning

These easy 4-ingredient baby led weaning meatballs are not only easy to prepare, but are the perfect, nutritious meatball recipe for baby led weaning and toddler feeding.

ground turkey meatballs for baby led weaning on white plate

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Baby meatballs have been a staple baby led weaning food for both of my girls. We make meatballs (all kinds) often in our house and have made tons of varieties based on what we have.

Would you guess that baby meatballs are actually quite versatile?

Well, if you love watching babies eat food, like I do (isn’t it just the cutest thing?), you’ll be surprised at how adorable meatballs for babies are.

What makes meatballs for babies extra great for baby led weaning are that they are easy to hold (meatballs are the ultimate finger food) and stick together for the baby to bite into.

Baby biting into turkey meatballs for baby

They are also very nutrient-dense. We also love using a bison meatball recipe to introduce another high iron and protein source to babies (though I’d leave out the bbq sauce for babes!).

This baby meatballs recipe is high in iron (which is a crucial nutrient for babies, especially breastfed babies as iron stores begin to decrease in baby’s stores after 6 months), zinc, B vitamins and protein.

Another nutrition fact about this baby meatball recipe is that the sweet potatoes, which are high in Vitamin C, can help with iron absorption. We love so many sweet potato recipes for kids for this reason.

I always rely on several sweet potato recipes for baby led weaning.

That means you don’t have to worry about having a separate food to increase the iron – it’s all together for you in this handheld meatball for baby.

I almost always make a double or triple batch to freeze for when future Sarah feels overwhelmed and needs a quick freezable meal for kids!

4 ingredient baby meatballs recipe in gray serving bowl

Ingredients For Baby Led Weaning Meatballs

To make these weaning meatballs, all you need are 4 basic ingredients! I love beef or turkey meatballs for baby led weaning, but feel free to use ground chicken if you please. These meatballs make for a great toddler food, too!

1 lb ground turkey, beef or chicken
2/3 mashed sweet potato, cooked
2/3 cup flour (chickpea flour, oat flour, whole wheat)
2 eggs

These are the basic outline of my sweet potatoes and ground turkey burgers.

ingredients in bowl for 4 ingredient baby led weaning meatballs

Can A 6 Month Old Baby Eat Eggs?

I know many of you may be skeptical about introducing eggs to babies since they are an allergenic food. However, these baby meatballs are the perfect way to introduce eggs.

The latest research shows that introducing allergen foods earlier rather than later may reduce the risk of allergies later on. I talk more about eggs specifically in this post about baby led weaning foods for 6 months.

How Make Meatballs For Babies

Simply mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Make sure your sweet potatoes are pre-cooked (I just microwave them for 5-6 minutes) and then remove the skin.

raw mixture in glass bowl for baby friendly turkey meatballs

Form into meatball shape and place on baking sheet.

You want the meatballs to hold together well, but we soft enough for babies to gum them if they don’t have any teeth. This is where the mashed sweet potato works really well when combined with ground turkey.

For food safety reasons, use a food thermometer to check the interior temperature is 165 degrees. Definitely don’t want to serve undercooked meat products to your baby!

These baby friendly turkey meatballs have the best soft texture and ultimate nutrient offering.

baking sheet with turkey meatball batter

FAQs

How to Freeze Meatballs for Babies – These are the easiest meatballs to freeze. Just let them cool to room temperature, and place in a freezer friendly ziplock bag, sealed tightly. When reheating, just put them in the microwave for a few minutes. Don’t overheat them or they will be too tough and hard to chew.
Can I Use A Different Flour? Yes, you do not need to use chickpea flour. You can also use whole wheat flour, oat flour, or almond flour. Coconut flour likely won’t work the same way because it’s much denser and more dry.
What Should You Serve this Toddler Meatball Recipe With? If you’re serving this to toddlers, you’ll probably need some sides. We like to pair with a green veggie (asparagus, peas, broccoli) or even a side of naan bread.

Turkey meatballs with blackberries and asparagus on toddler friendly plate

More Baby Led Weaning Recipes

Baby French Toast Sticks
Sweet Potato Spinach Baby Food
Crispy Parsnip Fries
Baby Salmon Cakes (great way to introduce seafood!)

turkey sweet potato meatballs on white serving plate with ketchup as graphic

Baby Led Weaning Turkey Meatballs

Yield: 24 meatballs

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

These easy 4-ingredient baby led weaning meatballs are not only easy to prepare, but are the perfect, nutritious meatball recipe for baby led weaning and toddler feeding.

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey, beef or chicken
2/3 cup sweet potato (cooked and mashed)
2/3 cup flour (chickpea flour, oat flour, whole wheat flour)
2 eggs

Instructions

Microwave your sweet potato for 5 minutes and let cool and remove skin.
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
Form into meatball shape and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until meatballs are fully cooked and reach 165 degrees internally.

Notes

To freeze: Let meatballs cool to room temperature. Stick them in a tightly sealed ziplock bag in an even layer and place in the freezer. To reheat, stick in the microwave for 2-4 minutes, checking periodically to make sure they don't burn.