Learn how to serve black beans for baby—whether from a can or cooked from dry—with these easy ideas for finger foods and bean puree.

Black Beans for Baby

Beans are one of the most affordable, nutritious plant-based proteins around, and they are—fortunately for us!—so easy to prepare for kids of all ages. My girls are a little obsessed with black beans, so we use them weekly. I’m going to share my favorite easy methods for serving beans to babies and toddlers, including as a puree, finger food, and baby-led-weaning style.

And at the end of the post, be sure to check out my favorite recipes featuring beans.

Bean Puree

You can transform any cooked bean, including black beans, pinto beans, and garbanzo beans, into a puree. All you need to do is blend the beans very smooth in a blender with as much liquid as it takes to move the mixture easily.

Then, you can serve it as a Stage 1 baby food or use it together with other purees as a Stage 2 or 3 baby food. It’s particularly great mixed with Sweet Potato Baby Food and Avocado Puree.

Beans for Baby-Led Weaning

You can mash any fully cooked beans onto a spoon or a stick of lightly toasted bread so baby can self-feed BLW style. This is an easy way to let them feed themselves.

And once they are able to pick up smaller pieces of food, they can pick up the beans with their finger.

Ingredients You Need

To make black beans for baby, you can start with purchased cooked beans in a BPA-free can (if possible) or carton. Or you can cook them from dry at home. I love to make them in my Instant Pot or slow cooker, since all you need is water, and the machine does the rest.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here’s the basic info on how to prepare beans at home for baby:

1. If starting with cooked beans in a carton or can, drain them in a colander. Rinse them to remove the liquid that was in the can. This helps to freshen them and also remove excess salt. Warm slightly and add seasoning as desired.
2. To cook from dry, add beans to a slow cooker or pressure cooker with some garlic and water. Cook according to this easy black bean recipe. Drain.
3. To serve as a finger food, mash just slightly.
4. To puree, add beans to a blender and blend until smooth, adding a little liquid at a time until you reach the desired consistency.

How to Add Flavor to Black Beans

You can add a range of seasonings and other foods to black beans to make them more flavorful. Here are some favorites:

How to Store

You can store beans for baby in an airtight storage container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Best Tips for Success

• Start with cooked beans from a can, carton, or that you’ve cooked from dry. If using canned or beans from a carton, drain and rinse them before using to freshen and remove salt.
• To puree, blend with water or no-salt-added chicken or vegetable stock.
• To serve as a BLW-food, mash beans onto a lightly toasted stick of toast or spoon so they can self-feed.
• To serve as a finger food, mash slightly and let baby self-feed.
• Add flavor from seasonings as you like.

Related Recipes

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