This toddler meatball recipe is cheesy, high iron and perfect for BLW and families. It’s an easy way to sneak in extra iron!
After a baby transitions off breastmilk or formula, I think one of parents biggest fears is that they’re not getting enough iron. I created a comprehensive guide about iron before 1, and I heard a lot of feedback that there was NO WAY your kid was getting enough. If you haven’t seen the guide, check it out here.
Here’s the thing- these numbers are averages based on babies also getting iron from less well absorbed sources (like plant based foods), so if you’re including animal protein in your baby’s diet, there’s a good chance they actually need significantly less than that magic 11 mg number.
This cheesy toddler meatball recipe for baby led weaning was one of my secret weapons for those days when I’d thinking our iron intake had been a little low. They’re flavourful, packed with iron and tasty enough that the whole family will love them. Even though my kids are a bit older now, we still come back to this recipe- not just for toddlers and babies!
Table of contents
Why This Recipe Works
These cheesy toddler meatballs are ideal for BLW and toddlers, because they’re tender enough even for a new beginner eater to enjoy. Here are a few more reasons why this toddler meatballs recipe is a family favourite.
- High in protein and iron
- Requires less than 10 ingredients
- Only takes 35 minutes to prepare
- Family friendly
Key Ingredients
Iron fortified baby cereal – this will add an extra iron boost to the toddler meatballs and will also act as a binder to bring the meatballs together.
Breastmilk – I like to combine breastmilk with the baby cereal to add moisture and an extra nutrition boost. Instead of breastmilk, you can use any milk of your choosing.
Ground beef – I prefer to use ground beef for these meatballs because they add a healthy dose of iron, but feel free to use any other ground meat of your choosing (like pork, chicken, or turkey).
Cheese – I use aged white cheddar or mozzarella cheese because they are a nice low sodium option that’s super melty and delish.
Egg – this will also act as a binder to help the meatballs stick together and also adds an extra iron boost.
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: In a large bowl, mix together the baby cereal and milk and allow it to sit for 10 minutes.
Step 2: Add in the meat, cheese, egg, oregano, pepper, and salt (optional). Mix until combined then roll into 1 tbsp meatballs.
Step 3: Grease the baking sheet. Place on the baking sheet and spritz with a bit more oil in an oil atomizer. Bake for 15 minutes or until it reaches 165 F, flipping once half way through. Allow to cool slightly before serving to baby, or transfer to a freezer bag for later eating.
Expert Tips
This toddler meatball recipe is meant to be moist for baby led weaning so your little one can easily suck on the juice of the meatball. However, if you are having trouble forming them into balls, you can add more baby cereal one table spoon at a time until they are able to hold together.
Recipe FAQs
There’s lots of iron sources in this toddler meatball recipe. We have the iron fortified cereal, the egg, and the ground beef (one of nature’s best sources of iron!) You can easily swap in ground turkey or chicken if you prefer, but go for the dark meat which is higher in iron and good fats for baby’s growing brain.
Totally! If you want to put half aside and add salt to the adult portion before cooking, that is a great way to ensure you also can enjoy the same meal as your baby/toddler without having to give the little ones too much salt.
You bet! I make a big batch of these toddler meatballs, letting them cool to room temperature on a cooling rack. Then I flash freeze the meatballs on a baking tray before I transfer to freezer bag for 3 months. They never last that long, but these meatballs are perfect for the nights when my hubby and I want to have something for dinner that’s not so baby friendly (ie. spicy food!)
Yes! Assuming you use a gluten free grain, these are gluten free.
The main allergens in this toddler meatball recipe are dairy, and egg, and possibly wheat depending on what kind of cereal you use. You can check out my amazing allergen introduction guide here!
More Recipes You Might Like
We LOVE baby led weaning recipes here at Abbey’s Kitchen. Here are a few of our favs:
- Gluten Free Hummus Baby Meatballs
- High Iron Avocado Pasta
- Sweet Potato Apple Muffins
- Sweet Potato Lentil Fritters
- Healthy “Better Than McDonalds Chicken Nuggets”
- Salmon Sweet Potato Fritters
So moms and dads, tell me- what are some of your favourite meals and snacks for sneaking iron into your baby and toddlers’ diet? Leave me a comment below with your thoughts!
Baby Meatballs for Baby Led Weaning (High Iron)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup iron fortified baby oat or ancient grain cereal
- ½ cup breastmilk or milk
- 1 ¼ lb medium ground beef
- 1 cup good quality aged white cheddar or mozzarella cheese finely grated
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- ¼ tsp salt optional for adults
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F and put the baking sheet in the oven to preheat.
- In a large bowl, mix together the baby cereal and milk and allow it to sit for 10 minutes.
- Add in the meat, cheese, egg, oregano, pepper, and salt (optional). Mix until combined then roll into 1 tbsp meatballs. Grease the baking sheet. Place on the baking sheet and spritz with a bit more oil in an oil atomizer. Bake for 15 minutes or until it reaches 165 F, flipping once half way through.
- Allow to cool slightly before serving to baby, or transfer to a freezer bag for later eating.
Video
Nutrition
Abbey Sharp is a Registered Dietitian (RD), regulated by the Ontario College of Dietitians. She is a mom, YouTuber, Blogger, award winning cookbook author, media coach specializing in food and nutrition influencers, and a frequent contributor to national publications like Healthline and on national broadcast TV shows.
Tina says
How do you serve to a 1 year old so that its not a choking hazard?
Abbey Sharp says
I talk all about how to reduce choking hazards in my post right here https://www.abbeyskitchen.com/baby-led-weaning-blw/
Michelle Wallace says
My babe is allergic to eggs so wondering if a flax egg would work instead?
Abbey Sharp says
Yeah definitely
Brittany A says
Hi Abbey,
Can I use almond flour instead of baby cereal? Thanks. This looks yummy.
Abbey Sharp says
It might work but I’ve never tried it. Let me know if you try!
Carine Cheung says
Can I use formula instead of cow’s milk in the recipe? Or is cow’s milk safe to use as long as it’s cooked. Since my baby is only 10 months old.
Thanks
Abbey Sharp says
Cow’s milk isn’t recommended until your baby is at least 1 year old so I would stick to formula
Melissa says
These are awesome. Baby has loved them since about 5 months old, and she’s 15 months now, and I am making a fresh batch. Thank you!
Abbey Sharp says
So glad your family enjoyed!
Tricia says
Hi there, how old are are these meatballs intended for? I have just started my 6 month old on BLW and am wondering if these might be suitable just for him to suck juices and chew some things on. Thank you 🙂
Abbey Sharp says
Yes! 6 months onwards! They’re meant to be moist for this reason.
Tricia says
Thank you!
Jazz says
12 meatballs seems like a lot for a baby. Is that the serving size?
Abbey Sharp says
No it isn’t a serving size. Thats just how many meatballs this recipe makes.
Joanna says
Hi, how do you reheat these from the freezer?
Abbey Sharp says
you can thaw them in the fridge or just reheat in the microwave from frozen.
Faith says
Hi there! I just finished batch cooking this recipe for my one year old but am a little confused on the serving size. First off, I doubled the recipe, used a tablespoon for the first meatball as a guide, ended up with 102 meatballs that are all a tablespoon size. Which means that technically you end up with 51 meatballs from the first batch, that are a tablespoon in size. With the above portion, now how do I know how many meatballs are in one serving, along with the nutrition facts?
Sabrina says
Is there a substitute I could use other than the milk? My babe is 9 months and no longer breastfeeding and I am told it is not good for them to start having milk until they are one years old.
Thank you so much!
Abbey Sharp says
Hey Sabrina, you can try to leave it out and reduce the baby cereal because they may be dry or use formula or whatever babe drinks. But it’s actually totally fine for babies to have milk as an ingredient. The recommendation (I know it’s confusing) is to avoid transitioning to whole milk as babies main milk source until 1 (though some peds suggest switching as early as 9 mo) to avoid too much calcium interfering with iron, but it’s absolutely fine for tiny bits in ingredients and potentially has benefits for trialing the dairy allergen.
Kirsty says
Can I skip the cheese? Can I add I’m vegetables? What kind of vegetables will be okay to add?
Abbey Sharp says
Yes absolutely!
Yasmine El Charif says
We love this recipe! It does help to wet and oil hands before shaping the meatballs and a really hot oven is your best friend.
They’re super delish, my LO eats them alone or with some homemade sauce and veggies, pasta, etc super easy to make ahead and freeze. ?
Abbey Sharp says
Thats great! These meatballs are a hit with my little guy too. Glad you liked this recipe, Yasmine 🙂
Jo says
hi, these sound great, do you think instead of soaking the cereal in milk, you could use water??
Abbey Sharp says
I’ve never tested it but I think it should work. Let me know how it goes.
Hilary says
I used this as a guide and adjusted it using what we had. I used ground venison and grated in a large carrot and a half a zucchini. Held the cheese. And used rolled oats (blitzed into a “flour”) to hold it together. My babe loves them, thanks!!
Abbey Sharp says
Great modifications! So glad you and your little one enjoyed them 🙂
Courtney Gesler says
Did you omit all the other ingredients and modifying with only ground venison, grated carrot, half grated zucchini and 1/2 cup of blended oats into flour?
G says
U.K. reader here- I can’t figure out the right amounts of ingredients. The measurement converters I’ve used don’t offer options for beef.. do you know the amounts of the ingredients in either lbs or grams? Thanks!
Abbey Sharp says
Hi G. The recipe calls 1 1/4 lb of ground beef which is about 550 grams
Hannah says
Just wondering if it’s safe to use breastmilk, thawed from frozen, and still freeze the meatballs after making them or not?
SC says
I have the same question. Looking forward to hearing the instructions for freezing/how long you have to use the meatballs when the breastmilk used was thawed from frozen!
Abbey Sharp says
You can freeze these in the same way that you would any other meatball recipe – in a freezer bag or container for 3-4 months.
Sarah says
What do you suggest to help the meatballs hold together better? I’ve made them twice now but they tend to fall apart as I carefully flip them.
Abbey Sharp says
Hi Sarah! I’m sorry to hear the meatballs aren’t holding together. Have you tried adding more baby cereal to help absorb the moisture? That might help.
Marie-Therese Gummer says
I made these for my daughter when she was 10m old. I was making meatballs for myself and husband for dinner and wanted something she could enjoy as well.
I added a tinyyy bit of ground pork, as I’d used some in our meatballs and they turned out soooo good. Our daughter is lactose free so I used lactose free cheese to make these. I keep them in a freezer ziplock and it’s super easy to pull a few out to feed her for lunch or dinner!!
Abbey Sharp says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Yeah they are super freezable, which I love.
laura says
I have an almost 11 month old. Can she have these with 2% cow’s milk?
thanks!!
Abbey Sharp says
Yes definitely
Abby says
It’s easy to skip the egg in most meatball recipes, in case that’s an allergy in the house. I bet these would be well-behaved without it.
Abbey Sharp says
Ill try without the egg next time im testing and see how it works out. Thanks for your comment!
Krissy says
Great! Do you have suggested reheating directions?
Abbey Sharp says
A few minutes in the microwave or oven will do
Rowena says
There was a lot of moisture that leaked out of the meatballs as they cooked. By the end, the bottom of the meatballs were quite goopy. Is that to be expected?
Abbey Sharp says
Hm! I’m sorry something went wrong. Some ground meats have higher moisture content but I’m thinking it may have been the cheese you used, as there’s greater variability there. Did you use parchment or a silo at? There will always be some moisture loss with meat (usually in a pan you just don’t see it as much as you do in the oven), but shouldn’t be gloopy! I would say perhaps they also just needed a little longer in the oven for you depending on size, and for sure a flip half way.
Jojomama says
I love this as a base recipe. I’ve made them with ground beef and ground pork and baby gobbles them up. I sneak in shredded carrots or minced spinach and whatever cheese I have on hand. I make a couple batches at a time and freeze! Thanks for the recipe!
Kaila says
I am all for cheesy meatballs! These look amazing and my 16 month old niece LOVES meatballs too. 🙂
Abbey Sharp says
Amazing!
Virginia says
What can be used in place of the iron cereal?
Abbey Sharp says
Oat flour or any breadcrumb is fine!
Angela says
These sound so delicious! I know my kids will love them, so I am looking forward to making them!!
Abbey Sharp says
Amazing!
CK says
Hi,
I was wondering how long we can keep it in the freezer and use?
Thanks 🙂
Abbey Sharp says
About 3 months
Natalie Tay says
I only have regular shredded cheese and not the finely grated type. Would that be okay?
Abbey Sharp says
Yes it should be fine