Best Baby Food Maker in 2023

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastmilk for your baby during the first six months after birth. But by the ages of four months to six months, your baby can start eating solid foods in addition to breastmilk. Introducing your baby to foods like meats and cereals helps them acquire nutrients like iron and zinc which are essential for their growth during the second half of their first year. So the question is, is it possible for you to prepare baby food at home? The answer is yes, and it is easy.

There are a lot of advantages when you prepare baby food personally at home. For example, you feel more at ease knowing the ingredients in your baby’s food. You will also save money and even time because you won’t be needing to go out and buy baby food outside frequently. But with these advantages come the disadvantages. As parents, we have to make sure that what we give our children is safe and free from any ingredients or materials that can affect their health; especially because babies are still sensitive and vulnerable at this age. This added responsibility can make choosing a baby food maker daunting.

Below is our review of the seven best baby food makers that you can each consider according to your needs and priorities. If you need further help in deciding, you can also check our buyer’s guide that explains the different types of baby food maker.

Best Baby Food Maker Comparison Table

Best Baby Food Maker in 2023 Reviews

Babymoov – Best Multipurpose Baby Food Maker

Let us start our review with a 6-in-1 food processor, the Babymoov Duo Meal Station Food Maker. You can control this machine using its LCD screen; you don’t have to guess which button does what function because each button has a symbol for each function. Without looking at the manual, we quickly notice which buttons are for blending and defrosting, but in our opinion, the functions of the other four symbols were hard to decipher.

4 Functions + Bottle Warming and Sterilizing

As we have mentioned from the first paragraph, you can defrost and blend (choice of 3 speeds) with the Babymoov. The unit is also capable of other functions such as steaming, reheating, and warming and sterilizing bottles – two functions that we think are great additions, especially for your baby. Because Babymoov Duo gives you a total of 6 functions, you get to save some space in your kitchen. This will also mean fewer dishes to clean when you’re preparing baby food. If you hate having to watch multiple pans, Babymoov is a nice food maker to consider.

Timer + Audio Alert

You will also see that Babymoov’s LCD control panel has a timer, but more than just a countdown, this timer is actually integrated with an audio alert. This feature is incredibly handy as it lets you know how much time is left with the food that you’re preparing. And because you can set an audio alert, you can let Babymoov cook the food for you, do other things, then come back once you hear the audio alert.

The overall look of the Babymoov Duo is simple, nothing too fancy but not cheap-looking as well. But if we could change a thing, it would be the position of the LCD control panel. Even though it is easy to use (select a button then click), we think that because it is situated between the two main components of the food maker (steamer and blender), users will get confused about which arrow controls the steamer/blender.

Steam and Blend Simultaneously

Babymoov Duo is composed of two components: a blender and a steamer. Because of this “duo,” this machine gives you the freedom to steam and blend at the same time. The capacity of each component is also not bad because you can make up to 11 cups of food with the steamer (thanks to its 2 trays inside) and the blender can give you 10 cups of food. These servings are quite generous, especially for a baby! The ability to steam and blend simultaneously will also allow you to prepare a large batch of baby food in advance which is perfect for busy parents.

Steam Water Detector and Vapor Collector

For steaming, you don’t have to guess the amount of water to put on the steamer. This is because an icon on the unit’s LCD control panel lights up if you need to add more water. This reminder is incredibly useful because if you happen not to put enough water, your unit can overheat once it dries out.

Two-Tray Steamer

Earlier we have mentioned that the steamer has two trays. You might be thinking “is having two steamer trays necessary?” Yes, two trays will give you the option to steam different ingredients that take different time to finish. Because of this, you can start blending while waiting for the other food to finish. No more risk of undercooked food! The separation also keeps the food inside the steamer organized.

Can I separate the Babymoov Duo? The good news is yes. You can use Babymoov’s components separately so if you only need to steam, then you can remove the blender. You can also use the steamer with just a single layer to save more space.

So far, we like Babymoov’s steamer. However, with the blender, even if it has a three-speed setting, there is no noticeable difference with the lowest and the highest setting. What you can do is make a prior preparation (chop the ingredients to smaller pieces), especially with tougher ingredients before blending to help for a finer consistency of the result. This extra step could be a turn-off for busy parents, and if the blender were powerful enough not to require prior preparation, this unit would have been a bang for your buck. On the other hand, we like that the blender has a pouring spout. This blender design makes pouring to another container mess and spill-free because you can grab it like a pitcher.

Free from BPA, Lead, and Phthalate

Safety wise, the Babymoov Duo Meal Station Food Maker is free from BPA, lead, and phthalate. We know that these chemicals are worrisome especially if they are in a device you use to prepare baby food. You can jump to our buyer’s guide to read more about why these chemicals are significant considerations when choosing a baby food maker.

Lastly, this unit proves itself to be ideal for busy parents because you can clean it in the dishwasher.

BEABA Babycook – Best Easy-Operation Baby Food Maker

Another comparable unit with the first product we reviewed is the BEABA Babycook 4-in-1 Steam Cooker and Blender. Just like the unit from Babymoov, this model has a timer with an audio alert. It seems that more manufacturers are making the timer+alert feature a common trend in baby food makers.

Easy One-Hand Operation

From the outside, BEABA looks quite cute and almost toy-like. It uses a knob (with a button in the middle) as its main control. BEABA designed this specifically for one-hand operation of steaming, defrosting, reheating, and blending. You can use BEABA to prepare vegetables, fruits, fish, and even meat. Because you can operate it using just one hand, you can carry your clingy baby with you as you both wait for his/her food.

Compared to the Babymoov that alerts you with the steamer water level, with BEABA, you have to check how much water you’ll need for steaming in their guide. There are three levels of water to choose from which is different for each type of food that you are cooking.

Steamer Timer and Reminder

The steaming is done once BEABA’s main button light up. And as we have mentioned earlier, this baby food maker alerts you anyway when your food is finished, so you don’t have to stalk it like a hawk. The unit also automatically shuts itself off, so you don’t need to run towards it for fear of overcooking the food.

Unfortunately, because you steam the food in a separate basket, you have to get this basket first to take out the food then put the food in the blender again. It would’ve been a better design if you can immediately start blending in the same basket/container after steaming. It is also worth mentioning that when you are putting the steamed food in the blender, you have to remember to stop the steam cycle first to avoid burns. Speaking of burns, BEABA created a heat-resistant zone above the unit’s arm, so you don’t have to worry about accidentally touching it when you steam or take out the food.

Safety Features

We also appreciate that this food maker uses another safety feature called the safety lock-on bowl. This means that you have to lock the bowl in place and if it is not locked in, the unit will not start. We notice that the bowl is correctly locked in place once its handle is parallel to the main unit. You also have to make sure that you have secured the top part of the unit over the bowl.

Chemical-Free Bowl

The unit’s main bowl is made of plastic which would’ve been better if the manufacturer made it out of something more durable. But even though it is made of plastic, it is free from BPA, lead, and phthalate, so it is safe for food preparation.

Easy Storage and Clean-Up

Storing and cleaning this food maker is easy. For storage, you can take off its cable for a neater setup inside the cabinet. For cleaning, you can place the unit’s blending bowl, steaming basket, lid, and spatula in the dishwasher or you can hand wash them yourself.

Another common problem with water reservoirs is that if you constantly use non-distilled water, you run the risk of getting mineral deposits. You can prevent this by descaling the reservoir with vinegar every few months to avoid build-up.

Homia Baby Food Maker – Editor’s Choice

Do you want a food maker capable of seven functions? You do now! The Homia Baby Food Maker is a unit that can steam, blend, chop, reheat, and defrost. It can also clean and disinfect itself!

Looking at it, we like how the Homia looks like a modern coffee maker. It looks premium, and it also utilizes a touch control panel. We love how Homia included the function name along with the function symbol in this panel, so you don’t have to worry about selecting the wrong function.

Teflon Water Tank and FDA-Approved Tritan Cup

As we have discussed in our previous product review, a food maker’s water tank can be gucky if it is hard to see and clean. Thankfully, Homia is more than just a beauty. Its water tank has a wide opening with a rotary cover so reaching it inside for cleaning is easy. Homia also made the tank out of Teflon for improved durability.

Because this unit’s water tank has a wide opening, you can always see if molds are growing inside. This wide opening also makes your job of putting water inside it for steaming easier and spill-proof.

Another part we love with Homia is the unit’s main cup. It is as durable as the water tank because they made it out of Tritan. More than being durable, this main cup of Homia is safe to be in contact with baby food because it is free from BPA. It also has no lead and phthalate, and if you feel too lazy to hand wash it, you can put it in the dishwasher.

Clean and Disinfect On-the-Go

As we have mentioned earlier, the Homia has auto-clean and disinfect functions available on the touch of a button. These extra functions are incredibly useful for parents who are always on-the-go. These functions also mean less room for error while cleaning, thus, elongating your unit’s life.

When it comes to safety, the Homia Baby Food Maker is quite similar to BEABA. Homia requires you to have the unit’s cover properly placed on its cup or else; the unit will not start. Another great feature this unit has is that it can detect if the water level on the tank is below the required amount. The unit will automatically shut off until you add more water to raise its level. This shutting down is incredibly useful because this prevents the unit from overheating during steaming.

Overall, Homia is packed with a lot of features that can make your life easier and safer. And we are pleased to say that this unit’s capability when it comes to steaming and pureeing food are at par as well. Homia can easily prepare ingredients with different textures ranging from potatoes, carrots, to even leafy vegetables like spinach with ease.

MUMUM Pro – Best Compact Baby Food Maker

Need a capable food maker, but you have limited space? MUMUM Pro got you covered! Even if it is compact (8.5 x 6 x 8.5 inches), MUMUM Pro can steam, blend, cook, heat, and defrost food. It is also complete with a timer+alert feature and cleaning its water tank will not give you a headache.

For a compact unit, having the option to defrost and heat food are great additions. These functions are useful for parents who are busy and want to store baby food in the fridge for later. Because you will be defrosting and warming the baby food in one place, you will also lessen the number of dishes that you have to clean.

Open Water Reservoir

Just because it’s not as big as the previous units doesn’t mean MUMUM Pro has to have a small opening in its water reservoir. Surprisingly, this baby food maker designed its water reservoir widely open which means you don’t have to play hide-and-seek with molds and rust. And because MUMUM Pro has an open water reservoir, you don’t have to get your fingers crossed that you don’t underfill or overfill it with water.

To lessen the guesswork, this unit includes a measuring cup with food symbols that you can use as your guide to how much water you’ll be needing for fruits, fish, vegetables, and meat.

Like the previous baby food makers that we mentioned, this model has a timer that alerts you once your food is done. You can also base your cooking time with the food symbols on MUMUM Pro’s unit, so you don’t run the risk of getting an undercooked or overcooked food.

Contact-Free Steaming

Safety wise, MUMUM Pro made a different design with its steaming basket. You can take the steaming basket out of the unit completely contact-free because the steaming basket has slots where you slide the spatula in. This basket design is beneficial because you can safely lift it while efficiently preventing its hot contents from spilling. Another design feature of this product is its lid strainer where you can pour excess water from steaming directly through it.

When it comes to cleaning, this unit’s steaming basket, blender cover, blender jar, blender lid, water reservoir lid, and even the detachable blade are all dishwasher safe. The MUMUM Pro is also a BPA-free unit. However, we failed to see other information about other chemicals like lead and phthalate.

Cuisinart BFM-1000 – Best Single Bowl Baby Food Maker

A trend that we can easily notice with most baby food makers is that even though you can steam and puree in the same unit, you have to use a separate bowl for steaming. This means you have to take this bowl or basket out, take out the food, and place the food back in the blender. This extra step of transferring the food can be time-consuming and an extra dish to wash. The fact that Cuisinart eliminates this step also means your risk of accidentally touching hot surfaces while transferring is also reduced.

Steam and Puree in One Bowl

The Cuisinart BFM-1000 Baby Food Maker removes the extra “take-out” step. You can directly puree in the same bowl you steamed the food in. More than steaming and pureeing, the model is also capable of chopping and bottle warming.

Operating the Cuisinart will not overwhelm you because the manufacturer designed it with a single dial on the front. Just rotate it towards your selected function (steam or chop), and you’re good to go.

Bottle Warming Compartment

Design wise, the BFM-1000 looks like a typical food processor but the difference is at the back, it has its bottle warmer. We appreciate this design because it lessens footprint in the kitchen with the bottle warmer being inside the same compartment with the unit’s water reservoir. There is also an indentation on the bottle warming compartment lid where you can store the bottle’s ring so that you can avoid misplacing it while warming the bottle.  A drawback we find with the bottle warming compartment is that it can only fit tall bottles. 

The sound of the Cuisinart’s motor is not as harsh even during pureeing. However, we think stickier foods like avocados have a hard time reaching a smooth consistency with the BFM-1000. There are also some remaining grains when we pureed some rice but not too problematic once you blend longer.

Don’t Forget to Count

Safety Features

In regards to safety, Cuisinart utilizes some safety features that you can appreciate.

The unit uses a bladelock system that locks the blade when the bowl is not correctly attached to its base. You also have to press the release button in the cover if you want to remove the bowl which lessens your worry about the food maker accidentally turning on during removal.

Cleaning-wise, all the components of the Cuisinart BFM-1000 are dishwasher safe, but the manufacturer recommends you to hand wash them to avoid possible degradation of material from the dishwasher’s heat that can lead to leaching as we will mention later.

Minne QOOC – Best Affordable 4-in-1 Baby Food Maker

If you’re looking for an affordable unit alternative to BEABA and MUMUM Pro, we can recommend the Minne QOOC 4-in-1 Mini Baby Food Maker for you. It is also capable of steaming, blending, defrosting, and reheating. And similar to BEABA, you can operate the Minne QOOC even with just one hand. Simply turn the knob towards mixing or steaming, and that’s it!

You can also control the texture of the food that you are preparing using the unit’s dial by holding and releasing it several times (like pulses) until you reach your desired consistency. These pulses are useful especially when you want to grind tougher foods like nuts and leafy vegetables finely. Worried about noise? You don’t have to! Minne QOOC has a quiet motor noise even during blending.

Tritan Bowl

Minne QOOC even made their main bowl out of Tritan just like the unit we reviewed from Homia. Because of this, the bowl is more durable and safer considering that it is free from BPA, lead, and phthalate.

Nano-Coated Stainless-Steel Water Reservoir

For cleaning, the lid, container, and steamer basket of this food maker are all dishwasher friendly. It is also nice that you can remove its blade so that you can clean it thoroughly and prolong its lifespan.

Sage Spoonfuls – Best Immersion Hand Blender with Food Processor

The most affordable in our review is the immersion hand blender with food processor bowl from Sage Spoonfuls. You have the choice of using the hand blender with any container or use the food processor by attaching the main unit to the food processor bowl.

Blend On-the-Go

For us, the hand blender was the best option when it comes to versatility. Because you can use it to any container, you can choose a more suitable container depending on the food that you want to blend and avoid messy cleanups or extra dishes to wash. The hand blender also gives you two speeds which, to be honest; we were reluctant at first if there are going to be any noticeable difference with them. However, Sage Spoonfuls managed to impress us because the speed settings are indeed different and not just for show.

Don’t Forget to Count

If you don’t feel like using the hand blender, you can use the food processor bowl instead. However, just like our unit from Cuisinart, you have to make sure that you don’t blend longer than 30 seconds continuously, which you also have time on your own.

When it comes to pureeing food, the hand blender and food processor bowl are tied when it comes to the quality of puree. However, as expected with fibrous vegetables like spinach and kale, the resulting puree is not as smooth. There were also some skins intact on the peas but not too problematic because they are small pieces. Surprisingly, Sage Spoonfuls managed to puree meat easier.

Risk-Free Food Preparation

Compared to our previous baby food makers, the Sage Spoonfuls cannot cook food and is mainly used for blending, pureeing, and chopping. But we think this isn’t a drawback because this means that you are not risking on cooking/steaming inside a plastic container. As we have discussed earlier, chemicals are significant concerns especially if you prepare food in a plastic bowl subjected to heat. Sage Spoonful’s lack of steaming option also means that you don’t have to worry about descaling a water reservoir.

With regards to health concerns, Sage Spoonfuls is free from BPA, phthalate, lead, and PVC. The food processor bowl and blade are also both dishwasher safe except for the blending rod of the immersion blender and food processor lid that the manufacturer advised for hand-washing.

All in all, if you don’t mind not having a steamer and all you need is a blender or chopper, the Sage Spoonfuls is a great and affordable option. It is also one of those units that are incredibly easy to use even without a manual (although it wouldn’t hurt to glance at the manual just to be sure).

Buyer’s Guide

When it comes to choosing the best baby food maker, you have to be clear with how you are going to use it and what features you consider are essential. There are three types of baby food maker, each with their own advantages and disadvantages that you can read below. There are also features and factors that we have discussed which can help you decide more efficiently about which unit you are planning to buy.

Types of Baby Food Maker

Manual Food Mill

The manual food mill is the simplest and most straightforward out of all the types of baby food maker. This type is operated manually to prepare your baby food via smashing or straining. It can be time-consuming to use, but they are more affordable, and you can use it anywhere because it does not require electricity.

You can also choose the manual food mill as your baby food maker if you only need it for making small batches of baby food. However, because it can be energy and time-consuming, grinding fibrous and tough foods using the manual food mill might not be the best idea, and you can opt for our second type of baby food maker.

Electric Food Mill or Blender

In contrast to the manual food mill, the blender or electric food mill is, of course, the less labor-intensive option. This type of baby food maker is also easier to clean compared to our last type which we will mention below. The reason for this is it has fewer parts to assemble and disassemble compared to those models with multiple functions.

All-in-One

Manufacturers have noticed that parents are now choosing baby food makers that can do multiple functions to save space and effort in preparing baby food. And because of this, the all-in-one baby food maker is the most common model sold nowadays. The all-in-one food maker is the most expensive of all the types of food maker and the hardest to clean, but it comes with benefits as we have mentioned.

Factors to Consider When Choosing the Best Baby Food Maker

Functions

As you have seen in our reviews, some baby food makers are capable of four to even seven functions. Functionality is an excellent factor to consider because it can help you save space, time, and money. It also means less dirty dishes to clean afterward and less extra kitchen work.

• For example, because you can steam and puree your baby’s food in one processor, this means that you have saved extra space in your kitchen which is useful especially if you have a small kitchen.
• The additional functions like defrosting or reheating mean that you can do almost all of the steps that you need to make your baby’s food without having to wash separate dishes.
• You can even choose units with timers that alert you when the food is ready so you can spend more time and bond with your baby.
• For busy parents, multi-functional baby food makers are great time savers because they can stock their fridge with large batches of baby food for later use.

Ease of Usage

Since we are talking about time management, we also have to mention the ease of usage. A model with a lot of functions has to be fast and easy to use. A food maker that do not require extra steps to switch between tasks is ideal and allow you to have less room for error thus elongating the unit’s lifespan.

Durability

Durability is, of course, necessary so that you get the most out of your money. This feature is also related to the safety and longevity of the baby food maker. Containers that chip, overheating motors, dull blades, and even plastic melting are some of the most common defects that can happen over time or even sometimes after just a few weeks of use. You can check the material used in making the parts of the baby food maker that you are planning to buy or read customer feedbacks about the unit itself.

Capacity

Just like with other food preparation appliances, capacity is a factor that we will always mention. You have to consider how much food you need to do daily. Using a baby food maker with large capacity will also mean less time and effort needed for constant preparing of food per serving because you can store food in advance.

You can also compare the capacity of the food maker with its other components such as motor and blades. What we mean by this is that even if you have a large capacity container for pureeing, if the blades are not the proper size or if they aren’t as durable, chances are you will still end up with a puree with uneven texture.

Size

Because some of the baby food maker sold in the market are capable of more than one function, their footprint in the kitchen sometimes takes space. But there are also units that are compact enough and designed not to take too much space. The remaining consideration here would be your kitchen space or if you would prioritize functionality over size.

You can also check out units that store easily and disassemble quickly for storage and ease of cleaning. Ease of cleaning is also essential to keep your baby’s health safe.

Safety

We have probably mentioned safety a couple of times in this article, but safety is incredibly essential; especially that you are preparing food for your baby. You can check out what materials the manufacturers used for the parts of the baby food maker that you’re planning to buy. You can check if it is free from lead, PVC, phthalate, and BPA just like the products that we have reviewed. Why do these materials matter? Chemicals like these are incredibly dangerous because they can leach out into food.

Exposure on BPA or bisphenol A can cause health effects on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland of fetuses, infants, and children. Lead, on the other hand, can damage a developing baby’s nervous system while phthalate can cause cancer.

There are also units that have safety features for you such as not working when the parts are not assembled correctly or having allocated heat resistant spaces to avoid burns when transferring food from container to container.

Conclusion

To wrap things up, preparing baby food ourselves is easy and at the same time, helps save time and money. Making our baby’s food ourselves also allows us to control and choose the ingredients to give us peace of mind. You can even check out baby food recipes online and have fun while preparing the food for your little one.

There are a lot of baby food makers sold in the market, and the good news is, the chance of finding exactly what you need is higher because of this. A lot of manufacturers have even made units that are capable of up to seven functions ranging from the usual steaming to also sterilizing milk bottles.

Our personal pick is the Homia because of its effectiveness in food preparation and its additional safety and cleaning features. We also think that its 3-year warranty and fantastic customer service give you value for your money as you use it.

Of course, there are other good candidates in our review that might appeal to you depending on your situation and priorities. You can even opt to our final unit which is the immersion hand blender from Sage Spoonfuls if you do not feel the need for a multitasking baby food maker.

Just like with our other reviews, we hope that you enjoyed reading this article as much as we enjoyed making it. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to leave them below and we hope you have fun preparing your little one’s food.