Easy Homemade Squeeze Pouches (fruit, veggie, yogurt)

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My children love a good applesauce (applesauce and veggie mix) pouch, but I was sick of spending a lot of money buying these applesauce pouches all while watching my canned applesauce sit untouched on the pantry shelf. Then it clicked – I wanted to start making my own! Easy homemade squeeze pouches (fruit, veggie, yogurt) are a great way to use up homemade canned applesauce or other nutritious foods! 

We are also a raw milk loving family, and homemade Greek yogurt in the instant pot is a weekly staple. Check out my super easy homemade yogurt recipe here. 

With a family of 4 kids, 5 and under – we are busy. Often times it is just easiest to have grab and go snacks at the ready for when any of the toddlers (or babies) start to fuss for something to eat. Pouches of any combination make super healthy and easy snacks that the kids can help themselves to. 

Why Homemade Pouches?

First off, store bought pouches are shelf stable. A shelf-stable pouch goes through a process called “retorting” which can potentially degrade certain vitamins and nutrients.

Second, store bought pouches are expensive! Especially when the kids want to eat multiple pouches a day. Making my own pouches is much easier on the bank account, and a much cheaper option.

Lastly, my family loves to garden. We have multiple large gardens on our property with a lot of fresh fruits and veggies available. In addition, we can and preserve a lot of fruit and veggies from the garden each year.

This means we have lots of delicious healthy fruits and organic veggies on hand without going to the grocery store. When we make our own purees we know exactly what is In them and the nutritional value. 

For canning recipes check out our homemade applesauce recipe here and our canned carrot recipe here!

Favorite Fruit/Veggie and Yogurt Combinations

Each of these combinations must be cooked and ran through the food processor until smooth, or pureed using an immersion blender. Play around with the combinations to find what the kids will eat.

Typically, when it comes to the combination of fruit and veggies, I stick to more fruit than veggies. Sneaking some vegetables into the applesauce combinations is an easy way to get the family eating more veggies. 

Canned Applesauce Mix-Ins

• Canned Carrots
• Cinnamon (can sweeten with some sugar depending on the apples that were used)
• Fresh Strawberries
• Sweet Potatoes

Greek Yogurt Mix-Ins

• Honey
• Blueberries (frozen or fresh)
• Lemon Juice
• Strawberries and Banana (frozen or fresh)

Family Favorite Purée Recipes

Strawberry Banana Yogurt (makes 7 pouches – each pouch is 4oz)

• 2 cups plain Greek yogurt
• 2 cups frozen banana and strawberries
• 2 Tbs honey

Blueberry Yogurt (makes 5 pouches – each pouch is 4oz)

• 2 cups plain Greek yogurt
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1.5 Tbs honey

Apple & Carrot

• 2 cups homemade applesauce
• 1 cup cooked carrots
• 1 Tbs honey

Step-by-Step Instructions for Homemade Pouches

Ingredients

• Homemade Applesauce or Yogurt (or other purée)

Equipment

• Infantino Squeeze Station 
• Infantino Pouches (Or the reusable pouches)
• Immersion Blender or Food Processor

Note – if you don’t want to invest in the Infantino Squeeze Station and Pouches, another option is to use these Freezer Tubes – check out my how-to here. However, I have tried many different methods for making my own squeeze pouches – reusable squeeze pouches that seal (sometimes, but often leak) at the bottom, reusable squeeze pouch without the bottom seal (good luck filling it).

Hands down, the easiest and quickest way to make baby food squeeze pouches is by just getting the Infantino Squeeze StatIon. (pssst – if you get it while you have a baby, I guarantee it’ll be used for years to come)

Instructions for Making Pouches

First, prepare the purée or yogurt. Any vegetables being added into the applesauce should be cooked so that they’re soft.

Using the immersion blender or food processor, blend the combination of choice until the consistency is smooth. There shouldn’t be any chunks or the purée will not go into the pouches (and let’s be real, the kids wont eat it). Frozen fruit needs to be thawed. 

Note – homemade baby food pouches need to be a much thinner consistency than a pouch that is made for older kids. Please pay attention to the consistency and the appropriate thickness for baby’s/ toddlers/ older children.

Second, set up the Infantino Squeeze Station. Assemble the station, and add the 3 pouches to the station for filling.

Next, add the purée to the funnel above each pouch. Using the provided tool, push the purée into the pouch. Don’t overfill the funnels or it gets messy quickly. 

Unscrew the funnel and remove the pouch. Add the lid. 

Finally, label the pouch with contents and the date. (FYI – it is easier to write on the pouches prior to putting them into the Squeeze Station and filling them)

Repeat this process until all of your purée is in the pouches. 

Storing Homemade Toddler and Baby Pouches

Homemade pouches with fresh fruits and veggies (or frozen) and yogurt will need to be stored in the refrigerator. They will keep in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

When making large batches, freeze excess pouches for up to 5 months. Simply remove frozen pouches from the freezer and place them in the refrigerator to thaw prior to eating. 

Pouches should be eaten cold from the refrigerator or can be eaten at room temperature (up to an hour). These are great for adults who work out of the home and need something to toss into their lunch box! Just be sure to add an ice pack to keep cool, or toss one in that is partially frozen.  

Alternative Methods

If you or your kids love the store bought Go-Gurt, but maybe not all of the unnecessary sugars and ingredients, check out my easy method for DIY gogurt yogurt tubes here!

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