How to Reheat Frozen Baby Food

Last Updated: February 18, 2023 References

Freezing baby food is an economical way to get the most out of your baby's food. Homemade or store bought baby food can be frozen, but the key is to safely reheat the food so that it doesn't harm your baby and is safe for them to eat. In fact, baby food doesn't need to be warm to be eaten by most babies.^{[1]
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Research source} The food should be at a comfortable temperature, neither too hot nor too cold. Try reheating food at a variety of temperatures until you find one that makes your baby happy.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Part 1: Thawing Your Baby's Food

1
Take the food out of the freezer and defrost it. Place the desired amount of frozen food in a storage container. Make sure you put the lid on the container to avoid food contamination. Put the container in the refrigerator and let it sit overnight.
- Thawed food can be stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of three days.^{[2]
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  Research source} You can also thaw food in the fridge during the day, but you should allow for about four hours of thawing time.^{[3]
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- Do not place food on the kitchen counter to thaw as bacteria may contaminate the food.^{[4]
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  Trustworthy Source
  FoodSafety.gov
  Online portal combining food safety information from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Food Safety and Inspection Service, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Go to source}
2
Use a water bath to defrost the food. Another option is to submerge the sealed frozen bags of food or frozen jars of food in warm water, or a water bath.^{[5]
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Research source} You want to submerge the food for at least 10 to 20 minutes, so replace the water as often as needed. Depending on the size of the frozen bags or jars, this process can be relatively quick, but larger quantities of food will mean more thawing time in the water bath.
- Once the baby food is thawed, place the food in separate containers depending on your desired portioning. Put the cover on each container and store them in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them.^{[6]
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3
Use a saucepan of water on the stove to defrost the food. If the frozen food is still in its original glass jars, place the jars into the saucepan with some water.
- Make sure the jars are sealed so water does not get into the food.
- Stir the water frequently and allow the food to thaw—let the food cool completely before serving.^{[7]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Part 2: Reheating Using the Microwave

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Transfer the amount of food you need into a microwave safe container. The use of a microwave to reheat the food is a convenient and easy to use method. But always use microwave safe ceramics like Corelle or other glass bowls or jars to heat up the food. Do not use plastic containers for the microwave as the harmful chemicals in the plastic can leak into your baby food.
2
Heat the food for 15 seconds. Increase the amount of seconds if the food is not completely heated after 15 seconds. Do this gradually and in small amounts as you want to ensure the food's temperature is not too hot.^{[8]
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- You can also use the defrost setting on your microwave, if it has one.
3
Stir the food once it is properly reheated. Microwaves can cause food to heat unevenly and create hot spots. These hot spots of food could burn your baby's mouth, so stir the food to make sure it is evenly cooled.^{[9]
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- Serve the food once it is completely cooled to avoid burning injuries. Set aside extra food in another container to allow it to cool.
- You can also cool your baby's food in a bowl of cold water once it comes out of the microwave. Place the food in a bowl of cold water and stir it consistently until it cools down.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Part 3: Reheating Using a Stovetop

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Place the food in a saucepan. Choose a saucepan that is large enough to fit the sealed container of baby food you want to reheat.
2
Turn the stovetop temperature to a very low setting. This will prevent the food from burning.
3
Check the temperature of the food before you serve it. Never serve food that is too warm as this can lead to burning injuries. Stir the food to cool it down.
4
Throw away any left over food. Do not store any left over food as it could become contaminated and lead to illness or poisoning.
5
Use other equipment to reheat your baby's food. One example is the Beaba Babycook Baby Food Maker^{[10]
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Research source}. This product can be used as a defroster and steamer at the same time. It can also be used as a blender and a warmer.
- This equipment quickly defrosts and reheats pre cooked baby food.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Part 4: Properly Serving the Reheated Food

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Serve any reheated food to your baby within 48 hours. Because of the risk of contamination, only thaw enough food for your baby to last 1 to 2 days.^{[11]
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- Before you serve the food, separate the amount of food that you will be feeding to your baby into portions. Place the food in separate containers.
2
Always test the food before giving it to your baby. You can do this by dabbing a small amount of food inside your wrist or placing the back of your hand against the container of food to check if the food is at a comfortable temperature for your baby.^{[12]
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- Keep in mind that the food can be served at room temperature once it has been thawed and reheated. Re-heating is important to help kill bacteria, especially in food that contains meat and fish, but warming food up does not kill any bacteria.
3
Do not refreeze any uneaten food or re-store it. Make sure you throw away any food that is not consumed once your baby has finished eating. Your baby's saliva may contaminate the food that remains in the container so do not refreeze or re-store it.^{[13]
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Community Q&A

Question

I have a jar of baby food that has been frozen and it is still sealed. Can I use it? It says it's good until May.

Helpinghand4you

Community Answer

Thaw it naturally (in the refrigerator) and feed it to your baby before the expiration date. Once thawed, do not refreeze the puree.