I love dips! I find them such a good vessel to get other foods like breads or veggies into kids tummies and they add an extra element of novelty to meals and snacks too. Additionally, dips themselves can be really nutritious and add plenty to little ones’ diets, if they contain the right nutrients.
Iron is always a bit of a nutrient of concern with babies and toddlers, as they have high iron needs and often don’t eat enough iron rich foods. So today I’ve decided to post some brand new recipes for iron-rich dips for babies and toddlers.
These dips are quick and easy and you can make them ahead and keep in the fridge for a few days as a good standby snack for the kids. They’re versatile too – serve with veggie sticks, spread in a sandwich or wrap or add a dollop to the top of stews or on the side of a fridge-raid meal. These three versions all add extra iron and protein, from tahini, lentils or tofu, to pack in extra nutrients. Lemon, garlic and olive oil all add extra taste and good fats from the olive oil, too. I hope you and your babies or toddlers are going to really love these.
Thanks so much to Emily from Nutritious Family Food for helping develop these recipes for me.
Hummus
This is a fairly standard hummus recipe, but unlike some of my other popular hummus recipes, this one contains tahini, which adds extra iron. The lemon juice is also helpful for increasing absorption of iron in a meal, so works perfectly in this dip too. Hummus works so well with everything. We love it with falafel in a wrap or with some cucumber and red pepper sticks or just with some warm pitta bread.
Tahini contains sesame, so ensure you’ve offered this as per allergy guidelines before offering this to a baby!
Makes 1 medium bowl
Store refrigerated for up to 2 days
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time /
Ingredients
- 1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tbsp tahini
Method
Add all the ingredients to a food processor with 3 tbsp of water (this gives it a smoother texture). Blend until smooth and serve.
Red pepper babaganoush
I love babaganoush but this recipe is a bit of a twist on that as it adds all the flavour but with some extra in the way of red pepper and plenty of lentils to add extra iron, too.
Makes 1 medium bowl
Store refrigerated for up to 2 days
Prep time 5 minutes
Cook time 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 red pepper
- 1 medium aubergine
- 400g can green lentils, drained
- Half a lemon, juiced
- A handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- A pinch each of cumin and coriander
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
Method
Heat a ridged griddle pan or large frying pan over a high heat. Cook the aubergine and pepper whole, turning with tongs on and off, for 15-20 minutes or until tender and a little charred. Transfer to a plate and leave until cool enough to handle.
Once cool, peel the skin from the aubergine and discard along with the seeds from inside the pepper. Slice thee veg up a little as you go. Place in a food processor with the lentils, lemon juice, parsley, oil, garlic, cumin, coriander and tomato puree. Pulse until combined and serve.
Tofu tzatziki
Tzatziki is another kind of dip I love. I find it really refreshing and it’s super easy to make, but standard recipes don’t add much in the way of protein or iron. This one is made using tofu though – to add extra nutrients and iron – so it’s a big twist on the classic recipe!
Makes 1 medium bowl
Store refrigerated for up to 2 days
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time /
Ingredients
- 280g pack of firm tofu
- 1 tbsp Greek yogurt (or use plant-based yogurt)
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- Half a lemon, juiced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ a cucumber
Method
Add all the ingredients to a food processor except for the cucumber and blend until completely smooth. Transfer to a bowl.
Grate the cucumber. Decant into a clean tea towel or piece of thick kitchen roll, twist into a ball over a bowl, squeeze the excess water out into the bowl and discard. Mix the cucumber with the blended dip and serve.
If you like these Iron Rich Dips for Babies and Toddlers recipes, why not also try my butterbean hummus or my homemade chips and dips? And don’t forget you can find loads more healthy baby and toddler friendly recipes on my blog.
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