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Baby-Food Taste Test

See which organic baby-food companies got the thumbs-up from our testers: 11-month-old Saoirse and 20-month-old Aili

By Deirdre Dolan and Alexandra Zissu

Bobo Baby: Wellness Grocer

This Canadian company has frozen goods for 6+ months (single-flavor), 7+ months (combos, like millet-and-banana) and 9+ months (more grown-up combos, such as Chickpeas & Tomato Provence). They are not only organic baby food but also kosher and allergen-free.

The Verdict
Saoirse loves pears, but the addition of a superhealthy grain like amaranth? Even better! Aili adored the millet, and so did her mother (a protein-rich whole grain—what's not to like?).

Whole Foods, Wegmans

These single-flavor frozen purees (pear, apple, sweet potato, broccoli) can be found in the freezer aisle.

The Verdict

Saoirse devoured the sweet potato but ignored the broccoli, which she isn't a fan of. Aili liked all the purees just fine.

Taste Bud

Whole Foods

Divided into three stages, Taste Bud is more daring in taste and texture than most other baby foods. Stage 3 (12+ months) includes Persian Excursion (chickpeas, eggplants, figs, olives, and spices) and Asian Extravaganza (bok choi, edamame, brown rice, shiitake mushrooms, watercress, and spices).

The Verdict

Saoirse's takeout of choice by far. She savored the bright flavors. Aili was less enthusiastic, and concentrated her energies on picking out flecks of various things.

Bohemian Baby

Select Southern California Whole Foods, or Bohemian Baby

While most companies use FDA-approved plastic to store frozen food, Bohemian Baby takes it a step further by using recyclable glass jars. The company's single purees and blends include less widely available flavors, like asparagus, nectarines, and mango.

The Verdict

Saoirse was all over the homemade Pasta Marinara and the pears-raspberry-and-raisin fruit blend. Aili just pushed around the butternut-squash-and-risotto Gourmet Meal (and her mom wished a legume had been included for some protein).

Plum Organics

Whole Foods, Central Market, Fairway Market

Blends for babies 6 months and up. They start with flavors like sweet potatoes or pear-apple; at 9 months, there's more complicated fare, including banana-peach rice pudding. At 12 months, there's harvest vegetables with turkey and black-bean tomato ragout (which is also one of its three DHA-fortified flavors).

The Verdict

Saoirse ignored the the multigrain super greens for the banana-peach rice pudding. Aili just extracted a couple of carrot bits from the turkey and vegetables, but she did enjoy a tasty eggplant, tomato, black-bean, and quinoa-flavored protein-rich whole-grain concoction.

Happy Baby

Happy Baby for Stores

Happy Baby has been distributing frozen organic baby food nationally for longer than any of the other brands, and it recently started adding DHA (an omega-3 fatty acid considered beneficial for the brain) to its Easy Going Greens (7+ months) and Baby Dhal and Mama Grain (9+ months). It's also introducing a dry cereal with DHA and probiotics. Bonus: The company partners with Project Peanut Butter to help feed starving children in Malawi.

The Verdict

Saoirse went for flavor with Gobble Gobble, a pureed Thanksgiving feast that includes potato, sweet potato, turkey, butternut squash, apple, millet, prune, oregano, and garlic powder. Aili polished off the Super Salmon (it's wild) with lentils, sweet potato, carrots, and coconut oil.

Baby Cubes

Baby Cubes for Stores

Baby Cubes, which used to be available online, is now only available in select Northern California stores. The cubes are frozen chunks of pureed fruit or vegetable which, unlike most of the other baby-food options, are not cooked before they?re frozen.

The Verdict

Saoirse liked the heated-up apple and, if she'd been teething, probably would have enjoyed noshing on it still frozen. Aili agreed with her wise friend Saoirse.