Introduce baby to nutrient-rich beets with these baby led weaning friendly beet fritters with goat cheese and dill. They're great for finger food babies and toddlers, but also delicious for the whole family.
This post has been written and medically reviewed by Kaleigh McMordie, MCN, RDN (Registered Dietitian Nutritionist).
Baby Beet Fritters
I love beets, but they are definitely an acquired taste. The earthy flavor may take your little one multiple introductions to learn to like. These beet fritters (or beet pancakes, if you'd rather) are a delicious way to offer nutrient rich beets to your baby or toddler without any roasting or peeling. They are easy for little ones to grasp, and they'll love the bright pink color. With goat cheese and dill, they are a side dish that the whole family will enjoy!
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Ingredients
- Beets - Use raw beets, no cooking required! I used red, but golden would also be lovely.
- Egg - Holds everything together.
- Flour - I use whole wheat, but all purpose works too.
- Fresh dill - Feel free to swap in your favorite fresh herb.
- Goat cheese - Use the soft, creamy kind. Feel free to leave it out or swap it for feta or another favorite cheese.
- Salt and pepper - Optional for little ones under 1 year, but really makes the flavor better. (Read more about my stance on salt for babies here.)
Helpful equipment: A coarse grater or food processor with grater attachment, nonstick or well seasoned cast iron skillet, turner spatula
Step By Step Instructions
For the full printable recipe, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Scrub the beet and wash well, then shred using a coarse greater or a food processor with a large-holed shredder attachemnt. You'll need about 1 ¼ cups after shredding.
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg, flour, salt and pepper.
- Stir in the shredded beet, dill and goat cheese.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add a small amount of butter or oil to just barely coat the bottom. Scoop the beet mixture by 2 tablespoons into the heated skillet and flatten with your spoon. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then flip and cook another 3-4 minutes, or until golden on the outside and cooked through.
Tip: Serve beet fritters with sour cream, or try an herb sauce of yogurt, a squeeze of lemon and chopped fresh dill!
Tips and Recipe Variations
- If the fritter brown too quickly, the skillet is too hot and needs to be turned down a bit.
- Feel free to swap in your favorite fresh herbs or cheese. I think basil or rosemary would be delicious, as would feta or white cheddar.
- To make these gluten-free, you can use your favorite cup-for-cup gluten free flour, or try chickpea flour.
Storage and Reheating
Store beet fritters in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter for up to an hour.
To reheat, you can warm them in a skillet on the stove or place them in the air fryer or toaster oven on the lowest setting for a few minutes. You can also microwave for 15- 30 seconds, but the texture will not be as good.
How To Serve Beet Fritters To Babies 6 Months and Up
For baby led weaning babies 6 months and up who do not yet have a pincer grasp, cut fritters into strips the width of 1-2 adult fingers. This shape is easiest for young babies to grasp and bring to their mouths.
Once babies develop a pincer grasp (around 9 months), you can cut fritters into small bite-sized pieces, about the size of your fingernail.
For toddlers, you can continue to offer either in strips or in bite-sized pieces (and optionally add utensils for practice), or offer them whole and encourage taking small bites.
More Veggie Fritter Recipes
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Baby Led Weaning Beet Fritters
Introduce baby to nutrient-rich beets with these baby led weaning friendly beet fritters with dill and goat cheese! They're great for finger food babies and toddlers, but also delicious for the whole family.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 fritters 1x
- Category: side dish
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 medium beet, about 1 ¼ cups shredded
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup flour, whole wheat or all purpose
- ¼ tsp salt (optional)
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
- 2 tbsp crumbled soft goat cheese
- olive oil, butter, or neutral flavored oil for cooking
Instructions
- Wash and scrub the beet. Using a coarse grater or food processor with a shredder attachment, shred the beet. You'll need about 1 ¼ cups after shredding.
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg, flour, salt and pepper.
- Stir in the shredded beet, dill and goat cheese.
- Heat a large nonstick or well seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat (or medium low if your range runs hot). Once hot, add just enough oil or butter to coat the bottom.
- Scoop the beet mixture by 2 tablespoons into the skillet, flattening with the back of the spoon. Leave plenty of space between fritters.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes, then flip and cook an additional 3-4 minutes, or until cooked through and golden on the outside. If the outsides are browning too quickly, turn the heat down.
- Let fritters cool before serving to baby. They are great with sour cream, yogurt, or a quick sauce of yogurt, lemon juice and chopped fresh dill!
Notes
- Feel free to swap out your favorite fresh herb or cheese. Other great options include basil, rosemary, feat, or white cheddar.
- Leave out the salt for babies under 1 year if you'd like. I don't if I'm serving the whole family. You can read more about my stance on salt here.
- For gluten free, you can use your favorite cup-for-cup gluten free flour or use chickpea flour.
- See notes in the post above for how to serve fritters to babies.
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