Baked Salmon Patties

These baked salmon patties are made with canned salmon, packed with veggies, and baked in the oven, no frying required. They hold together beautifully, come out tender on the inside, and are perfect for babies, toddlers, and the whole family.

If you’ve ever struggled with salmon patties falling apart, this simple oven-baked method makes them easy, reliable, and weeknight-friendly.

“My three year old and baby sister enjoyed these salmon patties 🙂 Wish we had canned salmon in our country, but it is worth having to make extra step with baking the salmon. Delicious!” – Ivana

Key Ingredients

I am highlighting just the ones that need further explanation. The complete list is in the recipe card below.

• Salmon – Wild caught Alaskan salmon has been shown to be the best option. Choose “no salt added” or “low sodium.” Also, look for BPA-free lining. You may find small bones, which you don’t need to go through the trouble of removing. They are edible and will provide a boost of calcium. See the ultimate guide to salmon for babies to learn more about safely introducing salmon to your baby.
• Vegetables – You can use whatever you have on hand. I personally like to use yellow onion, red bell pepper, and broccoli. You don’t have to be super exact with the amounts either. Just as long as you get 1 cup total you’ll be fine.
• Seasonings – Again, feel free to swap out with whatever you prefer. However, I highly encourage you to try with smoked paprika! It adds a subtle smoky flavor that is just so good!
• Panko – you can also use breadcrumbs.
• Ground flaxseeds – you can swap with 1 egg if there’s no allergy. Check out the ultimate guide to nuts for babies for everything you need to know about serving nuts and seeds to your baby!

How to Make Baked Salmon Patties

You’ll find the full recipe card with all the exact measurements at the bottom of this post.

Time-saving tips

Prepping the vegetables is the most time-consuming part. I love using my mini manual food chopper for small tasks like this. While you can chop all the different vegetables together, I like to do them separately so you don’t over pulse. Otherwise, they will get too mushy.

While you are at it, I recommend that you chop extra to enjoy throughout the week. Add them to:

• oatmeal and eggs for breakfast
• yogurt – try one of my suggestions for the best yogurt for babies
• lentils – see this information on how to serve lentils for babies
• Easy savory french toast
• muffins – check out these 18 healthy muffins for babies for some ideas
• Favorite peanut butter waffles

Tips for preventing salmon cakes from falling apart

• Due to the variation in moisture content of canned goods, your cakes might not hold together well. If so, first try adding a bit more breadcrumbs. If that doesn’t work, add another flax egg, although I’ve never had to do this.
• Remove extra moisture – Pat the salmon dry after rinsing. COOK the veggies! Raw vegetables hold a lot of water, which will get released during cooking. It will also add more flavor so definitely don’t skip this step!
• Shape the mixture FIRMLY into balls first then flatten slightly between your palms.

Mango yogurt sauce

While these baked salmon patties are delicious on their own, serving them alongside a dip or sauce can make them more approachable to kids. Here’s a collection of the best dips/sauces for kids and babies.

You can blend the mango until completely smooth (here’s how to make homemade easy mango puree) or leave it slightly chunky. If you’re working on texture progression, leaving it slightly chunky offers valuable exposure. Learn more about this at textured foods: how to transition baby from puree to table food. Just like with vegetables, puree a whole mango and enjoy throughout the week in different ways.

How to Cut Mango for Babies

Salmon Cakes for baby

For 6-8 month old baby:

Start with just 2-3 pieces of food. Seeing too much food on their plate can be overwhelming for babies. You can preload the mango sauce onto a spoon and lay it directly on the tray for your baby to pick up or hand it to them. I absolutely LOVE this spoon. It’s just the perfect design for tiny, clumsy hands.

This plate is pretty awesome too! It’s attached to the most powerful suction and is super spacious, allowing plenty of space for exploration!

For 9-12 month old baby:

Once their pincer grasp develops, you can cut the salmon cakes into bite-sized pieces. But you don’t have to. Serving the cake whole will be good practice for taking bites.

Related: How to serve the right food size and texture

Baked Salmon Patties FAQs

Did you make this recipe? Leave a rating below and let me know how you liked the recipe! Your feedback means so much to me!