English muffin pizza is a super fun and delicious way to encourage even the pickiest eater to eat their vegetables! And if you're looking for a safe and healthy baby pizza recipe, I welcome you with open arms!
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Can babies eat pizza?
Any pizza lovers here? It's in my list of top 5 favorite foods. So of course, I want to enjoy it with my children! My toddler can't put his clothes on fast enough when I tell him we have to go to Costco. At this point Costco = pizza.
As for my baby, I'm pretty mindful of her sodium and sugar intake. And so while I'm ok with giving her several bites, I'm personally waiting to give her a whole slice of restaurant pizza until she's at least two.
That's just me, though. It's up to you to decide when you want to introduce pizza to your baby.
Now, if you're looking for a homemade pizza recipe, you've come to the right place!
This English muffin pizza is an exhausted parent's dream. It's super easy to whip up for lunch or dinner, versatile, and a great way to incorporate more veggies into your child's diet.
It will also allow you to have complete control over the salt and sugar content without sacrificing taste, which if you've tried any of my recipes, you know...there are so many ways to add flavor to food without those two!
You may also be interested in these Pizza Eggs!
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Learn all the secrets to starting solids safely while optimizing nutrition!
Ingredients
English Muffins - just like with bread, look for one with the least amount of sodium and minimal ingredients. I love the Ezekiel brand, and they recently came out with no salt added english muffins! You'll most likely find them in the freezer section. This is because they don't contain preservatives to keep them shelf-stable.
My baby loves this brand and my toddler did too when he was a baby. Not so much anymore. That's why you see two different English muffins in the picture below.
Related post: Breast toast ideas
PIzza Sauce - You can use store-bought or homemade! I HIGHLY encourage you to try my sugar free version It's so easy to make and has the perfect flavor and thickness.
Vegetables - You can use whatever you have on hand! That's the beauty of this recipe. If there's one that your child is learning to like, try adding it to these pizza muffins!
In this post, I used finely chopped raw zucchini and red bell pepper and cooked broccoli and sweet potatoes. Butternut squash would be delish too!
How to cook broccoli for baby, How to cook Butternut Squash
Mozzarella cheese - You can add as much or as little as you wish.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Brush with oil and lightly toast.
Spread pizza sauce.
Top with vegetables and cheese. Bake!
Also try: Pizza quesadilla!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Just like bread, you just want to make sure it meets these criteria. You also want to toast it. Contrary to what you may think, soft is not good when it comes to breads as it can gum up in their mouth and get stuck to the roof of their mouth.
While you can serve bread as soon as your baby is ready, usually around 6 months, not much will make it into their belly. They will suck on it, which is still great for practicing fine and gross motor skills, strengthening jaw and tongue muscles, as well as providing exposure to textures.
You sure can! You can even try with bread or tortilla. Once again, choose the lowest sodium one you can find.
For 6-8 month old babies, cut into strips the width of two adult fingers pressed together. That way they can grab with their palms. Not much will make it into their belly during this age, but it will be great for them to suck on and to strengthen their jaw and tongue muscles.
Once they start developing their pincer grasp, usually around 9-10 months, you can cut into bite-sized pieces. However, I do encourage you to keep the pieces large so they can practice tearing, taking bites, and chewing. If you have a shoveler like me, this will help them to slow down.
Since there are a lot of nooks and crannies, there are a lot of places the sauce can get into. So be sure to toast the muffins first before adding the toppings.
Also, use a thick sauce, like my homemade sugar free pizza sauce!
Yes! Cool completely and spread them out onto a baking tray. Flash freeze. Once frozen solid, transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. Will keep for up to 3 months.
When ready to enjoy, reheat in the toaster oven or microwave for 1 minute.
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!
English muffin baby pizza (with vegetables)
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 6 English muffin halves
- ¾ cup pizza sauce (store-bought or homemade)
- Vegetables of choice
- Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Use fork to split the muffins into halves. Place onto a lined baking sheet cut side up.
- Brush olive oil on each muffin. Toast in oven for 5 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Spread 1-2 tablespoons of tomato sauce onto each half.
- Top with vegetables (I used finely chopped raw zucchini and red bell pepper and cooked broccoli and sweet potatoes).
- Add as much cheese as you wish. For baby you can skip altogether or add a little.
- Return to oven and bake for 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted
Laura says
Great idea to have children eat fun and healthy meals!
Sheena says
A big hit! My soon to be 14 months old LOVED it. I was surprised and was concern “what if he doesn’t like the mushie toppings or pizza sauce or it’s new?!”. But, he finished 1 half of it and I’m happy!
Thank you!
Min says
woohoo!! Thanks for sharing mama!
Jas says
Hi, why other vege added are raw but the broccoli
Is cooked for pizza topping?
Min says
Hi! You can add finely chopped broccoli if you want to serve raw. Otherwise you need to cook it, just like the sweet potatoes as shown here as well!