Porridge Fingers for Baby-Led Weaning (3 Easy Flavours)
Porridge fingers are a great way to turn oatmeal into a baby-friendly finger food — perfect for baby-led weaning. If you've ever watched porridge slide through tiny fingers, you’ll know how messy traditional spoon-fed oats can be. These easy microwave porridge fingers offer all the benefits of oats with far less cleanup.
Why I Love Porridge Fingers for Babies
- A gentle source of fibre
- Naturally rich in iron
- Nutrient-dense and filling
- Inexpensive and easy to prepare
And when made into finger-sized pieces, oats become perfectly suited to self-feeding.
I share more on why oats are a great first food in my homemade baby porridge and baby oatmeal post.
Ingredients You Will Need
Ingredient Notes, Substitutes, & Allergy Swaps
- Oats: Quick oats give a softer, smoother texture that’s great for younger babies. Rolled oats make the fingers chewier. Avoid steel-cut oats — they won’t work here.
- Milk: You can use breast milk, formula, cow’s milk, or a fortified plant-based milk.
- Fruit Variations: Blueberry, banana, or apple with cinnamon are classics, but once you’ve made the recipe a few times you can get creative with other flavourings.
- Texture Adjustments: For babies just starting solids, try using homemade baby porridge oats (extra fine) for a smoother texture.
Baby Porridge Fingers Illustrated Step By Step Guide
Below are illustrated step-by-step instructions to make my Porridge Finger Recipe, if you prefer just the written instructions then head straight to the printable recipe card below.
Plain Porridge Fingers
Step one: Pop your oats into a bowl and pour over the milk. A little dash of vanilla is optional but makes them smell amazing. Give it a good stir — I like using a spatula because it scrapes everything from the sides. If you’ve got a minute to spare, let the mixture sit so the oats soften up a bit.
Step two: Now press the oat mixture firmly into a small microwave-proof dish. I often use my toddler’s silicone divided plate — it’s the perfect size, and it means one less dish to wash later.
Step three: Microwave the oats for about 40 seconds. Every microwave is a little different, so check if the mixture feels firm and is pulling away from the edges. If not quite there, cook for another 20 seconds at a time until it sets.
Step four: Let the porridge cool for a few minutes, then lift it out and slice into finger-sized pieces. Test the temperature before offering it to your little one — babies love to grab these right away!
Blueberry Porridge Fingers
Step One: For the blueberry version, I like to blend the berries with the milk (and vanilla if using). This gives you a gorgeous purple milkshake-style mixture.
Step two: Mix the purple milk with your oats. The oats soak up all that fruity flavour and colour.
Step three: Press the blueberry oats into your dish or plate and microwave the same way as the plain version. They’ll come out a fun blueberry-purple colour that little ones find so appealing.
Step eight: And there you go — soft porridge fingers, ready for baby-led weaning. They’re easy for tiny hands to hold and much less messy than a bowl of oatmeal!
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Customising with Baby Purees
Once you’ve got the base recipe down, you can get creative with flavour. Any smooth baby puree can be stirred into the oat mixture before cooking. Try:
- Pear puree
- Kiwi puree — use with banana to balance tanginess
- Apple puree
- Banana baby food
You can also use store-bought baby food pouches if you're short on time — just check the ingredients and skip added sugar.
Which Oats Work Best?
You can use:
- Quick oats for a soft, smooth texture — ideal for younger babies
- Rolled oats for a firmer, more textured bite — great as your baby gets used to chewing
Avoid steel-cut oats — they won’t soften enough in this recipe.
If you're just starting solids, you might like to use finely ground oats or homemade baby oatmeal, which blends better for a gentler texture.
What Age Are Porridge Fingers Suitable For?
I started offering these from 6 months with my daughter Esme. At that age, I made them with baby porridge for a softer texture. By 9–10 months, she was happily handling firmer versions made with regular rolled oats.
Always watch closely during self-feeding and modify texture to suit your baby's stage and chewing ability.
Handy Tips
Storage
These porridge fingers are best fresh, but you can:
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 1–2 days
- Serve cold or gently reheat before offering
If you have the time soak the oats in the milk before microwaving as you this helps the oats gel and fingers bind together, soaking overnight and cooking in the morning gives a great result!
Porridge Fingers - 3 Ways
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Ingredients
- ½ cup oats
- 3 tablespoon milk 45 ml
- Dash of vanilla optional
Blueberry Porridge Fingers
- ¼ cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Banana
- ¼ banana mashed
Apple & Cinnamon
- ½ apple grated
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Plain Porridge Fingers
- Mix oats, milk and optional vanilla together, if you have time, let them soak for a few minutes as you will get a better result in the end.
- Press into the bottom of a small microwave-proof dish
- Microwave on high for 40 seconds, check to see if they are cooked (they are cooked when the mixture is firm to the touch and pulling away from the edges of the dish) if the mix has not reached this stage microwave for a further 20 seconds or until cooked
- Cool in the dish for a few minutes, remove from dish and slice into fingers
- Check they are a safe temperature before giving them to your baby
Blueberry Porridge Fingers
- Blend the blueberries, milk and optional vanilla together
- Mix this with the oats
- (Continue from step 2 of the Plain Porridge Finger recipe)
Banana Porridge Fingers
- Follow the steps for the plain porridge fingers, adding the mashed banana at step 1
Apple Cinnamon Porridge Fingers
- Follow the steps for the plain porridge fingers, adding the grated apple and cinnamon at step 1
Notes
- These porridge fingers are best fresh but can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1–2 days. Serve cold or gently reheat before offering.
- For the best texture, soak the oats in milk before cooking—overnight soaking helps them bind and hold together better.
- Use quick oats for a softer, smoother texture (ideal for younger babies) or rolled oats for a firmer, more textured bite as your baby becomes more confident with chewing. Avoid steel-cut oats—they won’t soften enough in this recipe.
- You can make these with breast milk, formula, cow’s milk, or fortified plant milk.
- To add variety, stir a little fruit purée (like banana, blueberry, or apple with cinnamon) into the mixture before cooking.
Always supervise your baby while eating and adjust the texture to suit their age and chewing ability.
Nutrition
Quick Start Guide To BLW
Baby led weaning doesn’t need to be complicated, grab my quick start guide to begin your little ones food journey.
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Hey these look great! Do they store? Working mumma here so if I can make a batch for the week it would be amazing
They will store in the fridge for 3-4 days
Hi!
What a great recipe. How long would you bake these in the oven if you don't have a microwave?
I would say 20 minutes, but I would check after 15 mins, it will depend a bit on how thin you make them
Hey, can these be frozen?
Looking for a breakfast for my 11 month old after an early morning flight
Yes they can be.
Hi,
Wondering if these would freeze ok?
Yes they do freeze.