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Porridge fingers (oatmeal fingers) are a great way for babies to eat oatmeal. Serve them plain or add different fruits, vegetables and spices to add variety. They only take a couple of minutes in the microwave, perfect for when your baby wakes up looking for food in a hurry!
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Porridge fingers are a mess-free solution for serving oatmeal to babies. While you won't be rushing to make these for yourself, they are perfect for baby-led weaning, offering an easy-to-handle alternative to traditional porridge.
If your baby enjoys these, be sure to explore our range of hand-held baby oatmeal breakfasts, including mango baked oatmeal, plum baked oatmeal, blueberry breakfast balls, raspberry breakfast balls and fruity baked oatmeal cups.
Reasons to Love this Recipe
- Super quick to prepare and cook
- Being finger-formed they are easy for babies to pick up (resulting in a much quicker cleanup at the end!)
- Serving food in different ways allows babies to get used to different textures and food experiences.
- Customisable - flavour this easy breakfast with a variety of ingredients!
Ingredient Information
The full list of ingredients and amounts can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
You only need two ingredients to make the basic porridge recipe
- Oats - Porridge oats (old fashioned rolled oats) produce a better result than quick oats. Steel cut oats are not suitable in this recipe.
- Milk - I used cow's milk but you can use milk of choice.
However, you can flavour oatmeal fingers with a range of fruits, vegetables and spices. The recipe card below includes the following three flavours
- Raspberry and Coconut addition of crushed raspberries and desiccated coconut
- Carrot Cake addition of grated carrot, apple puree (apple sauce), ground cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg
- Apple Pie addition of grated apple, apple puree and cinnamon
Of course, you can get creative, just try to keep the ratios the same. Some other addition suggestions include mashed banana, blueberries, chopped raisins, pumpkin puree, sweet potato puree or a range of fruit purees.
Step By Step Instructions (with Images)
This section features step-by-step photos for visual reference. The complete recipe can be found by scrolling to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Mix Porridge Finger Ingredients.Combine oats and milk for the plain version, or add additional ingredients for flavored variations. Let the mixture sit until it becomes mushy.
- Press mixture into microwavable dish. Use the back of a spoon to do this until the mixture is flat. I used a dish of approx. 13cm x 10cm (5x4inch) and the mixture was around 3-5mm thick. If your dish is bigger you don't have to fill the whole space, the mixture shouldn't spread much.
- Microwave. Cook for 2 minutes, though microwave timings may vary. Check periodically; the cooked mixture should be soft but cuttable.
- Cut and Serve. While still hot, cut the mixture into fingers. You may need to tidy up the edges as you cut. Allow the fingers to cool before removing from the dish and serving.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigeration:Once oatmeal fingers have cooled completely, transfer them to an airtight storage container and refrigerate for 2-3 days.
- Freezing: Allow the fingers to cool and freeze them on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. They can be stored in the freezer for up to a month. When ready to serve, thaw them in the refrigerator overnight before offering them to your baby.
Recipe FAQs
Porridge fingers are suitable for babies who have started solids and are developmentally ready, typically 6 months of age plus.
This recipe contains dairy, a common allergen. Ensure you have safely introduced dairy to your baby before offering these fingers.
As will all new foods, create a safe eating environment and closely supervise your baby during mealtime.
Not personalised advice - for informational purposes only. Consult with your paediatrician regarding the introduction of solid foods and any potential allergy risks for your baby.
If you do not have a microwave, you can make the oatmeal fingers in the oven. Bake, in an ovenproof dish, for around 15 mins at 190C / 375F. However, you may not wish to heat the oven for such small quantities. These fruity baked oatmeal cups or mango baked oatmeal are similar ideas that have been specifically developed for baking, I would suggest trying this recipe instead.
Yes, these fingers do have a slight gummy texture. This is a basic recipe designed to provide an easy way to serve oatmeal to a baby. The soft malleable texture is perfect for little ones. Although cut into bars they are very different to granola bars.
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Porridge Fingers
Equipment
- Microwave
- Microwavable Dish approx 13cm x 10 cm (5x4 inch)
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp Oats
- 3 tablespoon Milk Reduce this to 2 tablespoon if making the flavoured versions.
Raspberry and Coconut Porridge Fingers
- 1½ tablespoon Mashed Raspberries
- 1 teaspoon Unsweetened Desiccated Coconut
Apple Pie Porridge Fingers
- 1 tbsp Unsweetened Apple Puree (apple sauce)
- 1 tbsp Grated Apple
- ¼ tsp Ground Cinnamon
Carrot Cake Porridge Fingers
- 1 tbsp Unsweetened Apple Puree (apple sauce)
- 1 tbsp Grated Carrot
- ⅛ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- pinch Ground Ginger
- pinch Ground Nutmeg
Instructions
Plain Porridge Fingers
- Add the oats and milk to a small bowl and soak until you have a mushy mixture. (A couple of minutes)
- Press the mixture into a small, flat-bottomed dish using the back of a spoon.
- Cook in the microwave for 2 minutes on high.**
- Cut into fingers while still hot and serve when cooled.
Flavoured Versions
- Add the oats, milk (2 tbsps only) and additional ingredients for the desired flavour.
- Continue from step 2 of the plain porridge finger recipe
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutritional facts
*First Published May 2015, the post has been updated to include process shots, video and more detailed recipe information.
Danielle
How deep do you make these? And how many fingers do you get out of a batch?
Really keen to try these out
Amy
Hi Danielle, Sorry I am just seeing this now. I make them around 1 cm thick. I use a very small dish and the mixture fits perfectly. You only get around 4 small fingers from each mixture. ??
Lexi
Hello! Are raisins really okay for under a year? I'm afraid of choking of course. My little eating machine is 8.5 months old. Thank you!
Amy
Hi Lexi, I was happy to give my little ones raisins at 8.5 months (not too many due to the sugar content). You can skip them or chop them up a bit.
Ana Cristina
I don't have microwave, is there any other way to do these porridge fingers?
Amy
Hi Ana, I haven't tried these in the oven but I'm sure they would work well as I make similar products to these in the oven. You could try my fruity oat breakfast bites - https://www.healthylittlefoodies.com/fruity-oat-breakfast-bites/ or my mango and coconut oat bars - https://www.healthylittlefoodies.com/coconut-mango-oat-breakfast-bites/
Ash
LOVE THESE!! I didn't have any apple puree and couldn't be bothered to make any so i just used grated apple and breastmilk and my 7mo is gobbling them up. She hasnt really gobbled up anything yet so this is a first.
Amy
Hi Ash, I'm so please she loves them and thank you so much for your feedback. I hope she gobbles up plenty of these recipes for you in the future!
Kelly
Hey there, I just made these but mine are mushy. I ended up putting them in the microwave for 2 mins 30 secs as our microwave is fairly old. Are they supposed to be mushy or more like the consistency of a soft granola bar?
My baby is eating them anyways 🙂 but not sure how well they'll store.
Amy
Hi Kelly, they shouldn't be mushy - you should be able to pick them up as in the picture. Maybe spread the mixture out a bit more, they were maybe too thick? I have a pretty powerful microwave but the timings were the same as given in the Baby-led Weaning book. Alternatively you could bake in the oven. I've popped them in the freezer before and re heated before serving and they worked well.
Sandy
How long do you soak the rolled oats for? Overnight, or just a few minutes?
Did you use a fine-grain rolled oat, or the chunky type?
Amy
HI Sandy, I just soaked them for a few minutes. I used fine-grained oats.
Erin
Probably a dumb question but what are porridge oats?
Amy
Hi Erin, Scottish porridge oats are rolled oats. 🙂
Leanne
Looking forward to trying these for my six month old...I'm sure my 3 year old will be more than happy to test out as well! Thanks for posting info for oven-made option as I don't have a microwave either.
Amy
Thanks Leanne, I hope they are a success! (with your 6 mth and 3 yr old!)
Mrs T
These look fab but I don't have a microwave. Can these be made by another method?
Thanks
Amy
I haven't tried them in the oven but do make similar oat cookies in the oven. I'd cook for 15 mins at 190c/375f/Gas5. Let me know how they go!
Mary Croft
Love love love these! My 20 month old is going through a phase of eating hardly any fruit and veg. Made the carrot cake version and he loves them! Oh how it makes me smile to see him tucking in to all that is healthy. Keep the recipes coming, we're enjoying eating them too!!
Amy
Oh thanks for your positive feedback! It is so lovely to hear. I'm glad your 20 month is enjoying the recipes 🙂
Mary Croft
quick question; how long would these last? I made a bit of a rookie mistake and left them on a tub on the side and my son has been eating them over a few days (I made a few batches as he loved them so much) realised today that they'd started growing a bit of mould! Should have thought about the milk maybe! Would you keep them in the fridge?
Amy
I would definitely keep them in the fridge. I actually made a large batch and then frozen them. I took a couple out the night before or quickly defrosted them in the microwave in the morning. Worked ok. Wasn't as good as freshly cooked but the boys didn't complain.
nicola
Hi if u use formula milk to make these how long will they last in the fridge as obviously a bottle of formula only lasts 2 hrs?! Thanks
Amy
Hi Nicola, thanks for your question. I'm presuming they would be ok in the fridge but I have not had much experience with formula and I can't really answer your question, sorry. I've only ever made them with cows milk.
nicola
Hi thanks amy. So will be 6 month old be ok making them with cows milk as i know u can cook with cows milk from 6 months?! Thanks x
Amy
Hi Nicola, yes I made these with cows milk for Rory at six months.
Melissa
You can make any food using cows milk as long as its being heated, porridge, pasta, eggs etc
Julia
My 13th month gobbled these up! Carrot cake one was a particular favourite. Easy to do as well, fab.
Amy
I'm glad that they were a success!I also like the fact that they are so easy to make. Yesterday I made some porridge fingers with blueberries pushed in them. Both boys loved them and they are even quicker to make!
Marion Davidson
The flavours added to the basic recipe sure made a difference! Lovely!
Amy
I'm glad you liked the different flavour profiles. I made another batch of porridge fingers this morning and added blueberries. It worked really well and was so quick, you should try it!
Rachel
Hi, I'm new to blw. Is this porridge oat fingers meant to be soft?
I've made this for my 6 months old. Just wasn't sure if it's cooked enough
Amy
They are a funny texture, hard to describe. Yes they are soft but you should be able to slice it into a finger to pick up.
Deborah TimmonsDeb
I dont like to microwave the babies food. Can I bake these or cook some other way
Amy
Hi Deborah, Yes you could bake these but without trialling I can't say for sure the timings. You could try these fruity oats breakfast muffins (https://www.healthylittlefoodies.com/fruity-oat-breakfast-bites/) or these Mango Coconut breakfast bars (https://www.healthylittlefoodies.com/coconut-mango-oat-breakfast-bites/) 🙂