Fun fact: Bone marrow has iron in it. Which means this whipped bone marrow recipe is one more way to bring #meatyminerals into your baby’s diet.
Bone marrow is also fatty.
And as an iron-rich fat, you can use it in sweet and savory dishes alike, making it a wonderful source of heme iron for babies who’d rather eat a sweet potato mash over liver pate or a lamb chop.
What a win-win.
Why bone marrow rules my world: Benefits of bone marrow for babies
There are some foods for baby that I literally obsess over. These foods are largely underused and yet packed with many of the nutrients that babies need.
Liver is one. And bone marrow is another.
Bone marrow is found inside of bones. And it’s a production powerhouse, full of life-giving stem cells – pumping out red blood cells, white blood cells, bone cells, and fat cells.
Bone marrow also has vasculature moving blood to and fro. And where you find blood, you find iron.
This is one of the main benefits of bone marrow for babies.
Iron is a big deal for babies. It’s a meaty mineral that I love to love. You can find hints of my obsession all over the place – on Instagram, in blog posts, and in this online class for beginning solids.
Chances are, your pediatrician is also interested in your baby’s iron levels.
But why?
- Iron is brain food. For example, research reveals that babies who are anemic before the age of two have lower scores in school achievement and cognition from 4 – 19 years of age.
- Iron supports myelination. Oligodendrocytes, the cells that make myelin, need iron to synthesize enzymes and proteins involved in myelin production. And myelin-producing brain cells form the white matter in the brain.…and white matter = intelligence.
- Iron deficiency cannot be undone. Even when corrected, low levels of iron during babyhood – or iron deficiency anemia – has been found to impact language development, motor development, and emotional development.
As with most things, there’s a balance to how much iron you give your baby.
Food naturally rich in heme iron (such as liver, cuts of beef and lamb, the dark meat of chicken, shellfish, and bone marrow) positively supports your baby’s iron levels. Even when eaten in small amounts, as babies do.
Bone marrow has roughly 2.7 mg of iron for every four tablespoons – which is equivalent to what you find in one tablespoon of liver. This is more iron than you’d find in pork, poultry, lamb, and some cuts of beef.
Beyond iron, Chinese medicine claims that bone marrow has some serious restorative mojo.
According to TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) bone marrow:
- Deeply fortifies the body
- Nourishes energy and blood
- With the brain, makes up the “sea of marrow”
If your baby shows signs of “failure to thrive,” such as slow weight gain or not reaching developmental milestones, offer your baby bone marrow more frequently and in the place of fats like butter and ghee.
How to pick + handle marrow bones
When roasted, bone marrow is a jiggly white and pinkish blob with brown ends.
This is why we whip it.
While you can find plenty of marrow within the center of the bone, there are all sorts of nooks and crannies around the ends of the bone where marrow can get stuck.
You can get around those nooks and crannies (and the most bang for your buck) by asking for a long cut.
Ask for canoe cut or the mid-portion of the bone that visibly has marrow packed in the center.
Also important: Avoid ends or knuckles when buying marrow bones, which are mostly made of hard red marrow. Choose cuts from the center of the bone.
How to prepare bone marrow for babies
This sometimes comes up: Should you soak your bones before roasting?
In Odd Bits, chef and author Jennifer McLagan suggests soaking bones in salted ice water to remove blood.
But blood contains iron.
And since we’re celebrating this unctuous meat butter because it’s a fairly good source of iron, I suggest that you skip the soak when preparing bone marrow for babies.
Whipped bone marrow recipe
Cara Nicoletti – sausage maker extraordinaire – makes bone marrow look beautiful and presentable by WHIPPING it. With a whisk attachment. In a bowl. How easy is that?
And the results are worth it.
If you follow the principles of baby-led weaning, use this bone marrow baby food recipe like you would butter or any other fat – for example, mashed into a starchy veggie, like sweet potato or squash.
If you are working with purees, add whipped bone marrow to your puree.
Ingredients for whipped bone marrow recipe
- 2 – 3 lbs of beef femur bones from the midsection of the bone, click here to shop for marrow bones
Instructions on how to prepare bone marrow for babies
- Heat oven to 425 F. Place marrow bones, marrow side-up, on a baking sheet. Roast for 25 minutes or until much of the fat has rendered out and marrow is pulling away from the sides.
- Remove from oven. After the bones have cooled enough to touch, scoop the marrow out and into a bowl. Also, pour all fat from your baking sheet and into the bowl. Place it in the refrigerator.
- Once the marrow is cold (the fat should firm up), use a mixer with a whisk attachment to whip until the bone marrow is white and fluffy.
- Whipped marrow lasts 3 weeks in the fridge and 6 months in the freezer.
Hi Megan! We are about to try bone marrow for the first time and will be using this recipe! I am curious if the bones can be used to make broth after the marrow is used, or, if there really wouldn’t be anything left for the bones to give after being roasted and de-marrowed?
Thanks!
Hey Mallory,
The bones make an AMAZING stock – very gelatinous. When roasting, you’re really just going after the fatty marrow. So all the tough collagen on the side of the bones and the bone itself breaks down in the stock.
xxo!!
do you have a recipe you recommend to use bones for stock later? thank you!!
Hey Marina,
I use an Instant Pot and cover bones with water and a splash of apple cider vinegar. I also add carrots, half a red onion, about a teaspoon of peppercorns, and knob of ginger and cook for maximum time with natural pressure release. Hope this helps xxo!!
Hi Megan! Can you feed the marrow whip straight up to your baby? Or is it typically just used to mix in with dishes? Thx 🙂
Hey Jessica,
Both work great. You can also freeze in a silicone tray – the kind with small shapes – and then once frozen, give to baby in a silicone feeder xxo!!
Hi,
What is a good serving size of whipped marrow per meal for an 8month old? And how often would you recommend feeding them bone marrow?
Thx,
Ben
Hey Ben,
You could start with a tsp to a tbsp daily. The easiest way to do this is to freeze it in tablespoon size portions. It can be given directly to baby or mixed into food – like mashes and purees.
xxo
Hi there! Question: All marrow bones I’ve seen are round, not halved. When you say to lay the bones marrow-side up for roasting, how do you cut the bones in half? Will it work with whole bones not halved? Thanks so much!!
Hey Jennifer!
Definitely works without halved bones.
If you get them from a butcher shop, they can cut them. Otherwise, you can also place the bones marrow up (rather than on their side) it helps keep all the fat in one place as it renders.
The bones from US Wellness work too. Just make sure that when you get them, it’s the mid portion aka the long bone – that’s where the softy fatty marrow is at! Rather than the ends or knuckles, which has hard red marrow xxo
Whole Foods butcher said he couldn’t canoe cut them. So if you have a marrow bone whole, not halved, are you saying you bake it vertically instead of laying down on its side? I would think the marrow would pour out the bottom while baking? Could you please clarify your response above for me?
Yes! Exactly. Some of it will render out and there will also be soft marrow that you can scrap from the inside of the bone. You just want to make sure you have middle cuts, meaning *not* the end pieces with hard, red marrow.
These marrow bones from White Oak give a good visual of what you’re looking for.
Also, be sure to collect fat and scraped out marrow when adding to bowl and chilling. Hope this helps xxo!!
Hi Megan!
I’m working with frozen bone marrow, the organic butcher near my house doesn’t have the fresh one. How do you recommend I defrost it?
Big thanks!!!
Hey Priscila!
I usually get frozen too. You can defrost them overnight in the fridge.
xxo!!
Hello Megan, I need help. My baby just turned 7 month. I tried to give her egg, chicken but she doesn’t like it. I don’t know where to get grass fed bone marrow or liver pate. If anyone knows where to buy can you please let me know. Thanks , lia
Hey Lia,
Definitely keep exposing her to a variety of foods, especially those that are full of #meatyminerals. Repeat exposure helps with acceptance, especially when baby just begins solids. For bone marrow and liver, are you able to purchase these from US Wellness Meats?
xxo!!
Hi I plan to feed this to my 6 month old. How often and how much would you recommend since his formula is already iron fortified and we will be doing a mix of purees and milk feedings
Hey Olive,
In general, I would let him decide how much. This follows responsive feeding principles. And YES. Both iron and zinc are at risk of excess when using formula, so good call there. With formula, nutrient deficiencies tend to be:
So something like sardines (so far, I really like Vital Choice) or wild salmon would be a GREAT first food to focus on. Hope this helps!
Hi Megan!
My baby is current 5 and a half months and I plan on starting him with solids tomorrow.
He is exclusively breastfed and he is also a preemie suffering with eczema.
How should I start with bone marrow if I am giving it to him as his first food.
Thank you!
Hey Zahra,
I would start with liver – iron status may be low if premature. And with eczema, it has also nutrients (like zinc + vitamin A and D) that are key for immune development.
For bone marrow, whip and freeze into 1 TB portions (thaw in fridge and bring to room temp to get it soft) and offer on spoon for him to self feed.
Also, book a call with me! Eczema and food concerns can be a lot and TCM works 😉
Hey there what if we put the bone marrow in the fridge
Before we whipped it 🤦🏻♀️ Are we still able to whip it somehow and what’s the best way to use this. For some reason I thought this was one of the ingredients for
Liver Pate but i guess not. Now I’m
Not sure what to use it for
Hey Nadia!
You can probably still whip it – I would soften it at room temp but make sure it’s still slightly chilled before whipping. When the fat hardens, that helps to create that whipped texture. Once it’s whipped, I would portion it into 1 tablespoon sized spoonfuls and freeze in a baby food tray, ice cube tray or even sheet pan. Once frozen, store in a freezer bag and use as needed.
It’s great to mix into food, especially mashed veggies or fruit that wouldn’t otherwise have iron. Folks love mixing it into applesauce and sweet potatoes. I have a recipe for bone marrow fritters here (3 ingredients mashed with a fork!) and babies love it: https://megangarcia.com/banana-fritters-recipe-for-baby-6-months/
I also throw marrow cubes into chili, pasta sauce, and curry. It’s super yummy.
xxo!!
Hey Megan!
Will whipped bone marrow cause constipation? How often would you suggest feeding it to babies daily/weekly? Thanks!
Hey Lindsey,
Iron supplements will cause constipation but bone marrow contains very easy-to-absorb heme iron and doesn’t have this effect.
I like to make a batch and store portions in the freezer. Depending on the rest of baby’s diet, you can give daily or a couple times a week. Just be sure to include plenty of foods with those #meatyminerals
xxo!!
Ahhh Megan, I read somewhere (maybe first foods and beyond on FB) that I could roast my bones from frozen state. They were frozen and put in oven @ 425 for 25 minutes. I’m letting them cool now but since I’m a first timer idk if they are fully cooked? I should just be scooping out the middle, correct? Or since I did not thaw prior to roasting are they no longer good? Thanks!!!!
YES! I often roast when frozen. Just make sure the marrow is pulling away from the sides of the bone and you’ve got plenty of rendered marrow fat. Then scoop out the marrow and collect the fat in a bowl to chill just a bit before whipping.
xxo!!
Any advice for the smoke? Had to open up all the doors and windows because the fat in the bones was setting off smoke alarms 🙈
Hey Keri,
I haven’t had this problem! Maybe it was splattering or dripping? Smoke happens when there’s fat directly on the heat source. Maybe try covering it next time and see if that helps.
Let me how it goes xxo!!
Hello! If baby seems ready to try food before 6 months, is there any reason not to offer this in particular? Checking since this is indicated as 6+ months. Thanks!
Hey mama,
If babe is ready before 6 months, go ahead and offer. Current WHO guidelines are *around* 6 months, it really depends on baby. Marrow is wonderful first food!
after whipping it, do you leave it on the counter to serve during dinner later or back in the fridge?
Thanks.
Bobby
Hey Bobby,
I would store in the fridge. It does harden when cold, so I would bring it out 30 minutes or so before dinner.
My mother purchased beef bones for my little man right after I showed her your article. She’s so happy to be a part of our son’s healthy development. I have a question for you, after receiving our bones we noticed that there are those short cut ones in the mix. I roasted half of our order with some of the short ones. My question is, should I avoid giving my son the marrow from those specific bones?
Hey Natzieli,
As long as they have the fatty “yellow” marrow, you’re good! The bones that don’t work for this recipe are knuckle bones that have hard, red marrow. Those are great for stock, but not so much for bone marrow butter.
xxo!!
1) after roasting bones I usually put straight into an instant pot to make broth. Instead, shall I remove the middle portion of the marrow bones to ship and then throw the bones in to pressure cook for broth ? Or by doing this am I removing what makes broth gelatinous.
Hey Gina,
I do the same! The middle portion is largely fat and the gelatin comes from the connective tissue around the bone.
So yes, you would scoop the marrow and then use the bones for a bone broth. Just make sure you’ve got mid bone cuts where there’s “yellow” marrow (it actually looks pink) as opposed to the ends, which have hard red marrow.
Hope this helps, xxo!!
I noticed a lot of the recipes say 6+ months. My baby is almost 5 months old and I am thinking of trying foods with him soon. I’d like to start with meat, our pediatrician suggested cereal. Is it safe to introduce meat before 6 months?
Hey Camille,
Six months is roughly when baby may be ready for solids, according to the World Health Organization. Whether you start at 5 months or 6 months, it is recommended to begin with meat or an iron-rich food. Cereal is fortified with different forms of iron so that it’s iron-rich but the heme iron in meat is better absorbed and used by baby. I have a whole class that walks you through this here: https://megangarcia.com/first-foods-and-beyond/
xxo!!
Hi Megan!
I found this recipe just after I made bone marrow broth! I’ll definitely do this before I make the broth next time. The bones have been simmering for 2 days and the marrow is still inside and a gluggy brown. Is this still nutritious enough to eat/feed baby or has it all gone into the broth and I should discard?
Thanks!
Hey Amy!
It’s all in the broth xxo!!
Hi Megan,
When scooping out the bone marrow I did get a bit of hard red marrow from an end piece (saw your note to avoid this part after I started). I removed it from my bowl however it did go in the bowl with the rest of the marrow. Do you think this will still be safe for baby or should I make a new batch? Or if I cook the bone marrow with puree would that help?
Thanks,
Sarah
Hey Sarah,
That’s totally okay as long as no hard pieces got into the marrow, sounds like you pulled it out.
The reason why I say to avoid the end bones with red marrow is because they don’t yield much (if any!) fatty bone marrow.
Great Q xxo!!
Is a tablespoon a good serving size for a baby just starting solids? I’ll eventually mix it with other foods, but wondering if it can be fed on its own just starting out and if so how much?
Hey Alice,
It can be fed on its own. I would start with a teaspoon-sized amount xxo!!
Hi! Can’t wait to try this for my baby. If I don’t have a mixer for whisking can I blend it in my vitamix blender ? Thanks!
Hey Valerie,
I would use a whisk and whip it by hand if you have the patience! I’m not sure the Vitamix will give you the air you need. If you end up using a blender, let me know how it goes xxo!!
Hi. Thanks for this great recipe! Love it 😊Does it have to be beef bone marrow? Can I use lamb or goat bone marrow instead for my 7 month old? Thanks
You can! Just be sure to use the midsection of the bone that contains fatty marrow xxo!!
Holy Moly. Think I missed a trick here, whipping this stuff is like whipping gravel. I also had a lot of bone/hard gristle in mine so I had to push it through a potato ricer. Maybe I tried whipping it at the wrong temp? Maybe I didn’t have enough of it for my kitchenAid whisk to really get it. I’ll try again
Hey! If it’s too hard and chilled it won’t whip up. And YES! You definitely don’t want bits of bone in there xxo!!
Hi! My little one has been refusing solids ever since a severe allergic reaction to egg at 6.5 months. Now at 8 months, found your site and tried bone marrow, the baby ate it!!! I’m so happy! Wondering how much bone marrow and how often can I give a breastfed 8 month old?
Hey Linda,
That’s so great to hear!! Many babies eat bone marrow daily. At 8 months, I would offer about a tablespoon and see how it goes. Ultimately, I like to follow baby’s lead. I typically see a big interest in bone marrow when beginning solids and then into toddlerhood, interest tends to taper off or slow down. So definitely feel it out!
Hi Megan! Can I make this in an instant pot? What do you suggest? Thanks!
Hey! I haven’t made the bone marrow in a Instant Pot. Since it requires water to build pressure, I’m not sure the results would be the same – we’re basically extracting the fat and whipping it.
You can definitely pop the marrow bones in the Instant Pot after roasting for an incredible bone broth!!
Hi Megan,
I got some beef bones yesterday
After reading through the questions and your replies, I’m not sure if these bones will work (or if they’re ideal)
Is there an email address I could send you a picture to see what you think?
Thank you
Hi Olivia,
You can email me hello@megangarcia.com
How much time after done is good to use it (refrigerated or frozen) ?
Hey Evelyn,
I would store frozen and use within 3 months.
xxo!!
Hi! Can you make this with the medallion cut sections of the bone? Thank you!
YES!!
xxo
Hi Megan!
Super grateful for all of the info you give! We live your course. Is there anywhere besides online I can get femur bones? My local Whole Foods doesn’t have them and our local butcher shop doesn’t either. Just curious if I’m missing it somewhere. I’m in Dallas, TX.
Hey Hannah,
The other place to check would be your local farmer’s market. Sometimes you can find both seafood and fresh/frozen cuts of meat. If they don’t have bones, it may be because demand is low and you can ask if they’ll bring for you the following week. I’ve done this! Folks are super friendly.
xxo
Hi Megan! Is there anyway you could post a picture of what the good bone marrow bones look like as opposed to the knuckle bones you shouldn’t use? Thanks so much!!
Hi Megan!
Should bones be rinsed before baking? I purchased fresh bones and wasn’t sure. I’m wondering if any impurities will cook off during the baking process? Thanks!
Hey Lisa,
I don’t think there’s any harm in giving them a lil rinse (:
xxo
Hi Megan,
Thanks for the recipe. Just made it but did not rinse the bones before popping them in the oven. Do you think the dish is still good for baby?
Hey Richelle,
This can help remove “impurities” from the surface. I think as long the bones are coming from a known, trusted source – it’s okay.
In general, a good rule of thumb that I try and follow is rinse all animal sourced foods. Unless working with ground meat 😆 I would keep and use. Hope this helps xxo!!
Bone marrow is also high in calcium, another tid-bit of info. Bone marrow is often found on menus in bistos here in France, usually served with a light sprinkling of ‘fleur de sel’ and spread on toast. I’ve tried the whipped version and add it to room temperature eggs before beating it and making an omlette. Delicious!
Love this!!
Can I make the whipped bone marrow with chicken bones?
Hi Serena,
Great question! Chicken bone are very narrow and a lot of the marrow is hard, red marrow. Great for bone broth and stock, but difficult to use for whipped marrow.
We want the fatty, yellow marrow that’s in the central portion of long bones.
xxo!!
Hi, I found this recipe and am very excited to try this for my baby! Thank you for this lovely recipe. I want to ask, is it possible to use air fryer instead of oven?