Homemade Baby Food in Switzerland: What a Portion Costs

A 120 g portion of homemade Rüebli (carrot) purée with a teaspoon of rapeseed oil costs about CHF 0.25. That is based on regular shelf prices at Denner and Coop on 23 September 2026. A vegetable and potato purée costs CHF 0.27 to 0.29, an apple purée CHF 0.21.

Below are the prices behind these figures, the Swiss recommendations on starting solid food, and the rules for batch-cooking and freezing. This article only summarises official guidance. For your own child, follow your paediatrician or the Mütter- und Väterberatung (parent and child counselling).

When to start: the Swiss recommendations

The Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (BLV) gives a clear window. Start complementary food at the earliest at the beginning of the 5th month and at the latest at the beginning of the 7th month (BLV, Kinder an den Tisch). Paediatrie Schweiz agrees: not before 4 completed months and no later than the start of the 7th month (Paediatrie Schweiz, 2017). Within this window, the right moment depends on your child. Typical signs listed by the BLV:

• Your baby can sit upright and hold its head.
• It is interested in what you and others eat.
• It puts things in its mouth by itself.

Start with a single food, for example finely puréed cooked carrots, parsnips, zucchetti, pumpkin or broccoli, or grated apple or pear. Give each new food for a few days before the next one. At first a few spoonfuls are enough, followed by the usual milk feed.

Three rules apply to every purée:

• No salt, stock, spices, sugar, honey or other sweeteners. The BLV says so. The Swiss Society for Nutrition (SGE) also advises against salt, stock, sugar and honey (SGE, 2026).
• No honey and no maple syrup in the first year, because they can contain certain bacteria and spores (BLV, unsuitable foods).
• Rapeseed oil once a day, cold-pressed or refined. The BLV and SGE recipes stir one teaspoon into a vegetable purée.

Potatoes and meat follow the first vegetables. The BLV says your child should eat small amounts of meat regularly from the 7th month at the latest, for iron. Our tables cover only the plant-based basics.

What the ingredients cost per 100 g

We picked plain, unprocessed products from Eini's price data. Regular prices from Eini's price data, collected on 23 September 2026 at Coop, Aldi and Denner. Prices change; promotions and regional offers can differ.

Potatoes are the cheapest base at CHF 0.11 per 100 g, followed by bananas, oat flakes and apples from the 2.5 kg bag. Ready-cut pumpkin cubes cost more than twice as much per 100 g as a whole butternut squash. Prices are per weight bought, so peel, seeds and cores are not deducted.

What one portion costs

Portion sizes follow the BLV recipes (BLV, recipes). A vegetable or fruit purée uses about 120 g with 1 teaspoon of rapeseed oil. A vegetable and potato purée uses 100 g of vegetables, 50 g of potatoes and 1 to 2 teaspoons of oil. The cereal purée without milk uses 10 to 20 g of oat flakes, about 100 g of fruit and some water. A 5 ml teaspoon of oil from a CHF 3.50 litre bottle costs less than 2 Rappen.

Even with organic Rüebli, a portion stays under CHF 0.50. Convenience makes the biggest difference: ready-cut pumpkin cubes cost CHF 0.86 per portion, a whole butternut you peel yourself CHF 0.36. Your baby may eat more or less. The SGE notes that a child can eat its fill of vegetables, fruit and potatoes without set quantities. The recommended amounts matter for meat, fish and egg.

Batch-cook and freeze: the BLV rules

Cooking in batches saves the most time. A 1 kg bag of Rüebli at CHF 1.95 gives 8 portions of 120 g before peeling. With 8 teaspoons of oil (CHF 0.14), the batch costs CHF 2.09. The BLV rules (BLV, preparing complementary food, 2022):

1. Wash vegetables briefly but thoroughly, then cut them. Cook them for a few minutes in a little water, without salt or stock.
2. Purée finely at first. As your child gets older, the purée can be coarser.
3. Cool homemade purée quickly and keep it in the fridge. Use leftovers within 24 hours and reheat them only once.
4. Vegetable purée, vegetable, potato and meat purée, and puréed meat keep for up to two months in the freezer. Purée with milk is not suitable for freezing. Potatoes can only be frozen as part of a vegetable, potato and meat purée.
5. Reheat frozen purée just before the meal, in a water bath or the microwave. Stir it and check the temperature for hot spots, especially after the microwave.
6. Never refreeze purée once it has thawed.

More freezer basics: freezer-friendly meals from Swiss supermarket basics.

Jars: compare with the unit price

We have no verified price data for baby food jars, so we give no jar prices. You can still compare in the shop. For pre-packed goods sold by weight, Swiss shops must show the pack price and the unit price (Grundpreis), for example per kilogram (SECO, FAQ on price display, 2026). Multiply the price per kg by 0.12 to get the cost of 120 g, the amount in our portion table.

Also read the ingredient list. The BLV says a jar should be similar to homemade purée, without added salt, sugar, cocoa or flavourings (BLV, Kinder an den Tisch). Jars need no warming; room temperature is enough. The BLV sees advantages on both sides: jars are quick and practical on the go, homemade purée offers more variety and costs little. It suggests combining both.

How to read Swiss unit prices: the Grundpreis trick.

Where Eini fits

In Eini's Groceries module you set the number of adults and children in your household, your cooking days and your stores. Eini then builds a weekly meal plan for lunch and dinner around the week's promotions at Coop, Migros, Lidl, Aldi, Denner and Aligro. The shopping list is grouped by store, so the Rüebli and potatoes for the purée fit into the same shopping trip. The first 3 meal plans are free: see the meal planner app.