Roasted Bone Marrow

Age suitable:

6 months +

Servings:

depends on how many bones!

Dairy free, Egg free, Gluten Free, Nut free, Soy free

5 stars

About the recipe

Have you introduced bone marrow to your baby yet?

Bone marrow might seem like an odd first food to feed baby, however it is a forgotten nutrition powerhouse!

Bone marrow is found on the inside of bones and contains stem cells that develop into red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets, which are involved in oxygen transportation, immune function and blood clotting.

Marrow is a fantastic source of nutrient dense fats, protein, collagen and a wonderful source of iron and zinc and vitamin B12. It’s also not a high choking risk food so can be a great introductory ‘meat’ for your baby!

You can roast the marrow and essentially add it to anything! Toss vegetables through it or use it as a ‘dip’ with the finger foods as a ‘boat’, add it to an omelette, into a puree etc! Then when done, you can use those bones to make a broth - no waste!

This recipe is from our Milk to Meals book of adding bone marrow to a parsnip and bean puree, and theres also a marrow butter recipe in there too!

Roasted Bone Marrow

GF | DF | NF | RSF | EF

2 bone marrow bones (see notes)

Preheat the oven to 220 °C (425 °F)
Place the bones on a baking sheet, marrow side up, and cook for 20-25 minutes or until much of the fat has rendered out and marrow is pulling away from the sides
Remove from the oven, allow the bones to coolslightly to touch Then scrape out the marrow with a spoon or fork The marrow should be soft and mashable.
You can then discard the bones, or I use them for a bone broth!

AGE APPROPRIATE: 1 meal a day +

HOW TO PREPARE:
You can ask the butcher to split the bones for you, ask for a ‘long cut’ and cuts from ‘the centre of the bone’ to get the most marrow out of the bone. Choose organic, pasture raised if possible

HOW TO USE:
You can add the mashed bone marrow directly to your baby’s puree meal and mix through.
You can add the marrow to a glass bowl (and the fat from the baking tray) and refigerate, and then use this like you would use butter - as a spread or served on some steamed or baked vegetables. Once your baby has been introduced to butter, you could try the bone marrow butter recipe in our book Milk to Meals which is my personal favourite!

1 meal a day, Baby Led Weaning, BLW, Family Meals, puree

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Method

How to Prepare Bone Marrow for Babies

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Place the marrow bones cut-side up on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Roast for around 10–20 minutes until the marrow is soft, glossy and slightly bubbling but not completely melted away.

Allow the bones to cool slightly. Use a small spoon to scoop the marrow out of the bones.

Serve immediately mixed through puree, spread onto soft finger foods, or mashed into vegetables.
If storing or whipping, place the marrow in a container along with all of the rendered fat from the tray.

Whipped Bone Marrow

Roast as per instructions above and refrigerate including the fat.

Once the roasted marrow has been refrigerated and fully chilled, it will firm up.

Add the chilled marrow and all of the fat to a blender or small food processor.

Blend for around 10–20 seconds until smooth, light and creamy.

Serve the whipped marrow as a spread on toast fingers, a dip for finger foods, mixed through purees, or placed in a silicone feeder or on a preloaded spoon for babies to explore.