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A nourishing, hypoallergenic homemade baby formula using safe, whole ingredients. This recipe was developed and tested by Dr. Mary Enig, a PhD Nutritionist and originally published in Nourishing Traditions cookbook in 1996. Source: Weston A. Price Foundation
Many health-conscious parents first try a homemade milk-based baby formula when it becomes apparent that breastfeeding is not an option. If baby demonstrates an intolerance even when using fresh, grass-fed whole milk or yogurt, the non-dairy homemade formula recipe is an excellent alternative to use instead. A detailed how-to video tutorial is also provided.
This dairy-free DIY formula is based on homemade broth and a small amount of cooked, organic grass-fed liver instead of milk as the source of protein.
The recipe was originally published in the cookbook Nourishing Traditions in 1996 and developed by Dr. Mary Enig.
Traditional cultures sometimes used liver pre-chewed by the Mother as a baby first food. Liver is very easily digested and full of nutrition and cholesterol for the baby’s rapidly developing brain.
Commercial nondairy formulas rely on soy as the protein source. Soy formula is a devastating food for babies as it is loaded with plant estrogens which wreak havoc with the baby’s developing hormonal system. In addition, soy contains some of the highest levels of phytic acid found in any food. Phytic acid contributes to poorly developed, cavity-prone baby teeth and poor bone structure (i.e., turned-in feet, flat feet, crowded teeth, sunken chest, etc) as it blocks mineral absorption.
Whatever you do, if your child cannot drink a milk-based formula, DO NOT use soy! Other types of plant-based DIY baby formula can cause growth problems as well.
What a relief for a concerned parent that a safe, healthy, non-dairy homemade formula can be made at home with nutrient-dense, whole-food ingredients.
Most babies who cannot drink the homemade milk-based formula THRIVE on this hypoallergenic homemade formula.
You will immediately notice that whey and lactose are used in this hypoallergenic recipe. The vast majority of babies will do fine with these milk-derived ingredients as it is the milk protein (casein), not the lactose or whey that was causing the problems with the milk-based formula. In the rare case that the infant is not thriving on this homemade dairy-free formula, remove the whey and substitute GMO-free dextrose or sucrose for the lactose.
Nondairy Homemade Formula
Click here for where to source all the ingredients for the dairy-free homemade formula such as gelatin, lactose, and acerola powder, etc. See the dairy-free baby formula video below for visual details.
One batch of 36 ounces takes about 10 minutes to make.
Be sure to use bottle nipples designed for thicker flowing liquids when feeding this formula to your baby. Get them here.
If your baby is only allergic to cow milk, but not other types of dairy, this article provides a how-to for making homemade goats milk formula if you would like to try that first. A sheep milk formula is an option too. Or, if you cannot get goat milk in your area, you can make homemade formula with camel milk.
Dairy-Free Homemade Formula Recipe
A nourishing, dairy-free homemade baby formula that uses bone broth as the base instead of raw milk that was developed and tested by Dr. Mary Enig to match breastmilk as closely as possible.
Ingredients
- 3 3/4 cups bone broth
- 2 oz grassfed liver beef, bison, or lamb
- 1/4 cup liquid whey leave out if baby cannot tolerate
- 5 Tbl goat lactose OR nonGMO dextrose if baby cannot tolerate
- 1/4 tsp bifidobacterium infantis powder
- 1/2 tsp cod liver oil unflavored
- 1 tsp sunflower oil preferably organic
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil preferably organic
- 1 Tbl virgin coconut oil preferably organic
- 1/4 tsp acerola powder
Instructions
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Simmer liver cut up into small pieces gently in the homemade broth until just cooked through.
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Liquefy the liver in the broth using a handheld blender or a food processor.
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Let the broth cool to room temperature, then stir in the remaining ingredients or blend for a few seconds in a blender.
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Store formula in glass jars in the refrigerator.
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To serve the homemade formula, pour into glass baby bottles and warm in a baby bottle warmer or in a pan of hot water. Never microwave baby bottles!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
You may make bone broth yourself (most budget-friendly) or buy it. Be aware that almost all bone broth on the market is not quality. Even if it is quality bone broth, it comes in toxic packaging. Watch out! The only brand I have found as of this writing that is worth purchasing is bone broth packaged in shelf stable glass jars.
Most babies allergic to milk formula are allergic to the milk proteins, so liquid whey is tolerated well. If baby shows signs of intolerance try using goat whey (strained from goat yogurt or goat kefir). Leave out only as a last resort. DO NOT use powdered whey from the store or whey from making cheese.
Substitute nonGMO dextrose or sucrose
If your baby has a true dairy allergy and is not just dairy sensitive, this infant probiotic is dairy free to use as a substitute.
**Do not use krill oil as a substitute for the cod liver oil. It contains no Vitamin D and very little Vitamin A.
Yes…. why isn’t she responding? Sara, we would really love to hear from you. I NEED an answer to this (amoungst my other questions). What can I sibstitute the liver with? Other people above need answers too. Please help.
Hi to all,
This is my first time trying this formula. I really hope I can take my daughter off the powder formula I have been using to supplement my breast milk.
I just made this formula and see there is a lot of white, oily foam on top. Is this normal?
Reading the previous posts, can’t this formula work by taking out either the cod oil or the liver? This way you only have one source of Vit A. What if you leave both, the cod oil and liver out, would the formula suffer too much from lack of nutritional factors?
Also, is Sara, the blog author, answering these latest posts? I used to see her name with her answers in the posts from 2010, but now, I don’t see any of the people’s questions being answered by Sara.
I have been feeding my adopted infant with Down Syndrome the raw milk formula for 3 months. She was thriving on it but is suddenly refluxing most of her feedings. She is on an NG tube and will be getting a G-tube soon. Anyway, I am going to try the hypoallergenic however I need to leave the liver out for now b/c it won’t go down the tube. As a matter of fact, it is a struggle to use this at all b/c as it cools, the gelatin gets thicker and also clogs the tube! Is there a powdered source of liver that I could substitute until she is on the G-tube which is a thicker tube? What is the liver providing nutritionally?
Thank you.
Liver is exceptionally high in Vitamins A, D, E, K and all B vitamins!
Vitamin B1 (thiamine)
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
Vitamin B3 (niacin or niacinamide)
Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine, pyridoxal, or pyridoxamine, or pyridoxine hydrochloride)
Vitamin B7 (biotin)
Vitamin B9 (folic acid)
Vitamin B12 – Essential for making Hemoglobin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_vitamins
Forgot to add… Also high source of minerals: Iron, selenium, magnesium, zinc, copper, sodium, phosphorus, and potassium in particular.
Also essential amino acids.
Dear Nora,
Hi. I just wanted to post because I also have a Down Syndrome toddler that we adopted, his name is Nathan. We have had him since he was 1 month old. He had an AV Canal defect and congestive heart failure. He was on a NG tube until he was about 6 months old. The hospital sent us home with a formula and the instructions to keep him on an incline because of his reflux. He was very weak and it was very hard to put weight on him. His reflux was very bad, we could hardly hold him without everything coming up.
We tried various commercial formulas, which I hate, but because he was a foster child we really had to do what the doctor told us. But finally, he did agree to allow us to put him on a goat milk formula. Unfortunately, he got so constipated on goats milk and he really stopped gaining weight. I was really frustrated because I wanted him to be on something that was good for his body. His reflux was still bad and I was getting less and less sleep trying to figure out what to do to help this little guy. We did start going to a chiropractor that had us pull his stomach down because she said the top of his stomach was above his diaphragm. She believed that is what caused the reflux. I pull his stomach down every morning. It might help some, but I did not see a drastic change at all in his reflux.
I did start learning about the GAPS diet from a friend and also remembered about this broth based hypoallergenic formula. I was a bit hesitant at first because I always believed that babies should be on milk, but after learning about the healing benefits of broth I decided to try it. Nathan, actually started gaining weight on this formula and he is even a bit chunky. His constipation is much better, although I have to make sure that he gets quite a bit of fruit and fiber during the day to keep things moving. I know that constipation is very common for babies with Down Syndrome. But, I do want to mention that his reflux never did go away. I am starting to be convinced that it is a mechanical problem caused by first his Down Syndrome, every thing moves slower down his esophagus, second the NG tube probably caused scar tissue on the flapper valves and they don’t close properly anymore. Unfortunately with the NG tube it does not allow those valves to close all the way and scar tissue starts to formulate making it harder for the flapper valve to close. I have a feeling that his reflux is going to be a lifelong problem.
Anyway, I wanted to write because I had so much trouble finding anyone who could help me with this problem. I will tell you that there are a number of internet sites that talk about reflux and the different techniques that will help your infant to keep her food down. We have wedges that Nathan sleeps on, bouncers and a gait trainer that he goes into after he eats, etc. If you every want to e-mail me to talk more about this I will give you my personal e-mail address.
In conclusion, I am very happy to be using the hypoallergenic formula for my guy. He is getting so strong and healthy on it. As for the liver, it is so good for babies. I cook mine very good in the broth and then blend it with the broth in my Vitamix until it sounds like all the chunks are chopped up. After I blend in all the other ingredients I strain the formula through a fine strainer. I think it should go through the feeding tube, as for the thick gelatin, I think if you warm it first that should help. I do remember how frustrating it was to get some things through that feeding tube, but I do think this formula will go through.
I pray for good results for you. My e-mail address is: [email protected].
Take care,
Kerin
Thank you Beth for your response. I almost cried. I can’t imagine what you must have gone through. That’s just terrifying. I’m a little confused at what you are saying though. My baby girl has Allery Colitis. She can’t digest cow milk protein. So, I am assuming you mean the whey from the cow’s milk ? (when you suggest using the raw milk forumla) I don’t want to use raw milk. My father is an agricultural biologist, and has strongly advised me against this. I can make the whey from yogurt or kefir or buttermilk. But going back to what I was concered about initially, isn’t there something I can replace the liver with? Something that isn’t so vitamin A rich? And Adreanne.. Maybe you’re right. I should possibly get a second opinion. The thing is that in this town it’s soooo hard to get in to see anyone (soooo many babies) so, I would rather jsut use a substitute. Why does it have to be liver anyway…?
Can you substitute Sunflower oil for Safflower oil? What is the shelf life of this formula?
Klara,
I have three children. Sadly, I have never had breast milk. The first two babies I raised with the Weston Price raw milk formula. Sarah also talks about it on this blog. They did great on it. With my third I was concerned had more gut health issues due to a decline in my health before having him and other issues. So I opted for this formula in an effort to heal his gut from an early age. I am a big believer in liver and cod liver oil. My other boys ate it all the time. It is wonderful for you.
However, early on I noticed some huge differences in my third baby. Developmentally he was much slower… physically especially. I was a little nervous, but also thought maybe because I had had some antibiotics before having him and my health was not as good as I would have hoped before conceiving him (antibiotics, losing a pregnancy before him and not eating as well as I would have liked out of depression… not an excuse..) Around 3 months he got really sick and was sick for a whole month. Drs couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him. He was hospitalized and given just about every test. His head was hugely swollen and it turned out he had a serious double ear infection. My other kids have never had one ear infection. None of them are vaccinated nor do they eat eat pasteurized dairy. If you know anything about ear infections they have a lot to do with poor diet, vaccines, etc. His ear drum was perforated. Among other tests in the hospital they found out he had dangerously high levels of vitamin A, just like your nutritionist mentioned. If he wasn’t hospitalized I would have never known. His head was so swollen they did a CT scan and a spinal tap the second he was admitted. They thought he either had brain swelling or meningitis. It was very scary. I can’t tell you how sick he looked. I thought he was going to die. It was terrifying. I really hate to write this. I have been eating mostly Traditionally for almost ten years. I am much more strict with how I feed my children. I feed my children very strictly Weston Price nutrition. I believe in it strongly. I really believed in this formula. I was really excited about it because my family and I are on the GAPS diet and I wanted my youngest to begin gut healing right from the start. I made the formula exactly as stated.
I did email Sally Fallon about it immediately and she was wonderful. She said it has been wonderful for so many babies and even saved many babies’ lives but my baby might have a hard time digesting so much vitamin a. She also said that beef liver has more vitamin a than chicken liver and I was using mostly beef liver. I immediately switched him to the raw milk formula my other boys were on and he healed beautifully and has caught up remarkably fast. He is basically right on track with where my other boys were developmentally at this point. Raw milk is amazing. His Dr. also said that she really thinks the only reason he got an ear infection was because of the high doses of vitamin A because it made his head so swollen. He also had several other signs of vitamin A poisoning, skin peeling, among other signs…Not to mention the blood tests that pointed out his dangerously high vitamin A levels. He was of course retested after he went on the raw milk formula and his levels went down to normal almost immediately. He has been tested recently as well. I do give him cod liver oil in his raw milk formula. I do plan on giving him liver soon. (he is almost ten months,) I started earlier with my other boys, but given what he went through I am holding off. I still very much believe in eating liver. I have seen the benefits in my boys. The formula was just too much for him. My advice: try the Raw milk formula. It has been a huge blessing to my family and to me as I have been so heartbroken to not have milk to nourish my babies. Again, it makes me sad to write this because I was so excited about this formula and believed so strongly in it. I almost didn’t write it. But given what happened to my baby and your concern over the vitamin A I really felt like I needed to.
Beth, thank you so much for taking the time to write this. You have made a difference!
I am concerned with vit.A toxicity. This formula has 20x the vit.A found in breast milk and is almost 3x the daily allowance for infants! …and that’s not even counting the added vitamin A of the cod liver oil! This is VERY concerning to me and probably the only thing holding me back form making this formula for my baby.
No one has answered my questions or concerns. I find it a blessing to find your story in the comment. Thanks again!
I am concerned about the vit A as well. I have read and read thru all these comments and tried to find it elsewhere, but I can not find any further info on it. I hope she responds soon to this!!! It seems like we could cut down the liver and add something else to increase the B vitamins still
Here’s a post that covers large amounts of Vitamin A in its natural form such as what would be in liver. Bottom line? You have nothing to worry about.https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/beta-carotene-vitamin-a-myth/
I love you blog and videos, however, I recently went to see a pediatric nutritionist regarding your hypoallergenic forumla, and she looked into your recipe. I told her I know she can’t legally tell me to try something that is not FDA approved forumla, but she did try to discourage me from using this formula recipse, citing that there are large amounts of vitamin A from the liver, and in combination with the cod liver oil that are way to high for children, especially babies. Is there anything else I can use that is not so high in Vitamin A? I don’t want to use the Nutramigen anymore, as there are large amounds of glutamic acid in there, but I also don’t want to give my baby dangerous amounts of Vitamin A either. We store vitamin A, unlike other vitamins that just pass through our systems.
Klara, I had my pediatrician, who reviewed the formula and vitamins, and she verified her feelings about it with the pediatric nutritionist who also gave me the green light, My daughter used it from 5 months of age until 13 1/2 months due to reactions to all replacements. She is a very smart Healthy 15 month old now and had no ill effects, is it possible she is just not for a homemade version at all? I know I had many other docs (urgent care misc visits etc) balk at me for the fact I made it at home, not even looking into it or the fact that the doctor recommended it as our best option as my daughter cannot tolerate corn products, or the sweetener in organic formula, and we had tried multiple formulas to no avail, as well as a strict diet change for me as I was only supplementing until 11mos. I am not in any way challenging your doc, or saying theyre against it, just thought it strange that our doctors would say it was fine, but yours after reviewing the same info, said no way 🙂 is a second opinion available?
I would also like to know if you can use desiccated liver from Radiant Life. If so, what would the conversion be? Thank you,Jessica
I have been using 12.
Sarah, can I use desiccated liver from radiant life in place of fresh for this formula? I have read on your blog that it is ok to do with the goat milk formula but not sre about this. Thanks.
Did anyone have success with this formula? I can’t liquefy the liver any further and it stops up the nipple.
Jessica, we had great luck, just recently stopped using it at 13 mos when we finally found a substitute my daughter could tolerate. I will tell you my process, but keep in mind my daughter was older and eating meats etc so I was not worried about a small amount of liver pulp loss (and it was only a small amount) I would get my liver in large quantities and portion it out (I made double batches ever time if not more) in 4 oz portions. On a formula making day I would take the liver out first, it thaws really fast, once it was slightly softened, I sliced it into very thin and small chunks. I would then add it to the boiling broth, once cooked, I would pour the meat broth (I would make two batches so used one for just 4c broth then the other I would add all 4oz meat to) into my blender, use a screen (at the time I only had cheapo splatter screens) to pour half the liquid back into the pan. Then I would liquify the meat and remaining broth for a long time, I would usually start with chop for about 10 min and work up to the liquify, but I would usually leave it blending while I attacked other tasks out of the kitchen for a good 20 minutes. Then I would add the rest of that pan of liquid back, let it cool, and add my oils/lactose etc. sometimes in a crunch I would add all the ingreds to one batch but the lactose would not always dissolve so pour half off etc. most of the time I did per batch oils blending the cooled no meat broth to its own batch of ingreds. but when I pour the finished formula into my container ( I used a large pourable container, not individual bottles) I would again use the mesh screen to “catch” any unliquified liver, it usually only equated to a tablespoon or less left over pulp so I felt she was getting all the vitamins and enough of the liver, without this small amount. That is how I solved the clogged nipple problem, before I got wise to this trick, the playtex nurser bottles do have a Y cut nipple, that allows for the chunky stuff to go through with no choking hazard, but this is designed for an older baby as well as it would be waayy to fast for a small infant. Hope this helps!