Lactation-Boosting Recipes

When you’re trying to boost your milk supply with certain foods, lactation cookies probably come to mind. But did you know that there are a variety of other recipes that increase breast milk production?  

Lactation-boosting recipes aren’t always sugary sweet; they can also be savory! Smoothies, muffins, chicken salads, sweet potato dishes, and more can be eaten to help produce milk. We’ve compiled ten of our favorite mouth-watering recipes that you’re sure to love. 

1. Blueberry Lactation Muffins 


(Recipe from https://whatmollymade.com/blueberry-lactation-muffins/) 
 

Recipe 
Servings: 12 
Prep Time: 10 min 
Cook Time: 22 min 
 
Ingredients 

• 1 1/4 cups gluten-free oat flour 

• 1/2 cup tapioca flour 

• 1/2 cup ground flax 

• 3 tablespoons brewers yeast 

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

• 1 teaspoon baking soda 

• 1/2 teaspoon salt 

• 2 eggs 

• 1/3 cup raw honey 

• 1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk or coconut milk 

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted and cooled 

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar 

• 1 1/4 cup blueberries plus more for topping 

• 1 tablespoon oat flour 


Directions 

• Preheat oven to 350·F. Line 9-10 muffin cups with liners and spray the liners with nonstick cooking spray. 

• In a small to medium bowl, whisk together the oat flour, tapioca flour, ground flaxseed, brewers yeast, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. 

• In a separate large bowl, whisk together eggs, honey, vanilla, almond milk, coconut oil, and lemon juice until smooth and well combined. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until combined. 

• In the dry ingredients bowl, add the blueberries and toss with 1 tablespoon of oat flour. This helps them not sink to the bottom of the muffins. The batter will be very thick. 

• Use a large spoon to fill the prepared muffin liners all the way to the top, but not over the top. It should fill 9 to 10 muffin cups. Place a few extra blueberries on top of each one before baking. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-24 minutes. 

• Transfer muffin tin to a wire cooling rack for 5-10 minutes then remove the muffins from the tin and serve warm. 

 

 
2. No-Bake Lactation Bites 


(Recipe from: https://thebakermama.com/recipes/no-bake-lactation-bites/_) 
 

Recipe 
Servings: 24 
Prep Time: 10 min 
 
Ingredients 

• 2 cups old-fashioned oats 

• 1/2 cup ground or milled flaxseed 

• 3 tablespoons brewer’s yeast 

• 1 cup peanut butter or almond butter 

• 1/2 cup honey 

• 1 teaspoon vanilla 

• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips 


Directions

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add all ingredients except for the chocolate chips. Mix on low speed until mixture is well combined. Stir in chocolate chips. 

• Roll mixture into 2-tablespoon sized smooth balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or enjoy right away. Once the bites have been set, transfer them to an air-tight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. 


3. Lactation Cookies

(Recipe from: https://www.eatingbirdfood.com/lactation-cookies/) 

Recipe 
Servings: 24 
Prep Time: 15 min 
Cook Time: 10 min 
 
Ingredients 

• quick-cooking oats and oat flour 

• brewer’s yeast 

• cinnamon and sea salt 

• coconut oil 

• coconut sugar (organic brown sugar works too) 

• ground flaxseed  

• vanilla extract 

• chocolate chips (dairy-free, if needed) 

 
Directions 

• Preheat oven to 350°F. 

• Make flax eggs by whisking together ground flaxseed with water. Set aside. 

• Spray two baking sheets with cooking spray or line with parchment or Silpat and set aside. 

• In a medium bowl, mix together oats, oat flour, brewer's yeast, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside. 

• In a large mixing bowl mix together oil, sugar, flaxseed eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Add dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Gently stir in chocolate chips.  

• Using a spoon or cookie scoop, drop cookie dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Press each cookie down with a fork a bit. 

• Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. The cookies may seem a little soft, but do not over bake or they’ll get too crisp. Remove from oven and let cool on sheet for about 5 minutes or until they start to harden up a bit. At this point, you can transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. 

• Store cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

 

4. Lactation Overnight Oats 


(Recipe from: https://www.crystalkarges.com/blog/basic-overnight-oat-recipe-for-breastfeeding-mamas) 
 

Recipe 
Servings: 1 
Prep Time: 5 min 
Cook Time: 8 hours 
 
Ingredients

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar 

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 

• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened 

• 1 teaspoon vanilla 

• 1 egg 

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 

• 1 teaspoon baking soda 

• 1/2 teaspoon salt 

• 1 cup coarsely chopped nuts 

• 1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups) 

 
Directions

• Heat oven to 375ºF. 

• Mix sugars, butter, vanilla and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. 

• Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. 

• Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack. 

 

5. Lactation-Boosting Salad Dressing 


(Recipe from: https://lovemajka.com/blogs/blog/majka-salmon-salad-and-lactation-boosting-dressing) 
 

Recipe 
Servings: 1 
Prep Time: 5 min 
Cook Time: 52 min 
 
Ingredients 

Spinach Salad: 
• ½ cup spinach 

• 5 oz roasted salmon 

• ½ avocado 

• ¼ cup beets 

• ½ cup roasted sweet potatoes 

• ¼ cup quinoa 

• 2 tbsp Majka salad dressing

 

Majka Dressing: 
• 1 tsp turmeric 

• 1 tsp fenugreek 

• Lemon juice (from 1 lemon) 

• 4 tbsp olive oil 

• Splash of garlic powder 

 

Directions 

• To prepare the salmon: Set oven on bake at 450 degrees. Then, place the salmon on a baking sheet, add salt and pepper, and place in the oven for 12 minutes. 

• To prepare the sweet potatoes: Chop sweet potatoes into small cubes and spread them evenly on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and place in the oven for 30 minutes. 

• To prepare the quinoa: Add quinoa to boiling water (enough water to be one and a half times the amount of quinoa). Add salt and oil if desired, and cover and cook on low heat. Check-in after 10 minutes to ensure the quinoa is fully cooked. 

• Combine all ingredients and drizzle with Majka salad dressing. 

 

 
6. Dark Chocolate Quinoa Breakfast Bowl 


(Recipe from: https://minimalistbaker.com/dark-chocolate-quinoa-breakfast-bowl/)

Recipe 
Servings: 4 
Prep Time: 5 min 
Cook Time: 25 min 
 
Ingredients 

Quinoa Bowl
• 1 cup uncooked white quinoa 

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (plus more for serving) 

• 1 cup coconut milk (light canned, or the beverage in a carton) 

• 1 pinch of sea salt 

• 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder 

• 2-3 Tbsp maple syrup or coconut sugar 

• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract (optional) 

• 3-4 squares vegan dark chocolate (roughly chopped) 


For Serving
• Mixed berries 

• Sliced banana 

• Coconut sugar 

• Hemp seeds or chia seeds 

 
Directions 

• Thoroughly rinse quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer for 2 minutes, using your hands to sort through and pick out any discolored pieces or pebbles that may remain. 

• Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add rinsed, drained quinoa, and toast for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, to dry up water and slightly toast. 

• Add almond milk, coconut milk, and a pinch of salt, and stir. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and cook for 20-25 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally. If it stops simmering, increase heat to medium-low. You’re looking for a slight simmer throughout the cooking time. 

• Once the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, remove from heat and add cocoa powder, maple syrup, and vanilla (optional). Stir to combine. 

• Taste and adjust flavor as needed. Add a bit more almond milk if you prefer the texture thinner. I added more cocoa powder and maple syrup for a more intense chocolate flavor. 

• Serve each bowl of quinoa with a small square of vegan dark chocolate, and any other desired toppings (listed above). I preferred mine with a bit more coconut milk, hemp seeds, and fresh fruit (optional). 

• Best when fresh, though leftovers will keep covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave, or in a small saucepan with additional almond milk to add moisture back in 

 

7. Loaded Breakfast Sweet Potatoes 


(Recipe from: https://foodwithfeeling.com/loaded-breakfast-sweet-potatoes/) 

 
Servings: 4 
Prep Time: 5 min 
Cook Time: 25 min 
 
Ingredients 
• 2 Medium Sweet Potatoes 

• Optional Toppings: Fruit such as berries and banana slices, chia seeds, nut butter, cookie butter, hemp seeds, maple syrup, agave, granola etc. 
 

Directions 
• Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F. 

• Bake the sweet potatoes directly on the rack for 40-50 minutes. They’re done once a fork can easily be pierced into the center of the potato and the inside is tender. 

• Cut a slit down the center of the sweet potato about 2/3 of the way down. Slightly mush the inside of the potato. 

• Top with your favorite breakfast toppings 

 

 
8. Sausage and Kale Egg Muffins 


(Recipe from: https://www.foxandbriar.com/sausage-and-kale-make-ahead-egg-muffins/) 

 
Servings: 10 
Prep Time: 10 min 
Cook Time: 18 min 
 
Ingredients 

• 1/3 pound hot Italian sausage 

• 4 cups kale roughly chopped 

• 1 shallot finely chopped 

• 10 eggs scrambled, seasoned with salt and pepper 

• salt 

• pepper 

 

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F 

• Line a muffin pan with parchment paper liners, set aside. 

• In large pan over medium high heat, brown sausage until cooked through. 

• Reduce heat to medium. Remove sausage from pan, reserve about 1 tablespoon of the fat from the sausage to cook the shallot. If there is not enough fat from the sausage, add about 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add the shallot and cook for a few minutes, until starting to soften, about 2 minutes. 

• Add the kale and a pinch of salt, carefully stir to mix with the shallot. Cook until kale is wilted down but still bright green, about five minutes. Remove from heat. 

• Evenly divide the shallot and kale mixture between the muffin liners, then top each with some sausage. Each muffin liner should be about halfway filled with the kale and sausage. 

• Pour the scrambled eggs into each muffin liner, evenly dividing between each. It is OK to fill them to the top, just be careful not to go over the edge. 

• Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the muffins are puffed up and set on top (they may be shiny but will no longer be liquid). 

• Remove from oven and immediately remove from the muffin tin and cool on a wire rack. 

• Allow it to cool completely before transferring to the refrigerator. Store in the refrigerator for up to five days. 

• To reheat, microwave for about 30 seconds. 

 

 
9. Curry Chicken Salad 


(Recipe from: https://therealfooddietitians.com/curry-chicken-salad/) 

 
Servings: 4 
Prep Time: 15 min 
 
Ingredients 

• ½ cup mayonnaise 

• 1–2 tsp. curry powder 

• ½ lime, juiced 

• pinch of salt, more to taste 

• 2 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded  

• ½ medium apple with peel, diced 

• 1 celery rib, finely diced 

• 2 Tbsp. red onion, finely diced 

• ¼ cup raisins  

• ¼ cup dry-roasted cashews, roughly chopped 

• 2–4 Tbsp. fresh cilantro 

 

Directions 

• In a medium bowl mix together the mayonnaise, curry powder, lime juice, and salt. 

• Next add the cooked chicken, diced apple, celery, and onions and stir until well combined. 

• Fold in the raisins, cashews, and cilantro. 

• Serve in a lettuce wrap, on a bed of greens or in a tortilla wrap or between slices of your favorite bread. 

 

 
10. Lactation-Boosting Trail Mix 


(Recipe from: https://www.naturallyfreelife.com/lactation-boosting-trail-mix-for-hungry-postpartum-moms/) 

 
Recipe 
Prep Time: 5 min 
 
Ingredients 

• Walnuts 

• Pecans 

• Tart Cherries 

• Goji Berries 

• Pumpkin Seeds 

• Macadamia Nuts 

• Dark Chocolate Chips 

 

Directions

• Mix one cup of each together and store in a big glass jar or bag. 

• NOTE: If you have raw nuts, you may want to soak and roast them for optimal digestion.