The present disclosure provides shelf stable dairy-based compositions having a thick texture while also satisfying nutritional requirements for babies and young children and methods for producing the same. Methods of thickening dairy-based compositions are also provided. In a general embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method for producing a shelf stable dairy-based nutritional composition by providing a dairy-based composition and a specially formulated fruit or flavor preparation to create a thickened dairy-based nutritional composition having textures and nutritional components that are appealing to children.
