10 Foods That Make Great Purées

It couldn’t be easier to prep fresh fruits and veggies for little mouths. Just puree! “Making baby food at home can give mom peace of mind,” says Samantha Heller, registered dietician. “But, there are a few dos and don’ts.” Which foods should you puree? We’ve got 10 options, with nutritionist tips to guide you. (The AAP suggests waiting four to six months to introduce solid foods, so check with your doc before adding new foods.)

Fiber-rich and full of nutrients babies will need now and as they grow, apples are a perfect first-food choice. Peel, core and cut up apples into small pieces, then boil or steam so they become soft. Use a potato masher or blender to make yummy applesauce.

Heller’s tip: “At first, babies should have finely-puréed, single-ingredient foods. Just applesauce, for example—not apples and pears mixed together.”

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Delicious sweet potatoes are high in Vitamin A (which helps strengten the immune system), and have calcium for those developing bones. Steam or boil, then scoop out the flesh from the sweet potato and purée with a blender until fine. You can also use a fork if you’re only whipping up a little bit—just make sure to thin it out well. You can thin it with a little water.

Heller’s tip: “As with any new food, wait five to seven days before adding another new food into the diet, to see if any allergic reactions occur.”

Good fats, vitamin E, folate, potassium and iron—all fantastic for building healthy and strong babies—are just a smattering of the nutrients you’ll find in avocados. Choose a ripe avocado to purée; your thumb should indent just a bit when pressing the skin. Cut open, remove the pit and scoop out the inside of the fruit. Simply mash with a fork until smooth. No need to steam or bake. It’s that easy. But make sure you use it straight away. Avocado mash will not keep.

Heller’s tip: “Puréed foods spoil more easily than regular foods—you can refrigerate them for only 24 hours. You can make batches of puréed foods and freeze them, but use within one month.”

Full of vitamins A, C and calcium, carrots are fantastic for developing bodies and tummies in babies older than six months old. Use fresh carrots (not baby carrots from the package, as they may have ingredients like artificial coloring) and peel. Chop off the ends, and cut down into small chunks. Steam until soft, then blend until smooth, adding a little hot water if necessary.

Heller’s tip: “Do not feed home-prepared spinach, beets, turnips, carrots or collard greens to babies under 6 months old. These may contain large amounts of nitrates, which could make babies under 6 months of age sick.”

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These are loaded with vitamins and have tons of potassium for a healthy heart. And as far as purées go, bananas couldn’t be easier to prepare. So if you need a quick snack, have these on hand. Simply peel the banana, and mash with a fork until you have a smooth, lump-free consistency.

Heller’s tip: “Throw away leftover food in the baby’s dish. Do not save it for later.” It’s tempting to be economical, especially if your little one eats way less than expected. But saliva has bacteria that can grow and multiply, so make sure food hits the trash if a utensil has touched it.

Packed with vitamins, peaches also contain fiber that will help your little one with digestion. Plus, they’re naturally soft and sweet, making them a great go-to purée. Steam peaches until soft, or pit and bake at 400 degrees until the skin puckers. Peel and place in a blender or food processor before dishing up.

Heller’s tip: “Do not cook food at a temperature below 325 degrees, because low temperatures may not heat the food enough to kill bacteria. Also, wash all fruits and vegetables before using, even foods with rinds such as melons. The knife can transfer bacteria on the outside of the skin or rind to the fruit on the inside.”

High in vitamins and calcium, and easy to thin for your newborn, make sure to add butternut squash to baby’s diet. Just halve squashes and scoop out the seeds, then place them face-down on a cookie sheet to roast. Keep them in the oven for around 45 minutes, scoop out the flesh into your blender and purée.

Heller’s tip: “Do not add salt, butter, margarine, lard, oil, cream, sugar, syrups, gravy, sauces or fat drippings to a baby’s food.”

Whether they’re red, yellow, orange or green, sweet peppers make lovely (and colorful) purées. You may want to serve them as soup for yourself, too! Wash peppers and pat dry, then place them on a cookie sheet and into the oven at 400 degrees to broil. After around five or ten minutes, or just until the skin starts to wrinkle, take them out. Remove the skin. (If you place the red pepper in a sandwich bag for 10 minutes, it will sweat and the skin should fall off more easily.) Core to remove the seeds, then chop up and place in a blender. Purée until smooth.

Heller’s tip: “Feed your baby a rainbow. Brightly-colored fruits and vegetables are packed with healthy vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Let the baby get used to different tastes of foods one by one.”

These contain Vitamins A and C, which make a potent pairing to ward off illness—especially when you throw lycopene into the mix. The ingredients may reduce cancer risk later in life. Need any other reason to make that apricot purée? Steam halved and pitted fruit in an open pan until nice and tender, then peel and toss into a blender or food processor. Voila!

Heller’s tip: “Steaming is a great way to help preserve nutrients.”

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One of nature’s miracles for the digestive system, plums (and prunes or “dried plums”) contain natural sugars and loads of fiber that will help your baby stay regular. To prepare plums as a purée, just peel skin away, pit and chop up before tossing in water to steam. Then blend. To prepare dried plums as a purée, steam until they plump back up a bit. Place in a blender and purée using water as needed, to create a smooth consistency for baby.

Heller’s tip: “Once your child is happily eating your purées, introduce new foods periodically. It’s great as the child gets older to expose them to new flavors.”