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Hello! I’m Anjali. I’m a board certified health coach, author, wife, mom and food lover from the SF Bay area (now living in Seattle, WA!); with a passion for delicious food and a desire to make healthy eating easy, tasty and fun! Learn more about me here and stay for a while!

Anjali Shah

Zucchini Baby Food Puree

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This zucchini baby food puree with apples and carrots is a delicious combination your baby will enjoy! Zucchini and carrots are on the sweeter side in the vegetable category, and when paired with apples it becomes a healthy sweet treat for your little one!

Zucchini Baby Food Puree in a glass jar

Veggies mixed with fruit is always bound to be a hit in our household. Zucchini and carrots have a mild flavor and are already on the sweeter side. When paired with apples, it becomes a true sweet treat!

While you can easily make zucchini baby food as a simple, one ingredient puree, I find that mixing it with a couple of other fruits and veggies makes babies love it even more!

I often used to mix this creamy puree with my kids’ oatmeal in the morning and they loved it! This zucchini puree is a simple baby food recipe you can use in a variety of ways – it’s super customizable based on your baby’s needs and preferences (see below for additional recipe variations).

This zucchini baby food recipe is a great first food for your little one. It’s nutritious, delicious, and I guarantee you will have one happy baby after giving them this smooth puree!

👩🏽‍🍳 Why This Recipe Works

  • Naturally sweet vegetable and fruit puree
  • Rich in vitamins and minerals for baby’s diet
  • Quick to prepare
  • No fancy equipment needed
  • Simple to store and freeze
  • Perfect stage one puree
  • Great for babies 6 months of age and up
  • Makes 16 servings!
  • Easiest baby food zucchini recipe ever!

Latest Recipe Video!

🥘 Ingredients

Making your own baby food at home might seem complicated, but you really only need a handful of simple ingredients and a good blender! Here’s what you need to make this homemade baby food zucchini puree recipe:

recipe ingredients
  • Organic Zucchini: When making your own homemade baby food recipes, I highly recommend using organic produce to reduce pesticide exposure for your baby. No matter how much you wash your fruits and vegetables, there will still be a pesticide residue. When choosing your zucchini look for ones that are bright green in color, and have no bruises, or blemishes. I prefer to use the smaller, skinnier zucchini for baby food because they have fewer seeds in the center. You could probably also make this recipe with yellow squash or summer squash if you don’t have zucchini.
  • Organic Carrots: You can use either use large carrots or baby carrots for this baby zucchini puree.
  • Organic Fuji Apples: With a sweet and crisp flavor, Fuji apples are pink in color, and have a white flesh. They are excellent for baby food recipes as they easily cook down, and add natural sweetness to any baby food puree.
  • Water: You need 12 ounces of water to help the fruits and vegetables to cook down, so that they can be pureed into a smooth and easy to consume consistency.

🔪 Instructions

This courgette puree recipe is so easy to make and is ready in just a few steps! Here’s how to make zucchini baby food:

Prep Your Ingredients, Cook All Produce: Wash all the produce. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and cut each half into 8 pieces. Peel carrots. Cut in half lengthwise and cut each half into 8 pieces. Cut apples in half, remove seeds and stem. Cut each half into 8 pieces. Add carrots and water to a large pot. Turn on high and cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add zucchini and apples and cook another 3-5 minutes.

zucchini apples and carrots in a pot

Puree Zucchini Mixture Until Smooth: Pour everything into a blender. Blend until smooth / until the pureed zucchini is the desired consistency.

puree in blender

Store, Serve and/or Freeze: Pour into ice cube trays, allow to cool, wrap/cover, and freeze. Serve this courgette baby food at room temperature.

Note: Thaw in the fridge the night before use, or thaw by putting the small cubes in a bowl over a bowl of hot water on the counter to defrost.

Zucchini Baby Food Puree in ice cube trays

💭 Expert Tips

  • To store zucchini before using it, make sure the zucchini is completely dry, then place them in a paper bag and store in the vegetable drawer of your fridge. Don’t put them in a plastic bag – it will cause your courgette to get slimy.
  • You can use a steamer basket to cook: If you don’t want to boil everything in a pot, you can also use a steamer basket or slow cooker to cook down the vegetables and fruit. The best way to steam zucchini for baby is to first dice zucchini into small chunks. Then, bring 1 inch of water to boil in a large stock pot with a steamer basket inserted in the pot. Add the zucchini into the bottom of the steamer basket. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the courgette is super soft. Then transfer the steamed zucchini to a blender with a little water and puree until smooth.
  • How to choose the best zucchini: You want to look for zucchini that are small to medium sized, because smaller zucchini don’t have a high water content (compared to the larger ones). Additionally, the smaller courgettes will have more flavor and less seeds. Large zucchinis have a ton of seeds, less flavor, and are super watery!
  • For quicker cooking time, cut the vegetables and fruit into small pieces to help them cook down more quickly.
  • Store in the fridge if you plan to use within a week, otherwise freeze. If you plan to use this entire batch of zucchini baby puree within 1 week, you can transfer the entire puree into one airtight container and place it in the fridge. Then, just scoop out individual servings when you’re ready to feed your baby.
  • Make sure to use a high speed blender, not a food processor for this zucchini baby recipe. You want a blender that will totally pulverize all of the ingredients. If you use a food processor, you won’t get that super smooth consistency, it will remain slightly chunky or grainy.

📖 Variations

One of the best things about this recipe is how customizable it is. There are so many ways you can make baby food recipes with zucchini! Here are some of our favorite zucchini baby food combinations:

  • Different Veggies: Some other vegetables that would taste great with this courgette puree include:
  • Change the Fruit: Use a different type of apple in this delicious puree, or add one of these other fruits for a fun way to change things up!
  • Add Spices Or Herbs: You can add a variety of herbs and spices to your baby’s food to expose them to new flavors. Try a little bit of basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley, garlic, or lemon. Or, for a sweeter flavor, try a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg.
  • Add Breast Milk or Formula: Stir in breast milk or organic baby formula to thin out the consistency of the puree right before serving. Do not add breastmilk or formula before freezing this courgette baby puree as formula is not meant to be frozen, and breastmilk has a different shelf life in the freezer compared to this zucchini baby food puree recipe.
  • Make it a single-ingredient puree: If you don’t have carrots or apples on hand, no problem! You can make this zucchini baby puree all on its own! Just add the zucchini and a few tablespoons of water to a pot, boil and then puree in a blender. Zucchini has a lot of water, so if you don’t add the carrots and apples, you may need less water for just a plain zucchini puree.
  • Make baby finger foods: For older babies, or babies who are using baby led weaning foods, you can cut the zucchini into match-sized sticks, and roast them in the oven with a little bit of olive oil. They turn into zucchini “fries” and are a great way for your baby to experiment with gumming soft foods when they’re ready for it.

❓Recipe FAQs

Can babies eat zucchini?

Yes! Babies can enjoy zucchini as young as 6 months old when they begin to try other solid foods. Courgette baby puree is one of the best stage 1 baby food recipes because it’s so mild, typically is not on the list of common food allergies, and is easy for babies to eat.

Is zucchini puree good for babies?

Yes! Zucchini is packed with health benefits and has a ton of nutritional value for your baby. It’s an excellent source of beta-carotene which your baby’s body converts to vitamin A. This helps support their immune system, and improve eyesight.

It’s also a great source of vitamin C. Vitamin C is important for baby because it helps your child absorb iron. Babies tend to lose iron at around 5 months old, so consuming foods that are high in iron and vitamin C helps them retain their needed iron intake. It also contains vitamin B6 which is essential for brain development.

Can babies eat raw zucchini?

No, do not give your baby raw zucchini. They cannot mash it with their gums, and the small pieces can be a choking hazard.

Do I need to remove the seeds? Can babies eat zucchini seeds?

It is fine for baby to eat zucchini seeds when they are pureed with the rest of the zucchini.

Should I peel zucchini for baby food?

You might be wondering whether you need to peel the zucchini skin before cooking it. The answer is no – you definitely don’t need to peel the zucchini. The zucchini skin has a ton of nutrients, and becomes super soft when cooked, which means it’s ideal for pureeing.

How to serve zucchini to baby?

You can serve this courgette puree all on its own, or combine it with other fruits and veggies (see the variations section above!) Feel free to also mix it with either breastmilk or formula right before serving (but don’t mix it with breastmilk or formula before storing!)

If this is your first time serving zucchini to your baby, make sure to check for allergic reactions over the first 1-3 days of serving it, and then you can move on to mixing it with other purees.

Zucchini Baby Food Puree in a glass jar

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🎥 Watch How to Make It

https://youtu.be/9o6hzUKpZrA
Zucchini Baby Food Puree in a glass jar
Print Recipe
5 from 18 votes

Zucchini Baby Food Puree

This zucchini baby food puree with apples and carrots is a delicious combination your baby will enjoy! Zucchini and carrots are on the sweeter side in the vegetable category, and when paired with apples it becomes a healthy sweet treat for your little one!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Baby Food
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 16 ounces
Calories: 22kcal
Author: Anjali Shah

Ingredients

  • 1 pound organic zucchini
  • ½ pound organic carrots
  • 2 organic fuji apples 6oz each
  • 12 oz water

Equipment

Instructions

  • Wash all the produce. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and cut each half into 8 pieces.
  • Peel carrots. Cut in half lengthwise and cut each half into 8 pieces.
  • Cut apples in half, remove seeds and stem. Cut each half into 8 pieces.
  • Add carrots and water into a large pot. Turn on high and cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Add zucchini and apples and cook another 3-5 minutes.
  • Pour everything into a blender, puree until smooth.
  • Pour into ice cube trays, allow to cool, wrap/cover, and freeze.
  • Thaw in the fridge the night before use, or thaw by putting the ice cube in a bowl over a bowl of hot water on the counter to defrost.

Notes

  • Store zucchini in a paper bag in the fridge to keep fresh.
  • If you don’t want to boil everything in a pot, you can also use a steamer basket or slow cooker to cook down the vegetables and fruit.
  • Cut the vegetables and fruit into small pieces to help them cook down more quickly.
  • If you plan to use this entire batch of zucchini baby food within 1 week, you can transfer the entire puree into one airtight container and place it in the fridge. Then, just scoop out individual servings when you’re ready to feed your baby.
  • 1 ice cube = 1 oz of food
Adapted from BabyLove

Nutrition

Calories: 22kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 144mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g

34 responses to “Zucchini Baby Food Puree”

  1. This is a great recipe for new moms. I am passing this recipe to my nephew who has a super picky baby. The ingredients are easy and sounds tasty.5 stars

  2. Oh how I wish I had this recipe when my kids were little! But I will definitely be sharing it with my friends who have babies!5 stars

  3. This recipe is amazing. I’m saving this for my daughter for when she has kids. So much better for babies than store bought! So excited to show her!5 stars

  4. I always prepared my own baby food when my children were younger and this recipe looks spot on! Definitely passing this along to some of my new mom friends!5 stars

  5. This is amazing!! Bookmarking this for when I have kids of my own. I have always envisioned myself making homemade baby food, so this is perfect!5 stars

  6. I passed this recipe on to my sister who was struggling to get her baby to eat vegetables but adding the apple was amazing, it went down a treat 🙂5 stars

    • Yay!! So happy to hear that! This was one of Layla’s favorites when she was a baby 🙂

  7. Thanks for sharing such wonderful recipes, I particularly like the Baby food section because as a new mom I also keep referring to it. Though my baby is still at stage 1 (< 6 mo), so I am slowly introducing stuff to him. He hates carrots, so I also do the same, mix it with apple or pear, its just funny how a vegetable as good as carrot wouldn't be liked by him. Could you maybe share some ideas on how to feed lentils like yellow daal or moong etc.? He gets a little gassy when fed with a lot of protein so I want to go easy on him. I tried daal mixed with water and a little bit of rice cereal last week, and he is okay with it, he doesnt eat it with as much enthusiasm, lol.
    Thanks 🙂

    • Thanks Pankti! I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying my recipes (including the baby food ones! 🙂 ) Definitely keep trying with the carrots – sometimes it takes 20 tries before a baby’s taste buds adjust to liking something! For daal – I think diluting it is a good idea, especially if your baby is younger than 6 months. You could try adding a few pinches of spices to the dal (warm spices like turmeric, cumin, coriander) to give it a little more taste. Hope that helps!!

  8. Hi Anjali, I am cooking this one today! Do you peel off the zucchini and apples as well?
    And which oatmeal you use? I am offering my 6-mo baby either fruit puree or baby fruity cereal for the breakfast, but I want to try new things and textures.
    Thanks!

    PS: Love your pictures… they do make you feel like running to the kitchen to cook something!

    • Awesome! So no, I don’t peel the zucchini or the apples – I put them in the puree along with the skin – it’s much more nutritious that way! 🙂 I peel the carrots because the skin is dirty and hard to clean and doesn’t have a difference nutritionally from the inside of the carrot. I use Earth’s Best Organic Oatmeal for Layla. I buy it in bulk and she loves it! Hope that helps, can’t wait to hear how your little one likes these purees!

      • Thanks Anjali!
        I was wondering whether I should get several ice trays for freezing my baby’s food (I only have 2 at home), when I realized that there is a smarter way on doing it! I now freeze the food in the ice trays I have and then, when they are frozen, I just pop out the food/ice cubes and put them in a ziploc bag (and then, the bag in the freezer). This way I can use the ice trays again for freezing more food 🙂 I know it might seem super obvious to do that, but I was actually wondering about it for several days before it came to my mind. Just wanted to share it here (in case other first time mums may be wondering the same thing…) 🙂

      • Oh! Yeah definitely – that’s what I do too! 🙂 Definitely don’t store the cubes in the trays, after you freeze the baby food overnight the cubes do great being stored in ziploc freezer bags. Thanks for bringing that up!!

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