Sweet Potato Baby Food: A Simple Puree
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This simple to make, sweet potato baby food recipe is an easy puree that is quick, easy and great for babies 6 months of age or older! It’s popular first food for babies, and is packed with vitamins and nutrients!
When you’re transitioning to solid foods, sweet potato puree can be one of the best first foods for babies! It was one of my go-to baby purees when feeding my kids when they were infants, and just happens to be a nutritional powerhouse — it’s loaded with carotenoids, Vitamin C, potassium, and fiber.
Sweet potato baby food is one of those easy recipes that just happens to be great for you too!
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There are many options for cooking sweet potatoes. If you’re in a bind for time, you can microwave them by wrapping them in saran wrap and using the “baked potato” setting on your microwave. You can also cut them up and steam or boil them.
But ideally, you would roast the sweet potatoes in the oven, similar to how you’d cook butternut squash, and let them caramelize before you puree them.
Any way you cook them, they are still a great baby food option for your little one!
Why This Recipe Works
- Quick and Easy
- Only one ingredient, plus water
- Microwave, Boil, or Roast: Many Cooking Methods
- An excellent source of vitamins and minerals
- A favorite among baby first foods
How to Make Sweet Potato Baby Food
Ingredients and Notes
Organic Sweet Potatoes: I recommend using organic sweet potatoes (easily found at any grocery store) for your baby to avoid any pesticides or chemicals.
Water: Adding water helps to soften and roast the sweet potatoes.
Equipment Needed
- A good Cutting Board and Knife
- A quality Baking Sheet!
- A high-speed blender or food processor to puree the sweet potato. You don’t need a baby food maker!
- Mumi & Bubi Trays for storing
Step by Step Instructions
Preheat oven and prep your potatoes: Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut potatoes lengthwise. Place potatoes flesh side down on a sheet tray covered with parchment paper.
Roast Potatoes: Pour 8oz water onto the sheet tray. Roast for 60 minutes or until tender. The potatoes should be bubbling and caramelized. Allow to cool 10-15 minutes so you can hold the potatoes without a problem.
Puree Sweet Potatoes: Spoon out the flesh/peel off the skin and put into a blender with about a cup of water. Puree until you have a smooth consistency. You want to use enough water so that the puree is smooth, but not too much water that it ends up having a broth-like consistency. To store, pour the pureed food into ice cube trays, allow to cool, wrap/cover, and freeze.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Sweet potatoes are excellent for babies! They are rich in nutrients including B vitamins, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium.
Sweet potatoes are an excellent first food. It is recommended to start sweet potatoes at about 6 months. You can add sweet potatoes to your babies diet as early as 4 months. It is a great first food because it is uncommon for babies to have an allergy to it. It’s also easily digestible, and a very soft and easy to swallow food for small babies.
Sweet potatoes can cause constipation when consumed in high quantities. Because they are lower in fiber, and higher in starches, they can worsen constipation in babies that are prone to it. However, you do not need to avoid them completely. Rather serve in moderation, and with other foods for a balanced diet.
Follow these tips to store homemade baby food like a pro! When storing baby food you want to consider whether you want to use it now or later. These recipes make quite a lot of food, which makes it perfect for storing for later.
Variations and Substitutions
Mashed sweet potatoes: Roast the potatoes based on the directions above, but instead of pureeing them, transfer them to a bowl and use a potato masher to get a chunky texture. This is great for babies who have figured out how to chew and gum foods!
Sweet Potato Wedges: For older children, or if you’re following baby led weaning, you can make a version of these sweet potato fries (feel free to omit some or all of the spices from that recipe as needed!). This is also a great option for the whole family — you can buy a batch of sweet potatoes, turn some into a puree using this simple recipe, and make sweet potato wedges for the rest of the family to enjoy!
Mix with breast milk or formula: I don’t recommend mixing this puree with breast milk or formula if you’re planning to store it in the fridge or freeze it. But right before you serve this to your baby, feel free to mix it with a little bit of breast milk or formula if you like!
Make other root vegetables! You can follow this exact same recipe with any other root veggies you like – carrots, parsnips, regular potatoes would all work well!
Add some healthy fats! If you want your baby to get some healthy fats along with their sweet potatoes, feel free to mix this smooth puree with a little bit of coconut oil or olive oil.
Add spices: Serve with a pinch of nutmeg, cinnamon, or cardamom.
Expert Tips for Making Sweet Potato Baby Food
- Use baby food freezer containers so that you can make one batch that will last you and your baby for several months! Make sure you are using airtight containers to avoid freezer burn.
- Have the best tools readily available. You don’t need fancy baby food makers. A standard blender will work just fine! Some other helpful tools include a sieve, or a strainer.
- Make sure that you’ve thoroughly cooked the potatoes. You want them to be very soft so that they puree soft and easily!
- Add water to thin the puree further.
- This sweet potato puree recipe requires you to roast the potatoes which brings out their natural sweetness. But if you’re short on time, you can also microwave the sweet potatoes to cook them before pureeing them, or even steam them using a steamer basket and a large pot! To turn this into a make-ahead recipe, use a slow cooker and add the potatoes + water, cook on high, set and forget!
More Baby Food Recipes!
- 10 Easy Baby Food Recipes for Beginners
- Zucchini and Apple Puree
- Butternut Squash Puree
- Pea Puree
- Superfoods for Babies and Recipe Ideas
If you have tried this recipe for Sweet Potato Baby Food, or any other recipe on my blog, then please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST to see more delicious, healthy, family friendly food!
Baby Food Recipes: Sweet Potato Puree
Ingredients
- 2½ pounds organic sweet potato about 2-3 medium sized ones
- 8 oz water more if you want a thinner puree
Instructions
For Roasting in the Oven
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Cut potatoes lengthwise
- Place potatoes flesh side down on a sheet tray covered with parchment paper
- Pour 8oz water onto the sheet tray
- Roast 60 minutes until tender. The potatoes should be bubbling and caramelized.
- Allow to cool 10-15 minutes so you can hold the potatoes without a problem.
- Spoon out the flesh/peel off the skin and put into a blender with 8-10oz water. Puree until smooth.
- Pour into ice cube trays, allow to cool, wrap/cover, and freeze.
For Microwaving
- Wrap potatoes in saran wrap and poke a few holes in the potato with a fork
- Microwave on baked potato setting
- Allow to cool
- Spoon out the flesh/peel off the skin and put into a blender with 8-10oz water. Puree until smooth.
- Pour into ice cube trays, allow to cool, wrap/cover, and freeze.
Notes
- Use baby food freezer containers so that you can make one batch that will last you and your baby for several months! Make sure you are using airtight containers to avoid freezer burn.
- Have the best tools readily available. You don’t need fancy baby food makers. A standard blender will work just fine! Some other helpful tools include a sieve, or a strainer.
- Make sure that you’ve thoroughly cooked the potatoes. You want them to be very soft so that they puree soft and easily!
- Add water to thin the puree further.
- This sweet potato puree recipe requires you to roast the potatoes which brings out their natural sweetness. But if you’re short on time, you can also microwave the sweet potatoes to cook them before pureeing them, or even steam them using a steamer basket and a large pot! To turn this into a make-ahead recipe, use a slow cooker and add the potatoes + water, cook on high, set and forget!
- This recipe makes 32 ounces of food. 1 serving = 1 ounce of food = 1 tablespoon of food. Note: If you are freezing this recipe, 1 ice cube also equals 1 ounce of food.
This sounds so simple and such a tasty and healthy puree for little babies! Making your own baby food is a great idea.
Thanks so much Bintu!
Homemade is always the best. I love how super easy this sweet potato puree is to make too.
I totally agree! And it’s so easy too!
Great and simple recipe. My friend makes her own baby food all the time, I’ll definitely pass this along.
Thanks Serena! Hope your friend’s child likes this recipe!
This is a great recipe I loved making my own baby food. I am saving this to pass along to some new moms I know.
Thanks so much Jessie! 🙂
Great information and so easy to make. Great storage tips as well.
Thanks Angela! Glad you found it helpful!
Hi there! In your article about best baby food pouches, you had mentioned avoiding sweet potatoes, carrots, pears and apples because they are at risk for containing “heavy metal” (arsenic, lead, etc). Is it okay to prepare homemade baby food using these ingredients or should we really limit the amount baby eats, even if it’s homemade?
Thank you!
Hi! So it’s true that carrots and sweet potatoes primarily are at higher risk for heavy metals contamination due to the soil they’re grown in (less so for apples & pears) – but when eaten as whole foods and part of a balanced diet they should be ok to incorporate as long as your pediatrician is comfortable with it as well! I wouldn’t give your baby only sweet potatoes and carrots on a daily basis, but 1-2 times a week should be ok provided they are organic, whole foods, and pureed at home. Hope that helps!
Hi there!
Is there a guide on how much food should be given in the beginning when introducing solids? Like how much of avacado/sweet potatoes/banana etc? And how many times a day? Thank you!!
Hi Ewelina! I think this post should help you out: https://pickyeaterblog.com/step-by-step-guide-to-introduce-solids-to-your-baby/ — it has answers to all of your questions!
Hi,
I am also loving your recipes! If I free the baby food into cubes and thaw one out, how long can that last in the refrigerator? Still 5 days or less?
Thanks so much!
Hi Carolyn! Thanks so much – I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying my recipes! I’d say if you thaw one of the cubes and keep it refrigerated in an airtight container, I would use it within four days (so if you put it in the fridge on Monday, use it by Friday). Hope that helps!
Hello
Your baby food recipes are great and simple to make. I have been following your blog for making food for my little one and he loves them. I just had one question though. I do not freeze any of the baby food that I make but I was thinking of refrigerating them so that it’s easier for me. So how long can I refrigerate the vegetable purees (sweet potato, zucchini, squash, lentil stew etc) ?
That would help me a lot.
Hi Sonam! Thanks so much for your kind words – I’m so glad my blog has been helpful for you! Regarding the purees, if you refrigerate them I’d use them within 5 days of making them. Hope that helps, let me know if you have any other questions!