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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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Perfect for busy parents looking to make their own baby food, my easy zucchini baby food with apples and carrots is a delicious combination your baby will love! Both zucchini and carrots are sweeter veggies, and when paired with apples, it turns a simple zucchini puree into a healthy sweet treat for your little one.

Zucchini baby food puree in a glass jar with a spoon.

Veggies mixed with fruit are always a hit in my household, and this zucchini carrot and apple puree is a favorite. When my kids were young, I used to mix this zucchini baby food with their oatmeal in the morning and they loved it!

While you can easily take zucchini and make a one ingredient puree, I always loved experimenting with different zucchini combination baby food to see what my baby enjoyed most. I find that mixing it with a couple of other fruits and veggies makes babies love it even more!

So if you haven’t tried making a zucchini carrot puree for your little one, my simple recipe is easy to prepare, nutritious, and delicious. I guarantee you will have one happy baby after giving them this smooth puree!

My zucchini baby food recipe is a great first food! Babies can enjoy zucchini as young as 6 months old when they begin to try other solid foods (source). I gave my kids this courgette baby puree when they were both 6 months old, and they totally loved it!

Baby food recipes with zucchini are packed with vitamins and minerals. Zucchini is a great source of beta-carotene, which converts to vitamin A, supporting the immune system and improving eyesight. Additionally, it’s rich in vitamin C, aiding in iron absorption, which is crucial as babies begin to lose iron around 5 months old. It also contains vitamin B6, essential for brain development (source).

My zucchini and carrot puree for baby is not only healthy but also delicious. It combines the natural sweetness of fresh zucchini, carrots, and apples, creating a flavor that your little one will love with every spoonful.

I’ve also found that using zucchini can be of the best stage 1 baby food recipes because it’s so mild and typically not on the list of common food allergies.

Plus, it’s the most versatile and easiest baby food zucchini recipe ever! You don’t need any fancy equipment or expensive ingredients to make this – just a pot and a blender or potato masher and you’re all set.

My 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.

Not only that, but baby food with zucchini keeps well in the fridge and freezer! My recipe makes 16 servings, so I would often make it in big batches to have on hand, making meal planning for my kids much easier and more efficient!

Latest Recipe Video!

🥘 Ingredients

My homemade baby puree with zucchini is ready in minutes with minimal effort. All you need is a handful of simple ingredients and a good blender! Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for more details.

Ingredients for zucchini baby food recipe on a white background.

Organic Zucchini: This mild flavored veggie forms the base of my zucchini carrot baby food! I prefer to use the smaller, skinnier zucchini for baby food because they have fewer seeds. You could also make this recipe with yellow squash or summer squash if you don’t have zucchini.

Organic Carrots: They add sweetness and a smooth texture to the puree. You can use either large carrots or baby carrots.

Organic Fuji Apples: I love using Fuji apples for their sweet and crisp flavor. They are excellent for baby food puree as they easily cook down and add natural sweetness.

Water: You need liquid to help the fruits and veggies cook down. I use 12 ounces of water so that the puree ends up with a smooth and easy-to-consume consistency.

🔪 How To Make Zucchini Baby Food

Learning how to puree zucchini for baby food is really easy! It only takes a few simple steps and the blender does all the hard work for you.

Watch my video below to see the step-by-step process of making zucchini puree for baby.

Prep Your Ingredients: To begin I wash all the produce. Then I cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and cut each half into 8 pieces. Next, I peel the carrots, cut them in half lengthwise, and then cut each half into 8 pieces. For the apples, I cut them in half, remove the seeds and stem, and cut each half into 8 pieces.

Cook The Produce: In a large pot, I add the carrots and water. Then I turn the heat to high and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next, I add the zucchini and apples and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

zucchini apples and carrots in a pot

Puree The Mixture: When done I pour the cooked produce and water into a blender. Then I blend everything until smooth or the desired consistency.

puree in blender

Serve or Store: After blending, if I’m not serving the pureeright away or using it all within a week, I pour it into ice cube trays. Then I let it cool, wrap or cover the trays, and put them in the freezer. 

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

My #1 Secret Tip or making my zucchini baby food is to use a high-speed blender, not a food processor. A high-speed blender will pulverize all the ingredients into a super smooth consistency. A food processor might leave the puree slightly chunky or grainy.

Other Tips To Keep In Mind:

  • Use Organic Produce If You Can: When making your own homemade baby food recipes, I highly recommend using organic produce to reduce pesticide exposure for your baby. No matter how thoroughly you wash your fruits and vegetables, there will still be some pesticide residue (source).
  • Proper Storage: Before using the zucchini, make sure it’s completely dry. Then place them in a paper bag and store them in the vegetable drawer of your fridge. Don’t put them in a plastic bag – it will cause your courgette to become slimy.
  • Steaming Option: Instead of boiling, you can also use a steamer basket or slow cooker. To steam zucchini for baby food first dice everything into small chunks. Next, bring 1 inch of water to boil in a pot with a steamer basket, add the produce, cover, and steam for 5 minutes until soft. Then put the steamed zucchini and veggies into a blender with a little water and puree. 
  • Speed Up Cooking: For quicker cooking time, cut the vegetables and fruit into small pieces to help them cook down more quickly.
  • First-Time Feeding: If this is your first time serving zucchini to your baby, monitor for any allergic reactions over the first 1-3 days. Once you confirm there are no allergies, you can start mixing zucchini with other purees.

✔️ How To Choose Zucchini

Zucchini, also known as courgette in some countries, is the exact same vegetable. When selecting zucchini, you want to look for vibrant, bright green ones that are firm and free of bruises or blemishes.

Size is important too. I prefer smaller, skinnier zucchini for baby food because they have fewer seeds in the center. Choose small to medium-sized zucchini, as they have less water content and more flavor compared to larger ones. Larger zucchinis tend to be watery, less flavorful, and full of seeds.

📖 Variations

One of the best things about this recipe is how customizable it is. When creating your own variations choosing what to mix with zucchini for baby food is fun. Here are some of my favorite zucchini baby food combinations:

Use Different Veggies: This is just a short list of some other vegetables that would taste great with my zucchini puree.

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: All zucchini puree combinations for baby are delicious with the addition of herbs and spices such as basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley, garlic, or lemon. If you want a sweeter flavor, try a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg. It’s a great way to expose babies to new flavors. 

Add Breast Milk or Formula: When considering what to mix zucchini with for baby, it can be as simple as just mixing in some 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 the baby food as formula is not meant to be frozen, and breastmilk has a different shelf life in the freezer.

Make A Single Ingredient Puree: If you don’t have everything on hand to make carrot zucchini and apple puree, no problem! You can make plain zucchini puree! Just add the zucchini and a few tablespoons of water to a pot, boil, and then puree. Keep in mind that zucchini has a lot of water, so if you don’t add the carrots and apples, you may need less water.

Make Baby Finger Foods: Turn my courgette puree for baby recipe into finger food instead. 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.

🧊 Storage Directions

Fridge: If you plan to use the entire batch of zucchini baby puree within a week, I recommend just transferring it to an airtight container and storing it in the refrigerator. Simply scoop out individual servings as needed. 

Freezer: For longer storage, pour the cooled puree into ice cube trays, cover, and freeze until solid. Once frozen, I always transfer the cubes to a ziplock freezer bag and label it with the date. The cubes can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

Thawing: To thaw, I normally place the desired number of cubes in the fridge overnight. Alternatively, for quicker thawing, you can place the cubes in a bowl over another bowl of hot water on the counter. 

Reheating: Gently warm the thawed puree in a saucepan over low heat or in a microwave-safe dish in the microwave. Stir well and test the temperature before serving to ensure it’s not too hot for your baby.

❓Recipe FAQs

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?

You don’t need to remove the 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.

Zucchini baby food served in a glass jar with a spoon.

Love this plant based baby food recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating 🌟 in the recipe below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page!

You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST to see more delicious, healthy, family-friendly food, and if you have any questions, I’m here to help!

📋 Recipe Card

🎥 Watch How to Make It

https://youtu.be/9o6hzUKpZrA
Zucchini baby food puree in a glass jar with a spoon.
Print Recipe
5 from 23 votes

Zucchini Baby Food Puree

My 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

Shop Ingredients on Jupiter

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

44 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

      • You can leave the apple skin on! It adds fiber & nutrients to the baby food and should puree down smooth in the blender (once it’s cooked/steamed fully!)

  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!!

5 from 23 votes (9 ratings without comment)

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