Over time, babies begin to require more sustenance and a wider variety of vitamins than they can get from milk or formula. This is when you can start introducing your little one to homemade baby food, which can come from a variety of solid food that’s simple for your baby to digest, including apples.
In this article, you’ll learn how to prepare apples for your baby, the health benefit of apples for baby food puree, and find a baby food recipe on how to make the best apple dish for your little one.
How to Serve Apples to Your Baby
It’s likely that apple slices will later become a staple in your little one’s snack time foods, but you don’t have to wait for them to grow teeth to introduce them to the flavors of apples in baby food. The best way to serve apples to a baby of at least 4 months is by pureeing the fruit.
Apple puree (or homemade apple sauce) is one of the most common forms of baby food you’ll hear of parents serving their infants. After all, almost everyone is familiar with applesauce – it is simple, sweet, and tastes delicious.
Apple puree is a baby food that is so easy to make at home that it really doesn’t make sense to buy it. All you need is apples, a food processor and 20 minutes of your time. Plus, you’ll be able to choose your ingredients, and you’ll know exactly what is in the food that you’re feeding your baby.
Types of Apples for Baby Food
There is a large selection of apple varieties available, which can make selecting apples an overwhelming and difficult endeavor. For best results in baby food, you’ll want to pick an apple that is sweet and breaks down easily when cooked.
Common apple types that work great in baby food include:
- Pink Lady
- McIntosh
- Cortland
- Fuji
- Royal Gala
The type of apple you use is a completely personal preference. If you enjoy a tart apple puree, go ahead and use Granny Smith apples, but it’s recommended to combine it with a sweeter apple, so that the additional acidity of the Granny Smith doesn’t overly affect your baby’s digestive system.
A Delicious Treat for Everyone
The great thing about apple puree for baby food is that it might not be only for your baby to enjoy. While keeping up with your baby’s palate is priority, you’re able to customize your apple puree with spices to make it a sweet and nutritional treat for yourself as well.
Aside from feeding your baby and consuming it yourself, you can also use apple puree for:
- Baked goods (often as a substitute for oil)
- Mixing with yogurt
- Spreading on toast
- A condiment for sweet or savory dishes
- Sweetening smoothies
When you make a batch of apple puree for your baby, be sure to make extra, as you may discover that you enjoy using it as well!
Benefits of Apple in Baby Food
Apples are a great choice for a first food for your infant. Some of the benefits of baby apple food include:
- Easy to digest: Perfect to introduce to your infant as they transition from milk to other foods.
- Full of fiber: Apples contain both soluble and insoluble fiber, which makes them great in regulating your baby’s digestion, as well as helps with constipation and regularity.
- Versatile: You can mix apples with anything to change up your baby’s food, as the mild flavor of apples pairs well with other fruits and vegetables.
What to Mix with Apples in Baby Food
Apples are very versatile and can easily be combined with other foods and incorporated into other baby food dishes. You can put them in any baby recipe you make to add sweetness or change the consistency. You can mix apples with:
- Baby cereal or oatmeal
- Fruit purees
- Veggie purees
- Meat purees
- Yogurt
Apple Baby Food Recipes
Basic apple puree is very simple: you essentially just cook apples and blend them together for baby food. However, you can customize the apple sauce recipe by adding different spices and combing the apples with other fruits and vegetables, as long as your baby is able to digest them.
Here is a simple but customizable recipe for apple puree.
Ingredients for Apple Puree Recipe
6 medium apples, cored, peeled, and cut into cubes
¼ cup of water
½ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
- Place the apples, water, and optional cinnamon into a saucepan
- Cover and cook over a low heat for 20 minutes or until tender
- Using a hand blender or food processor, puree to preferred consistency
Storage
- Refrigerator: Store the applesauce in an airtight container to keep overnight. If you plan on storing it for a couple of days, it’s recommended to add a little bit of lemon juice while the apples cook.
- Freezing: The easiest way to freeze apple puree is by using an ice cube tray. Put the apple puree into the ice cube tray and freeze the tray. Once frozen, remove them from the ice cube trays and pack them in freezer bags before putting them back in the freezer. Frozen apple puree should be consumed within 3 months.
Tips
- It’s best to purchase organic apples to make baby food.
- If you prefer a thicker consistency for your applesauce, mash with a fork instead of pureeing
- Apples should be peeled for babies under 8 months to ensure that the peel doesn’t upset their tummies, but your baby may not be as affected by the peel, so use your judgment. It’s okay to feed your baby apples with the peel on after 8 months.
- You don’t have to add cinnamon to the apple puree at all, and you can also add other spices. If desired, you can replace the cinnamon in the apple sauce with nutmeg, ginger, or vanilla, or use them all for a more aromatic apple puree.
- Apples can be cooked in a variety of ways. Steaming apples retain most of their nutrients, but baking may be the most flavorful way to cook them. As your baby gets older, try baking apple slices and serving them whole with a dash of cinnamon as a tasty snack.
- Do not add sugar to your baby’s apple puree. If you use ripe, sweet apples, there’s no need for additional sugar at all.