It can be an exciting milestone when your baby is ready to begin consuming more than milk or formula. Baby food can easily be made from a wide variety of different fruits and vegetables, and it can even be fun to make. Avocados are a great fruit to use to make your baby’s first food. With their smooth, creamy texture and unique taste, your baby is bound to enjoy avocado as much as the rest of us.
In this article, you’ll learn how to prepare avocado to serve to your baby, the health benefits of avocado for babies, and you’ll find a recipe on how to make the best avocado dish for your little one. Read on to learn about how to make avocado baby food.
How to Serve Avocado to Your Baby
Avocado is a staple in our modern diet due to their versatility and multiple health benefits. Chances are that your child will continue to encounter avocado as they continue to grow, so you can get them used to the color and taste of ripe avocado early on by preparing it as baby food. Although ripe avocados are already soft, the best way to serve them to an infant who hasn’t yet had any other food is by processing them into a puree baby food.
Just like how homemade guacamole is better than store bought, homemade avocado baby food is better for your baby than the pre-packaged variety – and it’s less work than making guacamole! If you use avocado already in your own diet, there’s really no need to purchase avocado baby food from the store. Avocados can be prepared in various ways, so it’s worth it to always keep a ripening batch at home. Avocados are usually available in grocery stores year-round, so you can feed this puree to your baby anytime you want.
Avocado puree is easy to prepare at home. All you really need is a ripe avocado and a fork. If you enjoy avocado toast for breakfast, then once you master this recipe, you don’t even have to go out of your way to prepare it. Making avocado baby food is as simple as mashing up a little extra avocado in the morning. If you enjoy guacamole regularly, then with a few tweaks you can make it a healthy and nutritious treat for your baby as well.
If you desire a smoother consistency for baby food than you can attain with a fork, you can use a food processor and add some water. You’ll end up with a smooth, creamy, and delicious puree that is easy for your baby to consume. As your baby gets older, you can skip the pureeing or the mashing altogether and give your baby avocado slices as finger food. You can also use avocado slices for baby-led teething.
Benefits of Avocado in Baby Food
Avocados are one of the healthiest foods that you can feed your baby. They are a “superfood,” meaning they’re packed with plenty of nutrients for your growing child.
Some of the benefits of baby avocado food include:
- Fiber: to help with your baby’s digestion
- Healthy fats: to help your baby’s body and brain grow
- Source of antioxidants: to help build up your baby’s immune system
- Iron: for a strong baby
What to Mix with Avocado in Baby Food
The creamy texture of avocados causes them to blend well with other foods. You can mix avocado with green vegetables such as spinach and peas, or you can mix it with sweet fruits such as bananas and peaches.
Other common foods that pair well with avocado include:
- Mango
- Yogurt
- Breastmilk or formula
- Meats (chicken or fish)
How to Make Avocado Baby Food: Avocado Baby Food Recipe
Basic avocado puree is very simple: you just mash the avocado with a fork and serve. However, if you want a smoother texture, or if you want to combine it with other foods, you may want to use a blender or food processor. Blending an avocado with half of a banana results in a smooth, fluffy puree.
Be sure to use a ripe avocado, but make sure it isn’t too ripe as it then may have a bitter taste. If the avocado isn’t ripe enough, it can be hard to mash or end up grainy when pureed.
Here is a recipe for an avocado and banana puree that can be served as baby food.
Ingredients
1 avocado
½ of a banana
- Wash and pit the avocado.
- Place avocado and banana in a food processor and puree until it reaches your desired texture. Add water if you need to thin it out.
- Serve immediately.
Storage
- Refrigerator: Avocados don’t refrigerate very well, but if you must, you can transfer the puree to an airtight container to store overnight to be consumed the next day. Add lemon juice to minimize the browning.
- Freezing: It’s best to make avocado puree fresh for your baby, but you can still make it in bulk and freeze. Use ice cube trays to freeze avocado puree. Put the avocado puree into the ice cube trays and place them in the freezer. When they’re frozen, remove them from the ice cube trays and place them in freezer bags before putting them back in the freezer. Frozen avocado puree should be consumed within 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
Tips
- It’s always best to purchase organic produce to serve your baby. Organic avocados can be pricey, but worth it. Be sure to thoroughly wash your avocado once you bring them home from the grocery store and use vinegar to remove any unwanted bacteria.
- If you’re just using avocado, add lemon juice to balance out the flavor.
- Do not add sugar to the puree. If for any reason your baby does not like the flavor of banana, try pureeing the avocado with other fruits such as peaches or apples.
- You can add some more flavor to your mashed avocado puree by adding different herbs such as basil, cilantro, parsley or even garlic. Blend with other robust vegetables, such as zucchini, broccoli, or sweet potato, to change the consistency and add nutrients.
- Add formula instead of water to your homemade baby food, not only to get your avocado mixture to the right consistency and creaminess, but also for additional sustenance.