Have you ever wondered how to make banana baby food? Making your own banana baby food is very easy. You only need an airtight container, frozen bananas and a food processor. The food processor does the work for you. You don’t need to peel the bananas and you don’t need to cook them either.
Are you looking for a guide on how to make banana baby food? I’ve compiled a list of recipes that might help!
How to Make Banana Puree for Babies
Potassium-rich banana puree adds creaminess to other fruit purees, and it adds sweetness to yogurt. Follow our easy step-by-step instructions to make this ideal first food for your baby.
Like avocados, bananas have a smooth, squishy texture that’s easy for babies to mash between their gums. They’re an ideal first fruit after babies have tried several different kinds of veggies; serve the puree plain or mixed with a veggie or baby cereal. Here’s how to make the banana puree.
Step 1: Select & Buy Fresh Bananas
In the U.S., bananas are inexpensive and bursting with sweetness in summer, but imported bananas are available all year long in grocery stores. Choose bananas with blemish-free yellow peel. Green peel means the banana is underripe, while peel with too many brown spots means it’s past its prime, or nearly past its prime. One medium fresh banana mixed with formula or breast milk yields 6 to 8 ounces of puree.
Step 2: Wash, Peel & Slice the Banana
Wash the banana with a mixture of three parts water and one part white vinegar to remove bacteria. Rinse under cool running water, dry, and peel. Discard the peel and the ends of the banana. Slice the rest of the banana into pieces and then cut each piece into quarters.
Step 3: Puree or Mash the Banana
Puree in a food processor or blender until smooth. (Fresh banana has a light purple-brown color when pureed.) Add water as needed to reach desired consistency. For extra creaminess, puree the banana with breast milk or formula instead of water.
For chunkier banana, which is ideal for babies 10 months or older, mash it with a potato masher instead of pureeing it.
Step 4: Serve Banana Puree
Sweet banana puree is delicious plain, but it also mixes well with tart or mild-flavored fruit purees. Try mixing banana puree with:
- Avocado
- Pear
- Peach
- Plum
- Cherries
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Applesauce
- Oatmeal
- Full-fat Greek yogurt
Step 5: Freeze Leftover Banana Puree
Refrigerate leftover banana puree in BPA-free containers for up to 3 days. Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in your refrigerator.
BANANA BABY FOOD – 8 DELICIOUS WAYS
Bananas make a great and versatile first food for babies. They can be made into a baby food puree, mashed into a chunky puree, used as a finger food for baby, or prepared for baby-led weaning. These 8 banana baby food ideas are also simple, healthy, and quick to make. This guide is perfect for babies 4-6 months and up!
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BANANAS FOR BABY
Bananas are loaded with essential nutrients for a growing baby and are one of the top first foods for babies
This guide will give you 8 easy ways to incorporate bananas 🍌 into your baby’s diet. You can serve them as a baby food puree, smashed, finger food for baby-led weaning, made into 3-ingredient pancakes, or even as a simple baby-friendly smoothie. These recipes are great for babies 4-12 months old!
First time making homemade baby food? Then, I would suggest that you start by reading my very in-depth Guide on how to Make Homemade Baby Food – which goes over all the important information such as the best cooking tools to have on hand, safe storage, how to know when baby is ready for solids, how to introduce purees, the best first foods for baby, and more! If you are doing Baby-Led Weaning, then be sure to check out my Complete Guide to Baby-Led Weaning – which covers what exactly is baby-led weaning, to every parent’s concern of baby-led weaning and choking, this guide goes over it all. I will also share how to know when baby is ready for BLW, the top 10 best first foods, a helpful sample blw feeding schedule, helpful tools to have on hand, and much much more!
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BENEFITS OF BANANA FOR BABY
Bananas are a great first food for babies because they are loaded with essential nutrients for a growing baby. They are a good source of fiber, vitamin C, manganese, and potassium, and they are high in vitamin B6.
- Good Source of Potassium: Potassium is a crucial nutrient for active babies as it acts as an electrolyte that manages hydration levels, helps nutrients reach cells, removes waste from cells, and helps maintain a normal heartbeat. It’s also important for muscle contraction.
- Great for Digestion Health: Banana fiber helps prevent constipation, bloating, and other unwanted digestive issues in babies.
- Boosts Mood: Bananas also contain the amino acid tryptophan and vitamin B6 that may help boost your baby’s happy hormones, and there is nothing better than a happy baby!
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WHEN TO INTRODUCE BANANA TO BABY
Whether you are starting your baby on purees or doing baby-led weaning, bananas are an amazing first food for your baby! When a baby can start on solids is determined by their own rate of development, which generally comes between 4-6 months of age for purees and at or after 6 months for baby-led weaning. Some of the developmental milestones your baby need to reach in order to start solids include: if your baby has solid control of their head and neck, if your baby has doubled their birth weight, and if your baby is reaching for or opening their mouth when you eat (see my guide here). Before you start your baby on purees, you should consult with your pediatrician to make sure your child is developmentally ready.
ARE BANANAS A CHOKING HAZARD FOR BABIES?
No. Since bananas are inherently soft, they are not typically included among the foods that are a common choking hazard for babies. However, if the banana is not ripe and ready to eat, the flesh will be harder and pose a higher choking risk for your baby. Therefore, it is best to serve your baby strips of banana or mashed banana. When selecting a banana for baby, look for one that is ripe, soft (but not mushy), and has a few small brown spots. As with any food, make sure you supervise your baby while they are eating.
ADDING SPICES
While the most popular option is adding cinnamon to a banana baby puree, you can also add a pinch of cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, fresh mint, fresh basil, freshly grated ginger, or even allspice. If you’re serving baby chunks of banana, you can sprinkle a small pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, or cloves on top.
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DO BANANAS CAUSE CONSTIPATION?
Yes and No! Super clear answer, I know 😉. Unripe green bananas are high in resistant starch, which are resistant to digestion and may cause constipation in babies. But ripe yellow bananas with a few brown spots actually have the opposite effect due to higher sugar content and may even help your baby go to the bathroom. Just remember to serve bananas in moderation to your baby, as too much fiber can plug your baby up.
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STORING HOMEMADE BANANA BABY FOOD
You can store baby purees in the fridge for 2 days and in the freezer for up to 2 months. It helps to add a small squeeze of lemon juice into the puree before storing it so the puree doesn’t turn brown. Handheld bananas for baby-led weaning will have to be discarded after serving.
Banana Puree Baby Food
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Turning ripe banana into a super smooth baby food is quick and easy. Which makes this Banana Puree baby food a great one to start with and make often as your baby explores solid foods!
Banana Puree Baby Food
With just one simple ingredient—bananas!—this no-cook baby food is so easy and straight forward to make. You’ll need just one banana and you can add extra flavors if you want or you can leave it sweet and basic. This is a great early baby food since babies tend to like the flavor, it’s easy to make smooth, and you don’t need to spend extra money on fancy ingredients.
TIP: To make this recipe, you just need a blender.
Ingredients You Need
To make this easy baby food, you just need ripe banana, pure and simple! Which makes this a great recipe to make when you don’t have a lot of time or didn’t remember to shop for ingredients.
Tips for Choosing a Ripe Banana
To pick a ripe banana that’s pleasantly sweet but not over ripe, look for one that’s yellow with a smattering of small brown spots. Avoid ones that have large brown areas as that may mean they’re mushy and brown on the inside.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the process involved in making this recipe.
- Slice a very ripe banana and add to a blender.
- Blend until very smooth.
- Add cinnamon if desired and serve or store for later.
TIP: You can stir in a few drops of fresh lemon or orange juice to help prevent the puree from browning, as it will otherwise naturally do.
Tips for Making the Best Banana Puree
- To store, place into small airtight storage containers and store in the fridge.
- To freeze, place into an ice cube tray, freeze, then transfer frozen cubes to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Add a sprinkle of cinnamon for additional flavor.
- To make a thicker banana puree, you can simply mash a ripe banana until mostly smooth using a fork or potato masher.
- To help prevent the puree from browning, you can add a few drops of an acid such as fresh lemon or orange juice.
- Mix with whole milk plain yogurt, Baby Oatmeal, Baby Rice Cereal, Avocado Puree, Broccoli Puree, or any other baby food you like as desired. (If you stir into oatmeal, you can still freeze it! Just make sure to stir well once thawed.)
- See more of my favorite baby food combinations here.