Have you ever wondered how to make strawberry puree for baby? I sure did, and that’s why I put together this post.
Many parents like buying healthier foods for their little ones. One way to do this is to make homemade purees for them to eat instead of jarred baby food. But, do you know how to make strawberry puree for baby? And how do you know if it is safe for your little one?
Banana and strawberry puree
This is a super simple no-cook banana and strawberry puree for baby weaning. It’s a great combination for introducing baby to tart and sweet flavours.
Buy organic strawberries as strawberries are amongst the “dirty dozen” of foods that are high in pesticide residue.
Summary
Prep: 5 mins
Cooking: None
Ages: Baby 6m+
Difficulty: Easy peasy
Makes: 2 small bowls puree
We’ve all had one of those mornings (or several of them). When you overslept by 5 minutes or when your baby woke you up at the crack of dawn and you haven’t had a moment to get anything done let alone steam up a fresh puree for the morning. But you still want your little one to eat a fresh homemade breakfast.
What’s the answer? It can help to have a little stock of no cook puree recipes in mind. They mean that you can wash, chop, blend the ingredients for an instant fresh puree meal for baby.
Our banana and strawberry puree is good for:
Strawberries provide a rich amount of nutrients. A ½ cup serving of sliced strawberries provides 49 milligrams of the antioxidant vitamin C, which provides about 98 percent of the adequate intake for infants ages 6 to 12 months.
They also are a great source of magnesium, Vitamin B6 and iron. And they supply 2 grams of fibre per serving.
They are a food that a number of people have allergies to so take precautions the first time baby tries strawberries. You can find more details about how to do this towards the end of our article Baby led weaning foods by age.
Bananas are a sweet fruit that babies love the taste and texture of. They’re often a favourite first food choice for little ones!
They are soft enough to mash with a fork (or gums) and have many health benefits.
Bananas are high in potassium, which is said to regulate blood pressure. They also boast a variety of other minerals, as well as certain vitamins, including vitamins A, B6, B12 and folate.
Ingredients
- 1 ripe banana
- 3 strawberries
- Water or baby milk
Instructions
- Wash the strawberries and top them, removing the leaves.
- Peel and chop the banana into rough pieces.
- Using a blender or food processor, puree the strawberries and banana until smooth.
- Add water, breast milk or baby milk a little at a time to achieve a smooth puree at the consistency you want.
Banana and strawberry puree – our step by step guide:
Chop the fruits
Slice the strawberries and banana and puree until smooth.
Add a little breast milk, baby milk or water to slightly thin the puree, but don’t let it get soupy; thick and creamy is best.
Blend into a puree
Blend until all lumps are gone and you are left with a creamy smooth puree for baby.
Baby breakfast is served!
Banana and strawberry puree
This is a super simple no-cook banana and strawberry puree for baby weaning. It’s a great combination for introducing baby to tart and sweet flavours.
Buy organic strawberries as strawberries are amongst the “dirty dozen” of foods that are high in pesticide residue.
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Servings2 small bowls
AuthorMas & Pas
Ingredients
- 1 banana ripe
- 3 strawberries organic
- water or baby’s usual milk
Instructions
- Wash the strawberries and top them, removing the leaves.
- Peel and chop the banana into rough pieces.
- Using a blender or food processor, puree the strawberries and banana until smooth.
- Add water, breast milk or baby milk a little at a time to achieve a smooth puree at the consistency you want. Enjoy this instant breakfast for baby!
HOW TO MAKE THE MOST DELICIOUS STRAWBERRY BABY PUREE
Strawberries are one of our favorite spring fruits. But since they are often considered an allergen, this single-food Strawberry Baby Puree is perfect for introducing them to your baby’s diet.
Strawberries are my favorite spring fruit. I tend to avoid frozen stuff as much as I can and focus on fresh, local and seasonal produce. So when springtime comes, and fresh sweet strawberries come back, I start mixing and matching different ingredients in my head to make the most delicious strawberry meals.
Since fresh, local ones are available only for a limited amount of time I try to use them as much as possible. They end up being one of the only fruits I eat in April and May! And with good reason (and we make a ton of these Strawberry Oatmeal Bars).
But since they are considered an allergen, if you have a baby prone to food allergies or have a family history of allergies, I recommend caution when introducing them.
And a single-food Strawberry Baby Puree might just be the way to go. Keep on reading to find out how you can make the perfect creamy Strawberry Baby Puree.
STRAWBERRY BABY PUREE INGREDIENTS
Strawberries (obviously): make sure fresh strawberries haven’t been lying on your kitchen counter or in the fridge for days because they are quite perishable.
You should buy them a day or two prior to using to ensure they have maintained the most nutrients.
Ripe and ready-to-use strawberries are firm, bright red, mold-free, and still have the green tops.
You don’t want them to be extra-large either. Plain medium-sized ones are the best as these tend to contain the most flavor.
STRAWBERRY BABY PUREE NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS
Strawberries: they’re one of the best vitamin C sources which also makes them a great source of antioxidants. Berries in general provide an excellent amount of antioxidants with blueberries often the highest on the list, but strawberries are always right below them.
Apart from containing antioxidant compounds, they are also a source of anti-inflammatories which can have a positive effect on heart health.
Due to the sugar profile and content of strawberries, they don’t spike up the blood sugar rapidly so they’ve actually been found to act beneficially on insulin and blood glucose levels.
Strawberries are also a good source of dietary fiber and certain minerals such as manganese and copper.
HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY BABY PUREE
What I love about preparing strawberries is that I don’t have to peel them. Ok, you do have to remove the green tops but that’s about as far as it goes in the food prep.
Wash. Whether you have organic strawberries or not, I would say washing is required either way.
Remove the green tops. When preparing your strawberries for your perfect Strawberry Baby Puree, you’d want to remove the green tops.
The easiest way to do so is to grab the top right by it’s root (the part where it blends with the strawberry flesh) with your fingers and pull.
You should have the green bit along with the full root left in your hand. Another option is to also cut the green top of but that way you’ll also be cutting some of the strawberry.
Cut. For a Strawberry Baby Puree, it really doesn’t matter how you cut them. If they are small enough, you might not even need to at all. I usually cut them in halves or quarters. And that is only if I am using them raw. If I am cooking/steaming I don’t cut them if they fit in the steamer/pot.
Cook. Strawberries can be served both cooked/steamed or raw. If serving for a baby younger than 8 months I recommend cooking/steaming because their digestive systems might not be able to process the fiber just yet.
And my choice is always steaming in a steamer/baby cooker because it maintains the most nutrients. I have this one but really any that steams and blends (2 in 1) is perfect.
You can also boil in water.
Cool. If steaming/cooking beforehand, I prefer to let them sit and cool for about 10 minutes before blending. But if you’re in a hurry you can blend immediately.
Process. Whether you’ve cooked/steamed your strawberries or decided to use them raw, the next step is to process them in a blender. You’d really want a blender to create the perfect smooth consistency of your Strawberry Baby Puree. Especially if you’re using raw ones. If using cooked/steamed ones you can probably just mash them with a fork into a smooth baby puree but the texture might not be the same.
For cooked/steamed strawberries you will almost never need to add additional water.
If using raw ones you’ll almost always need to add a bit. Go teaspoon by teaspoon to avoid your puree becoming too runny.
POSSIBLE STRAWBERRY PUREE VARIATIONS
Mashed. If you’re over the puree stage, transitioning from purees to finger food or simply want to serve your baby more textured food then this recipe is great if you modify the “how-to” part. You’d still want to follow all the how-to instructions until you reach the “blend”. Instead of blending simply mash. And you can do both cooked/steamed or raw – depending on your baby’s age.
Lumps. If you’re just a step away from finger food, you can also blend or mash one half of the cooked/steamed/raw strawberries and leave the rest in pieces before mixing together. That way your child will get used to new textures.
Finger food. You can also serve strawberries as finger foods. I’d recommend doing this with raw ones because cooked/steamed strawberries are mushy and not great for finger food. When cutting them choose longer and thinner sticks if your baby is still on the palmar grasp or cut into cubes if they’ve mastered the pincer grasp.
How to Make Strawberry Baby Puree
Strawberries are one of our favorite spring fruits. But since they are often considered an allergen, this single-food Strawberry Baby Puree is perfect for introducing them to your baby’s diet.
PREP TIME5 mins
COOK TIME10 mins
TOTAL TIME15 mins1x2x3x
Fridge Life? 3 days
Freezable? 3 months
INGREDIENTS
- ▢1 cup strawberries
INSTRUCTIONS
- Wash the strawberries and remove the green tops.
- If cooking or steaming place them in the pot.
- Strawberries can be served both cooked/steamed or raw. If serving for a baby younger than 8 months I recommend cooking/steaming because their digestive systems might not be able to process the fiber just yet.
- Steam or cook for about 10 minutes or until they are soft.
- If you have time, allow to cool before blending.
- Place in a blender and blend.
STRAWBERRY PUREE
Strawberry Puree takes very little effort to make and can be used in a variety of ways. We love to add it to smoothies, baked goods, yoghurt and even use it as a sauce for pancakes.
Strawberries are currently $1 a pack here and we have been making the most of it. I have been
- Packing them into lunchboxes
- Making delicious baked goods with them
- Popping them into salads and salsas and
- Simply enjoying them, as they are, for a delicious snack or dessert.
At such a good price I have also been pureeing them to enjoy in many other ways.
How to Make Strawberry Puree
Making strawberry puree is so simple, it is just a case of washing and hulling the strawberries before pureeing them in a food processor or blender.
There are, however, a few tips to ensure you get the best-tasting puree.
- Choosing your strawberries
The better your strawberries are the better your puree will be. You want to use delicious ripe strawberries. Visually they should be bright red, plump with healthy green caps. Avoid strawberries that are white at the top or have been bruised, are mouldy or overly soft.
You can also use frozen strawberries. Thaw the strawberries in a large bowl before pureeing.
- Washing and hulling your strawberries
Wash your strawberries before hulling them. This stops the strawberry from filling with water.
To hull, use a small sharp knife to cut, in a circular motion, around the green leafy top of the strawberry and into the pale flesh directly underneath. Then remove the hull and discard.
- Cooked or Raw Strawberries?
Most of the time I make strawberry puree from raw strawberries. It is quicker, easier and produces a great result.
However, if you are looking for a more concentrated puree then cooking the strawberries, over a low heat for around 15 min, before pureeing is ideal. This method is perfect if you are using the puree in baked goods, it reduces excess moisture and the flavour is enhanced.
- Do you Need Sugar?
A lot of Strawberry Puree recipes have added sugar. I prefer not to add any sugar. My kids are more than happy to eat it without sugar, therefore, I don’t feel the need to add it. If serving to a baby I do not recommend adding any sugar or sweetener.
If you do feel like it needs a little more sweetness then you can add a little sugar at the blending stage or if you are cooking the strawberries you can add a little sugar at this point.
- Pureeing
You can puree in a food processor or blender or by using a stick blender. Blend until smooth or to the desired texture.
- Remove the Seeds?
I never choose to remove the seeds. However, if the seeds bother you, or your kids, you can pass the puree through a fine mesh sieve to separate them.
What Can You Use Strawberry Puree For
Why not try using it to
- Mix into yoghurt
- Add to Smoothies/milk/mocktails
- A sauce for ice-cream/pancakes/waffles/desserts
- Making Chia Jam
- Adding to baked goods (muffins, bread, cakes)
and for the adults
- Making delicious cocktails. Try mixing it with prosecco or adding to a gin, vodka or tequila cocktail.
Strawberry Puree For Babies
Strawberry puree can be mixed with a range of other purees to make a delicious dessert for babies. Some ideas include…
- Strawberry & Peach,
- Strawberry & Pear,
- Strawberry Yoghurt
- Strawberry Oatmeal
- Strawberry & Avocado (pictured below left)
- Strawberry & Apple (pictured below centre),
- Strawberry & Banana (pictured below right)
Freezing Strawberry Puree
Pour the puree into ice-cube trays and freeze until solid. Freezing in ice cube trays allows you to defrost the small amounts when you need it.
Flexible ice cube trays work best as it is easier to pop out the frozen cubes.
Once they’re fully frozen, quickly pop them all out and place the frozen cubes into a freezer bag or container and return to the freezer.
STRAWBERRY PUREE
Strawberry Puree takes very little effort to make and can be used in a variety of ways. We love to add it to smoothies, baked goods, yoghurt and even use it as a sauce for pancakes.
PREP TIME:10 minutes
TOTAL TIME:10 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- ▢350g Strawberries (SEE NOTE 1)
INSTRUCTIONS
- METHOD 1 (Raw Strawberries)
- Wash strawberries and then hull (SEE NOTE 2)
- Place strawberries in a food processor or blender and process until smooth (or desired consistency). (SEE NOTE 3)
- If the seeds bother you, or your kids, you can pass the puree through a fine mesh sieve to separate them.
- METHOD 2 (Cooked Strawberries)
- Wash strawberries and then hull (SEE NOTE 2)
- Half or quarter the strawberries, add to a pan and allow to simmer over a very low heat for 15 mins.
- Place strawberries in a food processor or blender and process until smooth (or desired consistency). (SEE NOTE 3)
RECIPE NOTES
- This is a one ingredient recipe, you can obviously puree more or less than this amount. If you feel it requires more sweetness then you can add sugar or a sweetener of choice to suit taste. This will change the nutritional values.
- Wash the strawberries before hulling to stop water from filling in the strawberries.
- If the seeds bother you, or your kids, you can pass the puree through a fine mesh sieve to separate them.
Nutritional information is a ROUGH guide only, calculated using an online nutrition calculator.