Freezing avocado baby food

Avocado Baby Food Recipes

Avocado is considered an excellent stage one starter food for baby because each fruit (yes, avocado is indeed a fruit!) is packed with substantial beneficial nutrients for the health and well-being of baby. Avocado puree for baby is naturally creamy and mild-flavored, making it ideal. No fancy equipment is needed to prepare avocado baby food, just a few simple kitchen tools, and you’re all set!

Health Benefits of Avocado Avocado for baby is a smart choice because in just one serving of avocado baby food there is a great deal of essential vitamins, minerals and healthy fats that are valuable for baby’s growth and development.

When Can Babies Eat Avocados? Because avocado has a mild flavor and creamy texture, it can be one of the first foods given to baby. Avocado baby food is commonly recommended as the first baby food to try because of its nutrient-dense properties, smooth mouthfeel and the ease in preparation. Avocado baby food can be given when baby is at least 4 months old.

How to Make Avocado Baby Food

How to choose a ripe avocado? When shopping for ripe fruit to make avocado baby food, opt for one with a dark, firm exterior that is slightly soft to the touch. Avoid avocados that are too hard or too “mushy.” If you can’t find a perfectly ripe avocado, choose a harder one and let it ripen at home in a brown paper bag for a day or two. Forget the hi-tech gadgets for this avocado baby food recipe. In this method of preparing avocado for baby, there is no cooking, steaming or blending involved. All you need are a few common kitchen tools.

Image: Karen Biton-Cohen

Step 1 of How to Make Avocado Baby Food: Using a sharp knife, cut a ripe avocado in half and remove the pit.

Image: Karen Biton-Cohen

Step 2 of How to Make Avocado Baby Food: Using a spoon, scoop the avocado flesh out into a bowl.

Image: Karen Biton-Cohen

Step 3 of How to Make Avocado Baby Food for a First-Time Feeding: Mash the avocado into a smooth, chunk-free consistency using the backside of a fork or a potato masher. If you want to thin out the consistency of the avocado baby food, add a small amount of breast milk or formula. Continue adding liquid and mashing until you reach the desired consistency. For a first-time feeding of avocado baby food (at 4 to 6 months of age) the mixture should be smooth and watery, resembling breast milk. Once baby is 6 to 8 months old, the avocado baby food mixture can be thick and creamy, with a yogurt-like consistency.

Image: Karen Biton-Cohen

Step 4 of How to Make Avocado Baby Food for an Older Baby: For avocado finger food, cut avocado flesh into small bite-sized pieces (half-inch cubes) on a cutting board and serve immediately.

Can You Freeze Avocado Baby Food?

It is absolutely safe to freeze pureed avocado, but you should take into account the change in color along with a slight change in texture once the flesh is exposed to air. If you have added either breast milk or formula to the pureed avocado baby food, it’s not recommended to freeze it. Once the avocado baby food has been defrosted, only then should you add the liquids. If frozen, use the avocado baby food within one month.

Avocado Baby Food Recipes

Once you have established that baby doesn’t have any allergic reactions from eating avocados or other fruits, there are different variations for avocado baby purees. Below are our top three favorite avocado baby food recipes.

Avocado and Apple Baby Food Recipe

In a bowl, prepare avocado baby food by slicing the avocado in half, removing the pit and mashing in a bowl until smooth. Add 1/2 cup of homemade natural apple sauce. Mix well and thin out using breast milk or formula, if desired.

Avocado and Pear Baby Food Recipe

In a bowl, prepare avocado baby food by slicing the avocado in half, removing the pit and mashing in a bowl until smooth. Peel two ripe pears and remove the seeds. Mash the pears into the avocado baby food. Mix well and thin out using breast milk or formula, if desired.

Avocado and Banana Baby Food Recipe

In a bowl, prepare avocado baby food by slicing the avocado in half, removing the pit and mashing in a bowl until smooth. Peel a ripe banana and mash into the avocado baby food. Mix well and thin out using breastmilk or formula, if desired.

Easy Avocado Puree (with Tips to Prevent Browning)

byAmy Palanjian

Updated June 16, 2021

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Learn how to make SO EASY avocado puree for your baby—and the best way to prevent it from browning so you can store leftovers for later.

Avocado Puree

Avocado is a favorite first food for baby since it’s not very likely to be allergenic, has lots of healthy fats, and has a silky texture that’s great for new eaters. I love making avocado puree to share with baby since there’s no cooking involved and it’s so super easy to do with either a blender or a fork!

Ingredients You Need

To make this avocado puree, you’ll just need ripe avocado and a fresh lemon, if you plan to store some for later. So easy!

How to Choose a Perfect Avocado

Look for an avocado that’s firm to the touch but has a little give, which indicates ripeness. A very soft avocado may be too ripe with brown spots by the time you get it home and eat it. So it shouldn’t feel as hard as a rock, but firm with a little softness.

Step by Step Instructions

Here’s a look at the easy process involved in making this homemade baby food.

Halve a ripe avocado, remove the pit, and scoop out the flesh.
Add to a blender.
Blend, adding breastmilk, formula, or water if needed or desired to thin.
Serve immediately.

TIP: This is a great puree to share with baby, so if you plan to have some, skip adding breastmilk or formula.

How to Store Avocado Puree for Later

To store in the fridge, place puree into small food storage containers and squeeze fresh lemon juice over top. You’ll want any exposed part of the puree to be in contact with some lemon juice to prevent browning.

To freeze, stir 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice into the mash and spoon into an ice cube tray. Freeze. Transfer frozen cubes into a freezer storage bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge in an airtight container. (You can also freeze directly in a freezer bag.)

Tips for Making the Best Avocado Puree

To do this with a fork, place as much or as little avocado onto a plate. Mash with a fork to reach the desired consistency, thinning with water, breastmilk or formula as desired.
To store in the fridge, place puree into small food storage containers and squeeze fresh lemon juice over top. You’ll want any exposed part of the puree to be in contact with some lemon juice to prevent browning.
To freeze, stir 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice into the mash and spoon into an ice cube tray. Freeze. Transfer frozen cubes into a freezer storage bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge in an airtight container. (You can also freeze directly in a freezer bag. )
Leave as a thicker mash for older babies.
Spread onto toast sticks (about the size of your finger) for BLW-style feeding or offer a preloaded spoon.
Mix with Banana Puree, Sweet Potato Puree, Pureed Beans, Apple Puree, or any other food you like.
See more of my favorite baby food combinations here.

I’d love to hear what you think of this recipe if you try it so please comment below with feedback!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Author Amy Palanjian

Cuisine American

Course Baby Food

Calories 80kcal

Servings 8

▢ 2 ripe avocados (about 1 cup avocado flesh)

Cut the avocado in half and scoop out the flesh. You'll need at least 1 cup to do this in a blender.
Add to a blender. Start on low and blend smooth, adding a little water, breastmilk, or formula as needed to thin and create a smooth consistency.
Serve immediately.
To store, place puree into small food storage containers and squeeze fresh lemon juice over top. You'll want any exposed part of the puree to be in contact with some lemon juice to prevent browning.

To do this with a fork, place as much or as little avocado onto a plate. Mash with a fork to reach the desired consistency, thinning with water, breastmilk or formula as desired.
To freeze, stir 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice into the mash and spoon into an ice cube tray. Freeze. Transfer frozen cubes into a freezer storage bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge in an airtight container. (You can also freeze directly in a freezer bag.)
Leave as a thicker mash for older babies.
Spread onto toast sticks (about the size of your finger) for BLW-style feeding or offer a preloaded spoon.
Mix with banana puree, sweet potato puree, pureed beans, or any other food you like.

Serving: 2tbsp, Calories: 80kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Sodium: 4mg, Potassium: 244mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 73IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 6mg, Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Rate in the comments and tag @yummytoddlerfood on IG!

How to freeze an avocado for future use correctly

Shelf life in the freezer: up to 6 months.

Avocados are not always readily available in the supermarket, especially when they are ripe. The question is how to provide a supply of fruits at home for the whole winter, and how to freeze them correctly for future use.

Contents

How to freeze an avocado: 3 ways0012
puree for a child
Oil from avocado
4 Fasting advice
Shelf life in the freezer
How to defrost AVOKADO
entire
Guacamole and puree for children

Avocados freeze well. It can be safely stored in the freezer for up to six months with whole fruits, halves or small slices. nine0003

Whole

Can I freeze whole avocados?

Yes, you can. But do not hide it immediately in the freezer. Prepare first: Wrap in cling film or foil, then place in a ZIP freezer bag, squeeze as much air out of it as possible, and close.

Halves

Will freeze fruit halves correctly. To do this, you first need to prepare the product for freezing:

Wash fruits with soap and water.
Cut in half and carefully remove the pit. In this case, the pulp will darken, turn brown due to oxidation, which destroys cell membranes. To avoid this, drizzle it with lemon or lime juice (if you don't have either, use a drop of table vinegar).
Wrap each avocado half in plastic wrap and place on a plate in the freezer. Leave on for a few hours or overnight. nine0012
When the product is completely frozen, you can remove it from the plate and arrange the halves in zip bags to take out as needed. This will keep avocados longer.

In pieces

Some prefer quick freezing in avocado slices:

Place the slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet or tray.
The flesh may darken after thawing, so also use lemon juice before freezing. nine0061
Place the tray in the freezer.
When the pieces are frozen, place them in zip-lock freezer bags.
Quick freezing avocado slices usually requires 1-2 hours.

Secrets of freezing avocado dishes

What if you need to freeze a ready-made avocado dish? It's possible. nine0003

Guacamole

Fortunately, guacamole or even avocado puree is much easier to freeze than fruit halves.

The main thing is to block the access of air so that oxidation does not occur and the color does not change.

Freezing guacamole involves three simple steps:

Prepare the dish: crush the garlic clove, green chilli and salt in a mortar and pestle, add the avocado with lime juice and beat well.
Place the puree or guacamole in a ziplock bag, date.
Freeze: place the bag in the freezer.

To save space, try to flatten your blanks for stacking.

Baby puree

To freeze baby puree, use the method of freezing guacamole minus the garlic, chilli and seasonings.

Place the peeled and chopped avocado in a food processor or blender. nine0012
To prevent browning, add 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice for 1 medium sized fruit. And whip up. Then the sour juice will be evenly distributed throughout the pulp.
The flesh can be mashed by hand, but stir more thoroughly to avoid brown spots.
Freeze puree in ice cube trays. The serving cubes are perfect for adding to smoothies, spreading on sandwiches or serving as baby food.
Depending on the degree of maturity and variety of avocado, the color of the puree may vary: from pale green to light yellow. nine0003
If you plan to later make guacamole or other sauces from the stock, freeze the puree in the amount needed for the recipe. Pack in freezer bags or containers. Leave 1-1.5 cm of space to the top edge of the container.

It's important to label your baby food so you don't accidentally feed your baby guacamole with chili instead of puree.

Other types of baby fruit puree can be frozen in the same way. You may be interested in the article on freezing mashed bananas. nine0003

You can also make avocado paste with tarragon and garlic and freeze it.

Avocado oil

Avocado oil will last about a year after opening. So, it doesn't make much sense to freeze it.

But you can do this, as with many other natural oils, using ice cube trays.

4 Freezing Tips

For best results when freezing avocados, remember these tips:

Always use ripe fruit as the freezer stops the ripening process.
Squeeze out the lemon juice ahead of time as the avocado will brown rather quickly.
Ignore the appearance of a thawed avocado as the color will be duller but the flavor will remain the same.
Avoid freezing slices. The more cuts in the pulp, the greater the chance of browning. It is better to freeze avocado halves. nine0012

Freezer shelf life

Frozen foods should preferably be labeled so that they can be remembered when they are stored in the freezer.

Avocados can be frozen for up to 6 months, purees for 4-5 months.

How to defrost an avocado

Whole

If you have frozen a whole fruit, place it in a bowl of cold water or leave it overnight in the refrigerator.

Halves

To thaw avocado halves, place them on a plate in the refrigerator and leave overnight.

If you plan to add the product to a smoothie, you can use it straight from the freezer by placing it in a blender and blending with other ingredients. Since many drink recipes provide for the addition of ice to cool it. nine0003

Guacamole and baby puree

Guacamole is thawed like baby puree.

Remove from freezer, place on a plate and refrigerate for approximately 18 hours until completely thawed.

The process can be accelerated by placing the bag in a bowl of cold water. Do not use hot or warm water to quickly defrost.

Can avocados be re-frozen?

What to cook with frozen avocado

You can add avocado to a green or milkshake. It will also give the drink a nice creamy taste.

Here are the dishes you can use it in:

Slightly sour on toast due to the addition of citric acid. But if you use mashed avocado with egg and hot sauce, the difference between fresh and thawed product will be barely noticeable.
Tacos, quesadillas, nachos or burritos.
Puree with lime juice and salt as sauce for chips. Add cheese, tomatoes, fried garlic or onions. nine0012
Guacamole, which can be slightly watery but still enjoyable.

Frozen avocado or mashed avocado is not recommended for use in cold salad and muesli recipes.

Also read: Is it possible to freeze pineapple in the freezer.

Freezing baby food: rules and shelf life

If you prepare baby food yourself, it can be time consuming. Freezing does not spoil the quality of products and saves time that can be spent communicating with the child. nine0003

Rules for freezing baby food

Refrain from storing avocados, bananas, melons and potatoes, they lose their taste and most likely the baby will refuse them. Use plastic containers or freezer bags that can withstand low temperatures, such as breast milk or ice cubes, for freezing. In the case of puree, ice containers are the most convenient option - small cells allow you to defrost exactly as much as you need and in the shortest time. Do not use glass jars for this purpose, they may not withstand low temperatures and crack. Microcracks are very difficult to notice, but glass that gets into the puree, even if it is very small, can seriously harm the child. nine0003

Freezer shelf life varies for different products:

vegetables and fruits, breast milk - five months
boiled fish and animal meat - three months
milk formula - not subject to freezing.

To avoid wasting nutrients, follow these guidelines:

Freeze baby food as fresh as possible so as not to lose nutritional value.
Before storing, baby food must be cooled to room temperature. nine0012
When closing the container, try to make it as airtight as possible, this will prevent frostbite (dark spots on top). Frostbite does not spoil the taste, just remove these areas, do not worry, they do not harm the baby.
Recommended storage temperature -18°C or lower.
Defrosted baby food can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
After defrosting, the leftovers must be disposed of.

Label containers with markers so you don't forget what was frozen. Indicate the name of the product (or what it consists of) and the date of freezing.

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