Storing avocado baby food
Avocado Puree for Babies - Eating Bird Food
Avocado is great first food for babies. It contains healthy fats, it’s easy to blend and make into a puree and it’s delicious. Learn more here.
Avocado is a popular first food for baby and for good reason! It’s full of nutrition that your growing baby needs, it’s easy to serve and most babies love it! That’s a win, win, win if you’re keeping score.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Avocado is one of the best first foods for baby because of its nutrition profile!
- It’s super easy to prepare! You can puree, mash or serve in wedges for baby led weaning.
- With its creamy texture, it’s hard not to love.
- With no steaming or cooking necessary, it’s easy to whip up!
- It blends really well with other flavors.
Avocado Nutrition Facts
Avocados are incredibly nutritious! Not only are they chock full of healthy fats and fiber, but they also are a concentrated source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants!
You’ll find vitamins C, E, K, B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), B5 (Panthothenic acid), B6 (Pyridoxine), folate, magnesium, potassium, copper, zinc and manganese in avocado.
Avocados are also high in heart-healthy fats like monounsaturated fat (oleic acid). Oleic acid is the same fatty acid found in olives and olive oil and is considered a very healthy fat. Diets high in oleic acid show increased insulin sensitivity, betty blood sugar management and lower cholesterol levels. (source)
Growing babies have high fat needs, which make avocados a perfect choice!
How to Make Avocado Puree
Making avocado puree is super simple! Start by removing the peel and pit from the avocado. Place the avocado flesh in a high powered blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
If the puree is too thick you can add a little breast milk, formula or water to thin, starting with 1 teaspoon and adding more as needed to reach your desired consistency.
Another option is to make a chunky avocado puree by adding avocado chunks to a bowl and mashing it with a fork. This is great for stage 2 eaters!
Avocado Baby Food Combinations
For early stage 1 eaters, avocado puree is great served with a spoon. Once baby starts moving into stage 2 and 3 foods you can make fun combination purees (see ideas below) or add avocado puree to different foods like yogurt, smoothies and oatmeal. The baby oatmeal recipe would be delicious with a little avocado puree stirred in.
Foods That Pair Well With Avocado Puree
- Green veggies – kale, spinach, zucchini
- Orange veggies – sweet potato, butternut squash, carrot
- White veggies – cauliflower
- Other fruit – banana, strawberries, peaches, apples, kiwis, pears, mangos
- Dairy – yogurt, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese
- Grains – quinoa, oats
- Legumes – chickpeas, lentils
- Seasonings and spices – curry, ginger, mint, nutmeg, cinnamon
Avocado Baby Puree Combo Ideas
Here are some baby food combos with avocado that might be fun to try:
- Mango and avocado
- Avocado and banana
- Lentils, avocado and blueberry
- Avocado and butternut squash
- Spinach, avocado, banana and yogurt
- Banana, peach, mango and avocado
- Oatmeal and avocado
Avocado, peach, pineapple and kale is a great combo that I share in my stage 2 baby food combinations post!
Avocado FAQ
Is avocado puree healthy?
Absolutely! Avocados are a great source of healthy fats, vitamins, minerals and fiber for your growing baby – and you!
Can I give my baby avocado puree?
Yes! Avocado is a great first food for baby when introducing solids. Most babies start solids around 4-6 months, but I would refer to your doctor on when to introduce solids to your baby.
Is avocado hard to digest for babies?
Typically, no. Avocado is easily digestible for babies and the fiber helps regulate their little tummies.
Is frozen avocado good?
Yes! I recommend freezing avocado for easy access to baby food. You can also throw the frozen avocado cubes into a smoothie to boost healthy fats and creaminess.
Can I Serve Avocado to Baby With the Skin On?
Olivia had silent reflux as a baby, but never really threw up. The one time I remember her throwing up is after I gave her 1/4 of an avocado, with the skin on. I kept the skin on the avocado so it would be easier for her to grip and it definitely helped in that regard.
While she didn’t eat the skin, she definitely had it in her mouth and something on the skin didn’t sit well with her and she threw up 3-4 times. So I personally don’t recommend serving avocado with the skin on for baby led weaning. There are other ways to make avocado more grippy like dipping avocado slices in hemp seeds or shredded coconut.
How to Store
Avocado puree can either be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Keep in mind that open avocado will brown in the fridge, so freezing may be the best option. If you want to freeze, I like using silicone ice cube tray or freezer safe jars because they make it easier to thaw smaller amounts for serving to babies.
How to Reheat or Thaw Frozen Avocado Puree
I recommend thawing frozen puree in the fridge the night before you want to use it, but you can also thaw it quickly with a warm water bath. It thaws quickly if you’re defrosting a small amount to serve to a baby.
Other Ways to Use Avocado Puree
Avocado puree is great for babies, but there are so many other ways for older kids and adults to enjoy it too. Here are some ideas:
- Avocado toast – you can’t talk about avocado puree without mentioning avocado toast. My daughter is now 2 and she loves avocado toast. We just mash avocado on sourdough sandwich bread and sprinkle it with everything bagel seasoning.
- Guacamole – avocado puree can easily be turned into guacamole! Add some garlic, salt, pepper, lime juice and tomatoes or make my healthy guacamole with peas!
- Make a smoothie – avocados can add a boost of healthy fats and creamy texture to smoothies. You can add the puree straight into a smoothie, but frozen avocado puree give smoothies a great texture. No need to thaw, just pop a couple cubes of the puree into your blender with the rest of your smoothie ingredients. Try it in my green protein smoothie or this avocado mango smoothie.
More Baby Food Purees
- Sweet Potato Puree
- Butternut Squash Puree
- Peach Puree
- Carrot Puree
- Strawberry Puree
- Banana Puree
- Mango Puree
- Pumpkin Puree
- Applesauce
- Blueberry Puree
More Recipes and Resources
- Healthy Smash Cake
- Baby French Toast
- Banana Pancakes For Babies
- Baby Yogurt Melts
Check out my guide to introducing solids for more ideas and information on feeding little ones and all of my baby food recipes as well.
Avocado Puree
5 from 3 votes
Avocado is great first food for babies. It contains healthy fats, it’s easy to blend and it’s delicious. Make it in your food processor or blender or simply mash!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 2
- 1 ripe avocado, skin and pit removed
Add avocado flesh into a high powered blender or food processor.
Blend until smooth and serve. If the puree is too thick you can add a little water or milk to thin, starting with 1 teaspoon and adding more as needed.
Another option is to make a chunky avocado puree by adding avocado chunks to a bowl and mashing the avocado with a fork.
food processor
Serving: 1/2 avocado Calories: 120kcal Carbohydrates: 6g Protein: 2g Fat: 11g Saturated Fat: 2g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 7g Sodium: 5mg Potassium: 364mg Fiber: 5g Vitamin A: -15IU
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
Please leave a comment and star rating on this post and share on social media using the hashtag #eatingbirdfood. I love seeing your recipe shares!Easy Avocado Puree (with Tips to Prevent Browning)
byAmy Palanjian
Updated
Jump to RecipeThis post may contain affiliate links. If you shop from one of our links, we may earn a commission.
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!
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Freezing baby food: storage rules and terms
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.
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.
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.
- 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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at what age can you give?
Child's birthday » Baby food » At what age can avocado be given to a child?
06/21/2016
Contents
- 1 What causes controversy in the scientific community
- 2 Avocados for the first complementary foods
- 3 How should an avocado look like?
- 4 How to choose a healthy avocado?
- 5 Storage conditions
- 6 Contraindications
- 7 Video: Feeding a baby from 4 months
The positive properties of avocados are in a large number of useful substances contained in it. This is a whole complex of vitamins and minerals. Useful for digestion is the fruit fiber of a ripe avocado grated into gruel. It should be noted that its calorie content is very high - 20Kk per 100 grams of product.
What causes controversy in the scientific community
Avocado is one of the healthiest foodsThis fruit is often prescribed for adults to lower cholesterol. For a week of systematic intake, indicators in adults decrease by 30%. The crumbs cannot have such problems with cholesterol, as well as cataracts. In addition to preventing all age-related changes, avocados prevent the development of cancer cells.
Nutritional value and chemical composition of avocadoFor children, this fruit is useful because the microelements contained in it contribute to the development of physical and mental. Scientists argue about the age at which avocados can be given to children. And this is in America, where this fruit has long been an integral part of the diet.
For Russia, avocado is an exotic product, which once again speaks against it. It has always been believed that vegetables and fruits that grow in the region where a person lives bring the greatest benefit.
Given that the avocado is also a strong aphrodisiac, the need for its introduction into the children's diet remains in question.
Avocado First Food
The delicate texture of the first fruit food is easier for the baby to digest than mashed vegetables and herbs. A more subtle unobtrusive taste also speaks in favor of fruit rather than vegetable complementary foods. But is it so important to give all the vitamins and minerals at once when you can please your child with a variety of flavors of fruits and vegetables that are less high in calories and do not contain "adult" vitamins. For example, "Omega-3" may be an extra addition to the mandatory vitamin "D" complex for babies.
Despite the variety of avocado recipes for children, it is better to consult a doctor.When introducing avocados into baby food, consult your doctor. Advice on the age at which to give avocados is mixed.
It is better to introduce avocado after applesauceSome scientists are of the opinion that this fruit should not be given to children under 1 year old. Others recommend it as the first complementary food. Here again, the exact age cannot be named, because the first complementary foods for breastfed children are recommended to be introduced no earlier than the baby is 6 months old.
The stomach of a bottle-fed baby is ready to accept tender fruit pulp from 3-4 months. As a rule, for 3-month-old children, applesauce becomes the first complementary food. Avocado has a delicate texture similar to an apple. Its taste is not bright, which can be a good addition to milk. But still, you can enter it a month after the first apple food and banana samples.
What should an avocado look like?
With the appearance of avocados, not everything is unambiguous due to the large number of its varieties. On Russian shelves, you can most often find 4 varieties out of 400 - these are:
Avocado varieties- "Gwen" - the fruits of this variety are oblong and rather large. Their skin is deep green. The flesh is yellow-green. The closer to the bone, the more yellow.
- "Reed" also refers to large-fruited varieties. The shape of the fruit is round, the flesh is light yellow, covered with a thick pimply skin of dark green color.
- Sweetish pulp under a smooth green skin is hidden in large fruits of the Fuerte variety.
- The most common pear-shaped fruits of medium size are the fruits of the Zutano variety. The flesh of the fruit is often white, sometimes yellowish. The smooth skin is easy to peel off.
There are a lot of varieties, so it is difficult to distinguish which of the fruits is ripe and which is not by the appearance of the peel. The main thing is that the peel is green, not purple. For some varieties, the brown color of the fruit peel is acceptable.
How to choose a healthy avocado?
"Maturity" avocadoWhen choosing an exotic fruit, you can trust your hands and ears. The first step is to touch the fruit: if it is too hard and when pressed with your fingers, its shape remains unchanged, it is not ripe. The soft fruit of the avocado belongs to the category of overripe. There is a high possibility that under a dense peel the process of decay or fermentation has already begun. It is necessary to choose the golden mean. An obligatory criterion when checking the fruit is the restoration of its original shape after pressing. There should be no dents on the peel.
It's even easier to tell when an avocado is ripe by ear. When shaking it, the stone should make a sound of hitting the shell. If this does not happen, the fruit is not ripe, the grain in the stone fits snugly.
When choosing between unripe and overripe avocados, it is better to give preference to the first. After a couple of days of lying, he will reach the required condition, like a pear.
Storage conditions
Avocados are best stored at room temperatureStore at room temperature. You can’t put it in a freezer or refrigerator - this fruit does not tolerate sub-zero temperatures, it deteriorates very quickly if stored improperly. Like all fruits, it must be eaten fresh, only then it will give the maximum benefit to the body and will not cause harm.
Contraindications
Possible cross-reactions are detected when diagnosing allergiesThe worst thing to give avocados to children suffering from latex allergies. At first glance, latex and fruit are unrelated. Upon a detailed study of the problem, it turned out that intolerance to bananas, apples, cherries, papaya, melons, tomatoes can subsequently affect cross-allergy. This will lead to severe forms of dermatitis on skin contact with latex products.
The threat of avocados is that latex proteins from the sap of euphorbia and mulberry trees are similar to those found in avocados. Latex products, which include nipples and pacifiers, with such a disease, will provoke the production of IgE. This type of immunoglobulin leads to the clinical manifestations of an allergic reaction.
In order not to condemn the child to suffering, it is necessary to consult a doctor before introducing exotic complementary foods.