5 0 Published Jan 29, 2022, Updated May 29, 2024 I know there are outliers but most babies tend to love bananas because of their sweetness so hopefully your babe will enjoy this banana puree too!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Bananas are widely available and inexpensive. Banana puree is a great stage 1 food for babies because it’s sweet and has a smooth consistency. They are low on the allergy scale so they’re often a safe choice to start baby on. There are two easy ways to make banana puree and it’s also easy to meal prep and store in the freezer!
Bananas Make a Great First Food For Babies
Bananas are a great first food to introduce to babies because they’re naturally soft and mushy, easy to digest and loaded with vitamins and minerals. You can also easily mix bananas with rice cereal or oatmeal to add a little natural sweetness or just serve bananas straight up – mashed, pureed or you can serve larger spears or halves of a banana if you’re following a baby led weaning approach.
How to Make Banana Puree
Option 1: Mash
Mashing a banana is super simple and all you need is a fork! Place your banana on a plate and mash with a fork until the banana is the consistency you desire. Use in desired recipe or serve to baby as is.
Option 2: Blend/Puree
Blending the bananas in a food processor or blender makes for a smoother puree, which is perfect when you’re just introducing babies to solid foods and need thinner purees. Simply add 2 bananas into a food processor or blender and process until the bananas are smooth and creamy. You can make the puree thinner by adding a little breast milk or formula, if needed. Once you’ve made the puree, serve to baby as is or mix with another puree to make a new flavor. See some ideas below.
Foods That Pair Well With Banana Puree
Banana puree pairs well with so many things, especially veggies because its natural sweetness will make them more palatable to baby! Here are some ideas:
Green veggies – kale, spinach, avocado, zucchini, peas Orange veggies – sweet potato, butternut squash, carrot White veggies – cauliflower Other fruit – mango, strawberries, peaches, apples, kiwis, Dairy – yogurt, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese Grains – quinoa, oats Legumes – chickpeas, lentils Seasonings and spices – curry, ginger, mint, nutmeg, cinnamon
Banana Baby Food Combo Ideas
Here are some banana baby food combos that might be fun to try:
Banana, peach and strawberry Banana, cinnamon and oatmeal Apple, banana and strawberry Banana, zucchini and spinach Yogurt and banana Avocado and banana Peas, banana and kiwi
Olivia also loved the combo of banana, blueberry, quinoa and flax that I shared in my baby food combinations post. This one has a lot going on so it’s best for stage 2 eaters.
Banana Puree for Toddlers
For toddlers, banana puree can be used as a mix-in to sweeten up yogurt or baby oatmeal, as a dip for baby pancakes or put into reusable pouches for an easy, mess-free snack.
Bananas and Constipation
One thing to note is that bananas can slow digestion and in turn cause constipation. I know there were a couple times when we first started solids that Olivia dealt with constipation. Whenever it happened we tried to cut back on bananas knowing that they wouldn’t help the situation. If your baby does deal with constipation, I recommend limiting bananas and trying to add in more foods with fiber like pea puree or prune puree or juice. We used prune juice a couple times and it worked!
How to Store
Fresh banana baby food should be stored in the fridge and used within 3-4 days. For longer storage, I recommend freezing the puree! 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 Thaw
I recommend thawing frozen banana puree in the fridge the night before you want to use it, but you can also thaw it with a warm water bath. It thaws quickly if you’re defrosting a small amount to serve to a baby.
Other Ways to Use This Puree
Banana 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:
Topping for pancakes and waffles – level up your breakfast or brunch by topping pancakes or waffles with this puree. Try it on my almond flour pancakes! Serve over ice cream – mix banana puree into your favorite ice cream or simply serve over top of ice cream or frozen yogurt for an extra touch of sweetness that packs in some nutrients! Swirl into oatmeal, yogurt or chia pudding – add a boost of flavor and nutrition by adding banana puree to oatmeal or chia pudding. It’s perfect for my banana bread overnight oats.
I also have a ton of banana recipes that require mashed or pureed bananas! Highly recommend my vegan banana bread or oatmeal chia cookies.
More Baby Food Purees
Sweet Potato Puree Butternut Squash Puree Peach Puree Avocado Puree Carrot Puree Pea Puree Pumpkin Puree Applesauce
More Recipes and Resources
Oatmeal For Babies Healthy Smash Cake Banana Pancakes For Babies Baby Yogurt Melts
Be sure to check out my full collection of baby food recipes here on EBF.
