Put this Butternut Squash Puree with Optional Garlic on baby’s first foods menu! Packed with essential nutrients [1] like Vitamin A to support baby’s growth, eyesight and immune system, butternut squash (butternut pumpkin) is a great baby food. Earthy sweet and naturally creamy, baby’s little taste buds will love this homemade butternut puree. The addition of garlic gives extra savouriness to this delicious baby puree.
What you need to make Butternut Squash Puree
This is a really easy baby food puree to start with, made with one or two common ingredients:
Butternut Squash/Butternut Pumpkin – I love using butternut squash, aka butternut pumpkin here in Australia and New Zealand. Who knew it’s not actually a pumpkin? 😀 High in fibre and packed with nutrients including Vitamin A and Vitamin C, it’s a great vegetable [2] to include in baby’s diet. You can substitute for fresh pumpkin though – Kent is a lovely sweet variety commonly available in Australia.
Garlic – Optional here. You choose whether to include it for your baby if a new food.
How to puree butternut squash
Chop, cook and blend 😊. It’s an easy method, no matter your kitchen gadget!
Thermomixer? As with most fruit and vegetables for purees, I use the simmering basket in my Thermomix to cook the butternut cubes as steaming (rather than boiling) is often the best way to preserve both taste and nutrients. Remember that the exact cooking time will vary depending on how small you chop the pieces.
Conventional cook? You can use another all-in-one appliance, baby food maker or the stovetop and hand mixer/potato masher to make this simple puree recipe.
See the recipe card below for ingredient amounts and detailed steps for both thermo cooker and conventional methods.
Serving Butternut Squash Puree
Early into starting solid foods, I served this pureed butternut squash on its own. It’s lovely mild flavor and smooth texture makes for a great first food. I also paired this baby puree with Prawn and Pea Risotto, mixing together equal portions – Baby LJ loved the flavour combination!
If your baby is ready, why not also give larger pieces of steamed butternut alongside the puree, so they can try different textures of the same vegetable as finger foods?
Just starting solid foods?
This butternut squash baby food is ideal for both Stage 1 (around 6 months of age) and Stage 2 (around 6-9 months) weaning. For first stage/younger babies, try offering this dish for the first time without the garlic and as a very smooth puree by mixing through a small amount of cooled boiled water, formula milk or expressed breast milk immediately before serving. For second stage weaning/older babies, add the garlic and increase the texture by blending/pureeing for less time.
The great thing about making your own baby food is that as baby grows and develops, you can progress to serving foods in different ways, from runny/smooth purees to chunkier mashed foods, to serving appropriately chopped soft foods as you would for the family.
Check out this blog post on the best puree recipes to try when baby starts solid foods. It’s a handy little guide to weaning, and keeping it simple for both you and baby!
Storing this butternut puree
This Butternut Squash Puree for baby can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days or freezer for up to 1 month. I found that freezing different fruits and vegetables in individual portions was best, using baby food or silicone ice cube trays. You can then transfer the cubes to a labelled freezer bag. Remember to be food safe when freezing, defrosting and reheating any baby food.
Looking for more butternut squash recipes? This Butternut Pumpkin and Pine Nut Pasta is our favourite butternut squash recipe. It’s a yummy, nutritious baby-friendly pasta, so great for Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) and self-feeding.
If you try this butternut squash baby food recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest too for more baby food recipes.
Happy puréeing,
Chloe x
Butternut Squash Puree with Optional Garlic
Category: PuréeTap or hover to scale
Ingredients
- 200 g butternut squash/butternut pumpkin peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 garlic clove peeled (optional)
- 500 g water
Instructions
- Steam the butternut squash and garlic (if using) in a steamer basket over a medium saucepan/pot with lid for 15 minutes or until butternut is tender.
- Using a food processor or immersion blender, blend cooked butternut squash and garlic with 1 tbs of cooking liquid until you reach the desired consistency (Note 1).
Thermomix Instructions
- Put the butternut squash and garlic (if using) into the simmering basket.
- Pour the water into the mixing bowl. Insert the simmering basket and cook for 15 minutes, Varoma, speed 2, MC on.
- Remove the simmering basket, and reserve the cooking liquid in a bowl or jug.
- Put the butternut squash and garlic (if using) into the mixing bowl with 1 tbs of the reserved cooking liquid.
- Chop for 20 seconds, speed 7, MC on, making sure to increase the speed gradually to avoid the butternut immediately sticking to the sides of the mixing bowl. Scrape down the mixing bowl and lid, and repeat 2 to 3 times until you reach the desired consistency (Note 1).
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
[1] Butternut squash, 2023, Solid Starts Inc.
[1] Is butternut squash good for you? 2019, Healthline.
[2] Homemade baby food, 2023, Raising Children Network Australia.
