Put this Butternut Squash Puree with Optional Garlic on baby’s first foods menu! 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 yummy butternut squash baby food. It’s easy to make, and a great starter puree for early weaning.
Ingredients in 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, a.k.a. butternut pumpkin here in Australia and New Zealand. Who knew it’s not actually a pumpkin? 😀 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 make Butternut Squash Puree
Chop, steam and blend 😊. It’s an easy method, no matter your kitchen gadget!
You can use an all-in-one appliance, baby food maker or a simmering basket over a pot of water on the stovetop to steam the butternut squash and garlic. Then either blend in the your machine, or use a hand mixer/potato masher to puree the squash and garlic together.
Thermomixer? As with most fruit and vegetables for purees, I use the simmering basket in my Thermomix to cook the butternut squash 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.
You’ll find the recipe card below, with ingredient amounts and detailed steps for both regular and thermo cooker methods.
Serving pureed butternut squash
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 butternut puree with Prawn Risotto recipe, 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 younger babies/first stage weaning, try offering this for the first time without the garlic. Serve it 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 older babies/second stage weaning, 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 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 Squash Pasta for baby is our favourite butternut squash recipe, especially good for autumn/fall! It’s a yummy, family-friendly pasta, so great for whole-family meals, 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 pureeing,
Chloe x
Butternut Squash Puree with Optional Garlic
Category: PuréeTap or hover to scale
Ingredients
- 200 g butternut squash peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 garlic clove peeled (optional)
- 500 g water
Instructions
- Steam 200 g butternut squash and 1 garlic clove (if using) in a steamer basket over a medium saucepan/pot with lid filled with 500 g water, 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 200 g butternut squash and 1 garlic clove (if using) into the simmering basket.
- Pour 500 g 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] Homemade baby food, 2023, Raising Children Network Australia.
One Response
I found this butternut squash puree was a great vegetable to introduce early on, and then mix and match with other veggies as baby’s feeding progressed. It’s a popular first food for good reason! Baby loved it.