Banana Puree for Baby
Banana puree is one of the easiest purees to make for babies as they don’t need to be cooked and can be pureed with a fork, no need for the blender!
Babies love the sweet taste of bananas and they can be served on their own or mixed into other purees.
Reasons to feed babies bananas
Bananas are a good source of fibre, potassium, vitamin B6 and vitamin C which are important nutrients for babies.
They are also an excellent source of carbohydrates. Babies have high requirements for carbohydrates as their brains need a lot of energy for growth and development, and carbohydrates are their preferred way of getting this energy.
Bananas are an easy first food as they’re soft and mushy, sweet and can be served as a puree, chunky mash or finger food.
Banana Puree Recipe
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: -
Makes: 1/2 cup
Suitable for freezing (a little browning may occur)
Suitable from 6 months (or whenever your baby starts solids)
Ingredients
1 large ripe banana
Method
1. Peel banana and break into chunks
2. Mash using the back of a fork until smooth. Alternatively, place in food processor and blend until smooth
Step 1
Step 2
Step 2
FAQs:
Can banana puree be frozen?
Banana puree can be frozen in ice cube trays or small containers. Just bear in mind that the banana will go a little brown.
This might look a bit off-putting but doesn’t mean the banana has gone bad, it’s still perfectly safe to eat and while it may look a little unappealing to us, your baby is unlikely to mind!
What can I serve banana puree with?
Banana puree can be served on its own or added to other fruit and vegetable purees, such as kiwi fruit or raspberry.
What can I do with leftover banana puree?
Leftover banana puree can be added to smoothies for the rest of the family and used in banana bread or muffins.
Do bananas cause constipation?
Parents often report that bananas appear to cause their babies to become constipated.
This is most likely due to the fibre content and also the resistant starch present in bananas, particularly unripe bananas. The resistant starch content decreases as bananas ripen, so it’s best to serve your baby ripe bananas.
Strangely, there’s actually not much evidence to support the theory that bananas cause constipation, but if your baby is already constipated, it might be a good idea to give bananas a miss until the constipation has resolved.
How do I serve bananas as a finger food?
Bananas also make a great finger food for babies. You can serve them in a few different ways, peeled and cut in half, unpeeled and cut in half with a small amount of the skin cut off at the cut top, or peeled and split into thirds lengthwise to make spears. Once your baby develops a pincer grip, they can also be cut into small pieces.
Check out my blog on easy first finger foods for more finger food ideas.