How to Make Avocado Baby Food

Homemade Avocado Baby Food

Jennifer White

Medically reviewed by

Willow Jarosh, MS, RD

Updated on July 15, 2021

(405 ratings)

Total Time: 2 min

Prep Time: 2 min

Cook Time: 0 min

Servings: 5

The nutritional value of avocados, along with their mild flavor and creamy texture, makes this fruit—yes, avocado is a fruit—a great first food for babies. You can offer babies avocado as soon as they are developmentally ready to start solid foods (typically around 6 months old). It's also a good first finger food if you're using baby-led feeding or puree.

Avocados offer many nutrients. In fact, they offer more nutrients (such as vitamin B1 and B2) per gram than many of the fruits and vegetables typically recommended for babies starting solids.

They are loaded with fiber while also supplying your baby with other vitamins and minerals, such as folate, zinc, niacin, thiamin, and riboflavin. Avocados also contain potassium while also being lower in sodium.

Avocados are also high in monounsaturated fat (71%) with smaller amounts of polyunsaturated fat (13%) and saturated fat (16%), making them supportive for the heart and helping little bodies absorb the fat-soluble vitamins they consume.

In addition, avocados are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which promote brain development, making them an excellent choice for a growing baby. So, don't let the fat in avocados deter you from feeding them to your little one.

You can make avocado baby food in just a couple of minutes by following this recipe. It makes five baby-sized servings, giving your baby more nutritious and healthy meals and snacks.

Ingredients

1 ripe avocado
Optional: Breast milk, formula, or water

Preparation

Use a sharp knife to cut the avocado in half.
Score the pit with the knife and twist the knife to pull out the pit.
Scoop the avocado meat out of its skin with a spoon and put it in a dish.
Use a fork to mash the avocado into a chunky puree or use a blender or food processor to reach your desired consistency.
Optional: If you want to achieve a thinner consistency, add breast milk, formula, or water until it is as thin as you'd like.

Variations and Substitutions

You can add other fruits or vegetables to the avocado to create new flavor combinations for your baby. Some good combinations to add to avocado include:

Mashed cooked carrot
Cooked mashed peas
Mashed banana

Cooking and Serving Tips

Be prepared: Always have ripe avocados on hand by buying some ripe and some almost ripe. Store them outside of the fridge unless they're already ripe. You can also keep avocados handy by cutting up a ripe fruit and freezing the slices. When you're ready to use them, thaw a few and mash.
Choose a ripe avocado: If you want avocados that will mash more easily, look for dark green ones and have bumpy skin. Squeeze the avocado. It should feel firm with just a bit of give. A rock-hard avocado isn't ripe enough to be used in baby food and one that feels soft and somewhat squishy is too ripe.
Store leftovers: You can store your batch of avocado baby food in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 72 hours.
Freeze in portions: Scoop individual serving sizes into an ice cube tray. Once they're frozen, move them into a plastic container or freezer bag.

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