The Best Avocado Baby Food
Looking to serve avocados to your baby? Then, I’ve got you! Avocados are one of my favorite foods to serve to babies because you can easily blend them into a smooth puree, smash them into a chunky puree, slice them into finger food, or cut them into pieces with an easy-to-grip handle for baby-led weaning – all in the matter of minutes!
Medically reviewed and cowritten by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).
Avocados were one of the first foods I served my youngest, mainly because she kept trying to swipe a finger full of it off of the top of my avocado toast. Smart girl, lol! For her first meal with avocado, I served her both mashed avocado with banana, as well as a few thick slices of ripe avocado for her to self-feed herself. I’m not kidding when she finished off both of them before I could even sip my coffee, all while giving me the sign language for ‘more’ in a frantic manner. Since then, she’s been hooked, and avocados are still one of her favorite foods!
So, no matter what feeding style you are doing with your little one, avocados have got you covered. 👍
Plus, after making your baby an easy avocado meal, you can also slice some for your own snack! And in my opinion, every time avocado is involved in a meal, the day gets better.
Watch How to Make Avocado Baby Food
Ingredients
Spices or Herbs: you can certainly add in a pinch of spice or herbs to your avocado puree. A pinch of freshly chopped cilantro, chives, parlsey, or mint would be tasty or you could add in a pinch of garlic powder, cumin, paprika, mild chili powder or a squeeze of lemor or lime juice.
How to Serve Avocado to Baby
There are a variety of ways to prepare avocados for your baby. Here are 4 of my favorite ways:
- Mashed Avocado – This is a quick and easy way to make a chunky or smooth puree, ideal for babies 6+ months old. For baby-led weaning, I love to add this rich and thick puree to a slice of toast, pancake, or waffle for babies to self-feed. You can also serve it to them on a self-feeding spoon.
- Sliced with Some Peel Left – When you leave the peel on half of a slice of avocado, you are making a little easy-to-hold handle for your baby. They can hold (or palmar grasp) the peel and then eat the peeled portion. It’s perfect for baby-led weaning (6+ months) or finger foods (9+ months).
- Avocado Banana Smooth Puree – When blended with half of a banana, avocado becomes mouthwateringly smooth. This is great for babies 6+ months old who love smooth and creamy purees. Plus, it only takes 40 seconds to make.
- Slices Rolled in a Coating – This is another excellent alternative for babies who want to eat with their fingers but need a little help getting a good grip on the avocado slices since avocados can be a little slippery. You can do this option with slices or diced avocados. They’re also ideal for baby-led weaning (6+ months) or finger foods (9+ months).
Looking for more easy baby-led weaning and puree recipes? Then check out my favorite ways to serve apples and bananas to babies!
Get the recipe: The Best Avocado Baby Food – Puree & BLW
Ingredients
MASHED AVOCADO – SMOOTH OR CHUNKY
- 1/4 avocado
- 1 tsp breast milk, formula or water (optional)
AVOCADO FOR BABY-LED WEANING
- 1/4 avocado
AVOCADO PUREE WITH BANANA
- 1/2 avocado
- 1/2 banana
COATED AVOCADO SLICES
- 1/4 avocado, sliced and peeled
- 2 tbsp hemp seeds, breadcrumbs or crushed baby puffs
Instructions
MASHED AVOCADO – SMOOTH OR CHUNKY
- Place the avocado on a cutting board, and taking the back of a fork, smash until you get your desired consistency. For a smooth puree, add in the liquid and smash until smooth.
AVOCADO FOR BABY-LED WEANING
- There are several ways you can serve avocado to your baby if you are doing baby-led weaning depending on your baby's age.6-8 months: cut the avocado into thick slices and leave half of the peel on (see photo above) so your baby has an easy-to-grip handle.8-10 months: slice the avocado into thin slices without the peel. 10-12 months: cut the avocado into small chunks so your baby can practice their pincer grasp.
AVOCADO PUREE WITH BANANA
- Place the avocado and banana in a small blender or food processor. Puree for 1 minute or until smooth, adding in liquid if needed.
COATED AVOCADO SLICES
- Take the sliced and peeled avocado and roll in the hemp seeds, breadcrumbs or crushed baby puffs.
Notes
- Follow your baby’s lead – when feeding purees from a spoon, sometimes there’s a tendency to keep offering bites past the point of your baby being full. Always follow baby’s cues for when they are done eating. Turning away from the spoon, closing her mouth, or pushing food away are all signs that baby is finished with the meal.
- Try adding a little seasoning or spice to purees – babies like flavor! Or consider changing the temperature of purees from time to time, to slightly warmed or slightly chilled. Varying these aspects adds to the sensory experience!
- Place a small amount of puree on the tray during spoon feeding – so that your baby can dip their fingers or hands in the puree. Allowing baby to explore foods in this way helps them learn to self-feed and can help them be more willing to try new textures and foods in the future.
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13 Comments on “The Best Avocado Baby Food”
Okay… the avocado mixed with banana for my son is a HIT! My husband and I tried some with him. It’s so yummy. It tastes like a yummy green smoothie.
Yay! That’s great that you guys are tasting and sharing in the process of trying new food! xo, Michele
So thorough and helpful!! Thank you to whoever made this
So glad you found this information helpful!
Your recipes are great! My 2nd son, (6 months) absolutely loves avacadoes! I wrote down and will be using all of these recipes! I wasn’t sure if I could add lemon juice to it for some added taste, but I did and he ate the entire thing with no mess!!
Thanks!!
Adding a little lemon juice is a great way to give the avocado a slight citrus taste. Glad he loved these recipes! 🙂
Hi Michele,
If it’s in the fridge can you warm the avocado purée in the microwave? If yes do you make it really hot then let it cool down, or do you lightly warm it in the microwave?
I would recommend slightly warming it up in 20-second intervals, stirring in between, until it’s just warm.
Thank you so much, my baby loves avocado with egg yolk for breakfast
So glad this tasty and nutritious combination is a hit!
HI, IM doing bIw with my baby, I was trying to find new ways for him to eat avocado since it’s so slippery. For the coating, can I use the baby rice cereal/oatmeal to coat them or would that not be a good idea?
Hi Michelle,
I love your recipes! I used so many with baby #1 and now baby #2 is starting to eating purees as well. Do you think I can freeze the banana and avocado puree and still have it taste fresh when reheated? Thank you
Great question – I would add just a tiny bit of lemon juice to it so that it doesn’t brown while frozen. And make sure to freeze right after you puree the banana and avocado together.