This Green Bean Baby Food recipe is a great first free puree for baby! Steamed until just tender, this puree has a mild taste for baby’s emerging palette. Great baby food for 4 months and up – stage 1 baby food.
Medically reviewed by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)
Green Bean Puree
Hold on… cuz I’m about to tell you something shocking 😲.
This homemade green bean puree is NOT only full of essential nutrients… BUT it is also completely delicious!
I know… this seems hard to believe because pureed green beans for baby food get a pretty bad rap.
But it’s 💯 true! This green bean puree will knock your 🧦 off!
We start with fresh or frozen green beans that are gently steamed to bring out the freshness before blending them into a smooth and creamy puree for baby. I add a pinch of cilantro, parsley or basil to this puree to round out the flavor profile, but you can skip that added step if you prefer. Because we are using this gentle way of cooking the green beans 💚, they don’t get too taste aggressive. Which makes for a mild puree perfect for baby’s first bite.
First time making homemade baby food? Then, I would suggest that you start by reading my very in-depth Guide on how to Make Homemade Baby Food – which goes over all the important information such as the best cooking tools to have on hand, safe storage, how to know when baby is ready for solids, how to introduce purees, the best first foods for baby, and more! You can also check out my best-selling cookbook for even more information and recipes!
REASONS TO LOVE THIS Green Bean puree
- easy to make
- healthy – full of nutrients for a growing baby
- delicious
- 4+ months
- stage 1
- freezer-friendly
- smooth and creamy
- great for digestion
- budget-friendly
INGREDIENTS
- Green Beans: you can use fresh or frozen green beans in this recipe.
- Herbs: you can add a pinch of cilantro, basil, parsley, mint or chives to this puree to enhance the flavor profile. While I love the added boost of flavor off added herbs in the puree, this is completely optional.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF Green Beans
- A good source of fiber to help with any digestive issues.
- A great source of vitamin C to help support baby’s immune system.
- A good source of vitamin K to help strengthen bones.
Want to learn more about the benefits of Green Beans for baby? Then you can read the entire Green Bean Profile here.
Cost Per Ounce
Green beans are typically easy to find in almost any grocery store year-round, making them a staple for baby food making. The average price for a pound of fresh green beans is $3 for conventional, $4 for organic and $2.4 for frozen organic green beans.
If we do some math, which with baby-brain is always a struggle for me;), this puree ranges in price from $0.15 – $0.25 per ounce, while store-bought brands cost roughly $0.32 per ounce.
Green Bean Puree Costs on average – $0.20 per ounce to make.
Green Bean Tip: you can use either fresh or frozen green beans for this recipe. If you want to do organic but are on a budget, try looking in the freezer aisle as you can usually find frozen organic green beans that are cheaper than fresh conventional green beans!
TIPS
- Adding Healthy Fats: This green bean puree is a perfect one to add in a teaspoon of avocado, coconut oil or olive oil. Not only will it bring out the natural nutty-ness of green beans, but it also adds another source of healthy fats into baby’s diet.
- Fresh or Frozen: feel free to use fresh or frozen green beans in this recipe.
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
- Trim: roughly trim the green beans and roughly chop the herb (if using).
- Steam: Fill a medium saucepan with 2” of water and bring to boil over medium heat. Place the green beans (fresh or frozen) into a steamer basket over the boiling water, cover, and cook for 10 minutes or until tender. Let cool slightly. Reserve steamer water.
- Puree: Transfer the green beans and herb to a blender or food processor and puree for 1-2 minutes or until smooth, adding liquid in 1/4 cup increments if needed until you reach your desired consistency.
- Eat: Serve to baby or freeze for later.
OTHER COOKING METHODS
While I love the crisp and fresh flavor of steamed green beans, there are several different ways you can cook green beans for baby food.
SKILLET
Trim the green beans and then add them to a large skillet that has been preheated with 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Cook for 5-7 minutes, add in 2 tablespoons of water, cover and cook for 2 more mintues. Puree in a blender as directed below.
ROASTED
Roasting green beans will give the baby puree a very earthy and dense flavor.
Trim the green beans and then toss with 1-2 tsp of olive or avocado oil on a baking sheet. Then cook 425 degrees F, for 18-20 minutes, tossing halfway through baking time or until tender when pricked with a fork. Puree in a blender as directed below.
ADDING SPICES
Feel free to add in a big pinch of roughly chopped basil, cilantro, mint, parsley or chives to this puree before blending.
Tip on Spices: I always added spices or herbs to my baby food purees, but you can add or leave them out of your baby food. You do you! Either way, this puree will taste amazing.
WHEN CAN BABY EAT GREEN BEANS?
Baby can have green beans as one of their first foods. When a baby can start on solids is determined by their own rate of development, which generally comes between 4-6 months of age. Some of the developmental milestones babies need to reach in order to start solids include: if baby has solid control of their head and neck, if baby has doubled in weight, and if baby is reaching for or opening their mouth when you eat (see my guide here). Before you start baby on purees, you should consult with your pediatrician to make sure your child is developmentally ready.
HOW TO STORE PEAR PUREE
REFRIGERATOR
You can store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
FREEZER
This puree can be frozen for up to 4 months.
- Spoon puree into a freezer storage container (this is my favorite freezer storage container) – do not overfill.
- Place the lid on the storage container or cover with a piece of saran wrap and label with date and recipe name.
- Place the tray into the freezer and let freeze completely – preferably overnight.
- Pop out the baby food cubes and place in a zip-lock baggie or stasher bag – don’t forget to re-label the baggie or stager bag for future reference.
Need more information on how to store your baby foods – head over to my Best Baby Food Storage Containers – Plus 6 Tips on Freezing and Thawing post!
Label Tip: Don’t forget to label your purees before you place them in the fridge or freezer with the name of the puree and date you made it. Take it from me, you will completely forget when and what is in your freezer by the end of the week;).
WHEN CAN BABY EAT GREEN BEANS?
Baby can have green beans as one of their first foods. When a baby can start on solids is determined by their own rate of development, which generally comes between 4-6 months of age. Some of the developmental milestones babies need to reach in order to start solids include: if baby has solid control of their head and neck, if baby has doubled in weight, and if baby is reaching for or opening their mouth when you eat (see my guide here). Before you start baby on purees, you should consult with your pediatrician to make sure your child is developmentally ready.
GREAT Green Bean COMBINATION PUREES
While Green Bean Baby Food is great by itself, it’s also super easy to mix and match with other nutrient-dense baby food purees. For a Stage Two puree give these fun flavor combos a try!
Helpful Tools
DID YOU MAKE THIS GREEN BEAN PUREE?
I’D LOVE TO KNOW HOW IT TURNED OUT! LEAVE A COMMENT AND A ⭐️ RATING BELOW 👇
Green Bean Baby Food
Ingredients
- 1 pound green beans, fresh or frozen
- 1 big pinch of fresh basil, cilantro or parsley, roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Trim: roughly trim the green beans and roughly chop the herb (if using).
- Steam: fill a medium saucepan with 2” of water and bring to boil over medium heat. Place the green beans (fresh or frozen) into a steamer basket over the boiling water, cover, and cook for 10 minutes or until tender. Let cool slightly. Reserve steamer water.
- Puree: transfer the green beans and herb to a blender or food processor and puree for 1-2 minutes or until smooth, adding liquid in 1/4 cup increments if needed until you reach your desired consistency.
- Eat: serve to baby or freeze for later.
How do you get the smooth like consistency? I’ve made this twice now and it’s so chunky. I have tried my NINJA blender and magic bullet.
I recommend blending for 1-2 minutes on medium-high or high speed. The ninja and magic bullet should do a great job, you may just need to blend for more time. Also, scraping down the sides if it’s chunky or adding more liquid will help it become smoother. Give those tips a try and let me know how it goes.
Can this recipe be substituted with yellow beans? Or do you have a yellow bean baby puree recipe? I have so many yellow beans in my garden and would love to use them up for baby boy.
Thanks!
I think yellow beans would be lovely in this recipe. You don’t see them too often in the market, so let us know how they turned out.
For those trying to make this in a ninja. I have found the best way to do it is in a blender cup. The food processor and the large blender do not work to get it to a smooth consistency.
This worked perfectly! Thank you!
I have unsalted bone chicken broth! Would that work For the liquid?
Yes.. that would be a great thing to add in! Plus it will give the puree such great flavor.
Baby loved it
So happy to hear this! 🙂
I am not sure about I should give it to my 3 months baby. Do you feel any kind of unusual behavior from the baby after giving it?
I don’t think you should give it to 3 months old baby because it is written that this recipe is for 4 months and up.
Hi! Can you microwave the frozen string-beans or should we only steam them before pureeing? Thank you!
Great question, I would steam from frozen.
Thank you!