Green Bean Baby Food
Looking for the first puree to serve your baby? Try this Green Bean Baby Food recipe! Steamed until just tender, this nutritious and smooth puree features a mild taste for your baby’s emerging palette. It’s a great Stage 1 Baby Food for 4-6 months and up.
Medically reviewed and co-written by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).
Green Bean Puree
Hold on ’cause I’m about to tell you something shocking. 😲
This homemade green bean puree is not only full of essential nutrients, but it is also delicious!
I know, this seems hard to believe because pureed green beans as 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. Then, we blend them into a velvety 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 step if you prefer. Because we are using this gentle way of cooking the green beans 💚, their taste doesn’t get aggressive, making it the perfect light puree for your baby’s first bite.
Is it your first time making homemade baby food? If you answered yes, then I suggest you start this journey by reading my in-depth Guide on How to Make Homemade Baby Food. The detailed article goes over all the essential information such as the best cooking tools to have on hand, safe storage, knowing when your baby is ready for solids, introducing purees, making the best first foods for baby, and more! You can also check out my best-selling cookbook for even more information and recipes.
Green Bean Baby Food Video
Watch this video to see how easy this Green Bean Puree recipe is to make!
Reasons to Love this Green Bean Puree
- simple and easy to make
- filled with nutrients for a growing baby
- features a gentle taste
- great for babies 4-6+ months
- stage 1 baby food
- freezer-friendly
- smooth and creamy
- aids digestion
- budget-friendly
Ingredients
Make sure to read the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions!
- Green Beans: You can use fresh or frozen green beans for 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 boost of flavor that herbs add to the puree, putting in herbs is completely optional.
Health Benefits of Green Beans
- Good source of fiber to help with any digestive issue.
- A great source with vitamin C to help support your 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 your baby? Then read the entire Green Bean Profile here.
Green Bean Tip: You can use either fresh or frozen green beans for this recipe. If you want to use organic but are on a budget, try looking for frozen organic green beans in the freezer aisle, which are cheaper than fresh conventional green beans.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Trim: Roughly trim the green beans. If you’ll be adding herbs, roughly chop them as well.
- 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 it cool slightly — reserve the 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 your baby or freeze for later.
Tools Needed
These tools will make it a lot easier for you to make this healthy Green Bean Puree. For more of my favorite kitchen tools make sure to check out my shop.
- Steamer insert with lid
- Blender or Food Processor
- Freezer Tray
- Storage Containers for Fridge
- Stasher Bag
- Bib with catch pocket
- Reusable pouches
Recipe Tips
- Adding Healthy Fats: Adding a teaspoon of avocado, coconut oil, or olive oil wonderfully compliments this green bean puree. Not only will healthy fats bring out the natural nuttiness of green beans, but they also add healthy fats into your baby’s diet.
- Fresh or Frozen: Feel free to use fresh or frozen green beans for this recipe.
Other Cooking Methods
While I love the crisp and fresh flavor of steamed green beans, there are several 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 2 tablespoons of water, cover, and cook for 2 more minutes. Puree in a blender as directed below.
Roasted
If you want the baby puree to have a dense, earthy taste, then roast the green beans instead.
Trim the green beans and then toss with 1-2 tsp of olive or avocado oil on a baking sheet. 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Babies 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 your baby has solid control of their head and neck, if your baby has doubled in weight, and if your 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.
Green beans can 100% be your baby’s first food if you want it to be. It is recommended to wait to introduce the top eight allergen foods to your baby once a few other well-tolerated foods have been introduced, but otherwise, foods can be introduced in any order so choose whatever you are most excited for your baby to have.
No, green beans are not a common allergen, however, as with any food, start with a small portion and be aware of any signs that might be an allergic reaction after introducing it.
Green beans do not usually cause constipation in babies, and may actually help alleviate constipation due to their high fiber content.
Adding Spices
Feel free to add a big pinch of roughly chopped basil, cilantro, mint, parsley, or chives to this puree before blending.
Coconut Oil: Another great addition to this puree is adding 1-2 teaspoons of organic virgin coconut oil. Healthy fats, such as coconut oil, help aid your baby’s brain development and function, repair torn or strained muscles (great for crawlers), and is great for digestion needs.
How to Store Green Bean Puree
Refrigerator
You can store this puree 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. Do not overfill.
- Place the lid on the storage container or cover with a piece of saran wrap — label with the date and recipe name.
- Place the tray into the freezer and let it freeze completely – preferably overnight.
- Pop-out the baby food cubes and place them in a zip-lock baggie or stasher bag. Don’t forget to relabel 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 the date you made it. Take it from me; by the end of the week, you will completely forget what is in your freezer and how long it’s been there. 😉
Green Bean Combination Purees
While Green Bean Baby Food is already tasty by itself, you can also easily mix and match it with other nutrient-dense baby food purees. For a Stage Two puree, give these fun flavor combos a try!
Green Beans for Baby-Led Weaning: Green beans are also a great food to serve to your baby whole for baby-led weaning (6+ months) or as a finger food (9+ months). You can always serve baby a combination of purees and finger foods right from the start.
Puree Feeding Tips
- 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 your 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 your 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!
- Throwing spoons is a common phase that all babies go through at one point or another. One of the best ways to handle spoon throwing is to ignore it and keep feeding your baby as usual (with an extra spoon you already have at the table). If your baby ends up also throwing back up spoons #2 AND #3, simply encourage your baby to eat with their hands until they appear to be finished with the meal. ***Give baby plenty of opportunities to practice putting items in and taking items out of containers outside of mealtimes.
Or watch a shortened version of this video here.
Get the recipe: 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.
Notes
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34 Comments on “Green Bean Baby Food”
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.
We can add water to this correct? For our liquid?
Yes, you can use water if needed while blending into a puree.
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!
Thank you for the amazing post.
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Tasty without herbs as well (:
Herbs/spices are always optional. Glad you liked it!
I read you can mix with breast milk as well. Will any vegetable taste good to mix with breast milk? I wanna make this for my baby but don’t wanna waste the liquid gold haha!
You can add fresh breast milk to any puree while you are pureeing it. You can also add in a little breast milk while defrosting the puree if you don’t want to add as much during the blending process.
Instead of steaming can I pressure cook for two minutes in the pressure cooker to save time using homemade turkey stock?
Yes, you can cook green beans in the pressure cooker (I usually do 4-5 minutes in my Instapot).
I made these. Even after I pureed them, I still found the little stingy things in there. What did I do wrong?
Hmm.. I haven’t ever had strings in mine before. What type of green beans are you using? Fresh or frozen? Are they fork tender when cooked?
I ALSO have struggled with strings in my green beans while making green bean purees for both my babies using green beans from our garden. I thought I learned my lesson with my now 3 year old, so when making it for my now 8 month old daughter I was diligent about removing the strings and blending extra but they are STILL there. I ended up throwing some out because it’s nearly impossible to get the strings out without taking a bunch of the beans away. Any suggestions are welcomed because I’m hoping to try again
So interesting! I usually use frozen green beans or fresh green beans from trader joes and have never had strings. You could make this puree and then pass it through a fine mess colander if you get strings in your green beans.
Your recipes work great! For the green beans I first tried my ninja food processor but left it chunky so then I used the smoothie blade with a smoothie cup on my ninja similar to a magic bullet and it worked great!! Just trial and error depending on the veggie. Also I had to add quite a bit of liquid to get it smooth
Thank you for your 5-star review! Also, thank you for your thoughts on what to use for the ninja food processor. I don’t have one so your input will help other readers 🤍.
Hi can I add formula milk while blending?
Yes, you can add fresh baby formula to any baby food while pureeing.
Hello, I am loving all of the recipes and tips on your website! I was curious if I could use canned green beans?
I using canned green beans, I would drain and rinse them before using. The taste will more intense and a little more acidic than fresh or frozen.