This Pumpkin Baby Puree is a creamy and flavorful way to introduce baby to the tastes of the season! So good you can serve it plain, with a swirl of plain yogurt, cottage cheese for older babies or with a spoon full of ricotta. Great baby food for 4 months and up – stage 1 baby food.
Pumpkin Baby Puree
You’re not the only one that will be obsessed with pumpkin this fall!
Pumpkin baby puree 🎃 is a fun and flavorful way to introduce the taste of the season to your little pumpkin 👶!
Filled with a ton of essential nutrients for baby, this recipe is an easy hands-off way to make a pumpkin puree for baby without all the fuss 🙅♀️.
It is a great smooth starter puree for baby or it can be mixed into yogurt, oatmeal, pancakes, muffins, or apple puree for toddlers and kids.
REASONS TO LOVE PUMPKIN PUREE
- creamy and smooth
- great for 4+ months
- stage one baby food
- healthy – full of essential nutrients for baby
- easy to make – 10 minutes of hands-on time
- baby loves the sweet and earthy taste
- homemade
- freezer-friendly
- budget-friendly
Ingredients
- Pumpkin: for the best pumpkin baby puree you should use a Pie or Sugar pumpkin, not the huge pumpkins you use for carving. Most grocery stores carry pie pumpkins in the fall.
- Sage or Thyme: to round out the pumpkin’s natural sweetness, we are going to add in a pinch of freshly chopped sage or thyme. You can also use cumin, nutmeg, cloves, garlic clove, basil leaves, chopped rosemary or even a big pinch of fresh ginger.
How to make pumpkin puree
- Preheat Oven: preheat oven and line a baking sheet.
- Cut Pumpkin: Start by slicing off the top off the pumpkin, then cut lengthwise down the middle until you have 2 halves of a pumpkin.
- Scoop Out Seeds and String: don’t be too obsessed with getting all the strings out, they will puree nicely with the rest of the pumpkin.
- Chop Pumpkin: chop into smallish pieces and place onto a baking sheet, skin side down.
- Roast: place the pumpkin in the oven and then roast until tender.
- Peel the Skin: away from the pumpkin.
- Blend: place the pumpkin inside a food processor or blender. Add thyme and start blending for 1-2 minutes, adding the liquid in 1/4 cup increments until you get the desired consistency.
- Serve or freeze for later.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF PUMPKIN
- A good source of fiber and can prevent and resolve constipation.
- Contains a lot of beta-carotene which helps aid eyesight.
- Contains antioxidants and vitamin A to help strengthen immunity.
- A good source of calcium to help strengthen bones.
More Ways to Cook Pumpkin
There are several different ways you can cook pumpkin to make a baby puree. While I prefer to roast the pumpkin to save on the labor of peeling it, you can also steam or boil it.
Steam
Cut a pie pumpkin into bigger chunks, peel and then roughly chop into smaller pieces before placing the pumpkin cubes into a steamer basket over 2 inches of boiling water for 10-15, or tender when pricked with a fork. Puree in a blender as directed below.
Boiling
Cut a pie pumpkin into bigger chunks, peel and then roughly chop into smaller pieces. Place these pumpkin cubes into a medium saucepan, add enough water to cover the pumpkin and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook for 15 minutes or when tender with pricked with a fork. Puree in a blender as directed below.
Time-Saving Tip: I have seen pre-peeled and cubed pumpkin in the grocery stores in the produce section as well in the frozen food aisle before. Both of those are great options if you want to save time and steam/boil the pumpkin.
HOW TO STORE PUMPKIN BABY FOOD
REFRIGERATOR
You can store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
FREEZER
This puree can be frozen for up to 4 months.
- Spoon puree into a freezer storage container (this and this are my favorite freezer storage containers) – 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.
ADDING SPICES
In this recipe, we are adding in a pinch of fresh sage or thyme, but feel free to use the following spices instead of the curry – cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, garlic, thyme, mint, basil or fresh ginger (see quantity recommendations in the recipe card).
Tip on Spices: I always added in spices to my baby food purees, but you can add or leave out spices in all of your baby food. You do you! Either way, this puree will taste amazing.
GREAT PUMPKIN COMBINATION PUREES
While Pumpkin Puree is great by itself, it’s also super easy to mix and match with other nutrient-dense baby food purees. Give these fun flavor combos a try!
- Apples
- Carrots
- Pears
- Mango
- Sweet Potatoes
- Pineapple
- Prunes
- Quinoa Baby Cereal
- Chicken
- White Beans
- Soften Tofu
- Carrot + Corn
- Yogurt
MORE BABY FOOD RECIPES
- 7 Organic Starter Baby Purees for Under $20
- 15 Stage One Baby Purees (that actually taste delicious)
- 10 Super Starter Purees for Baby (Tips, Recipes and Starters Guide on How to Feed Baby)
- 5 Minute Mango Baby Food Puree
- Sweet Potato Baby Puree – 3 Delicious Ways
TOOLS NEEDED
DID YOU MAKE THIS PUMPKIN PUREE?
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Pumpkin Baby Puree
Ingredients
- 1 small pumpkin, pie or sugar pumpkin variety
- 1 tsp olive oil (optional)
- 1/2 tsp fresh thyme or sage, roughly chopped
- 1-2 cups liquid – water, breast milk, formula or stock
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat.
- Cut up the pumpkin. Start by slicing off the top off the pumpkin, then cut lengthwise down the middle until you have 2 halves of a pumpkin.
- Scoop out the seeds and strings. Don’t be too obsessed with getting all the strings out, they will puree nicely with the rest of the pumpkin.
- Chop the pumpkin into smallish pieces and place onto a baking sheet, skin down. Brush on the olive oil, if using.
- Roast in the oven for 45-60 minutes or until a fork can pierce the very tender flesh. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
- Peel the skin away from the pumpkin.
- Place the pumpkin inside a food processor or blender. Add thyme and start blending for 1-2 minutes, adding the liquid in 1/4 cup increments until you get the desired consistency. I had to add in 1 cup of water to the puree pictured.
- Serve or freeze for later.
Notes
NEW TO MAKING PUREES?
THEN CHECK OF MY GUIDE ON WHICH KITCHEN TOOLS YOU ACTUALLY ARE GOING TO NEED TO MAKE THE CREAMIEST AND SMOOTHEST BABY PUREES. HINT, IT’S NOT MANY!
My son is 6 – months and I want to start to give him food , but I don’t know now 🙁
Can I used canned pumpkin for this recipe?
You can, it won’t taste exactly the same though.
Can I boil the pumpkin in water on stove without using the oven?
I haven’t tried boiling the pumpkin, but you should definitely steam the pumpkin, it would just have to be peeled first.