How to Serve Strawberries to Baby
Learn how to prepare strawberries for baby in 10 delicious and easy ways! As yummy superfoods, strawberries are a great first food for babies 4-6 months and up. Serve them as a baby food puree, as a solid for the finger food stage or for baby-led weaning.
Medically reviewed and co-written by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).
Strawberry Baby Food
Who doesn’t love a fresh ripe strawberry? 🍓
And by no means, do we want baby to miss out on tasting and (hopefully) enjoying such a scrumptious fruit!
Below you will find all the information you need to know about when you can introduce strawberries to your baby as well as how to serve them to your baby regardless if you are making purees, doing baby-led weaning, a combo of both, or are in the finger food stage! Because no matter where you are in your feeding journey, your baby definitely needs to experience the magic of fresh strawberries.
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! If you are doing Baby-Led Weaning, then be sure to check out my Complete Guide to Baby-Led Weaning – which covers what exactly is baby-led weaning, to every parent’s concern of baby-led weaning and choking, this guide goes over it all. I will also share how to know when baby is ready for BLW, the top 10 best first foods, a helpful sample blw feeding schedule, helpful tools to have on hand, and much much more!
Want more information? Then make sure to check out my best-selling cookbook for even more information and recipes!
Strawberries for Baby Video
Watch this video to see all the ways you can serve strawberries to your baby!
Reasons to Love these Strawberry Recipes
- delicious baby food purees – 4-6+ months
- great for baby-led weaning – 6+ months
- also great for the finger food stage – 9+ months
- full of essential nutrients for baby
- different ways for baby to eat – spoon-fed or self-feed
- easy to make
- purees are freezer-friendly
- can use fresh or frozen strawberries
Benefits of Strawberries for Baby
Strawberries are super healthy for a number of reasons:
- Nutritious: Strawberries are full of important vitamins and minerals that benefit our health. They are high in vitamin C; in fact, one cup contains about 180% of the recommended Daily Value for kids, making it an excellent source of this vitamin. They’re also a good source of fiber and contain potassium, folate, and numerous antioxidants. A majority of strawberries are made up of water, so they are a great food to keep your baby hydrated.
- Health Benefits: Due to the many nutrients in strawberries, they have been linked to heart health, cancer prevention, digestive health, immune health, blood sugar stability, and reduced inflammation.
Frozen vs. Fresh Strawberries: if fresh strawberries are not in season or in your budget, frozen strawberries would be a great option for you. They are nutritionally similar and easy to find in most grocery stores.
Frequently Asked Questions
Whether you’re starting your baby on purees or are doing baby-led weaning, strawberries are a wholesome and enjoyable first food for your baby! When a baby can start on solids is determined by their own rate of development, which generally comes between 4-6 months of age for purees and or after 6 months for baby-led weaning. Some of the developmental milestones your baby needs to reach in order to start on 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 your baby’s feeding journey, you should consult with your pediatrician to make sure your child is developmentally ready.
Yes, strawberries can be a choking hazard, depending on how they are served and the developmental readiness of your baby. To minimize the risk of choking, serve soft and ripe strawberries in age-appropriate forms. For babies under 6 months, serve mashed or as a puree. For ages 6-9 months, you can serve them whole (stems removed), larger than a golf ball size. 9 months and older can have quartered or thinly sliced strawberries, and if the pincer grasp has developed, you can serve them diced. Never leave your baby unattended while eating.
Strawberries are not one of the top eight food allergens, so it’s not a very common allergy; however, a small percentage of children do develop an allergy due to a protein in the anthocyanins (what gives them their red color) in strawberries, making white strawberries more tolerable, but many do outgrow it. Cooking strawberries will denature this protein, so people with allergies may still be able to enjoy strawberries in a jam, sauces, and baked goods.
How to Serve Strawberries to Baby
There are several different ways to prepare strawberries for your baby! You can make them into a smooth puree, a combination puree, a chunky puree for stage three, mashed and spread on toast or whole for baby-led weaning or a finger food. Here are 10 of my favorite ways to serve them:
Stage One Purees
- Roasted Strawberry Puree
- Simmered Strawberry Puree
- Beaba Babycook Blueberry Puree
- 2-Minute Strawberry Puree
Stage Two Purees
- 6 Delicious Combination Purees
Stage Three Purees
- Mashed Strawberries with Carrots & Beans
- Chunky Strawberry Puree with Yogurt
Baby-Led Weaning or Finger Foods
- Strawberries for Baby-Led Weaning or Finger Foods: whole, quartered, sliced or chopped
- Mashed Strawberries with Carrots & Beans
- Chunky Strawberry Puree with Yogurt
Tools Needed
These tools will make it a lot easier for you to serve strawberries to your baby. For more of my favorite kitchen tools make sure to check out my shop.
- Baby Bowls
- Suction Baby Plates
- Baby Spoons
- Beaba Babycook
- Freezer Storage Tray
- Gootensil
- Saucepan
- Baking Sheet
Roasted Strawberry Puree
This has to be one of my favorite ways to make a smooth strawberry puree for your baby as the high heat of the oven condenses the natural sugars in the strawberries, which brings out the deep rich sweetness from the strawberries. This simple cooking technique is a simple way to make a puree that is truly swoon-worthy! Of course, if you want to take a serving of your baby’s puree and use it on top of ice cream, I, for one, will not stop you;).
How to Serve: you can serve this puree as-is, mixed with an apple, pear, or sweet potato puree, swirled into oatmeal, yogurt, or ricotta.
Instructions (see below for the full recipe): chop strawberries and place them on a baking sheet. Roast in an oven for 20 minutes until the strawberries are bursting with juices. Place the roasted strawberries in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.
Simmered Strawberry Puree
This simmered puree is a simple and easy way to make a yummy strawberry puree for your baby. While simmering, some of the strawberry’s natural water content evaporates, leaving a thicker and sweeter puree. This is helpful because if you blend strawberries into a puree, the puree will be thinner.
How to Serve: you can serve this puree as-is, mixed with an apple, pear, or carrot puree, swirled into oatmeal, yogurt, or ricotta.
Instructions (see below for the full recipe): chop strawberries and place them in a small saucepan. Heat for 10 minutes until the strawberries are super soft and falling apart. Place the simmered strawberries into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.
Strawberry Tip: this is a great recipe for using frozen strawberries. You can add frozen strawberries straight to the saucepan and simmer for 12-14 minutes or until soft and thawed through.
Beaba Babycook Strawberry Puree
Who doesn’t love an easy, delicious, and homemade puree that you can make your baby with the push of a button? Using the BEABA Babycook, you can make a simple puree for your baby, highlighting the season’s flavors with minimal effort.
How to Serve: you can make this puree with just strawberries, or you can add in a handful of chopped apples, sweet potatoes, pear, or carrots into the stainless steel basket before steaming.
Instructions (see below for the full recipe): chop strawberries and place them into the steamer basket. Fill the water tank to level 1. Place the steamer basket inside the glass jar, close the lid and push the steam button. Once done, pour out any excess water, transfer the cooked strawberries into the glass jar, close the lid and push the blend button until smooth.
Full Review: read my full, in-depth and honest review of the BEABA Babycook Neo here! Make sure to grab 15% off your Babycook with code (BabyFoode15)!
2-Minute Strawberry Puree
Want to make a delicious strawberry puree for baby but are short on time? Then this puree recipe is for you! We are simply going to blend up some fresh strawberries and call it a day! Yes, it can be that easy.
Instructions (see below for the full recipe): cut off the strawberry greens, and place the strawberries into a blender (chopped or whole). Blend for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. If the seeds are too much for your baby, you can strain them in a fine mesh colander. This puree will start on the thinner side but will thicken in the fridge as it cools.
Strawberries for Self-Feeding
Strawberries are a great food for your baby to self-feed, whether for baby-led weaning, which happens around 6 months of age, or during the finger foods stage at 9 months.
Whole: great for babies 6+ months or just starting on solid foods. It’s best to start your baby with a bigger piece of strawberry so your baby can chew, gnaw and take bites without them being a choking hazard.
Quartered: you can serve baby quartered or thinly sliced strawberries at 9 months and older.
Chopped: if your baby’s pincer grasp has been developed, you can serve them diced strawberries around 9-10 months.
6 Strawberry Combination Purees
You can mix and match strawberries with many other great fruits and veggies to make a fun combination puree. Here are my 6 favorites.
- Banana Strawberry Puree: place 2 ripe bananas and 1 cup of chopped strawberries in a blender and puree until smooth. Freeze immediately to preserve the color.
- Avocado Strawberry Puree: on a cutting board, mash 1/2 a ripe avocado with 2 chopped strawberries until super smooth. Freeze immediately to preserve the color.
- Sweet Potato Strawberry Puree: follow this sweet potato recipe but add chopped strawberries to the backing sheet when you have 20 minutes left on your cooking time. Puree as instructed in the recipe.
- Apple Strawberry Puree: follow this apple puree recipe, but add 1-2 cups of chopped strawberries when you add in the apples. Puree as instructed in the recipe.
- Carrot Strawberry Puree: follow this carrot puree recipe, but add 1-2 cups of chopped strawberries while blending.
- Pear Strawberry Puree: follow this pear puree recipe, but add 1-2 cups of chopped strawberries when you add the pears to the saucepan. Cook and puree as instructed in the recipe.
Mashed Strawberries, Carrots & Beans
This mashed strawberries, carrots, and beans for your baby is a great way to serve your baby a full meal in one tasty bite. You can serve this chunky puree on a piece of toast, spoon-feed it to baby, toss it with some pasta and let baby self-feed it to themselves, swirl it into some yogurt or ricotta or load a self-feeding spoon with a bite and hand the spoon to your baby.
Instructions (see below for the full recipe): place a strawberry, steamed carrots, and a few beans on a cutting board and, using the back of a fork, mash until chunky and incorporated with each other.
More Flavors: you can also use steamed or roasted sweet potatoes, avocado, banana, soft tofu, cooked and shredded chicken, cooked and shredded salmon, and more!
Looking for more easy baby-led weaning and puree recipes? Then check out my favorite ways to serve apples, avocados and bananas to babies!
Chunky Strawberry Puree with Yogurt
Finely chopped strawberries paired with a thick plain yogurt – yes, please! This is a protein-packed food for your baby! Of course, you can also use cottage cheese or ricotta if you want to get all fancy.
How to Serve: you can serve this to your baby on a spoon, a self-feeding spoon, or on a piece of toast, pancake, or waffle.
Instructions (see below for the full recipe): finely chop strawberries and add yogurt, mix well. Serve to baby on a piece of toast or load onto a self-feeding spoon.
Strawberry Oatmeal
Oatmeal is one of my favorite things to serve baby because you can make it into a smooth puree for stage one, thicker chunky oatmeal for stage three, or you can spoon some dollops of oatmeal onto a plate and let it completely cool before serving it for baby-led weaning or the finger food stage. It really does grow with your baby. In this recipe, we will cook the strawberries with oats so that the two turn into beautiful pink porridge. And don’t worry if you want to save yourself a portion of this oatmeal for yourself! You can top your portion with a drizzle of honey, slices of banana and strawberries, and a sprinkle of chopped nuts.
Instructions (see below for the full recipe): bring water to a boil and add in oats, strawberries and a pinch of cinnamon. Let cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes, let cool slightly. Serve as is, or transfer to a blender and puree until you have your desired consistency.
More Oatmeal Inspiration: love oatmeal and need more ideas on how to serve it to your baby? Then check out my complete Oatmeal for Babies guide.
Storage Instructions
You can freeze any of the purees listed above. For finger foods, you can store any leftovers in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.
Refrigerator
You can store the strawberry puree in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.
Freezer
This strawberry puree can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Spoon pureed strawberry 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 stasher bag for future reference.
Recipe Tips
- Picking Strawberries: you will want to get a package of strawberries that are bright red, medium in size, and with vivid greens. Make sure to avoid any moldy or overly soft strawberries.
- Organic Strawberries: Since strawberries are on the EOG Dirty Dozen list, I recommend purchasing organic strawberries if possible. In some areas and with some budgets, this is not possible. Do your best! I don’t always buy organic strawberries since they can run upwards of $9 a pint in the winter months where I live, which is too much for my budget. Buying organic is easier during the summer months, and frozen organic strawberries are always a great option.
- Fresh or Frozen: You can use either fresh or frozen strawberries for any of the puree, mashed or chunky recipes below, you will need to thaw and drain the strawberries first. It is best to use fresh strawberries if serving as a solid as they will easier for your baby to pick up and hold.
- Blender: Because strawberries condense down to such a small amount of puree, I use a small blender when pureeing any of these recipes. You can also use a handheld emersion blender or food processor. You can also double the recipe if you still want to use your regular-sized blender.
Or watch a shortened version of this video here.
Get the recipe: Strawberries for Baby: Purees & BLW
Ingredients
Roasted Strawberry Puree
- 2 cups strawberries, stems removed and chopped
- 1 pinch cinnamon (optional)
Simmered Strawberry Puree
- 2 cups strawberries, stems removed, chopped (fresh or frozen)
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice (optional)
Beaba Babycook Strawberry Puree
- 2 cups strawberries, stems removed, chopped (fresh or frozen)
- water
2-Minute Strawberry Puree
- 2 cups strawberries, stems removed, chopped (fresh or frozen)
Baby-Led Weaning/Finger Food Stage
- 1-2 strawberries, stems removed
Strawberry Oatmeal
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup strawberries, stems removed, chopped (fresh or frozen)
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
- pinch cinnamon
Mashed Strawberry, Carrots & Beans
- 1 strawberry, stems removed, chopped (fresh or frozen)
- 1 tbsp white beans, canned or pre-cooked
- 1 tbsp steamed carrots, roughly chopped
Strawberry & Yogurt
- 1 strawberry, stem removed and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp plain whole milk yogurt
Instructions
Roasted Strawberry Puree
- Preheat oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the strawberries on the baking sheet and sprinkle on cinnamon. Bake for 20 minutes or until soft and bursting with juices.
- Let cool slightly and then transfer the strawberries to a blender or food processor and puree for 1-2 minutes until smooth.
Simmered Strawberry Puree
- Place the strawberries, water, and lemon juice into a small saucepan and heat over medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes or until soft and broken down.
- Let cool slightly and then transfer the strawberries to a blender or food processor and puree for 1-2 minutes until smooth.
Beaba Babycook Strawberry Puree
- Fill the tank reservoir to level 1 with water. Add the strawberries to the stainless steel basket and place the basket into the glass jar. Place the lid on top and close. Push the steam button.
- Once complete, remove the lid and let cool slightly. Take the stainless steel basket out of it and then pour any excess water into a measuring cup; reserve. Next, pour the strawberries into the glass jar, close the lid, and push and hold the blend button until the strawberries are smooth, adding in any reserved strawberry water if needed.
2-Minute Strawberry Puree
- Place the chopped strawberries into a blender and puree for 1-2 minutes or until smooth.
- If there are too many seeds, pour the puree through a fine mesh colander into another bowl. The puree will thicken as it cools in the fridge or freezer.
Baby-Led Weaning/Finger Food Stage
- Serve to baby whole, sliced, quartered or chopped depending on your baby's age (see graph)
Strawberry Oatmeal
- In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add in oats, strawberries, and cinnamon. Cook for 10 minutes or until the oats are cooked, and most of the water is gone. Using a hand mixer or blender, puree the oats to your desired consistency – smooth, slightly chunky, or chunky. If serving for baby-led weaning, dollop a few 2-inch circles of oatmeal on a plate and place it in the fridge. Once cooled, the oatmeal will be easier for your baby to pick up and self-feed.
Mashed Strawberry, Carrots & Beans
- Place the strawberry, carrots, and beans onto a cutting board. Using the back of a fork, mash the ingredients together into a chunky puree.
- Spread the chunky puree onto a 1-3 inch piece of toast, load it onto a gootensil, place on a plate for your baby to eat with their hands, or spoon feed it to your baby.
Strawberry & Yogurt
- Place the strawberry on a cutting board or in a small bowl. Add in the yogurt and stir until incorporated. Serve to your baby with a gootensil, place on a plate for baby to eat with their own hands, or spoon feed it to your baby.
Notes
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2 Comments on “How to Serve Strawberries to Baby”
Huge hit!! My daughter couldn’t get enough of this strawberry purée. It’s the first fruit she has ever opened her mouth in anticipation for and she gobbled it up quickly. Highly recommend!
Yay! Strawberry puree is the best! Did you try the roasted strawberry puree? If not, that needs to happen as it is to die for!