This Sweet Potato Baby Puree is a smooth puree with a pinch of mild curry powder that makes for a fun and tasty first food for your baby! Great Stage 1 baby food for babies 4-6+ months.

Graphic for Post - sweet potato baby food puree - with a small white bowl filled with puree for baby.

Medically reviewed and co-written by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).

Sweet Potato Baby Food Puree

This deliciously rich baby food puree will take your little one on a fun culinary adventure ✈️ without ever leaving their high chair!

Sweet potatoes are one of my all-time favorite vegetables to puree for my baby. Not only do I find that most babies love their naturally sweet taste and creamy texture, but sweet potatoes are also loaded with essential nutrients for a growing baby. That’s a winning combo in my book! 🏆

In this recipe, we will roast the sweet potatoes to bring out their natural caramel-like, earthy goodness before adding a pinch of mild curry powder and blending to a light and smooth consistency. The result? A sweet yet slightly herbal puree with a silky texture that leaves a fine and captivating sleek feel in your baby’s mouth.

Don’t be afraid to eat this flavorsome puree right alongside your baby 👩‍👧- it’s that good!

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 handsafe storageknowing when your baby is ready for solidsintroducing pureesmaking the best first foods for baby, and more! You can also check out my best-selling cookbook for even more information and recipes.

Sweet Potato Video

Watch this video to see how easy this Sweet Potato Puree recipe actually is!

Reasons to Love Sweet Potato Puree

  • smooth and creamy
  • great for babies 4-6+ months
  • stage one baby food
  • packed with essential nutrients for baby
  • easy to make — requires only 5 minutes of hands-on time
  • babies love the sweet and earthy taste
  • homemade
  • freezer-friendly
ingredients for the best sweet potato baby food puree.

Ingredients

Make sure to read the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions!

  • Sweet Potatoes: These are at the top of the list when it comes to the first foods to introduce to your baby. The nutritional value of sweet potatoes is outstanding, and the sweet taste makes it easy to introduce to your baby. Sweet potatoes are high in beta-carotene as well as the ultra-important electrolyte mineral, Potassium. They also contain Vitamin E, calcium, folate, and plenty of other vitamins and minerals. Thanks to their high fiber content, sweet potatoes help support a healthy digestive tract and promote regular bowel movements for your baby. This recipe calls for 2 sweet potatoes, but you can use more or less depending on how much you want to make.
  • Mild Curry Powder: We are kicking up the flavor profile with mild curry powder to bring out the sweet potatoes’ earthiness, making the puree’s flavor a bit more robust. You can skip the curry powder if you prefer or add another spice like cinnamon, nutmeg, basil, or rosemary.

Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes

  • A great source of fiber that can prevent and resolve constipation.
  • Contains a lot of beta-carotene, which converts into vitamin A for eye health.
  • Contain vitamins C and E to help strengthen immunity.
  • A high source of potassium to help maintain a healthy heart and blood pressure, fluid balance, and muscle function.

Shopping & Storing Tip: When purchasing sweet potatoes, look for small to medium sweet potatoes that are firm, smooth, even in skin tone, and without cracks or cuts. Why small to medium? Because the larger ones tend to be starchier. Sweet potatoes stay fresh longest in a cool or room-temperature location, away from moisture, heat, and light.

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Prep: Wash the sweet potatoes while ignoring the fact that you probably need a manicure.
  2. Roast: Dry and prick sweet potatoes before popping them onto a baking sheet and into the oven to bake for 50-60 minutes or until tender when pricked with a fork. Let cool to touch.
  3. Discard Skin: Peel away the sweet potato skin and discard.
  4. Place in Blender: Place the sweet potato and curry into a blender or food processor and add liquid of your choice.
  5. Blend: Puree for 1-2 minutes or until completely smooth, adding more
  6. Eat: Serve or freeze for a later meal.

Tools Needed

These tools will make it a lot easier for you to make this healthy Sweet Potato puree. For more of my favorite kitchen tools make sure to check out my shop.

Other Cooking Methods

While I love the rich flavor of roasted sweet potatoes, there are several ways you can cook them to make into a baby food puree.

BEABA Babycook

With a touch of a button, the BEABA Babycook will cook the sweet potatoes for you! Place 1 peeled and chopped sweet potato into the stainless steel steamer basket, and place the basket into the glass container, closing the lid. Fill the reservoir tank to a level 3, close and lock the lid. Hit the steam button and let the machine do its magic. Once steamed, transfer the sweet potatoes into the glass container, leaving the water, close the lid, and hit the blend button for 1 minute or until the puree is smooth. You may need to add more water to the puree if needed in 2 tablespoon increments.

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)!

Steaming

Peel and roughly chop 2 sweet potatoes. Place them into a steamer basket over 2 inches of boiling water for 10-15, or until tender when pricked with a fork. Puree in a blender as directed below.

Boiling

Place 2 peeled and roughly chopped sweet potatoes into a medium saucepan, add enough water to cover the sweet potatoes, and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until tender when pricked with a fork. Puree in a blender as directed below.

Instant Pot

You can cook the sweet potato in an instant pot as well. Add one cup of water to the bottom of your instant pot, and add the trivet. Prick the sweet potatoes a few times with a fork and place them on the trivet. Close the lid and set the valve to “sealing.” Turn on the instant pot, select “high pressure,” and set the timer for 30 minutes if you’re using medium sweet potatoes and 60 minutes if you’re using large ones. When the timer goes off, allow the pressure to do a “natural release” before you manually release the rest of the pressure. Let the sweet potatoes cool, and then peel and puree in a blender as directed below.

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 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!
  • 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 baby as usual (with an extra spoon you already have at the table). If 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 meal times.
A bowl of sweet potato baby food puree with chunks of sweet potato and a bowl of curry powder next to it.

Frequently Asked Questions

When can baby have sweet potatoes?

Baby can eat sweet potatoes 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 your baby on purees, you should consult with your pediatrician to make sure your child is developmentally ready for purees.

Can sweet potato be baby’s first food?

Sweet potato can 100% be 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. 

Is sweet potato a common allergen for baby?

No, sweet potato is 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.

Does sweet potato cause constipation for babies?

Too much sweet potato may cause constipation in some babies but they are high in fiber so can also help alleviate constipation in others. If your baby is constipated and eating a lot of sweet potatoes, cut back and see if that helps. 

Can I add spice to this sweet potato puree?

For this recipe, we are adding a pinch of mild curry powder, but feel free to use the following spices instead: cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, garlic, thyme, mint, basil, or fresh ginger (see quantity recommendations in the recipe card).
Tip on Spices: I always add spices or herbs to my baby food purees, but you can choose to leave them out. You do you! Either way, this puree will surely turn out scrumptious. 

How to Store Sweet Potato Baby Food

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 the 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 — 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!

Sweet Potato Combination Purees

While this Sweet Potato Puree tastes satisfying to the tummy by itself, it’s also easy to mix and match with other nutrient-dense baby food purees. Give these fun flavor combos a try!

Recipe Tips

  • Sweet Potatoes: Look for medium sweet potatoes that are even in color with no scratches. Large sweet potatoes are starchier and might make the puree too thick.
  • Pureeing: Root vegetables absorb a lot of liquid while pureeing, so don’t be shy about adding extra liquid while blending. I had to add a full cup of liquid to the sweet potatoes to get them smooth. Start by adding 1/4 cup of liquid and slowly go up from there as needed.

Or watch a shortened version of this video here.

graphic for post - the best sweet potato baby food puree with a small white bowl filled with a creamy puree for baby with a teal spoon resting on top.

Get the recipe: The Best Sweet Potato Baby Food

5 stars (87 ratings)
This Homemade Sweet Potato with Curry Baby Food Puree is a fun and exotic first puree for baby! Great for 4+ months and is completely freezer-friendly!

Ingredients 

  • 2 medium sweet potatoes
  • 1/4 tsp mild curry powder (optional)
  • 1/4-1 cup liquid or pureeing, (water, fresh breast milk, formula, or sodium-free chicken stock)

Instructions 

  • Prep: Heat oven to 400°. Line baking sheet with tin foil, parchment paper or a silicone mat.
  • Bake: Wash and dry the sweet potatoes. Prick with a fork in several places and then place the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes – 1 hour or until a fork can easily prick the sweet potato. Let sit until cool to touch.
    Cooked sweet potatoes cooked and cut open ready to puree.
  • Peel: Cut into the skin of the potato lengthwise and peel away the skin of the potato. Scoop out the sweet potato meat and place it into a blender or food processor, adding in the mild curry powder and liquid.
    Pureed sweet potatoes for baby in a blender.
  • Blend: Puree on high for 1-2 minutes or until smooth, adding in additional liquid in 1/4 cup increments if needed. I had to add in 1 cup of water to the puree pictured.
    Pureed sweet potatoes for baby in a blender.
  • Eat: Serve to baby or freeze for a later meal.
    A bowl full of sweet potato puree for baby.

Notes

Age: 4-6+ months and up
Yield: 24 ounces
Additional Spices: Feel free to use the following spices instead of the curry – 1/2 tsp of cumin, 1/4 tsp of nutmeg, 1/4 tsp of cloves, 1 fresh garlic clove, 1/2 tsp of chopped fresh thyme, 3-4 basil leaves, 1/2 tsp chopped rosemary or even a big pinch of fresh ginger or 1/2 tsp ginger powder. Or you can leave out the spices altogether.
Storage: Fridge – store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freezer – can be frozen for up to 4 months.
 

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