How to Puree Baby Food without a Blender

As a good mom, you know the early life with your baby is the hardest but also the most crucial. If it’s feeding, the first six months is exclusively breastfeeding, then after, you can start introducing solid foods, though gradually. However, most children can chew correctly at the age of one year but get adept around eighteen months. So, before then, you must puree their food to avoid issues like choking. Then again, you have to learn how to puree baby food without a blender as it’s not all the time you’ll have one.

In my last week’s discussion on the best blender to puree food, though, we saw the tool can save you a lot of time. A machine like Vitamix E320 or even Ninja and the other blenders under $50 can also help break hard foods like apples down. So, your newborn will be able to utilize the outstanding health benefits of Apples before he even learns to differentiate the fruit from the others.

Give The Blender A Break

Despite its convenience and silky results, it’s not all the time you’ll have a blender with you. Perhaps, you have visited your distant nana who doesn’t do electronics or your home model has failed on you. If you know the tricks to puree food without a blender, your child will be able to stick to his diet. Then, you won’t have anything to worry about.

Of course, some of the hacks will take extra minutes to complete preparing, but you’ll still make a yummy and smooth puree.

How To Make Puree Baby Food Without A Blender

Technically, there are various ways to puree baby food or even an adult diet without a blender. The easiest ones that I can recommend include using a Mortar and pestle, Bowl and fork, Potato masher/ Ricer, Kitchen Grater, Food mill, or Food processor,

1. How To Puree Baby Food With Mortar And Pestle

If you have a mortar and pestle sitting in your cupboard, you can create a very smooth puree in only about five minutes. The idea is best when preparing a fruit puree, in which case you’ll use the tool to grind the food for your child, just like you do with garlic and other spices for meat rubs.

Regardless, some foods are easier to pummel with a mortar and pestle than others. A good example’s with a Banana + Avocado puree, whereby you can even mash them in halves. In other cases, however, you’ll need to chop the fruits into small cubes (pieces) to mash everything well.

Another thing, remember to move your pestle in a circular motion while smashing to make sure the puree mixes well.

2. How To Puree Baby Food With A Bowl And Fork

This method is more like with a mortar and pestle. You can use it to prepare a wide range of puree foods, both from fruits and cooked vegetables. However, we won’t be pounding as with the mortar, unless you want to break all your ceramic or glass bowls.

Therefore, after washing and peeling your banana and avocado, you’ll cut them into small pieces. Then, you can now mash the pieces with your dinner fork until smooth. If you feel the mixture is too hard, you can add a tablespoon of milk.

Note, your boiled food should be well-cooked for easier and faster mashing. Also, you can use a tablespoon instead of a fork, though you’ll need to scrape the underside on the bowl rim now and then.

3. How To Puree Baby Food With A Kitchen Grater

If you want to make a carrot puree, it can be hard to mash them after boiling and even harder when raw. However, you can grate them using the thinnest side of the grater. Then, boil them (plain or with potato) into a pan with about a half cup of water.

Once they’re softly cooked, you can now drain the water, mash with a fork, and serve your baby.

4. How To Puree Baby Food With A Potato Masher

The method is best if you’re preparing the baby a potatoes (or sweet potatoes) puree. It’s also simple to do and you only need to have a potato masher and the bowl to press the tuber (or storage root) foods.

Another thing, you’ll need to boil your potatoes well until they become soft. After that’s when you peel and cut them into small cubes. Once you do that, put the small potato pieces into the working bowl and mash them away. You can add a tablespoon or two of milk to make the puree smoother.

Note, you can also use a potato ricer in place of the potato masher. However, the tool works differently in that you’ll first put the potatoes insider the cup of the ricer, then press with the included handles. The potato “rice” will pass through the tiny holes underneath the cup into the bowl. You’ll now add a tablespoon of milk into the mixture and mash it with a spoon to a smooth texture.

How To Puree Baby Food With A Food Mill

Unofficially, a food mill is an industrial potato ricer, though you can use it to mash vegetables and other food groups as well. The tool features a large bowl with a strainer and can work various discs to give you different food textures.

To puree the food, you’ll need to place the food mill on top of a large bowl that will be catching the puree as it falls. After that, you’ll now put your potatoes or softened vegetables into the mill. Then, start turning the winding handle clockwise with your dominant hand while the other holds the milling bowl into position.

Note, you necessarily don’t need to peel your cooked potatoes, tomatoes, or sweet potatoes when using a food mill. The strainer attached can separate the flesh from the skins, as well as the pulp (fibers) and seeds.

How To Puree Baby Food With A Food Processor

In case your blender has broken down but has a food processor, you can also use it to prepare a baby food puree. Just as the name advertises, the tool is primarily for food preparation, whereby you can chop, dice, shred, slice, or puree your foods. So, you can use it to make baby food, though at a slower speed than a blender.

The best part is that you can puree warm (not hot) foods in some processors, though you have to watch out for pressure build-up.

Key Takeaway: Easy Baby Food Recipes to Make at Home

Here are three simple baby food formulas you can puree without a blender:

Baby Guacamole

Smash a half ripe avocado with a half teaspoon cilantro (finely chopped), a teaspoon lime juice, and a small piece of onion to the desired consistency. You can also add a half teaspoon of pounded garlic for extra taste.

Sweet Banana puree baby food

Mash ripe bananas (cut into small pieces) until smooth. You can add a tablespoon of milk to get a smoother texture and cinnamon to taste.

Sweet Apple Puree Baby food

Mash small pieces of boiled apple thoroughly until finely smooth. Any of the six methods above should give perfect results.

Final Thoughts

As shown, you can easily puree baby food without a blender or baby food maker. The article has covered at least three methods that can work, regardless of where you’re as it requires tools you can find in any kitchen. That’s a bowl, spoon/ fork, or grater. A potato masher is also common in most homes, and so is a mortar and pestle.

As you puree your baby food, remember the taste buds of a baby are still developing at six months. So, something like salt you can start adding at seven months for extra taste. In case some of the homemade purees remain, you can put them in the fridge for one or two days at most. Some foods can even last up to over a month in the freezer, but the reason to make your own diet is to have fresh food. So, I won’t recommend it.