Don’t have time to puree a bunch of baby food but still want to give your little one a fresh and healthy meal? Never fear! We’ve got you covered with 30 baby foods you can mash with a fork. 

Before introducing your baby to a new food, remember to ask your pediatrician. And if this is your baby’s first exposure to solids, introduce only one new food every few days to reduce the risk of an unidentified food allergy. For more baby food recipes, look at this collection of 30 Homemade Baby Food Recipes.

baby foods you can mash - plate of mashed and un-mashed fruits
Fruits You Can Mash With A Fork

Baby Foods You Can Mash with a Fork That are Fruits

Fruits are a great sweet treat for your baby. Here, I have listed 14 fruits you can mash. Try some of these with your little one:

1. Go Bananas! It’s One Of The Baby Superfoods You Can Mash

For many reasons, bananas make great first foods to introduce to babies because:

  • They are easily digestible.
  • Being already soft and mushy, they’re simple to turn into homemade baby food. You don’t need much to puree them. Even the back of a plastic fork will do.
  • Are loaded with vitamins and minerals such as vitamins B and C, potassium, and magnesium.
  • They have a natural sweetness that makes them easily accepted even by the pickiest eaters.
  • Are packed full of fiber and they aid digestion.

2. One In A Melon? Cantaloupe Is Another Baby Food You Can Mash

Cantaloupe is a variety of muskmelon cantaloupe and is a good food to introduce to your baby as soon as they’re ready for solid foods. While they ain’t a superfood, they’re packed with vitamins A and C, two powerful antioxidants that support cellular repair, eyesight, and immunity. They can also help relieve constipation because they mainly consist of water.

While cantaloupes are not among the common allergens, always start offering them to your baby in small servings which you can later increase if there’s no negative reaction.

Tips:

  • Since they’re infamous for carrying bacteria from the ground plus causing diarrhea in babies, always wash the fruit well.
  • Also, buy whole fruits which are less likely to contain harmful bacteria than the pre-cut pieces.
  • Be cautious when serving them because they’re firm and slippery, the sure recipe for choking. Always mash the fruit to keep your baby safe.

3. Are All Pears Great Baby Foods You Can Mash?

Not really. Bosc pears are some of the pears you can mash with a fork because they’re naturally softer and the best for making puree. They’re also sweeter than green pears and so they do away with the need to add sweeteners to the baby’s food. Bosc pears are nutrient-dense and come packed with Vitamin C, Potassium, glucose, and fructose.

Bosc pears are gentle on babies’ stomachs and thus an amazing food for babies who might suffer from reflux. Their high fiber content makes them great at reducing constipation

4. Figs For Baby Foods You Can Mash?

Of course! They’re safe for babies. Figs are packed in nutrients and fiber which help in your baby’s growth and development as well as their digestive system. They’re also a known antimicrobial agent, which helps in the development of your baby’s immune system. To serve fresh figs, just scrape out the guts and feed them to the baby!

5. Peaches Are Really Peaches And Cream For Baby Foods You Can Mash

As soon as your baby is ready for solid foods, peaches are a good option for baby foods you can mash. To serve them, slice and peel before mashing. This is the safest way for babies because they’re also a slippery fruit plus their skin might stick at the back of the throat inducing choking.

They’re similarly packed in vitamins A, C, and fiber so they’re a good addition to a baby’s solid diet.

6. One Of The Easiest Baby Foods You Can Mash – Mango Puree

All you need is mangoes. After washing them to remove dirt and bacteria, slice and dice to avoid a stringy texture. Blend them till smooth and if the puree is too chunky, add a little water. Put in a bowl and let your baby enjoy their mango puree.

7. Plums Make It A Plum Job In Making Baby Foods You Can Mash

Plums are another family of slippery foods so to avoid choking, make sure they’re ripe, soft (can also be cooked to soften), pitted, and skinned. You can then either puree or mash them before serving. Plums loaded with some potassium, vitamins A, C, and K. They also contain antioxidants and fiber, which help with easing digestion and keeping away constipation.

8. Does An Apple A Day Really Keep The Doctor Away?

While this hasn’t been scientifically confirmed, you can rest easy knowing that apples contain lots of fiber, vitamins C and B6, and antioxidants, nutrients that your growing baby needs.

Just like with most other fruits, remove the seeds, and cook until soft to avoid choking. You could also microwave to soften and then cool before smashing and serving them to the baby.

9. Antioxidant Super Foods You Can Mash For Your Baby

Yup, that’s blueberries for you. For very young babies, puree or mash after cleaning and halving. Serve as is, without giving in to the temptation of adding sweeteners or seasonings.

10. Indulge Baby’s Taste Buds With Strawberries

Just as adults do, babies also first eat with their eyes and what better way is there to introduce them to solid foods than with colorful strawberries. However, strawberries are a choking hazard for young babies and toddlers so it’s best to cut them up into pieces and making homemade purees. Go ahead, mash strawberries to serve your baby with this antioxidant-rich fruit, also a good source of potassium and manganese.

11. Use Kiwi Fruit In Baby Foods You Can Mash With A Fork

This slightly acidic fruit is best served to babies who are 8+ months or when served mixed with another fruit. Good kiwi puree combinations are with banana, apple, or pear. And although the kiwi fruit has lower natural sugars, it contains a lot of essential nutrients such as vitamin C so you can be sure your baby is getting some healthy nutrition when enjoying kiwi fruit in their diet.

12. Papaya Is Another Of Our Favorite Baby Foods You Can Mash

It’s my personal favorite because while other fruits are also packed with vitamins A and C, papaya has loads more of vitamin C –  way more than apples, bananas, and oranges. And also comes loaded with vitamins B and E. Being a sweet fruit when ripe, you can mash it with a fork and serve it as a puree to your baby. Or mix with other fruits such as kiwi, mango, or banana.

13. Include This Versatile Fruit In Baby Foods You Can Mash

Apricot is the fruit and when it’s made into a puree, it can be used with almost anything. From oatmeal, quinoa, yogurt, smoothies, granola bars, and even as a topping for ice cream. Stick to fresh apricots to be sure you’re giving the best nutrition for your baby.

14. Fruit From The Vines Can Also Be Baby Foods You Can Mash

Grapes are a rich source of vitamins C, K, and are antioxidant-rich. To ensure your baby isn’t missing out on their goodness, quarter them before mashing with a fork. For babies older than 9 months, always cut them lengthwise (never widthwise because they’re a choking hazard).

15. Avocados: Great First Baby Foods You Can Mash

Avocados are a popular fruit because they’re easy to prepare and are packed with fiber and healthy fats that babies need for digestion and brain development. We also love them for their mild flavor and creamy texture too. Take a ripe avocado, wash it well, cut, pit, and mash with a fork. Instead of seasoning with salt, mix with a banana to flavor it.

examples of baby foods you can mash with a fork - avocado, strawberries, mango and banana

DIY Baby Foods You Can Mash that Include Vegetables

Introducing veggies to your little one can be just as easy, and here are 10 veggies you can smash and serve. Make sure to remove the skin and seeds to many of these before mashing and let them cool before giving to the baby.

16. Include This Powerhouse In Baby Foods You Can Mash

This energy powerhouse in question is the potato. Potatoes come packed with essential nutrients such as folate, iron, vitamin B6, zinc, and choline –  important for brain development. They also contain vitamins B and C, with the latter being important to boost your baby’s immune system.

To ensure your baby gets to enjoy this entry powerhouse, bake, mash with a fork, and then add some milk before serving potatoes to your baby.

17. Sweet Potatoes Also Feature Among Baby Foods You Can Mash

As with the other potato varieties, bake the sweet potatoes, and cut them up before mashing with a fork to reduce their stringy texture. Add a little olive oil before serving as this helps in aiding your baby’s digestion.

18. Have A Headstart By Introducing Steamed Peas Early

Before your baby grows a little more and starts being fussy about eating their peas, take advantage by introducing it to them while they’re still babies. You can serve peas as steamed peas that are then mashed using a fork. Using a blender or food processor is another option too. Add breastmilk or formula to get the desired consistency.

Mashed steamed peas can also be portioned and frozen so that the next time you need to feed peas to your baby, you’ll only heat up the portion needed.

19. Running Out Of Baby Foods You Can Mash? Try Zucchinis

Zucchinis (courgettes) are an excellent baby food you can mash with a fork once they’re steamed. Zucchinis can be served as a puree, or a soup, either alone or mixed with other vegetables such as potatoes.

Tip: Unless you feel your child has a problem in digesting zucchini peels, don’t peel the skins, as this is where the most nutrients are. No need to remove the seeds as these are easily mashed if you’re preparing a young zucchini.

20. Include Carrots Among Baby Foods You Can Mash

Don’t let your baby miss out on this super health food. Cook the carrots and then puree by mashing them with a fork. This is an easy homemade food that babies love because of its sweet and mellow nature.

21. Pumpkins Have Always Been Super Baby Foods You Can Mash

Before Halloween, Jack-o’-lanterns, pumpkin spice lattes, and Thanksgiving, pumpkins have always been a good source of vitamins A, C, antioxidants, and fiber.  Before cooking, dice the pumpkins before mashing with a fork to avoid long and stringy bits.

22. Ever Considered Turnip & Rutabaga For Baby Foods You Can Mash?

You may delay introducing these veggies until your baby is 8+ months since they’re known to cause gas, even in adults. Rutabagas and turnips can be steamed, boiled, or roasted before mashing. Go for the roasted option since it helps preserve more nutrients while bringing out their natural sweetness.

23. And The Beets Go On To Join Baby Foods You Can Mash

After your baby’s palate has been introduced to a few veggies, you may introduce beets to their diet. This is a low-calorie and nutritional-dense veggie. Steam or roast whole beets before mashing with a fork for the baby to eat.

24. Have Eggplants Among The Baby Foods You Can Mash

Rich in fiber and antioxidants are eggplants, which are among the baby foods you can mash with a fork. Either bake or steam the eggplant. Mash it for the younger babies but you can give it to babies 11+ months in small strips to avoid choking.

25. Baby Foods You Can Mash Should Include Butternut or Squash

Butternut or squash is a sweet-tasting, easy-to-digest vegetable that babies love. You can either bake or boil until soft and then mash it with a fork or puree in a blender.

baby foods you can mash - someone holding a reusable food pouch while there's a mixture of mashed fruits on a plate
More Baby Food Ideas that Can Be Made without a Blender

26. Tofu – One Of The Oldest Baby Foods You Can Mash

If introduced in small quantities, soft tofu is a healthy diet inclusion for most babies. Once your soft tofu is cooked, mash it together with a banana and wheat germ before feeding the baby using a spoon.

27. Rice Works Perfectly Too As Baby Food You Can Mash

While rice is among the first solid foods you can introduce your baby to, go for the brown rice. It’s healthier and makes perfect baby food because of its dense and fiber-rich natural nutrients.  Mash cooked rice with the back of a fork and serve the baby. You may also shape the mashed rice into balls to encourage self-feeding.

28. This Omega-3 Rich Food Is Also Good For Baby Foods You Can Mash

Although it’s among the recommended foods to start with when introducing your baby to solid foods, fish is a brain-building food and you’ll do well to incorporate it into their diet. Using a fork, mash the fish when it’s well done with any skin or small bones removed.

29. Poultry Should Also Be Among The Baby Foods You Can Mash

Well done ground chicken or turkey can easily be mashed with a fork before serving it to your baby. Introduce it as early as 6 months because poultry is a good source of proteins, vitamin B6 and selenium.

30. Baby Foods You Can Mash May Include Pasta

If you’ve already introduced eggs and wheat to your baby’s diet without any adverse reaction, then pasta is also safe for them. This is because it contains both eggs and wheat. If you realize your baby is struggling to hold the slippery pasta, mash it with the back of a fork. This makes it easier for them to grasp.

31. Don’t Forget To Add This Mother Grain To Baby Foods You Can Mash

Quinoa. This pseudo-cereal will give your baby twice the protein and more fiber than the same amount of white rice. When cooked, serve it to your baby as a porridge, or mashed and shaped into balls they can easily hold and self-feed.

baby foods you can mash - a mixture of mashed fruits in a reusable food pouch
Many of these can be combined and placed in reusable food pouches for a quick meal on the run. Have fun with it and see which foods your little one likes the best!

 

Now that you’re armed with at least 30 baby foods you can mash, how about looking at some more baby hacks:

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