Broccoli Puree For Baby By Stage + Combinations
Making broccoli puree for baby is one of the best ways to introduce and prepare broccoli for baby at an early age. Due to it’s nutritional profile, broccoli puree can be used in a variety of ways to make healthy baby food for 6 months old’s as stage 1 or stage 2 baby food. And you can also try different broccoli puree combinations for diversity or to hide the taste if your baby is not really fond of it.
Broccoli Puree Baby Food For 6 Months+ (Stage 1)
You can puree broccoli for baby by itself with a very smooth and soupy texture. This is usually suitable for babies between 6-7 months of age and for some more developed babies, even earlier.
Ingredients Needed For Making Broccoli Puree
- Broccoli – fresh broccoli florets. The next best alternative is frozen broccoli.
- Water– for cooking (steaming in this case).
- Liquid – for blending, in order to achieve a smooth consistency. Here you can use several options:
- The water used for steaming;
- Chicken stock/ broth (warm);
- Breastmilk;
- Regular milk.
How To Puree Broccoli For Baby
To make broccoli baby puree you need to cook the broccoli first. The healthiest way is to either steam or roast the broccoli (at 425 degrees for 20 minutes). When choosing between those two methods, just know that steaming retains the most of broccoli’s nutrients and antioxidant properties. Boiling is not recommended because most of the nutrients will leach into the water.
Steam the broccoli:
- Prepare the broccoli by cutting the florets and washing.
- Bring 1 inch of water to boil in a saucepan fitted with a steamer basket and cover with a lid.
- Add the broccoli to steamer basket when the water is hot in order to avoid overcooking.
- Steam on medium-low heat for approximately 5-7 minutes (it depends on the size of broccoli florets) or until they are soft when pierced with a fork. We want the broccoli to keep it’s beautiful vibrant green. When the broccoli turns olive green it means it’s overcooked and that’s a sign that vitamins like C and B have leached into the water and the broccoli lost most if it’s nutrition.
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Puree the broccoli:
- Transfer the cooked broccoli into a food processor or baby blender and puree to desired consistency, adding as much liquid as necessary.
- For example for a smooth broccoli puree with soup like consistency (best for younger babies 6 months and up), usually the ratio of 50% broccoli and 50% liquid works the best. If you want your broccoli baby food thicker, use less liquid.
How To Make Broccoli Baby Food More Flavorful
For more flavor you can add some butter. The fat also helps the fat soluble vitamins from broccoli (like vitamin C) to be more absorbable. No salt or spices needed for babies younger than 10-12 months. But you can add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to brighten up the flavor.
If the baby is dairy intolerant, use coconut milk / cream or oil. Just make sure there is no allergy to coconut.
Broccoli Puree Combinations For Baby (Stage 2)
After a while of stage 1 (single-ingredient purees), you can transition to stage 2 baby food (typically for babies 8 months of age and older) with thicker textures and larger portions. The addition of other purees, gives the broccoli puree just enough starch and texture to make it creamy and smooth while balancing out the broccoli flavor.
Here are some of the best broccoli baby food combinations (combine 2 or 3 ingredients):
- cauliflower and broccoli puree;
- potato and broccoli puree;
- broccoli + sweet potato puree;
- carrot and broccoli puree;
- sweet potato apple broccoli puree;
- broccoli and butternut squash puree;
- salmon and broccoli puree;
- chicken (or beef) and broccoli puree;
- hard boiled eggs mixed with pureed broccoli;
- grains like quinoa, rice or buckwheat combine well with broccoli puree;
- beans (white, black or garbanzo) and broccoli puree;
- fruits (apple, mango, pear, banana, berries or avocado) combined with broccoli.
How To Store The Broccoli Puree
- Store leftovers for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. You can use these 4 oz reusable containers for baby food storage.
- Freeze for longer storage in a portioned freezer tray for up to 3 months.
- Thaw / reheat – just pop them out of the freezer and place them in the refrigerator to thaw overnight. Reheat at low temperature in a covered pot or serve at room temperature.
Broccoli Puree FAQs
If the baby is exclusively breastfed and only the mother is eating broccoli, then usually the baby is not affected. However when the baby is fed with broccoli puree (or whole) and he lacks the enzymes needed to break down the fiber (due to an undeveloped digestive system), bloating, pain and gas can occur.
Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable and has sulfur compounds, fiber and a “difficult to digest” sugar. Since babies have lower levels of digestive enzymes, these fibers may not break down sufficiently and lead to gas and indigestion. Therefore it’s best to introduce broccoli to your baby in low amounts and slowly and so he/she could get gradually accustomed.
Ideally at 6 months of age (each child may develop differently) and pay attention for readiness and interest. Also it’s best to start with other purees and slowly transition to broccoli. Some babies may experience gas and uneasiness when first introduced to broccoli.
According American Academy of Pediatrics and World Health Organization you can introduce purees like broccoli puree to your baby’s diet at around 6 months of age. So even if your baby is more advanced and is already accustomed to other purees, broccoli puree tends to be more fibrous and harsh on an infant stomach and is best offered a little bit later, at 6-7 months.
Need more puree recipes? Check out the puree category for more ideas!
Related: Sweet Potato Apple Broccoli Puree For Baby Stage 2 (6 month +)
Have you tried making broccoli puree for baby, what’s he’s favorite puree combination? Your feedback is really helpful, please rate and leave a comment below recipe card!
Broccoli Puree For Baby By Stage Recipes
Ingredients
- 8-10 broccoli florets (raw)
- 4-6 tbsp liquid (water, stock, milk or breast milk)
To Improve The Taste, Add (1 or 2):
- 1/2 tsp butter (or ghee)
- 1 tsp sour cream
- 1 tsp coconut milk or oil (as dairy free version of fat)
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice (to brighten up the flavor)
- pinch of pink or sea salt (for older babies)
Instructions
Prepare the broccoli:
- Remove the leaves and wash the broccoli head. Cut the florets. For 1 cup of broccoli puree you will need approximately 8-10 broccoli florets (the size may vary).
Cook the broccoli (by steaming):
- Bring 1 inch of water to boil in a saucepan fitted with a steamer basket and cover with a lid.
- Add the broccoli to steamer basket when the water is hot in order to avoid overcooking.
- Steam on medium-low heat for approximately 5-7 minutes (it depends on the size of broccoli florets) or until they are soft when pierced with a fork. We want the broccoli to keep it’s beautiful vibrant green. When the broccoli turns olive green it means it’s overcooked and that’s a sign that vitamins like C and B have leached into the water and the broccoli lost most if it’s nutrition.
Puree the broccoli:
- Transfer the cooked broccoli into a food processor or baby blender and puree to desired consistency, adding as much liquid as necessary (start with 4 tablespoons and add more for the desired consistency).
- For example for a smooth broccoli puree with soup like consistency (best for younger babies 6 months and up), usually the ratio of 50% broccoli and 50% liquid works the best. If you want your broccoli baby food thicker, use less liquid.
- Tip: Use the water you used for steaming the broccoli as the blending liquid. It has it's nutrients leached in there.
Notes
Broccoli baby food combinations (combine 2 or 3 ingredients):
- cauliflower and broccoli puree;
- potato and broccoli puree;
- carrot and broccoli puree;
- sweet potato apple broccoli puree;
- broccoli and butternut squash puree;
- salmon and broccoli puree;
- chicken (or beef) and broccoli puree;
- hard boiled eggs mixed with pureed broccoli;
- grains like quinoa, rice or buckwheat combine well with broccoli puree;
- beans (white, black or garbanzo) and broccoli puree;
- fruits (apple, mango, pear, banana, berries or avocado) combined with broccoli.
Nutrition
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