Sweet Potato Baby Food Recipes

Sweet potatoes are the vegetable of choice for many babies. They are sweet and smooth (and bright orange, to boot!). Parents can feel good about feeding sweet potatoes to their little ones because these tasty tubers are full of nutrients including fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, and folic acid, just to name a few.

If your baby readily eats sweet potatoes but shies away from some other foods, you can try mixing some of the rejected food into a serving of sweet potatoes, gradually increasing the amount until your baby begins accepting the other food.

I find that the easiest way to prepare sweet potatoes is by washing them, pricking their skins, and microwaving them until tender. Allow the potatoes to cool for a few minutes and then you can easily slip the skins off. Pop the potatoes into a blender or food processor with a little water and blend until smooth. Remaining pureed sweet potatoes can be frozen in ice cube trays or baby food storage containers.

If you want to add a little variety to your baby’s sweet potatoes, try the following recipes.

Spiced Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
1 sweet potato, cooked and peeled
1/4 cup crushed pineapple
Dash of cinnamon
Directions
Cut sweet potato into chunks and add to blender or food processor with remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth.

Thanksgiving Dinner
Ingredients
1 sweet potato, cooked and peeled
3 oz cooked turkey (or chicken)
2-4 tablespoons water, as needed for desired consistency
1 tablespoon cranberry sauce (optional)
Directions
Cut potato and turkey into small chunks. Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Peachy Keen Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
1 sweet potato, cooked and peeled
1 peach, peeled and pitted
Directions
Cut potato and peach into chunks and blend in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Sweet Potato Pancakes
Ingredients
1 large sweet potato, cooked and peeled
2 cups whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons apple juice
1 cup plain or Greek yogurt
4 eggs
1 egg white
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions
Puree sweet potato until smooth
Heat a skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat
Pour desired amount of batter into heated skillet (1 tablespoon for silver dollar pancakes, 1/4 cup for regular pancakes)
Cook until the batter bubbles on top, then flip and cook on the other side until cooked through.

Sweet Potato Oven Fries
Ingredients
1 sweet potato peeled and cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch sticks
1 teaspoon olive oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 425
Drizzle olive oil over sweet potato sticks and toss to coat
Place potatoes on a foil-lined cookie sheet in a single layer
Cook in preheated oven for 15 minutes
Flip the fries and cook for another 15 minutes