Homemade Banana Baby Food Recipes

It's almost like bananas were designed with baby food in mind. Soft, sweet and don't require any cooking. If your baby has a taste for bananas then finding baby food recipes just got a whole lot easier for you as many recipes use the banana as a base.

Remember, always consult with your pediatrician regarding introducing new foods to your baby.

The Amazing Banana Tool

Here would be the part of the article where I normally present you with a useful kitchen tool to help you with the following recipes. Today's "recommendation" is going to be a bit more tongue in cheek. I present to you, a completely useless kitchen tool. The Banana Slicer.

Rather than sing the banana slicers praises, I'm going to let the amazon reviews speak for themselves:

"No more cutting bananas by throwing them at the ceiling fan"

"Cuts bananas better than a hammer"

"Is there a metric version? My mom lives in Europe and says it doesn't work on metric bananas."

And those are just a few of the gems. You can read more reviews here. Some of them are side-splittingly hilarious.

1. Banana Puree

Okay, so it is hardly a recipe but it's still tasty. Baby food doesn't get much simpler than this.

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe banana (peeled)

Directions:

1. Either mash or, using a blender, puree banana to your baby's preferred consistency.

Bonus Tip: If you are looking for an extra ingredient to mix this recipe up, banana combines well with peach, pear, apple, any kind of berry, yogurt, even breast milk or formula.

2. Baked Banana

Baking banana really brings out the fruit's flavor. The beauty of this recipe is that you can bake any other number of fruits with the bananas to form a baby taste sensation. Get creative.

Ingredients:

• 3 bananas (do not peel)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. On a waxed paper-lined oven tray, lay out your three bananas.
3. Bake for 20 minutes until soft and skins are a noticeable dark brown color then set aside to cool.
4. Caution: Burn Hazard Using your hands, peel the banana skin and discard.
5. Either mash the baked banana flesh or puree to your baby's preferred consistency.
6. Serve warm or cool.

Bonus Tip: Fruits that bake well with the banana include: peaches, pears, apples, blueberries, and strawberries. Experiment. The results are delicious.

Check out some of our favorite banana and peach baby food recipes!

3. Ricey banana

The sweet taste of banana combined with the nourishment of brown rice. A winner in any baby's book. This recipe builds upon the baked bananas that you prepared in the recipe above, #2 Baked Bananas. Makes 3 cups.

Ingredients:

• 3 baked bananas (using above recipe)
• 2 cups brown rice (cooked)
• (optional)1 generous pinch of cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. On a waxed paper-lined oven tray, lay out your three bananas.
3. Bake for 20 minutes until soft and skins are a noticeable dark brown color then set aside to cool.
4. Caution: Burn Hazard Using your hands, peel the banana skin and discard. You may need to use a spoon to remove the flesh.
5. Either mash the baked banana flesh or puree to your baby's preferred consistency.
6. Serve warm or cool.

4. Peach banana compote

While this baby food recipe is more complicated and time-consuming than the others, the results are both delicious and nutritious.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of apple juice
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 4 large peaches (peeled, pitted, quartered)
• 2 ripe bananas (cut into 1 inch cubes)
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt

Directions:

1. Combine apple juice and lemon juice in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer.
2. Turn the heat down until barely simmering and add peach quarters.
3. Cook uncovered for roughly 15 minutes or until the peaches are tender.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and leave the peaches to cool in the apple and lemon liquid 30 minutes.
5. Once cool, remove the peach pieces with a slotted serving spoon and chop into small pieces.
6. Add the peach pieces to bowl with yogurt and banana.
7. Mix the bowl with a fork until desired consistency is reached.
8. Serve as is or refrigerate for up to 3 days. Add excess to an ice cube tray and freeze for up to 3 months.

(Makes approx. 3 1/2 cups).

5. Banana Avocado Heat Beaters

As per the namesake, these popsicles are a great way to beat the heat in the warmer months. You can even use these to soothe your teething baby's inflamed gums.

Ingredients:

• 1 bananas (peeled
• 1 avocado (peeled, pitted)
• 1/2 cup natural yogurt
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened apple juice

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix until smooth.
2. Transfer mixture to popsicle molds before placing in the freezer overnight.

Bonus Tip: If your baby cannot eat a whole popsicle and you are finding the remaining popsicle go to waste, simply half fill each popsicle mold. The end result is a fairer sized popsicle.

6. Banana pineapple and kale

Another tasty baby meal that combines the goodness of vegetable while the bitterness is offset by the sweetness of the banana. For babies, under 10 months it is recommended that you steam the kale as it may be difficult for a baby to digest.

Ingredients:

• 2 bananas (peeled)_
• 1 cup kale (steamed or raw)
• 1 cup natural yogurt

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree until your baby's favorite consistency is reached.
2. Serve chilled. This recipe makes 2 cups that refrigerate for up to 3 days or freezes for up to 3 months.

Bonus Tip: Looking for a tropical kale blast? Add half a cup of pineapple pieces and 1 tablespoon of unsweetened apple juice.

Do you know any homemade baby food recipes prominently featuring bananas? If you have a recipe or modification you would love to share, leave it below.

More Fruit Baby Food Recipes: Kiwi fruit baby food recipes and Apple banana baby food recipes