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Butternut squash baby food is a sweet and nutty, creamy and delicious way to introduce your baby to the health benefits of butternut squash. This homemade, freezer-friendly puree is easy to prepare and store, quickly making it a kitchen staple that your baby won’t be able to get enough of.

Butternut squash is sometimes overlooked, but it’s a nutritious food with a great flavor, perfect for your baby’s diet. This winter squash has a naturally sweet taste, similar to that of sweet potato baby food, making it a favorite meal among hungry little eaters. Consuming butternut squash can also have amazing health benefits from healthy brain development to a strong immune system.

When you make homemade baby food, you get better tasting meals than the store bought varieties, with simple ingredients that you can be sure of. To make this creamy and flavorful puree, all you’ll need is a ripe butternut squash, some olive oil, and a little bit of milk. In this post, we’ll show you how to pick out perfectly ripe veggies, cook butternut squash to make the best puree, and easily store the leftovers for future meals.

What you will need

This homemade baby food puree is very simple to make. Here’s what you’ll need for this easy recipe:

• Baking sheet: For this recipe we’ll be roasting the butternut squash in the oven. Any shallow baking sheet will work just fine, as long as it’s large enough to hold the cubed squash. You can also use parchment paper to ensure the squash doesn’t stick to the sheet, but this is optional.
• Kitchen knife: You’ll want a sharp knife to peel and cut through the tough butternut squash skin, as well as cubing the squash into easy to roast pieces. You can also use a vegetable peeler for getting the skin off.
• Blender or food processor: A good blending appliance is important for making homemade baby food recipes because its powerful blade breaks up chunks to create a smooth puree in very little time.
• Baby food jars: Small glass jars are perfect for serving. You can portion out your roasted butternut squash puree right after blending and store it in your fridge for short term meals.

For ingredients, you’ll need:

• Butternut Squash: This recipe uses one large butternut squash, but you can adjust that based on how much puree you’ll be making.
• Olive Oil: The oil helps keep the squash moist while it’s roasting. We recommend using coconut oil in place of olive oil if your baby is less than 8 months old.
• Milk: Milk is great to use when blending up baby food recipes because it gives us a much creamier puree than water would. It also packs in extra nutrients, like Calcium and Vitamin D into the puree.  The choice of which milk you use is totally up to you, from breast milk to whole milk, baby formula milk, or even your own preferred liquid.

Benefits of butternut squash puree

Isn’t it great when delicious meets healthy? Butternut squash is very rich in vitamins and minerals. Some of its most abundant nutrients include:

• Vitamin A: helps maintain the integrity and function of surface tissue such as, the skin, the lining of the respiratory tract, the inner ear and the eye.
• Maganese: helps the body build bones and connective tissue
• Vitamin C: essential for maintaining a healthy immune system and fighting against infection

How to make butternut squash baby food

1. Remove peel from butternut squash

Using a sharp knife, cut your squash in half widthwise and remove all of the skin from your squash.

2. Remove seeds from squash center

Cut the squash in half again, this time lengthwise, and remove the seeds from both halves. You will want to make sure no seeds are left by the time you blend up your puree because they will not break up easily and may present a choking hazard.

Butternut squash seeds are edible, though, and you can roast them alongside the squash for a tasty snack for yourself.

3. Cube and roast the squash

Chop the squash into 1-inch cubes and place onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Coat the small cubes with olive oil and bake at 350°F for 40 minutes, or until squash has softened.

4. Blend butternut squash with milk until smooth

Transfer cooked squash from the baking sheet to the blender or food processor. Add milk and blend until smooth. If the puree still appears to be chunky after 2-3 minutes of blending, your puree may need additional milk. Try adding in one tablespoon of milk at a time until the desired consistency is reached.

5. Transfer for serving and storage

You can now transfer your puree to bowls for serving and short term refrigerator storage, or to freezer-safe containers for longer term storage. Make sure the the squash puree has cooled to a safe to touch temperature before feeding it to your baby.

How to store butternut squash baby food

Butternut squash puree can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. You can also keep it in the freezer for up to three months.

For a meal prep option, you can cook the butternut squash cubes and freeze them in an airtight container until you’re ready to make the puree. These cooked cubes will also keep in your freezer for up to three months.

My favorite method for freezing butternut squash baby food, and most baby food purees, is to spoon the puree into an ice cube tray, wrap it in plastic wrap, and freeze it. Once frozen, you can transfer the cubes to an airtight freezer bag, like a Ziploc bag, for longer term storage.

This method for freezing baby food is easy and extremely convenient. The typical ice cube holds 1 ounce, or 2 tablespoons of food. That means you can easily keep track of the portion sizes of your baby food and when it’s time to plan your baby’s meal you can just pop out as many of the cubes as you need at the moment.

You also don’t need to heat up your butternut squash baby food for the next mealtime. Just thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before serving, or thaw it in a bowl of cold water on the counter.

As far as leftovers go, if you’re feeding your baby directly from a serving jar, it is also important to remember to throw away any leftovers from the same jar that came in contact with the serving spoon. Once the food is exposed to the bacteria from your child’s mouth through his or her saliva, the bacteria can continue to grow in the jar while stored. A safer option would be to spoon a portion of the baby food into a separate dish and feed directly from that new dish. This way, you can throw away any of the food your baby doesn’t eat with minimal waste.

When can babies eat butternut squash?

Babies can start eating butternut squash at any point after you start introducing them to solid foods. It’s important to talk to your pediatrician about whether your baby is developmentally ready for solid foods. Some signs that it may be time to introduce solids include your baby’s interest in foods that you’re eating, and his or her development of gross motor skills, like the ability to sit up with no neck support.

We recommend introducing butternut squash baby food puree at around 8 months of age. Check out our food introduction guide for more information about which foods are appropriate for which ages, from sweet potato baby food to chicken baby food, and more!

How to pick out butternut squash

It may seem a bit intimidating to pick out the right squash from the grocery store, especially if you’re not used to cooking with it. The best quality butternut squash will have a firm, deep brown stem and hard, dark beige skin color. Green spots or streaks on the skin mean your squash is not quite ripe yet, but you can also test the ripeness by listening for a hollow sound when you knock on the squash’s exterior. A hollow sound usually means the squash is ready to eat today.

Can I use frozen butternut squash?

Absolutely. Frozen butternut squash cubes are an equally nutritious and convenient option. You may also be drawn to the frozen variety because when you buy them in the bag, they’re already peeled and cubed for you, with the seeds removed. For busy parents and caregivers any time-saving technique is a win! To roast the squash from frozen, follow the same instructions, but cook for an additional 10 minutes.

More baby food recipes

Whether you’re starting to introduce solid foods, or just looking to add variety to your baby food cuisine, we have plenty of recipes that babies love, just like this one:

• Broccoli Baby Food
• Pear Puree
• Chicken Baby Food

Tips for making the best butternut squash for baby

• Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked sweet potato cubes from the saucepan to the blender. This will help keep excess water out of the blender so you don’t end up with an extra watery puree.
• Add butternut squash to other pureed foods for picky eaters. The naturally sweet taste of the squash can help babies develop a taste for other flavors, like spinach. If your baby is resistant to the flavor, you may be able to change their mind by mixing that non-preferred food with butternut squash puree.
• Feel free to add some flavor if your baby is ready for it. Butternut squash tastes great with a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg, or even mild curry powder!