How To Make Apple Puree For Baby

Thinking of what solid food to let your 6-month-old baby try first?

Why not let them try apple puree.

Apple puree is a smooth-textured mash from blending cooked apple (by steaming or boiling).

Benefits: They are delicious, nutritious and inexpensive. Most importantly: Easy to digest.

For a basic puree, the only ingredients you need is just apples.

Oh! If you are wondering apple puree and applesauce differences? Both terms are used interchangeably.

Is Apple Puree Good For Babies?

Yes!

They are a great choice for baby’s first food as apples are fat-free, rich in dietary fiber as well as important antioxidants.

But!

As most of the important nutrition benefits are in the apple peel, it will be good to get organic ones for your infant if you intend to include the skin into the puree.

• Apples are among the most heavily sprayed fruits.

How To Choose Apples

Look for organic apples when possible especially if you want to include the skin into the puree.

Here are some tips that you can follow to choose the perfect apples:

• Check the apple’s firmness by pressing gently on a small area on the skin, avoid those with soft patches
• Turn the apple around to examine for cuts and bad spots (such as bruising or signs of decay)
• Choose apples with full color
• Sniff for a pleasant aroma

Which Apples To Use For Puree

Although you can use any types of apple to make apple puree, it is better to choose softer and sweeter apples.

Softer types get cooked faster and sweeter ones taste nicer. The young one is less likely to reject it.

From the picture guide below, you can see that Cortland, McIntosh, Jonathan, and Gala are good for this use.

My favorite is Gala apples. I also use them to go with onion juice when my kid is down with a cough.

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How To Store Apples

Do you just leave the apples on the counter-top? Place them together with other fruits?

Use these tips to store your apples:

• The refrigerator is the best place to store apples, they can stay fresh for maybe a whole month or more.
  • If stored inside bags, make sure it is unsealed or make some holes in the bag.
• Keep apples away from other fruit.
  • They release ethylene gas over time which causes other fruit to ripen faster.

How To Wash Apples

You think that washing an apple under running water is enough to remove the harmful pesticide on the skin?

Not really.

If you want to eat with the skin, the findings in this research show that washing apples with baking soda solution is the most effective way to remove surface pesticide residues.

But as baby food, it is still better to peel away the skin after washing as some of the nasty residues does get penetrated into the skin.

Yeah, you will lose some fiber and vitamins from the apple peel.

How To Make Apple Puree

Note: Always wash your hands clean before preparing baby food

Preparing The Apples

• Wash the apples well
• Peel the skin with a vegetable peeler or knife
• Cut and core the apple with an apple corer & divider
  • If using a knife, cut the pieces evenly so that they will cook evenly

Making Apple Puree

• Steaming is preferred as it retains the most amount of nutrients
• Pour half cup of water into a pot and place a steaming basket into it
• Transfer the apples to the steaming basket and cover with a lid
• Let it steam for 4-5 minutes or until soft and tender
  • a fork is able to poke into it easily
• Transfer the steamed apples to a blender
• Blend until the texture is smooth
• Transfer to a feeding bowl and serve when it has cooled

How To Store Apple Puree

You will want to portion the puree into single servings to ensure food safety.

To store in a fridge: Pour into individual serving containers with lids and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

To store in freezer: Once frozen in ice-cube trays, transfer to airtight containers and freeze them for up to 3 months.

Tip: You might have a good memory, but it is good practice to label the containers with “Apple Puree” and the date of production.

How Do You Reheat Homemade Apple Puree?

To warm them up, place the desired amount into a small bowl and place the small bowl into a larger bowl of hot water.

Could take about 10-20 mins to warm it up to room temperature.

Some people like to use the microwave to heat up but I am not a fan of it.

Combinations: What Goes With Pureed Apple

Check the following recipes for some combination ideas!

• apple puree with cinnamon
• apple puree with baby rice
• apple puree with strawberry
• apple puree with yogurt
• apple puree with pear

As with any new food you introduce, please keep to the 3-Day Wait Rule (no new food for 3 days).

You can also add breastmilk or formula milk into the puree to thin it out if you feel that it is too thick for your child.

Enjoy! Apple is nutritious and readily available. Try it!