This is the easiest way to make Sweet Potato Baby Food. With one super simple cooking method, you can roast sweet potato wedges to serve BLW style or mashed into classic sweet potato puree.
Sweet potato is a perfect baby food. It’s nutritious, naturally flavorful, and cooks up nicely and softly. And no matter whether you’re starting your baby with the baby led weaning foods or homemade baby food purees, this one cooking method will work beautifully.
Quick Look: Sweet Potato Baby Food
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Serving: 6-8
- Flavor Profile: natural, slightly caramelized sweetness
- Difficulty: Easy, perfect for easy baby meals and baby snacks
- Why to Make: It’s a quick, flavorful, and nutritious baby food rich in Vitamins A and C
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Table of Contents
Why this Recipe Works
This recipe makes tender roasted sweet potato wedges, which you can serve to baby BLW-style, or you can mash them smooth into a sweet potato puree. The texture is soft, the method is easy, and they are one of our favorite first foods for baby.
This baby food recipe has vitamins A and C, as well as fiber and beneficial fats from the olive oil. It’s a perfect food to serve to a 6-month baby or older who’s starting on solids—or who is well-accustomed to eating. And you can serve it to everyone at the table—big kids and grown-ups alike!
(You may also like my Sweet Potato Muffins, Baby Food Chart and Baby Pancakes.)
Ingredients You Need
To make this sweet potato baby food, you just need the following ingredients.
- Sweet potato: Look for a medium to large sweet potato with orange flesh for the best flavor. These are sometimes called “garnet yams.”
- Olive oil: I use extra virgin olive oil, such as this one from California Olive Ranch. You could also use avocado oil if that’s what you have.
- You can add salt to taste to your portion, though you’ll want to set aside a serving for your baby before adding salt.
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“Thanks for the detailed instructions and nutrition information!” —AC
How to Make Sweet Potato Baby Food
Here’s a look at how to make this simple sweet potato baby food recipe. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full information, including the amounts and the timing.
Step 1. Cut the sweet potato into finger-size strips. You can leave the peel on—it helps baby hold the pieces.
Step 2. Place onto a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Toss with olive oil.
Step 3. Serve as a baby-led weaning food or mash with a fork to make a puree.
Step 4. You can mash it more or less smooth. Smoother and thinner makes a Stage 1 baby food. Thicker makes a Stage 2 baby food.
TIP: You want the wedges to be about the size of one or two of your fingers, which is a good shape for baby to self-feed.
Sweet Potato Baby Food FAQs
It’s such a great baby food because it’s rich in nutrients and fiber, has a naturally sweet flavor, and is very soft. It’s also an affordable veggie and stores well in the kitchen in a cool, dark place around room temperature.
You can add crushed rosemary or cinnamon to this recipe. If serving to adults or older kids, you can also sprinkle with salt after cooking and setting a few aside for baby. Babies under the age of 1 shouldn’t have added salt, but they can have herbs and spices (as long as they aren’t hot-spicy).
You can combine this puree with apple puree, pea puree, avocado puree, banana puree, bean puree, or anything that sounds appealing to you.
Babies can have sweet potatoes after they start solids, which typically happens around 6 months old.
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How to Store
Store any leftover sweet potato baby food in an airtight container for 3-5 days in the fridge. You can also freeze baby food in an ice cube tray, then transfer the frozen cubes to a freezer bag for longer-term storage.
Best Tips for Success.
- You can sprinkle with salt for babies over 1 and any adults.
- Add crushed dried rosemary, a tiny amount of nutmeg, OR cinnamon for additional flavor.
- Spread the wedges out on the baking sheet so they aren’t overlapping. This will ensure even cooking.
- Poke a wedge with a fork or small knife at the lower end of the baking time to see if it’s very soft.
- You can combine this puree with Baby Oatmeal, Apple Puree, Pear Puree, Avocado Puree, Banana Puree, Bean Puree, Chicken Puree, or any other baby food recipes that sound appealing to you.
More Baby Food Recipes
Baby Food
Butternut Squash Baby Food Puree
Vegetables
Sweet Potato Puree
Baby Food
Best Pumpkin Baby Food
I’d love to hear what your family thinks of this recipe, so please chime in below to share!
Favorite Sweet Potato Baby Food
Ingredients
- 1 large orange-fleshed sweet potato (or garnet yam)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Coat with nonstick spray.
- Wash and dry the sweet potato.
- Cut in half, then cut lengthwise into strips. Cut each strip in half again until each is about ½ inch thick. Slice in half horizontally if the sweet potato is very long. (Each strip should be about the size of your finger.)
- Place into a bowl and toss with the olive oil.
- Spread onto prepared baking sheet and roast for 22-25 minutes or until soft.
- Let cool slightly and serve as is for a BLW-style finger food.
- To serve as a thick mash, remove skin and mash with a fork one at a time or in a larger portion in a food processor or blender.
- To serve as a thinner sweet potato puree, mash with a fork and add 1 tablespoon warm water at a time to reach desired consistency.
Video
Notes
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container for 3-5 days in the fridge.
- You can sprinkle with salt for babies over 1 and any adults.
- Add crushed dried rosemary OR cinnamon for additional flavor.
- Spread the wedges out on the baking sheet so they aren’t overlapping. This will ensure even cooking.
- Poke a wedge with a fork or small knife at the lower end of the baking time to see if it’s very soft.
- Learn more about the basics of baby-led weaning here.
Nutrition
This post was first published August 2019.
Can you can the baby food with the Mason jar boiling technique as opposed to freezing? TIA
You would need to look up the specific food on a reliable canning site like Ball Canning or a university extension. I feel safer freezing baby food, but let me know if you try it another way.
I like your blog but this is so complicated for sweet potatoes. Wash sweet potato and place directly on oven rack, no poking holes, no olive oil, no cutting. Just put the potato in the oven (place tray underneath to catch sugar juices) Bake sweet potatoes at 400°F for 45-75 min (based on size) till soft (stick a fork in it to test, fork will go through potato because it’s softer than regular potatoes). You can also tell they’re done because the outer skin breaks and the caramelized sugars start dripping out. Take out of oven and let cool. Remove skin and mash. Removing the skin takes about 10 seconds. This method of cooking, keeping the potato whole leaves the potato moist and is hassle-free.
I add water to mine and blend before freezing. Makes the texture smoother. My LO gags easily.
Can the mashed purée version be frozen? If so, for how long and what would the best way to do this be? Thanks!
I usually fill an ice cube tray with the puree, freeze, then transfer to a freezer bag to freeze for up to 6 months. Then you can thaw a cube or two at a time overnight in the fridge or at room temp. I hope that helps!
How do you reheat to serve to baby after refrigerating leftovers?
You can serve cold, leave out at room temp for a bit, or warm in a heat-safe bowl for about 10 seconds in the microwave.
How often should you be flipping them? Mine always seem to cook too much on the outside before they’ get soft enough.
Maybe try cutting them a smidge thinner? They should cook pretty much at the same speed throughout.
Hi! Can you make these in bulk and freeze them? I do that with blanched carrots, but wondering if you can do something similar here? Thanks so much, I love your recipes!!
Yes, you can totally freeze this like you would any other baby food!
Thanks for the detailed instructions and nutrition information! I’m off to explore the rest of your site.
Enjoy!