Homemade Sweet Potato Baby Food

Posted Sep 13, 2017, Updated Jun 28, 2024 I am always a bag of mixed emotions once I begin feeding my babies solid foods. On the one hand, it’s so fun to introduce our kids to new foods and experiences, but on the other, it’s just another reminder of the irreversible passing of time. Sigh. I want to help take the guesswork out of feeding your babies and show you just how easy it is to make your own baby food at home, starting with this homemade sweet potato baby food (also try baby food carrots and pear puree). When my first baby was ready to eat solids I did a ton of research before I started. So I’m hoping that my experience feeding six kids helps other moms as well. I promise you will learn to love making food for your baby! This homemade sweet potato baby food is the perfect recipe to start with because sweet potatoes are a favorite food of babies everywhere, so your little one is sure to love them!

How to Make Sweet Potato Baby Food

Making homemade baby food is really simple. To make baby food sweet potatoes begin by cooking the potatoes, then add water, blend and store.

Cook the Sweet Potatoes

There are a few way you can prepare sweet potatoes to make baby food. #1 Roast. Wrap the sweet potatoes in foil and bake them until they are soft. Then open up the foil to let the potatoes cool. #2 Crockpot. With my last baby I started cooking the sweet potatoes in my crockpt and it is now my favorite method. Put about a fourth of a cup of water in the bottom of the crockpot and then add as many sweet potatoes as you’d like. Then let them cook on high until they are soft (2-4 hours depending on the size of your potatoes). Remove and let them cool slightly. #3 Boil. You can also peel and boil the sweet potatoes until they are fork-tender. Then, drain in a colander and use to make sweet potato puree.

Add Water & Blend

I suggest blending the sweet potato puree in a Vitamix, or another high-powered blender so it’s smooth, especially for younger babies. As your baby grows, you can use a food processor and leave some texture to help them get used to chewing. Add water and blend/process for about 60 seconds. Check the consistency, scrape the sides and blend longer or add more water if necessary. At this point your food is ready to feed your baby. However, I like to save a small portion for now, and then store the rest for future feedings.

How to Freeze Sweet Potato Baby Food

To keep baby food fresh longer this, scoop the puree in 2 Tablespoon portions into the wells of a silicone ice cube tray. I have used regular ice cube trays in the past, but it’s much easier to remove the food cubes from molds made of silicone. Once the pan or tray is full, pop it in the freezer and wait for the cubes to freeze completely. Once the puree is frozen, remove the cubes of Homemade Baby Food Sweet Potatoes from the molds and transfer them to an airtight container or a freezer-friendly plastic bag.

To Reheat

When it’s mealtime, simply remove the desired number of cubes from the freezer and heat them in the microwave on high for 30 seconds per cube. Important: be sure to test the temperature of the puree before feeding it to your baby! You might need to let it cool slightly after heating it! If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!

3 Reasons to make Homemade Baby Food

1. It’s Less Expensive

Let’s start by discussing cost. One pound of organic sweet potatoes costs $0.98 on sale, which yields about 20 TBS of food (10 oz). One 2.5 oz jar of organic sweet potato baby food is $1.00. Which means that jarred sweet potatoes are 4 times more expensive than Homemade Sweet Potato Baby Food! Over the handful of months that your baby will eat purees, the savings is huge.

2. Real Ingredients

There are two ingredients in this recipe, sweet potatoes and water. That’s it. No fillers, no stabilizers, no preservatives, no food dyes. Just nature’s best root veggie roasted to sweet perfection and blended until it’s silky smooth!