How to Make Green Bean Puree for Babies

Moving from milk to solids is a wonderfully exciting time for you and your baby. Not only are there lots of colors and new textures to explore, but you can start your baby on the path toward loving their fruits and veggies. One of the easiest—and yummiest—veggies to start with is the humble green bean.

After your baby has eaten a single-grain cereal for a couple of weeks without problems, they'll be ready to move on to vegetable purees. Green beans are an excellent choice since they contain vitamin A and fiber, making them nutrient-dense and easy to digest for your baby. Here's how to make green bean puree for your little one.

Step 1: Select & Buy Green Beans

Frozen green beans are best for pureeing since fresh green beans can have a grainy texture after blending. An added benefit of using frozen is that fresh green beans are only in season for a short time and tend to be more expensive. If you plan to make a big batch of green bean puree to freeze, watch your local grocery store for sales to save some money.

Green beans are delicious alone or mixed with other veggies (and even yogurt). But try to avoid canned green beans because they're filled with sodium.

Step 2: Wash the Green Beans

We recommend that you use frozen green beans since fresh ones can become grainy after pureeing; if you follow our advice, skip this step and move on to the next.

If you prefer to go fresh, place green beans in a colander and rinse thoroughly in cool water. Break off the ends and rinse once more.

Watch out for green bean strings. Modern green beans have been bred not to have that long, fibrous string that can pose a choking hazard. But if you choose fresh and end up with an heirloom variety, you should make sure to pull that string off.

Step 3: Cook the Green Beans

Place the green beans in a steamer and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender. Drain green beans and rinse with cold water for three minutes to stop the cooking process. You'll notice that your green beans will turn a vibrant, bright green color while cooking.

Step 4: Puree the Green Beans

Puree green beans in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add water as needed to reach desired consistency. Once your baby is ready for finger foods, typically around 10 months, you can serve whole green beans cut into tiny pieces.

Step 5: Serve Green Bean Puree

Green bean puree pairs beautifully with sweeter veggies like carrots or sweet potato, fruit, yogurt, and rice.

Try mixing green bean puree with other flavors too. Your baby will get the chance to explore new flavor combinations, and their dinner plate will become more nutritionally robust. Here are a few ideas:

• Sweet potatoes
• Carrots
• Russet potatoes
• Full-fat Greek yogurt and pears

Step 6: Refrigerate or Freeze Leftover Green Bean Puree

Cool green bean puree and refrigerate leftovers in BPA-free containers for up to 3 days. Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in your refrigerator.

You can freeze green bean puree in batches to make feeding time easier. Try pouring the puree into ice cube trays and freeze. Then, pop out the cubes and store them in a ziplock bag in the freezer—make sure to write the date on the bag, so you know when you made them.

You can take a few cubes out and place them in a bowl to thaw. Or, if your baby is teething, you can place a frozen puree cube into a mesh bag teether and let your baby gnaw on the cold green beans. The cold puree will help soothe their gums, and the green bean snack will boost your baby's fiber and vitamin intake.