With one super simple cooking method, you can roast sweet potato wedges to serve one of three yummy ways—BLW style, mashed, or pureed into classic sweet potato puree. It’s the easiest way to make sweet potato baby food. (And the rest of the family can enjoy it, too!)
Sweet Potato Baby Food
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 style of feeding or more traditional purees, this one cooking method will work beautifully. And you can serve it to everyone at the table—big kids and grown-ups alike!
This recipe makes tender roasted sweet potato wedges, which you can serve as is or mash or puree them smoother with a fork. The texture is soft, the method is easy, and they are one of our favorite first foods for baby. So easy.
This 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 the flavor is all natural sweetness from the root vegetable.
(You may also like my Baby Food Chart and Baby Pancakes.)
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Ingredients You Need
To make this roasted 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.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at how to make this simple recipe. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full information, including the amounts and the timing.
- Choose a medium to large sweet potato with orange flesh. They are sometimes called “garnet yams” at the store.
- Slice in half. Cut each half in half. (You can leave the skin on or peel it off.) Cut each piece in half again to make wedges that are about ½ inch thick. You can cut them horizontally, too, if you’re working with a very large sweet potato.
- Toss with olive oil in a bowl. Spread on a foil-lined sheet pan.
- Roast until soft.
TIP: You want the wedges to be about the size of one or two of your fingers, which is a good shape for BLW food for baby to self-feed.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
How to Make Sweet Potato Wedges (BLW)
Once you’ve followed the recipe instructions, you’ll have roasted sweet potato wedges that are ready to serve. You can let them cool slightly and offer to your baby to hold and gnaw on. They also store well in an airtight container in the fridge to serve at future meals.
TIP: I like to leave the skin on my sweet potato wedges since it helps them hold together a little better when a baby eats them baby-led weaning style.
How to Make Mashed Sweet Potatoes
To serve the sweet potato as a thick mash, simply mash it with a fork. You can discard the skin and any pieces that don’t mash easily. If you want to make a larger batch, simply remove the skin from as many wedges as you want and mash in a bowl with a potato masher or in a food processor.
This stays on a spoon nicely, so you can preload it and hand it to baby to feed themselves.
How to Serve Mashed Sweet Potatoes (Stage 2)
When serving this sweet potato puree to a baby, you can preload the spoon, hand it to them, and let them feed themselves. If the baby is used to eating solids, they will also likely be able to pick it up with their fingers, as it’s pretty thick.
How to Make Homemade Sweet Potato Puree (Stage 1)
To turn the roasted wedges into sweet potato puree with a smooth consistency, simply mash with a fork until very smooth, adding a 1 tablespoon of water at a time to blend into the desired thin consistency. It purees SO easily this way!
TIP: I love this cooking method because I can serve the roasted sweet potato wedges to my whole family, and either a wedge or some puree for the baby without much extra work. One of our favorite side dishes!
How to Store
Store any leftovers 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.
- Learn more about the basics of baby-led weaning if you are going with that style of feeding.
- 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.
Related Recipes
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!