Red Pepper Baby Puree
Medically reviewed and cowritten by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN).
This naturally sweet Red Pepper Baby Food Puree is loaded with vitamins A, B6, and C. With a smooth and rich texture, babies aged 6 months and up will definitely enjoy this. It’s also perfect as a Stage 1 Baby Food.
Red Pepper Puree
Red bell peppers made into baby food?
Unusual? Yes.
Tasty? For sure!
This is one of those convenient and flavorful purees that I would have never thought to make because it isn’t found on any grocery store shelf. Yet you can prepare it in less than 20 minutes, and it can be served to baby from 4 months of age and up.
Plus, look at that attractive bright red color! 😋
Aside from having loads of vitamins A, B6, and C, this puree is also an excellent source of folate. When paired with a little white potato, apple, or pear, it even turns into a delectable, velvety starter puree perfect for all babies!
Red Pepper Puree Video
Watch this video to see step-by-step instructions on how to make this homemade baby food puree!
Is it your first time making homemade baby food? If you answered yes, then I suggest you start this journey by reading my in-depth Guide on How to Make Homemade Baby Food. The detailed article goes over all the essential information such as the best cooking tools to have on hand, safe storage, knowing when your baby is ready for solids, introducing purees, making the best first foods for baby, and more! You can also check out my best-selling cookbook for even more information and recipes.
Reasons to Love this Red Pepper Baby Puree
- baby food for 4 months and up
- stage 1 baby food
- homemade
- smooth and creamy texture
- quick and simple to make — 2-ingredient recipe
- freezer-friendly
- healthy — a good source of folate and high in vitamins A, B6, and C
- great-tasting
Ingredients
- Red Peppers – Naturally sweetened with a hint of citrus twist, these are the stars of the show! Just so we are on the same page, we are talking about red bell peppers here, not the spicy serrano or pimento peppers. 😉
- Potato, Apple, or Pear – You will need to add a small handful of white potato, apple, or pear to this puree to give it a little body, as peppers by themselves can become pretty liquidy after being cooked. Potato gives a fuller body while apple or pear complements the red peppers’ sweeter side.
Benefits of Red Peppers for Baby
- high in carotenoids that help reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease
- a good source of beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin to support healthy eyes
- contains high amounts of vitamin A that help improve immunity
- an excellent source of vitamin B6, which may help improve one’s mood
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
- Prep – Roughly core and chop the red peppers and potato, pear, or apple.
- Steam – Place the red pepper chunks into a steamer basket over boiling water, cover, and cook for 5-7 minutes or until tender.
- Blend – Let it cool slightly, and then transfer it to a blender and puree until smooth.
- Eat – Serve or freeze for another meal.
HOW TO STORE RED PEPPER PUREE
REFRIGERATOR
You can store this puree in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
FREEZER
This puree can be frozen for up to 4 months.
- Spoon puree into a freezer storage container (this is my favorite freezer storage container). Do not overfill.
- Place the lid on the storage container or cover with a piece of saran wrap — label with the date and recipe name.
- Place the tray into the freezer and let freeze it completely — preferably overnight.
- Pop-out the baby food cubes and place them in a zip-lock baggie or stasher bag. Don’t forget to relabel the baggie or stager bag for future reference.
Do you need more information on how to store your baby foods? Head over to my Best Baby Food Storage Containers – Plus 6 Tips on Freezing and Thawing post!
Label Tip: Don’t forget to label your purees before you place them in the fridge or freezer with the name of the puree and the date you made it. Take it from me, you will completely forget when and what is in your freezer by the end of the week… because you know… mommy brain. 😉
WHEN CAN BABY EAT RED PEPPERS?
Babies can have red peppers as one of their first foods. When a baby can start on solids is determined by their own rate of development, which generally comes between 4-6 months of age. Some of the developmental milestones babies need to reach in order to start solids include: if your baby has solid control of their head and neck, if your baby has doubled in weight, and if your baby is reaching for or opening their mouth when you eat (see my guide here). Before you start baby on purees, you should consult with your pediatrician to make sure your child is developmentally ready.
GREAT RED PEPPER Stage 2 PUREES
While Red Pepper Baby Food is already appetizing by itself, it’s also easy to mix and match with other nutrient-dense baby food purees. For a Stage Two puree, give these fun flavor combos a try!
- Apples
- Sweet Potato
- Quinoa Baby Cereal
- Chicken
- Pear
- Soft Tofu
- Yogurt
- Mango
More Ways to Serve this Puree
- Mix in some plain whole milk yogurt for a creamy, soup-like puree.
- Steam an apple and a handful of spinach along with the red peppers for a yummier and healthier puree.
- Mix the puree with brown rice and some shredded chicken for a tasty, full-bodied meal for your baby.
- Mix with some pasta, parsley, and grated cheese for a delightful and satisfying meal.
HELPFUL TOOLS
- Steamer Basket
- Blender or Food Processor
- Storage Containers for Fridge
- Freezer Tray
- Stasher Bag
- White Bowl
- Yellow Spoon
Or watch a shortened version of this video here.
Get the recipe: Red Pepper Baby Puree
Ingredients
- 2 red bell peppers deseeded, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup small white potato, pear or apple peeled and roughly chopped
Instructions
Red Pepper with Potato
- Cook: In a medium saucepan, bring 2″ of water to a boil. If using a potato, place it in a steamer basket and steam for 10 minutes. Add in the red peppers and steam for another 5-7 minutes or until tender. Reserve steamer water. Let cool slightly. Purees as directed below.
Red Pepper with Apple or Pear
- Cook: In a medium saucepan, bring 2″ of water to a boil. Add the peppers and apple or pears to a steamer basket, cover and steam for 5-7 minutes or until tender. Reserve steamer water. Let cool slightly.
- Add to Blender: Add in all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor.
- Puree: starting on low and increasing speed to high, puree for 1 minute or until completely smooth, adding in a tablespoon of water in at a time if needed.
- Eat: serve to baby or freeze for a future meal.
Notes
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53 Comments on “Red Pepper Baby Puree”
My baby loved this, he just kept wanting more
Aww so happy he enjoyed this puree! 💕
It took awhile for my daughter to get used to it, but after a few feedings she couldn’t get enough.
Tasty (:
Glad your baby liked it!
Are Aloha bell peppers similar to red bell peppers? Should I stick to the red bell peppers?
We only get aloha bell peppers in my city every once in a while (and they are so pretty) so I haven’t made this recipe with them before. But I am guessing that the recipe would be the same and work great. If you try it, let us know how it turns out.
I made this recipe, but I did a half of clove of garlic and an squeeze of a lemon! I LOVE this website. I enjoy creating simple tasty recipes and so far my 4 month old son loves everyone. His favorite is cilantro and acorn squash.
I love the garlic and lemon addition to this recipe! So happy to hear your little one is enjoying the purees. Keep up the great work:)
Love your website! We’re working our way through your 15 stage one baby food purées and our baby girl has loved everything we tried so far! Just tried this recipe with one red pepper and about a quarter cup of apple and it came out a very liquid consistency, not creamy like it looks in your photos. Would you recommend more or less apple next time? Or would a potato be a better option?
This puree is naturally on the thinner side. Once you chill it, it does thicken up. The potato or apple does help thicken it as well.
Hello, I love your site and I’m so excited to try this with my daughter! 🙂 She’s currently 9 months and so I’m hoping to try some of the add-ins you suggested to make it a complete meal for her! I was just wondering if you recommend adding the rice and chicken in addition to the potato, or if that would be too many grains having both rice and potatoes? How much rice and chicken do you suggest adding to the recipe? Thank you so much again for sharing all of your delicious recipes, and hope to hear from you soon!
Best,
Emily
If you are making a full batch of red pepper puree with chicken and rice, then you can skip the potato. For a full batch, I would add in 1 cup cooked tender chicken and 1 cup of cooked rice, and pulse until chunky. You can also do make it one serving at a time and then I would mix in 4 ounces of puree, 2 tablespoon rice and chicken.
This puree sounds wonderful and also looks delicious. My baby will definitely love it.
Hi there! I am enjoying cooking for my baby who is 6 months old. And Im on a hunt for delicious combos and puree ideas to make for him.I find this really interesting and I think it tastes really good not only for the baby but also for the whole family. Will the nutrition facts change if I peel it off before I blend them? I hope to hear from you! 😀
So happy to hear that you enjoy the recipes! Yes, if you peel the apple or pear in this recipe the nutritional content will change slightly. You can keep the peel on if you prefer for the apple or pear but not the potato. If you use the potato, you will have to peel the skin.
My son LOVED this purée…until I froze it. It had an awful texture once it thawed. He wouldn’t eat it. The recipe says it can be frozen, but I would NOT advise that…
Thanks for your feedback. I’m curious on what the texture was like for you once frozen and thawed? I just made a video showing all the steps that will be uploaded soon and my frozen and thawed puree came out fine. But if your was wrong, I would love to help fix it.
It became sort of chunky. The water separated out of it when it thawed, but the water didn’t mix back in well. It was just sort of clumpy. Maybe I didn’t use enough potatoes? I will note that I mixed some red pepper purée with green bean purée, and that version thawed decently. Not perfectly smooth, but he eats it and enjoys it! Let me know if I should do something differently next time or do something to fix the red pepper purée that I have frozen. Thanks!!
Has anyone tried this with an instant pot and if so how long did you cook it? We just started purees and this sounds interesting.
I’m just about to publish an entire post on how to cook purees in the instant pot. But you can cook peppers on manual, high-pressure for 4 minutes, quick release and then puree. I found they didn’t turn out as creamy as they do in this recipe, but if you are cooking a selection of different fruits and veggies, it’s a time saver for sure.
My almost 5mo LOVED this! We’ve tried so many of your recipes and they were all a hit, but I was only slightly hesitant about this one. Wish I could post a video or pic of him eating this because we couldn’t shovel it in fast enough. With the potato, our came out more orange than red, but I tasted it and it was so good. Even threw some of it in my enchilada sauce I was making. I keep recommending this site to all my mom groups! Thanks and keep up the good work.
I love this so much! Glad he was such a big fan of this puree 😊
Can I try this with green bell paper?
I haven’t tried using green peppers, but I bet it would work. Green peppers don’t have as much natural sugar in them, so the puree might be a little tart.
Do you have to use the potatoes?
This recipe does need to have a base of some sort as the red pepper by itself tends to have an interesting consistency without it. You can sub a pear, apple or cauliflower in place of potato if you prefer.
Mine turned out bitter. Is there any way to salvage it?
Oh no. Bummer! You can try adding some pureed apples to it.
Sorry it’s taken so long for me to get back here, but little T likes thered pepper after a few tries. Avocado and banana have been her favorite add-ins with black beans nor far behind.
Wow! What a great diverse meal plan. Love it!
Do you think I can do it whit brown pepper? A little less sweeter than red pepper and Iknow, the color will be strange but my 4 month son wont stop at the color! lol
Sorry for the delay..
I actually don’t know what a white brown pepper is! But I would assume it would be the same as using a red pepper, and if it’s sweeter then I am sure your LO will love it even more! Let me know how it goes.
xo,
Michele
Thank you so much for this site! This is basically my homepage these days 🙂
My question is, may I roast these yummy veggies in the oven instead of steaming them? I don’t have a steamer basket and I wondered if the point was really just to have them cooked. Should I go out and buy the basket at this moment? Is there something that shouldn’t be roasted in an oven for baby?
Thanks!!
You can totally roast the peppers in this recipe! It will be a thicker puree with a more earthy taste but still delicious. You might also need to add more liquid then the recipe but you will just have to play around with it. I would start by roasting them at 425 for 20-30 minutes. You can also drizzle a little olive oil on them! Yum!
xo, Michele
I love your site! I followed this recipe, but it ended up with a very sticky, gluey consistency. I assume this is from putting the white potato in the food processor with the red pepper. Do you have any suggestions for fixing this gluey mess, or how to avoid this problem in the future? Perhaps I had too much potato in relation to the pepper? Thanks!
Oh no!! That’s a bummer. 1 small potato worked great for me, so maybe your potato was just a little bigger then mine. Next time I would try adding in some more liquid (water, broth, breast milk) and see if that helps. You could also add in apple puree if yo have any on hand.
xo, Michele
I’m off to try red pepper, sweet potato and carrot (it sounds so yummy I might make a ton and have some for myself)!
So glad this site exists I’m literally starting to wean my 15 week old, he’s so far only enjoyed, Apple, strawberry and sweet potato and I’m going to raise him veggie until he’s old enough to decide for himself. I can’t wait to try out some of these baby food ideas 🙂 xx
Hello Ellie,
So glad you are here!! You are making me hungry just talking about all of these delicious purees! Keep up the great work momma!!!
xo, Michele
Loving your recipes for my little guy; who will soon be eating purees. Wondering if i could make this recipe with yellow peppers too? thoughts
Hello Tiffany,
I haven’t tried yellow peppers (but now they are on my list!!) but they are super sweet and would probably be delicious with this recipe. Give a try and let me know how it goes:)
xo, Michele
Wow..amazing purees 🙂
can’t wait to try these for my little one ..Thanks for the wonderful ideas ..
Love your presentation
Thank you! Let me know how your little one likes them:)
xoxo, Michele
Can you freeze this in ice cube trays?
Yes, this puree would be great frozen.
xoxo,
Michele
Sounds lovely….and easy to.prepare too 👍
Super easy! I hope you give it a try:)
xoxo, Michele
Thank you for all of these recipes! They have been a great inspiration for my making solids for my son, Oscar 🙂
Hello Emma,
Thanks for reading and stopping by! I love having you here!!!
xoxo,
Michele
I love this website. I’m currently pregnant with my first and really wanted to make baby food for my son. I also want him to be a good eater (unlike his father, who is the pickiest eater ever) so I’ve been reading these recipes with so much excitement!
I saw on your about page that there is a baby nutritionist on staff. So just to be sure, all of these recipes have been checked to be age appropriate? Including all the spices/herbs/ ect used?
Hello Ashley,
Congratulations on your pregnancy!!! I LOVE that you are already looking into healthy food for your son to eat 🙂
Yes, all of these recipes are age appropriate. Sara and I both strongly believe that there are only really 3 categories of foods for baby. 1) Foods to serve at the very beginning of when you are introducing foods. Which can be found in the 4-6 month tab. These are usually a single ingredient puree and super simple. 2) Foods that have to wait until a year or older – honey and milk (for drinking but can be added in small amounts for cooking) and 3) Everything else – which depending on your child can start at 6 months and for others they might need to wait a couple more months. Grains, Meat, Butter, Fats and all Produce can be started somewhere around 6-9 months. All spices and herbs can be added at the very beginning and are just added for additional taste and pleasure for your little one.
But the biggest thing is that you will have to listen to your child. Let them tell you when they are ready for certain foods.
Don’t worry, when you get to the feeding stage, I will be here for any other questions you might have 🙂
xoxo,
Michele
Thank you so much! I’m new to all of this and don’t really know anything about the feeding stage, and feel like I’ve learned so much reading posts on your site. Already made sure to subscribe and will be a frequent visitor 🙂 And have already been sharing the site with some of my pregnant friends.
I love this website. I’m currently pregnant with my first and really wanted to make baby food for my son. I also want him to be a good eater (unlike his father, who is the pickiest eater ever) so I’ve been reading these recipes with so much excitement!
I saw on your about page that there is a baby nutritionist on staff. So just to be sure, all of these recipes have been checked to be age appropriate? Including all the spices/herbs/ ect used?