Frozen Mango Puree for Babies

Babies love fruit purees and this mango puree recipe is no exception. It’s sweet, brightly colored, chock full of nutrients for your baby (and you). Served on it’s own or mixed into yogurt or baby oatmeal, babies love it!  

I made almost all of my kiddos baby food and they taste tested lots of fruit and vegetable purees.  Sweet potato puree, cherry puree and this mango puree are always top of their list. They are a bit older now and I can still use this puree often in mango ice cream, mango overnight oats, and smoothies and they still love it!

Not only does this sweet and creamy puree satisfy babies and big kids, but adults can enjoy it too. It’s a great source of Vitamin C and dietary fiber and is perfect to add to your favorite fruity cocktail, a delicious mango lassi, or even a more savory mango salsa.

Ingredients for Mango Puree

For many of my fruit purees I suggest using frozen fruit which makes the whole process quicker, simpler and more streamlined.  Mango puree is no exception.  Find a bag of frozen mango chunks at your local grocery store and once you’re home, you can have this puree made and in use in less than 15 minutes.

A few notes on the ingredients:

• Fresh Mango: If you choose to use fresh mangos, be sure they are ripe. See below for tricks on how to pick the perfect mango.
• Frozen Mango: If you choose to use frozen mangos, find them in the frozen fruit aisle of your favorite grocery store.  They are sold as mango chunks. 

Picking a Ripe Mango

There are three tricks to making sure you are picking ripe mangos.  Peak mango season is from May to September, so be on the lookout for the best mangos then.

When you choose most varieties of mangoes, you want to first see that it has turned from green to a rosy red, yellow or orange.  Ataulfo (or honey mango) mangos on the other hand should be a nice bright yellow color.

Then, you want to gently press on the mango skin and see that it has a little give.  If it’s too hard, it’s underripe, and if it’s too soft it’s over ripe.

Lastly, you want to smell them.  It should give off a fragrant and sweet smell.

Mangos will continue to ripen on your counter, so feel free to buy them at different stages of ripeness, so you’ll have ripe ones ready to go when you need them.

Step by step instructions

This is one of the easiest recipes I can share with you.  It’s just dump, blend and freeze. Three easy steps and you’ve got a flavorful, tropical fruit puree ready to use in so many recipes or as baby food for your newest eater.  

1. For this recipe, you’ll want to have a blender available.  In a pinch a food processor will work too.  I like to use my Vitamix for all of my homemade baby food.  It’s quick and easy and super simple to clean up when I’m done.

2. I use frozen mango when I make this recipe, so start by letting your bag of frozen mango chunks sit on the counter for 10-15 minutes to defrost a bit.  If you are using fresh mangos, cut them carefully around the center pit and take off the skin then cut the mango into small cubes.

3. Once the frozen mango has softened a bit, pour the entire bag into your blender. Put the lid on so you don’t get splashed and blend until all of the chunks are gone and you have a super smooth puree.  It should take less than a minute.  If you need help getting the puree going, you can add a little water, breast milk or other liquid to thin things out.

4. Pour the puree into an airtight container for storage. For babies, I typically leave 1-2 servings in the fridge and freeze the rest in silicone ice cube trays.  

Fresh vs. Frozen Mango for Baby food

When I make purees, I like to be efficient.  The frozen mango allows me to make mango puree and mango ice cream at a moment's notice.  I also find that the consistency in texture and taste is better for this puree when starting with frozen mango.  

Fresh mangos are good in season and if you have the time (and patience) to cut them carefully.  You’ll need a lot more fresh mango to make the same size batch of this puree and will likely spend

Freezing Instructions

Pour the blended puree into the silicone ice cube tray.  Then tap it a few times on the counter to let the air bubbles out.  Then press plastic wrap directly on top of the entire tray.  Carefully place the entire tray on a flat surface in the freezer.

Once the cubes are fully frozen you can pop them out of the ice cube tray and put them into zip top bags to store until you need them.  Be sure to label the bags so you don’t mix up the mango puree with the carrot puree 😉

Serving Suggestions for Babies and Toddlers

Mix and match your homemade baby foods to keep things interesting for your baby as they explore new flavors. Here are some ideas for pairing mango purees with others:

• Fruits: Banana, Avocado Puree, Strawberry puree
• Vegetables: Black Bean Puree, Green Pea Puree, Spinach Puree
• Grains: Oats, Rice
• Proteins: Greek Yogurt, Cottage Cheese
• Spices and Seasonings: Lime, Tajin Seasoning
• Delicious Combinations: Here are a few combinations of purees that make a great meal for your baby as they get older.
  • Mango, Avocado Puree, Black Bean
  • Spinach, Mango, Pineapple
  • Mango, coconut milk, chia seeds

Serving Suggestions for Big Kids and Adults

There are so many uses for this puree.  Keeping stocked on frozen mango puree will mean that you can make any of the following recipes at a moment's notice.  

• Tropical overnight oats with mango and coconut.
• Make a mango syrup by reducing the puree by about ¼th, then drizzle it over pancakes or waffles.
• Try your hand at making jam using the puree, a diced up mango, sugar and some lime juice.  Then you can substitute it in place of strawberries in this coffee cake.
• Salsa is the perfect savory use for the puree.  Mix up a sweet and spicy mango salsa and serve with you favorite tortilla chips.
• Fold it into whipped pudding for a refreshing twist on a favorite dessert, top with dried coconut for texture.
• Smoothies: Let your imagination (and your blender) run wild making mango banana smoothies, mango pineapple smoothies or even a spin on a mango pina colada.

📖 Recipe