This easy, no-cook puree is an excellent source of vitamin C and fibre. Serve Papaya Puree by itself or mix it with a range of other purees.
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Reasons to Love this Puree
- Easy: No cooking required, just peel and blend.
- Versatile: Add it to baking, add a spoonful to oatmeal or swirl through yogurt.
- Freezer Friendly: Freeze into portions to have available when needed.
Ingredient Information
You can use both red papaya or yellow papaw to make this puree.
- Red papaya is a tropical fruit with a green/yellow skin. It has a bright orange, smooth flesh and a sweet flavour.
- Yellow papaw has yellow/orange skin, bright yellow/orange flesh and a less sweet flavour.
When choosing the fruit...
- Look at the skin colour: Red papaya is ripe when the skin is more yellow than green. Yellow papaw is ripe when the skin is yellow/orange.
- Touch: Give the fruit a gentle squeeze under the stem. If it's ripe, it will give slightly.
- Smell: Ripe papaya/pawpaw will have a fruity aroma when ripe.
Store unripe fruit at room temperature and it will ripen in a few days. You can speed up the ripening process by placing in a paper bag with a banana.
Ripe fruit should be stored in the refrigerator and consumed within one or two days.
Process Shots and Cooking Tips
The great thing about papaya puree is that it requires no cooking. If your fruit is ripe then it will blend easily.
- Cut the papaya in half, lengthways, and scoop out the seeds with a spoon
- Use a small sharp knife to cut the flesh away from the skin of each half. Discard the skin and cut the flesh into bite-size chunks.
- Puree the papaya in a food processor or blender until smooth. You can add a little baby milk, if needed, to reach desired consistency and make a creamier puree. (For a chunkier puree you can mash the papaya instead of pureeing).
Papaya Puree for Babies
It is never too early to add spices and herbs to baby food. Papaya pairs well with...
- SPICES: cinnamon, ginger (add a pinch when blending)
- HERBS: coriander (cilantro), mint (add a little before blending or grind the herb to a paste and stir through as needed.)
Serve papaya puree by itself or why not try mixing with these great flavour pairings...
- Banana Puree
- Carrot Puree
- Kiwi
- Mango Puree
- Peach Puree
- Raspberry Puree
- Strawberry Puree
- Oatmeal
- Yogurt
Other Uses...
If you have excess papaya, you can puree it to use in...
- Baking - These papaya muffins sound delicious.
- Yogurt - Swirl into natural yogurt to naturally sweeten
- Oatmeal - Add to your morning oatmeal
- Smoothies - Add to a smoothie for a tropical touch.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerate: Place in an airtight container and store overnight.
- Freeze: Spoon the puree into ice-cube trays and freeze until solid. Once fully frozen, quickly pop them all out and place into a freezer bag or airtight container and return to the freezer. Thaw overnight in your refrigerator.
More Spinach Recipes...
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Papaya Puree
Equipment
- Food Processor or Blender
Ingredients
- 1 small Papaya
Instructions
- Cut the papaya in half, lengthways, and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
- Use a small sharp knife to cut the flesh away from the skin of each half. Discard the skin.
- Cut the flesh into bite-size chunks.
- Puree the papaya in a food processor or blender until smooth. You can add a little baby milk, if needed, to reach desired consistency and make a creamier puree.
Carolina
Do you just mix purées 1:1 when you give flavour combinations. Do you have any recipes? I need full step by step instructions!
Amy
Hi Carolina, the great thing about baby purees is that you can really experiment. Start with 1:1 and then play around with the ratios. I've just started adding purees to the site, will move onto combination purees soon 🙂