Sweet potatoes are a great first food or little ones! Here is everything you need to know about serving sweet potatoes with baby led weaning, including best ways to cook sweet potatoes, how to cut them for BLW, and recipe ideas.

Any list you come across of the top first foods for baby led weaning almost always includes sweet potatoes. They are a great first food - they're nutritious, relatively easy to prepare, and when cooked are the perfect texture for new eaters. Here is what you need to know about safely preparing and serving sweet potatoes for baby led weaning.
Jump to:
When Can Babies Have Sweet Potatoes?
Babies can eat sweet potatoes as soon as they are developmentally ready for solids, about 6 months. If you're spoon feeding purees, you can make sweet potato puree of course, but it is even easier to give baby sweet potatoes using a baby led weaning approach. Just make sure they are cooked and cut the right way for baby's development. Read on for exactly how.
Baby Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are very nutritious. This starchy root vegetable provides several important nutrients for growth and healthy functioning, including:
- Fiber - good for digestion and a healthy gut
- Vitamin C - helps aid iron absorption
- Beta carotene - an antioxidant and precursor to vitamin A, necessary for healthy vision and immune health
- B vitamins - good for healthy metabolism, brain function, and energy production
- Manganese - aids in metabolism, bone clotting, and blood formation
- Copper - aids in development of bones, red blood cells, and other tissues, and aids iron absorption
- Potassium - important for fluid balance, and nerve and muscle functioning
- Choline - a lesser known nutrient important for brain development
- Antioxidants - help the body fight inflammation and chronic disease
Best Ways To Cook Sweet Potatoes for Babies
Sweet potatoes must be cooked to a very soft texture before serving to baby. The food must be easily mashed between baby's gums - or between your index finger and thumb as a test. Here are some options for cooking sweet potatoes for baby.
1. Boiled
Place peeled, cubed sweet potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 8-12 minutes. This method is not the best if you need sticks or wedges for beginners (6 months), but is great for mashing or cubes.
2. Steamed
You can steam sweet potatoes whole or in chunks. Place water in a pot to just below the level of the steamer basket and bring it to a boil. Place medium sized whole sweet potatoes on the steamer basket and add to the pot. Cover the pot and steam, maintaining a steady simmer, until sweet potatoes are tender, about 25-35 minutes. If you're cooking chunks, place peeled spears or chunks (about 1 inch thick) on the steamer basket and steam for 7-10 minutes, or until tender.
3. Baked
Wrap sweet potatoes individually in foil and bake at 400°F for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on size, or until soft when squeezed. Let sweet potatoes rest 5-10 minutes before unwrapping.
4. Roasted
Roasting is a great way to prepare sweet potatoes in cubes, sticks, or wedges. They're great for little hands to grip. Toss peeled and cut sweet potatoes in olive oil and spread on a lined baking sheet. Roast at 400°F for 20-30 minutes (depending on the size of pieces) or until fork tender, flipping once halfway through.
How To Serve Sweet Potatoes for Baby Led Weaning
Now that you know how to cook sweet potatoes to a soft texture, here are the best ways to serve sweet potatoes for baby led weaning from 6 months on in safe, appropriate shapes.
1. Wedges or sticks/fries (6+ months)
For newer eaters, bigger is better. Younger babies around 6-8 months don't yet have the motor skills to pick up small pieces with individual fingers. Long pieces, about the length of an adult finger, offer baby a 'handle' to grip in his fist while he munches on the end. Cut sweet potatoes lengthwise into wedges about an inch thick, or into sticks, about 1 cm wide, before cooking to a soft texture. You can leave the peel on for wedges if you like, or peel the sweet potato. If the peel is left on, baby can scrape the flesh from the skin and will discard it when he is done.
2. Smashed or mashed (6+ months)
No matter the cooking method, you can smash pieces of sweet potato with a fork into a chunky texture, or fully mashed them into a smoother texture. Let younger eaters (6-9 months) scoop up with their hands or preload onto a soft spoon and place the spoon on baby's tray. For older babes, you can offer a utensil for practice, though hands will probably still be used.
3. Cubes (9+ months)
Once baby develops a pincer grasp, usually around 9-10 months, you can offer sweet potato in bite-sized pieces, about 1 cm or the size of your pinky nail. You can also continue offering larger pieces if it's easier as a variety of sizes and shapes is good practice for little ones.
BLW Friendly Sweet Potato Recipes
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes for Baby Led Weaning (Wedges or Cubes)
- Sweet Potato Pancakes for Baby and Toddler
- Baby & Toddler Veggie Sweet Potato Frittata
- Sweet Potato, Kale and Black Bean Patties by Fox and Briar
- Salmon Sweet Potato Fritters by Abbey's Kitchen
- Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes by Haute and Healthy Living
- Sweet Potato Black Bean Casserole by Kim's Cravings (Make sure to chop the veggies small.)
- Chicken Sweet Potato Curry by Omnivore's Cookbook
Track your baby's journey through starting solids! Get my 100 First Foods Checklist and Allergen Checklist Bundle today!
FAQ
No, sweet potatoes allergies are rare, but do exist. Sweet potatoes can also cause a reaction in FPIES, or Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome. If your child already has FPIES, ask your allergist how to best handle introducing new foods like sweet potato.
No, when cooked appropriately to a soft texture sweet potatoes are not a common choking hazard.
Leaving the skin on sweet potatoes can help baby grip pieces. The skin is edible, however, it is likely that baby will spit it out after scooping the flesh away.
In North America, the terms sweet potato and yam are used interchangeably, though a true yam is not the same thing as a sweet potato. It is commonly used in Caribbean and West African cooking and is closer to a yucca than a sweet potato.
Leave a Reply