Wash, peel, and dice your vegetable of choice. Creating an even dice is important here. It will allow for even cooking—meaning no chunks of uncooked vegetables in your puree.
Place all the diced vegetables in a steamer basket and cook until they’re soft enough to squish with one finger—and no further. Don’t cook veggies until they’re mealy or waterlogged.
Place the cooked vegetables into a blender or food processor and add the butter and cream if using. Season with salt and pepper.
Blend the puree to your desired texture. Try a spoonful to make sure it’s how you like it. Tip: Try blending a little bit and then lift the lid and let some steam escape. Hot steam can expand and cause the lid to come off while blending if you’re not careful.
Remove the puree with a rubber spatula.
Tips on Making a Vegetable Puree
Stick with one kind of vegetable to ensure even cooking and a smooth puree. If you want to use a combination of veggies, puree them separately and mix them together.
If you don’t have a steamer basket, you can steam the vegetables in a covered pot with an inch of water at the bottom. You’ll need to strain the vegetables before they go in the blender.
Try different seasonings like Cajun or your favorite herbs.
Substitute the butter and cream with a nonfat or dairy-free alternative. You can opt for unsweetened nondairy milk or margarine or oil instead. You can even add sour cream in place of the cream for a different flavor. Adding some type of fat or milk helps make the puree creamy.
Vegetables that are great to puree: sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, parsnips, and cauliflower.
Vegetables to avoid pureeing:
Fibrous green vegetables like broccoli, and veggies with a shell like peas—they tend to leave strings and pieces that won’t puree.
Starchy vegetables like potatoes and some winter squash become gluey when put in a blender or food processor. Starchy vegetables like these should be hand-mashed or passed through a ricer.
