There is something to be said about the texture of smooth puréed foods—it gives us comfort and takes us back to our childhood. Dipping pita into smoky baba ganoush, eating hearty [potato purée](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-pureed-and-mashed-potatoes-with-thomas-keller) alongside beef stew, or getting cozy with a hot cup of creamy butternut squash soup. All of these dishes satisfy us with their simplicity, and all it takes is cooking your vegetables, adding a liquid, then blitzing them into a smooth purée. Puréeing vegetables is one of the quickest and healthiest cooking techniques around.

Learn to Purée: Gordon Ramsay's Purée Asparagus Recipe

Puréeing is a cooking technique that mashes or liquifies food into a smooth, thick paste. Typically cooked vegetables and legumes are used to make purées, but fresh fruit is often puréed to make smoothies as well. Hearty purées can stand alone as a side dish, while lighter purées can be used to accentuate a dish and create a flourish in presentation. Purées can be made with a blender, food processor, potato masher, sieve, fork or, if you want to get messy, by hand.
From a culinary perspective, puréeing foods can make for a delicious gluten-free vegetarian dish. It transforms foods into the smooth texture we enjoy in silky soups, mashed root veggies, and dunkable dips. Think past the classic mashed potatoes and try a squash purée or cauliflower purée. If you’re looking for a low-fat option, try swapping out cream and whole milk for chicken or vegetable stock.

- Cooked vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, celery root, [squash](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/whats-the-difference-between-summer-squash-and-winter-squash-varieties-plus-3-ways-to-cook-squash), green beans, and [parsnips](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/chef-thomas-kellers-creamy-parsnip-puree-recipe-learn-to-make-easy-parsnip-puree). For creamy root vegetable purées, use whole milk or cream to make them extra luscious (hot water will just make it runny).
- Cooked legumes, such as chickpeas to form the base of hummus.
- Any fruit can be puréed into a delicious smoothie or simple applesauce. If you're puréeing fruit, try using fruit juice as your liquid to enhance the flavors and get the right texture (a hint of lemon juice helps, too). 
- Cooked meat cut into small pieces can be puréed with chicken stock or gravy.
- Nuts like peanuts and almonds can be puréed into butters, and sesame seeds can be puréed into tahini.
- Adding thick dairy products, like <a href='https://masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-sour-cream' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-sour-cream","linkCopy":"sour cream","category":"automated-link"}' automatic='true'>sour cream</a> yogurt, cottage cheese, or even ice cream, can give your purées more body and up their protein and calcium content.

1. Place chopped food in a blender or food processor, add liquid to just cover the food.
2. Secure the lid and puree foods until they're smooth and homogenous. If the mixture is too dry, try adding liquid by the tablespoon and continue to blend until it reaches the desired consistency.

It is also possible to puree foods with an immersion blender.
There is something to be said about the texture of smooth puréed foods—it gives us comfort and takes us back to our childhood. Dipping pita into smoky baba ganoush, eating hearty [potato purée](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-pureed-and-mashed-potatoes-with-thomas-keller) alongside beef stew, or getting cozy with a hot cup of creamy butternut squash soup. All of these dishes satisfy us with their simplicity, and all it takes is cooking your vegetables, adding a liquid, then blitzing them into a smooth purée. Puréeing vegetables is one of the quickest and healthiest cooking techniques around.

Puréeing is a cooking technique that mashes or liquifies food into a smooth, thick paste. Typically cooked vegetables and legumes are used to make purées, but fresh fruit is often puréed to make smoothies as well. Hearty purées can stand alone as a side dish, while lighter purées can be used to accentuate a dish and create a flourish in presentation. Purées can be made with a blender, food processor, potato masher, sieve, fork or, if you want to get messy, by hand.

What Is Puréeing?

From a culinary perspective, puréeing foods can make for a delicious gluten-free vegetarian dish. It transforms foods into the smooth texture we enjoy in silky soups, mashed root veggies, and dunkable dips. Think past the classic mashed potatoes and try a squash purée or cauliflower purée. If you’re looking for a low-fat option, try swapping out cream and whole milk for chicken or vegetable stock.

Why Purée Food?

<ul class="mc-m-4 list-styled"><li class="">Cooked vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, celery root, <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/whats-the-difference-between-summer-squash-and-winter-squash-varieties-plus-3-ways-to-cook-squash' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/whats-the-difference-between-summer-squash-and-winter-squash-varieties-plus-3-ways-to-cook-squash","linkCopy":"squash","category":null}'>squash</a>, green beans, and <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/chef-thomas-kellers-creamy-parsnip-puree-recipe-learn-to-make-easy-parsnip-puree' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/chef-thomas-kellers-creamy-parsnip-puree-recipe-learn-to-make-easy-parsnip-puree","linkCopy":"parsnips","category":null}'>parsnips</a>. For creamy root vegetable purées, use whole milk or cream to make them extra luscious (hot water will just make it runny). </li><li class="">Cooked legumes, such as chickpeas to form the base of hummus. </li><li class="">Any fruit can be puréed into a delicious smoothie or simple applesauce. If you&#39;re puréeing fruit, try using fruit juice as your liquid to enhance the flavors and get the right texture (a hint of lemon juice helps, too). </li><li class="">Cooked meat cut into small pieces can be puréed with chicken stock or gravy. </li><li class="">Nuts like peanuts and almonds can be puréed into butters, and sesame seeds can be puréed into tahini. </li><li class="">Adding thick dairy products, like <a href='https://masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-sour-cream' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-sour-cream","linkCopy":"sour cream","category":"automated-link"}' automatic='true'>sour cream</a> yogurt, cottage cheese, or even ice cream, can give your purées more body and up their protein and calcium content. </li></ul>

What Foods Can You Purée?

<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Place chopped food in a blender or food processor, add liquid to just cover the food. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Secure the lid and puree foods until they&#39;re smooth and homogenous. If the mixture is too dry, try adding liquid by the tablespoon and continue to blend until it reaches the desired consistency. </li></ol>It is also possible to puree foods with an immersion blender.

Puréeing in 2 Easy Steps

Chef Gordon Ramsay’s Green Asparagus Purée Recipe

There is something to be said about the texture of smooth puréed foods—it gives us comfort and takes us back to our childhood. Dipping pita into smoky baba ganoush, eating hearty <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-pureed-and-mashed-potatoes-with-thomas-keller' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-pureed-and-mashed-potatoes-with-thomas-keller","linkCopy":"potato purée","category":null}'>potato purée</a> alongside beef stew, or getting cozy with a hot cup of creamy butternut squash soup. All of these dishes satisfy us with their simplicity, and all it takes is cooking your vegetables, adding a liquid, then blitzing them into a smooth purée. Puréeing vegetables is one of the quickest and healthiest cooking techniques around.

There is something to be said about the texture of smooth puréed foods—it gives us comfort and takes us back to our childhood. Dipping pita into smoky baba ganoush, eating hearty potato purée (https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-pureed-and-mashed-potatoes-with-thomas-keller) alongside beef stew, or getting cozy with a hot cup of creamy butternut squash soup. All of these dishes satisfy us with their simplicity, and all it takes is cooking your vegetables, adding a liquid, then blitzing them into a smooth purée. Puréeing vegetables is one of the quickest and healthiest cooking techniques around.
