purée

American  

[pyoo-rey, -ree, pyoor-ey] / pyʊˈreɪ, -ˈri, ˈpyʊər eɪ /

Or puree

noun

1. a cooked food, especially a vegetable or fruit, that has been put through a sieve, blender, or the like.

2. a soup made with ingredients that have been puréed.

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verb (used with object)

puréed, puréeing

1. to make a purée of.

purée ¹ British  

/ ˈpjʊəreɪ /

noun

1. a smooth thick pulp of cooked and sieved fruit, vegetables, meat, or fish

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verb

1. (tr) to make (cooked foods) into a purée

puree ² British  

/ ˈpuːrɪ /

noun

1. an unleavened flaky Indian bread, that is deep-fried in ghee and served hot

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Etymology

Origin of purée

1700–10; < French, noun use of feminine past participle of purer to strain, literally, make pure; see pure

Explanation

A puree is a very smooth, crushed or blended food — like applesauce or mashed potatoes. To puree something is to blend, chop, mash, or strain a food until it reaches this soft consistency. If it tastes like mush, then it's a puree! You might think of purees as baby food, and it's true that a vegetable or fruit puree is the perfect first food for a baby to eat before she has teeth. There are plenty of things that adults like to puree too, though, like chickpeas (to make hummus) and avocados (to make guacamole). Puree is from the French purée, "pea soup."

Example Sentences

A can of pumpkin purée for making pies on Thanksgiving is $5 on the American food store website, and it’s difficult to find a turkey.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Police in Austria have warned about potentially poisoned HiPP baby food circulating in the country, after a sample of the brand's purée tested positive for rat poison.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

“It’s sparkling water, sugar-free pineapple, sugar-free peach, sugar-free vanilla, raspberry purée with a fresh lime.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

Mango purée is especially cheap right now, driven by a good harvest in India.

From BBC • Oct. 21, 2025

The jerricans smelled of petrol, and I saw packs of batteries, bottles of oil, and cans of tomato purée in one box.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo