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; 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

For the main course, I enjoyed a classic — butter chicken — alongside a poached lobster tail in a green coconut masala with Mexican chili and coriander-mint purée.

From Salon • Mar. 7, 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

Or whip it airy with crème fraîche or corn purée?

From Salon • Jun. 5, 2025

Tender freshwater shrimp garnished with cream and rose leaves, devilled barley pearls in acorn purée, apple and carrot chews, marinated cabbage stalks steeped in creamed white turnip with nutmeg.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques