Soft Food Ideas

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Written by the Dental Fear Central Web Team
Last updated on January 17, 2021

After major dental procedures, or if you have trouble chewing, soft foods can be a lifesaver! We’ve collected lots of suggestions from our message boards on this page. Depending on the nature of the dental issue, you may want to keep spice levels to a minimum.

Vegetables

Soft vegetable food ideas
  • Soups (not too chunky) – virtually any combination of vegetables can be made into a soup, or buy ready made ones
  • Mashed avocado/guacamole; ripe avocado
  • Fresh spinach, kale or other greens, cooked very soft
  • Sweet potatoes or kumara, baked until very soft or mashed/pureed
  • Soft-cooked or mashed carrots, squash, pumpkin
  • Cauliflower and broccoli, cooked very soft
  • Vegetable curry, cooked very soft (serve with boiled rice or mashed (sweet) potato)
  • Vegetable juice (such as tomato or carrot juice)

Make sure you add some fat to your veggies (e.g. rapeseed/canola or olive oil) so that the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K will be better absorbed. You don’t need to do this for avocado, as it is naturally high in fat.

Fruits

Soft fruit food ideas
  • Mashed bananas
  • Baked apples
  • Baked bananas
  • Applesauce (U.S.)
  • Stewed fruit or compote
  • Tinned fruit
  • Fruit juice
  • Fruit smoothies

Soy, beans, meat, fish, eggs and other protein foods

Protein-rich soft foods
  • Hummus
  • Chilli con (or sin) carne
  • Dhal or well-cooked lentils
  • Bolognese to go with pasta or mashed potatoes (for a veggie version, try finely chopped mushrooms or soy mince)
  • Soup with soft meats
  • Moist, tender meat or poultry that is ground, shredded, finely chopped or blended with vegetables or potatoes, using a food processor
  • Soft-cooked fish
  • Grilled salmon (minus the skin)
  • Fisherman’s pie
  • Shepherd’s pie
  • Crab cakes
  • Scrambled egg
  • Omelettes (with chopped tomatoes/mushrooms/herbs/spinach/cheese/whatever)
  • Poached eggs
  • Beans (mashed if necessary)
  • Baked Beans
  • Tofu and silken tofu
  • Minced tofu

Bread, rice, potatoes, pasta

Soft foods containing carbohydrates
  • Mashed potatoes
  • Pasta or noodles (not al dente!)
  • Ramen noodles
  • Risotto, cooked rice
  • Congee
  • Rice pudding
  • Cooked cereal, porridge (with or without mashed fruit)
  • Cold cereal which has been left to soak in milk or soy milk until soft (e. g. Weetabix)
  • Bread that has been softened in soup
  • Soft bread rolls
  • Muffins, pancakes, waffles

Milk and dairy products and vegan equivalents

Soft dairy foods and vegan alternatives

There are now lots of vegan alternatives to dairy milk, for example soy, almond, and oat versions. Many of them have vitamins B2, B12, D and calcium added, so you don’t miss out on the nutrients found in milk.

  • Milkshakes, milk (or soy or similar) drinks
  • (Soy or similar) Yoghurt
  • (Soy or similar) Yoghurt drinks
  • (Soy or similar) Yoghurt with soft fruits
  • Kefir
  • (Soy or similar) Ice cream! (without crunchy bits)
  • (Soy or similar) Frozen Yoghurt
  • Cottage cheese, ricotta cheese
  • Any soft cheese
  • Cheese in sauces or melted in other dishes

Desserts and sweets

Soft dessert ideas
  • Custard
  • More Ice cream!!
  • Tapioca pudding or bubble tea
  • Soft moist cake or pie – moisten (or drown!) in milk, coffee or other liquid
  • Jelly

Supplement drinks

A tip from our forum: if you are in the UK, your GP may be able to give you a prescription for supplement drinks such as Ensure after oral surgery (especially if it is going to be a long recovery).

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