If an adult has difficulty swallowing due to dysphagia, finding safe and nutritious meals can be a challenge. To make mealtime easier and more enjoyable, we’ve gathered 10 quick and easy dysphagia diet recipes that are delicious and tailored for swallowing problems.
These soft, texture-modified dishes ensure they get the nourishment they need without compromising on flavor or variety. From hearty pureed soups to smooth, protein-packed desserts, these recipes will help keep meals safe, satisfying, and stress-free.
What Is Dysphagia?
Many seniors have difficulty swallowing food or liquids. This condition is called dysphagia and can cause serious issues like aspiration pneumonia, dehydration, or malnutrition. Jess McLean shares her 10 delicious and easy-to-make dysphagia diet recipes to encourage your older adult to eat. Her mom, who has dysphagia, loves them! These good-for-you meals and desserts will keep your older adult safe, satisfied, and healthy.
My Personal Dysphagia Story
Are you looking for fast, nutritious dysphagia meals for an older adult?
When it comes to dealing swallowing problems, the task can seem challenging – from making just the right consistency of food to actually helping your older adult eat.
In my case, my mother has advanced stages of primary progressive MS as well as brain damage from years of seizures.
Feeding her is a trial. She can rarely be fed with a spoon anymore, but reacts better to drinking everything out of bottles.
If I spoon-feed her, I have to trick her into opening her mouth to get anything in; for example, I ask her to say “Hola!” and then she keeps her mouth open for a bite.
What makes a huge difference is when she eats something that is simply so delicious her brain says “Hello! Give me more!”
Over our time managing dysphagia, we’ve nailed down several quick recipes that don’t require artificial thickeners, are packed with nutrients, and, best of all, are delicious!
Here are 10 of our favorites…
10 Easy Recipes for a Dysphagia Diet: 5 Ingredients or Less
1. Coconut Mango Puree
This one is a true island treat and so easy! Blend ripe mangoes with coconut milk or coconut cream from a can—that’s it!
The sugar of the mango is more than enough sweetness to flavor this dessert, and the subtle coconut in the background is just dreamy.
2. Acorn Squash Banana Milkshake
You heard that right—squash and bananas, say what?! Acorn squash has just the right amount of sweetness and nutty flavor to pair perfectly with banana and vanilla ice cream.
I roast the acorn squash until tender and then let it cool before blending (peeling off the skin, of course)
3. Avo-cocoa Pudding
Now this one sounds out of this world, but trust me, it’s incredible!
This sweet treat is a rather healthy take on chocolate pudding. All you need to do is blend together a banana, ripe avocado, milk, and a teaspoon or two of cocoa powder (add honey for sweetness).
4. Savory Beet Puree
This delish dish will shock you with its vibrant purple color, but it can’t be beet!
Roast your beet until tender, chop it up into cubes, and blend with plain Greek yogurt, a pinch of dried dill weed (or fresh dill), a dash of garlic powder, and veggie broth to thin out.
5. Strawberry Spinach Applesauce
That’s right, sneak in some dark leafy greens to make this applesauce even healthier!
Cook down sliced strawberries with a pinch of sugar, toss in loads of spinach to wilt, and then blend with enough applesauce to make it nice and smooth.
6. Tomato Basil Soup
Roast whole tomatoes (remove skins) and then simmer for 10 minutes with canned diced tomatoes (skinless), garlic, as much basil as you can stand, and a little cream.
Blend until creamy (add a dash of sugar if they prefer foods to be a little sweeter).
7. Green Goddess Puree
This take on a familiar dessert/dressing is wonderfully herby.
Blend together an avocado, plain Greek yogurt, a drizzle of olive oil, a dash of lemon juice, and all the leafy herbs you can find—basil, parsley, cilantro, mint—whatever you have in the kitchen.
8. Cheesecake Mousse
Ditch the blender and opt for the mixer on this one! In one bowl, mix the cream cheese and sugar. Mix cocoa and espresso powder with coconut milk (half and half).
Combine with heavy cream (this one has six ingredients!) and whip on high until it has a smooth mousse consistency.
9. Chia Seed Pudding
This one takes a little longer to set, but the omega-3-rich chia seeds are worth it!
Mix a good amount of chia seeds in coconut milk with a splash of vanilla and maple syrup, and then let it set in the fridge for about an hour to thicken. Blend and serve cold!
10. Monkey Nut Milkshake
This is another banana milkshake, but this time, use coffee ice cream and add peanut butter. Blend with milk to your preferred consistency and serve cold.
This shake offers yummy flavors and a little caffeine to put some pep in your loved one’s step!
Thickness: You’re the best judge
You may be wondering why there are no measurements and no exact quantities. Because with dysphagia, it all comes down to an older adult’s individual needs.
What works for my mother might not work for your older adult.
Plus, all blenders are different, and if you manage dysphagia, you’ll have an eye for the right smoothness and thickness for an older adult.
When in doubt, always avoid adding too much liquid right away. It is always easier to think something out than to re-think it.
I have found that water, broths, and milks (cow’s, almond, coconut, etc.) are the best for thinning out food as you blend it.
Safety note about ice cream
If you are a well-informed dysphagia caregiver, then you know ice cream on its own is a no-no because it can melt in the mouth and potentially cause your loved one to aspirate.
I have found that when ice cream is blended on high speed with other foods, like in the “milkshakes” listed above, it thickens and transforms into a whipped consistency that is more like soft serve and safe for someone with dysphagia to swallow.
Let your creativity flow!
If you don’t follow these recipes exactly, who cares!
I hope this gives you some ideas and lets other caregivers see that feeding our loved ones with dysphagia whole, healthy foods doesn’t have to be hard. Happy cooking!
Recommended for you:
- 7 Tips for Seniors and Caregivers Managing Dysphagia
- 10 Reasons Why Seniors Lose Their Appetite
- What Does a Geriatric Doctor Do? How Seniors Benefit From a Specialist
Guest contributor: Jess McLean is a full-time caregiver for her Mom, who has Primary Progressive MS and Epilepsy. She moonlights as a freelance writer with a passion for cooking. Jess lives in Austin, TX, with her wonderful husband and Mom. Her blogging is about caregiving tips, ideas, and solutions at Givea.Care.
About the Author
Jessica Hegg
Jessica Hegg is a manager at ViveHealth.com. Ms. Hegg was also a full-time caregiver for her Mom who had Primary Progressive MS and Epilepsy. She is a freelance writer with a passion for cooking and lives in Austin, TX with her Mom and her wonderful husband. You can find her personal blog about caregiving tips, ideas, and solutions at Givea.Care.
I am 46 and have it. I doubt I would eat any of those suggestions. Not everyone is a creative eater. A few normal suggestions would be nice too.
Each person has different preferences when it comes to food and flavors. You might want to search online for “dysphagia recipes” to find some that better suit your tastes.
Lovely ideas for difficult conditions. So refreshing to read really helpful info fora change.These “recipes” could not ever possibly have any harmful side effects.They could do nothing but good.Alternated with really well prepared beef broth and or chicken broth, these things could keep the most debilitated delightfully well nourished.I have known a few very elderly who, even though totally mentally competent and fairly physically strong were unable to swallow and digest properly. They ateonly broths and oatmeai with pureed fruit.These “recipes” would be a great help.
So glad these suggestions are helpful!
How do I find the recipe for the cheesecake mousse?
This article doesn’t include recipes with specific ingredient amounts, but has ideas and guidelines you can use to create a dish that suits your older adult’s taste.