16 Soft Foods To Eat When Your Mouth Hurts

Mouth pain is the worst, largely because when you are experiencing it, your appetite doesn't decrease accordingly. Finding yourself stuck in an eternal state of being hungry and not really being able to do anything about it is torture. While there are many reasons your mouth might be in pain, like dental issues such as wisdom teeth removal or an infection, jaw surgery, or even a sports injury — the types of food you can enjoy remain the same.

You need to eat foods that are soft and easy to chew. And, in some cases, foods that don't require any chewing at all because your jaw is too sore to withstand the movement. The key to a speedy recovery is selecting foods that still taste good and contain enough nutrients to keep you healthy. Going hungry when your mouth hurts, or only eating sweets, is a good way to develop a secondary issue during your healing process — especially if it's longer than just a few days. These soft dishes to eat when your mouth hurts are the perfect mix of sweet, savory, and delicious.

Having a sore mouth is a perfect excuse to eat dessert for every meal of the day — snacks too! While you are recovering from your dental work, or waiting on a diagnosis for your discomfort, consider enjoying a cup of Jell-O to get a few calories in. After all, there is a reason that Jell-O is always served in hospitals. According to Tufts Medical Center, medical professionals tend to give their patients Jell-O because its smooth texture makes it easy not only to eat, but also to digest. This is ideal if you are awaiting surgery or still recovering afterward.

The main ingredients in Jell-O are sugar, water, and gelatin, plus whatever is needed to create the flavor of your choice. Jell-O doesn't provide any long-term nutritional benefits. However, even the temporary relief of a cool, sweet treat when you can't really handle chewing anything else is well worth it.

Another great way to ice the inside of your mouth when you are experiencing localized pain is by eating popsicles. Because popsicles are typically just frozen fruit extract, sugar, and water, they are gentle on your mouth. If you are concerned about your sugar intake during your recovery, you can make popsicles at home ahead of time. This way, you know exactly what's inside of the sweet treat — and you don't get a stomach ache. There are many easy options available, like these raspberry peach frozen pops or these drenched watermelon ice pops that are extra juicy.

If you can't chew, you don't have to do so to enjoy the flavor of a popsicle. You can just gently suck on the frozen treat and allow it to melt inside your mouth. One thing to be aware of, especially if you have just had oral surgery, is to avoid sucking too hard on popsicles. This is because the suction created in your mouth can sometimes lead to dry sockets. Dry sockets are a painful condition in which the scabs in your mouth become dislodged, exposing the wound underneath (via Mayo Clinic).

When your mouth hurts, it's possible that you can be uncomfortable to both temperature and texture when trying to have a meal. However, if you are just finding chewing difficult, but are not struggling with warmth, reach for a big helping of mashed potatoes. There are many different ways to prepare the vegetable, depending on your personal taste preferences. However, one that might taste (and feel!) especially good when you are in pain is an extra creamy version. The secret is adding in a little bit of whipping cream or half-and-half to really smooth out the dish's texture, making it even easier to enjoy.

If you find that you have made too much to eat in one sitting, or have an oral surgery coming up and want to meal prep, mashed potatoes are actually really easy to freeze as well. This way, you don't have to worry about cooking when you are in pain. You can just reheat them to enjoy.

When your mouth is hurting, it can be difficult to take in all the nutrients you need. The foods typically available for you to consume are soft and delicious, but not necessarily healthy. If you are experiencing prolonged mouth pain, consider adding a selection of broths to your menu to ensure you are taking in all the vitamins and minerals that you need. Sometimes, soups, even when blended, can still hurt — depending on the intensity of pain in your mouth.

You can make bone broth at home to suit your specific dietary needs, but there is also a growing trend of delicious broths being sold pre-made at most grocery stores. You can use fish, beef, or even chicken stock to create a tasty, nutrient dense alternative for dinner. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, there are also plenty of vegetable broths available on the market for you to enjoy.

If you aren't a fan of mashed potatoes, or are starting to feel a little bored of them while waiting for your mouth to heal, it's okay to branch out to other vegetables. Most other options like carrots, turnips, and even cauliflower, taste pretty good once you steam and mash them up. You can prepare these foods in much the same way you would cook mashed potatoes, even adding in similar ingredients. So if you've never made them before, it won't be too hard to catch on.

In fact, according to Tasting Table, many chefs even use other root vegetables in addition to potatoes in their mashed dishes to round out the flavor. So, when whipping up a mashed vegetable meal, be sure to include all the staples of mashed potatoes, like butter or cream, as well as plenty of salt, pepper, and other spices like garlic or paprika.

If you want to make applesauce at home, the best way to do so is with plenty of sugar and cinnamon, giving it a delicious dessert-like taste. However, if you are concerned about your sugar intake or find it too sweet, there is a simple fix. Applesauce is still yummy without any added sugar at all, thanks to the natural sugar of the apples.

If you prefer to purchase it at the store instead, you also have plenty of options, as applesauce doesn't just come in plain apple flavors anymore. So, if you feel a bit bored by weeks of eating it, it's easy to spice things up. Most national brands, as well as their grocery store counterparts, sell blends like green applesauce, strawberry mango sauce, apple and banana sauce, and pretty much every other combination that you can think of. Consider using your recovery time as an opportunity to discover new flavors of a food you probably haven't thought twice about since you were a kid.

Soups are a great option to eat when you are experiencing mouth pain. No matter what kind you select, most soups are a delicious savory option when you are overloaded on ice cream and popsicles. However, even if soups are typically liquid, they can still have some larger chunks that can hurt to chew. For example, if you or your caretaker decides to include chopped carrots in your chicken soup, it can be painful to bite down on them if they are not cooked enough. The same can be said of tough pieces of steak in a beef soup or chunks in potato soup.

As you progress through your recovery, you might find that your mouth is less sensitive and you are able to lightly chew these items — especially if they have been soaking in the broth. However, at the beginning, it's a good idea to pop the soup in a blender. This way, you can enjoy all the flavors, as well as absorb the nutrients, without torturing yourself.

Of the many fruits packed with plenty of nutrients, the banana is one that is easy to eat when you can't really chew, due to its soft, malleable texture. In fact, bananas are a favorite choice of mothers who are introducing the world of semi-solid foods to their children. According to What To Expect, babies can begin enjoying the fruit at around six months old — which is well before they even have all their teeth. So, if you have recently had a tooth extracted, take comfort in the fact that eating bananas is perfectly safe, even without all your teeth.

If you are experiencing discomfort biting into the banana, or even chewing a smaller bite, consider mashing the fruit up into smaller slices. Enjoying a banana puree still gives you all the benefits of eating the fruit, without any of the added pressure of hurting your mouth trying to do so.