This is a list of soft foods by category, which might be helpful if your teeth hurt from braces and you’re just searching for ideas about what you can eat.
Dairy
Smooth yogurt, or yogurt without a lot of chunks. You could also take chunky yogurt and puree it in a blender to break down the chunks. Also, try the new yogurt in a tube, available at most grocery stores.
Various soft cheeses, such as brie, cottage cheese, and thinly sliced Swiss, cheddar, harvarti, etc.
Milk-based drinks
Custard
Pudding
Breads and Baked Goods
Any type of soft bread that does not have seeds, nuts, or pieces of whole grains. If you like whole-wheat bread, look for one that has a smooth texture. Tear off the crust if necessary.
Muffins without nuts or chunks
Corn bread, corn muffins
Soft cakes
Tortillas (corn and flour, microwaved or steamed until soft)
Pancakes
Saltine crackers and matzo are often soft enough to smoosh at the roof of your mouth with your tongue
Grains
Couscous
Quinoa
Pasta
Noodles
Soft-cooked rice, risotto
Bulgur
Kasha
Farro wheat (cooked very soft like risotto)
Polenta
Matzo balls
Grits
Meats and Poultry
Soft-cooked chicken
Bar-b-que type soft cooked meat
Meatloaf
Chicken salad
Thinly sliced lunch meats
Meatballs
Many meat recipes that you make in a crock pot or pressure cooker are very tender
Chicken nuggets cut into very small pieces
Meat Alternatives
Tofu can be made in many ways and is always easy to eat.
Seafood
Soft-cooked fish
Fish croquettes (salmon, tuna)
Fish loaf (tuna, salmon)
Tuna, salmon, or whitefish salad
Frozen flavored fish filets
Crab cakes
Fish sticks (non-crunchy, cut into small pieces)
Soups
Look in your local grocery store for soups that either don’t contain chunks, or have very mushy ingredients.
Vegetables
Soft-cooked carrots, squash
Mashed potatoes or cauliflower
Potato pancakes
Smooshed potato salad
Cole slaw
Spinach or corn soufflé (Stouffer’s makes a frozen one)
Fresh spinach, chard, kale, or other greens, cooked very soft or steamed and cut up
Avocados, guacamole
Salsa (non-chunky)
Beans (mashed if necessary)
Hummus, various Middle Eastern dips
Fruits
Mashed bananas
Applesauce
Baked apples
Fruit juice, juice smoothies (protein powder can be added)
Other ripe fruits that get mushy (avoid berries with seeds)
Treats
Ice cream without nuts or chunks, frozen yogurt, sorbet, sherbet, granita
Milkshakes, smoothies
Most cold drinks make your teeth feel better – iced tea, iced coffee, etc. But be careful not to inadvertently drink too much caffeine!
Soft cakes
Cheesecake that has been microwaved for 30 seconds to one minute (it gets a bit mushy and easier to eat)
Cream pies
Jell-O (gelatin)
Custard or flan
Pudding
Shakes and Bars
Protein shakes such as Atkins Plus, Ensure High Protein, Boost, Slim Fast, etc.
Zone Perfect Bars (when you can chew a little bit. These are the least chewy protein bars I’ve found so far, with a texture like Rice Krispy Treats).