When can babies eat broccoli?

From around 6 months, once your baby is ready for solids, served in a safe shape and texture for their age.

Broccoli

A tiny tree with a built-in handle. Cook it soft and let them explore.

Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review

Quick answer

Babies can eat broccoli from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.

From 6 monthsMedium choking risk as servedNot a common allergen

How to serve broccoli by age

6 months+

Large soft florets with stem handle

Steam large florets until very soft. They should squish easily between your fingers. Leave a long stem as a handle.

Size: A large floret with a long stem, about the length of an adult finger or longer (7–10 cm, 3–4 in) in total, so your baby can grip the stem.
Check before serving: Squash a floret between your thumb and finger. It should flatten easily. If you have to press hard, cook it longer.

US and UK advice differ here. The AAP suggests mashed food or soft pieces no larger than ½ inch; the NHS suggests soft finger-sized pieces your baby can hold in their fist. Both agree the food must squash easily.

Always have your child sit upright in a high chair or at the table, and stay with them the whole time they eat. Keep to the size and texture for their stage. Every baby develops on their own timeline.

How to prepare broccoli

1
Rinse the broccoli under running water.
2
Cut it into large florets with a long stem on each (6 months), or small pieces (9 months+). Peel the tough outer layer off thick stems.
3
Steam for about 5 to 8 minutes, until a knife slides through the stem with no resistance.
4
Do the squash test, then let it cool before serving. Don't add salt to the cooking water.

How much to offer

Start with one or two florets. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Lots of licking, squashing and dropping is normal at first.

Common mistakes

Cooking it crisp-tender

The texture adults like is too firm for babies. It should squash between your fingers.

Cutting off the stem

At 6 months the stem is the handle. Leave it long so your baby can grip it.

Salting the cooking water

Babies shouldn't have added salt, including in cooking water.

Stopping after a few refusals

Bitter vegetables often take 10 or more tries. Offering them from the start may help prevent fussy eating later.

Where US and UK guidance differ on broccoli

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

Keep serving broccoli cooked soft. The CDC lists hard raw vegetables as a choking hazard for young children, and the AAP advises holding back raw vegetables until about 4 years, depending on the child.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

Cook broccoli until soft in the first year. From 12 months, the NHS snack list includes cooked or raw vegetables such as broccoli florets. If you offer it raw, grate it or chop it finely, and stay with your child.

We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.

Questions parents ask

Can broccoli be a choking hazard for babies?

Raw broccoli is hard and a choking hazard for babies. In the first year, cook it until very soft, so it squashes easily between your fingers. For toddlers, US and UK advice differs on raw broccoli: see the guidance note below. Stay with your child during meals.

Can babies be allergic to broccoli?

Broccoli is not a common allergen.

Is broccoli healthy for babies?

A source of vitamin C and potassium. Vitamin C helps the body absorb the iron in plant foods, such as beans, lentils and iron-fortified cereal.

Can babies eat broccoli stems?

Yes, once they're cooked until soft. Peel the tough outer layer off thick stems first, and check them with the squash test like the florets.

Can I use frozen broccoli?

Yes. Frozen broccoli works just as well. Cook it until it's very soft and passes the squash test.

Can babies eat roasted broccoli?

Yes, if it's soft all the way through. Crisp or charred tips can be hard, so trim them off for babies and young toddlers.

Is broccoli a good source of iron?

Not a major one. But its vitamin C helps your baby absorb the iron in plant foods eaten at the same meal, like beans, lentils or iron-fortified cereal, so it's a good partner for them.

If your baby refuses broccoli

Bitter vegetables often take 10 or more tries. Keep offering a little, alongside foods your baby already likes.
Try it chopped into pasta, egg or rice instead of as a whole floret.
Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.
Funny faces don't mean they dislike it. They're getting used to a new taste and texture.

Never force or pressure your baby to eat. Some days they'll eat more, some days less, and that's normal.

Buying and storing broccoli

Keep raw broccoli in the fridge.
Cooked broccoli keeps for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge. Rice dishes are the exception: cool them within 1 hour, keep them in the fridge for no more than 1 day, and reheat them only once.
Cooked florets can be frozen for 3 to 4 months. Reheat only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let them cool before serving.
Throw away any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F / 32°C).

When to talk to your doctor

Contact your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if:

You notice mild signs of an allergic reaction after eating, such as a few hives or a little vomiting. See signs of a reaction.
You're worried about how much your baby eats, their growth, or they refuse most solid food for weeks.

Call 911999your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) now if your baby has trouble breathing, wheezing, can't cough or cry, has lips, mouth, tongue or throat that suddenly swell, or becomes pale, bluish, floppy or unresponsive. Also call if hives come with repeated vomiting.

Offered broccoli?

Add it to your first 100 foods.