Cauliflower
Broccoli's mild, pale cousin. Cook it soft and let them grab a floret.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat cauliflower from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve cauliflower by age
6 months+
Large soft florets with stem handle, or mashed
Steam large florets until very soft. They should squish easily between your fingers. Leave a long stem as a handle, or mash the florets with a fork and serve on a pre-loaded spoon.
- Size
- A large floret with a long stem, about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long (2½–3 in) in total, so your baby can grip the stem. Or mashed.
- 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.
9 months+
Small soft pieces
Chop soft-cooked cauliflower into small pieces, or mix into pasta, eggs (once egg has been introduced), lentils or rice.
- Size
- Pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Each piece, stem included, should squash flat between your thumb and finger.
12 months+
Florets, chopped or in dishes
Serve soft-cooked florets with family meals, or mashed with potato. Soft-cooked is still safest for young toddlers. See the US vs. UK note on raw vegetables.
- Size
- Small soft florets or pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Still do the squash test: soft enough to flatten with gentle pressure.
18 months+
Soft-cooked florets or in dishes
Keep serving cauliflower cooked until tender: in curries, cauliflower cheese, pasta, or as florets on the side. Roasted is fine if it's soft all the way through, not crisp. For raw cauliflower, see the guidance note below.
- Size
- Bite-sized florets about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or chopped into dishes.
- Check before serving
- Still do the squash test, especially with roasted cauliflower.
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 cauliflower
- 1
Remove the outer leaves, then rinse the cauliflower under running water.
- 2
Cut it into large florets with a long stem on each (6 months), or small pieces (9 months+).
- 3
Steam for about 8 to 10 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, or a teaspoon or two of mash. 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 florets too small at 6 months
Young babies grip with their whole hand. Leave florets large, with a long stem as a handle.
Salting the water or adding salty cheese sauce
Babies shouldn't have added salt, including in cooking water. For cauliflower cheese, use a small amount of a lower-salt cheese.
Stopping after a few refusals
Vegetables that aren't sweet often take 10 or more tries. Offering them from the start may help prevent fussy eating later.
Where US and UK guidance differ on cauliflower
United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting
Keep serving cauliflower 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 cauliflower 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 raw cauliflower, 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 cauliflower be a choking hazard for babies?
Raw cauliflower 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 vegetables: see the guidance note below. Stay with your child during meals.
Can babies be allergic to cauliflower?
Cauliflower is not a common allergen.
Is cauliflower healthy for babies?
A good source of vitamin C: cooked cauliflower has about 44 mg per 100 g, and a few florets (30 g) give about 13 mg. Babies 7–12 months need 50 mg a day and children 1–3 years need 15 mg. Vitamin C helps the body absorb the iron in plant foods, such as beans, lentils and iron-fortified cereal.
Can babies eat cauliflower at 6 months?
Yes. The NHS lists soft-cooked cauliflower as a good first finger food, and suggests offering vegetables that aren't sweet, like cauliflower, from the start.
Can I use frozen cauliflower?
Yes. Frozen cauliflower works just as well. Cook it until it's very soft and passes the squash test.
Can babies eat roasted cauliflower?
Yes, if it's soft all the way through. Crisp or charred edges can be hard, so trim them off for babies and young toddlers.
If your baby refuses cauliflower
- Vegetables that aren't sweet often take 10 or more tries. Keep offering a little, alongside foods your baby already likes.
- Try it mashed with potato, or chopped into pasta, egg or lentils 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 cauliflower
- Keep raw cauliflower in the fridge.
- Cooked cauliflower 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 or mash can be frozen and used within 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge, use them within 24 hours of thawing, and reheat them 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.
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Recipes with cauliflower
Helpful guides
Sources
- CDC: Choking hazards
- AAP: Choking prevention for babies and children
- NHS: Your baby's first solid foods
- NHS: Help your baby enjoy new foods
- USDA FoodData Central: Cauliflower, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin C
- FDA: 7 tips for cleaning fruits and vegetables
- Food Standards Agency: Home food fact checker
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
- AAP: Is it OK to make my own baby food?
- NHS Best Start in Life: Storing and reheating food
- NHS Best Start in Life: Preparing food safely
More first foods
Free printable: The First 100 Foods checklist
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