Green beans

How to serve green beans by age

6 months+

Whole soft-cooked beans

Trim the ends and cook whole green beans until very soft, much softer than adults usually like them. Offer one or two whole beans for your baby to hold and gnaw.

Size

A whole cooked bean, about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long (2½–3 in) or a little longer, so your baby can grip it with some sticking out of their fist.

Check before serving

Squash a bean between your thumb and finger. It should flatten easily. If it snaps or feels squeaky, 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 beans into small pieces for pincer-grasp practice, or stir them into rice, pasta or scrambled egg (once egg has been introduced). Whole soft beans are still fine too.

Size

Pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).

Check before serving

Each piece should squash flat between your thumb and finger.

12 months+

Soft pieces or whole soft beans

Serve soft-cooked beans whole or chopped with family meals. Keep cooking them until tender: raw or crisp-tender beans are too firm for young toddlers.

Size

Pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or whole soft-cooked beans.

Check before serving

Still do the squash test: soft enough to flatten with gentle pressure.

18 months+

Soft-cooked, whole or in dishes

Keep serving green beans cooked until tender: steamed, roasted until soft all the way through, or chopped into stir-fries, curries and pasta. For raw beans, see the guidance note below.

Size

Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or whole soft-cooked beans.

Check before serving

Still do the squash test, especially with roasted or stir-fried beans.

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 green beans

1. 1

   Rinse the beans under running water, then snap or cut off the stem ends. Pull off any tough string along the side.

2. 2

   Steam or boil them whole for about 8 to 10 minutes, until a knife slides through with no resistance and they squash easily.

3. 3

   Do the squash test, then let them cool before serving. Don't add salt to the cooking water.

4. 4

   Using canned or frozen beans? Choose no-salt-added cans and drain and rinse them, or cook frozen beans until very soft. These are often cut short, so mash them at 6 months instead of offering them as finger food, and chop them small from 9 months.

How much to offer

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

Common mistakes

Questions parents ask

If your baby refuses green beans

• Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
• Try it chopped into pasta, egg or rice instead of as a whole bean.
• 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 green beans

• Keep fresh green beans in the fridge.
• Cooked green beans keep 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 beans 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).