Jalapeño

How to serve jalapeño by age

6 months+

A little cooked into soft food

Our suggestion: start with a small amount, such as a thin slice of seeded jalapeño, minced and cooked into a whole pot of beans or sauce made without salt. Then mash or blend your baby's portion. Use fresh jalapeño, not pickled or canned, which are very salty. Never offer pieces of raw jalapeño or a whole pepper.

Size

Seeded, finely minced and cooked into a soft dish such as beans, lentils or tomato sauce, then mashed or blended to your baby's texture.

Check before serving

Taste your baby's portion first. It should taste mild. If you notice real heat, mix in more of the plain dish, or keep that pot for the adults.

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+

Cooked into dishes

Cook a little minced, seeded jalapeño into beans, lentils, shredded chicken, rice dishes or vegetable stews. Keep the heat mild.

Size

Minced and cooked into food, with soft pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).

Check before serving

Check that the pieces of food in the dish squash easily between your thumb and finger, and taste for heat.

12 months+

Cooked into family meals

Serve mild dishes with jalapeño cooked in, such as chili, tacos with soft fillings or salsa verde. Take your toddler's portion out before you add salt, more chili or hot sauce. Keep pickled jalapeños on the adults' plates: they're very salty.

Size

Minced and cooked into family dishes, in small soft pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch) or smaller.

18 months+

Cooked into family dishes

Keep jalapeño minced very finely and cooked into family meals, such as beans, stews or a cooked salsa, and keep it mild. Raw jalapeño is firm with a tough skin, so never offer raw pieces, slices, an uncooked salsa or a whole pepper. Add extra heat to the grown-ups' plates.

Size

Cooked into dishes, in bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch) or smaller.

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 jalapeño

1. 1

   Wear rubber, latex or nitrile gloves to cut hot peppers, and don't touch your face or eyes. Open a window while you cook them: Poison Control says breathing in capsaicin can trigger an asthma attack or breathing trouble in some people. Wash your hands, knife and board before you touch your baby or their food.

2. 2

   Rinse the jalapeño under running water. Cut it in half, scrape out the seeds and white ribs, and mince it finely.

3. 3

   Cook it into the dish with the other ingredients. Don't add salt.

4. 4

   Taste your baby's portion, mash or blend it to a texture they can manage, and let it cool before serving.

How much to offer

Start with a very small amount cooked into a food your baby already knows. Jalapeño is a flavor, so there's no amount to aim for. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. If a dish seems too hot for them, go back to a milder version and try again another time.

Common mistakes

Questions parents ask

If your baby refuses jalapeño

• Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
• Use less jalapeño and mix it into a food your baby already enjoys.
• 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 jalapeño

• Keep fresh jalapeños in the fridge, at or below 40°F (4°C), out of your child's reach.
• Cooked dishes with jalapeño keep for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge. Freezer times depend on the dish, so follow the food page or recipe for what you cooked. Reheat cooked dishes only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let them cool before serving. Cooked rice has stricter rules: cool it within 1 hour, eat it within 1 day and reheat it only once. See the rice page.
• 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).