When can babies eat jicama?

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

Jicama

Crisp, juicy and mildly sweet. Cook it soft for babies and save the crunch for later.

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

Quick answer

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

From 6 monthsHigh choking risk as servedNot a common allergen

How to serve jicama by age

6 months+

Soft-cooked sticks or mashed jicama

Peel the jicama, cut it into finger-sized sticks, and simmer or steam until very soft. Jicama stays firm longer than most vegetables, so keep cooking until it passes the squash test. Or mash soft-cooked jicama into potato or another food your baby already eats. Never offer raw jicama.

Size: Sticks about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in), or mashed into soft foods.
Check before serving: Squash a stick 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 jicama

1
Scrub the jicama with a clean vegetable brush under running water, then peel off all of the brown skin. Use only the white flesh of the root.
2
Cut it into finger-sized sticks (6 months), or chunks if you'll mash it.
3
Simmer or steam for about 20 to 30 minutes, until a knife slides through with no resistance. Don't add salt.
4
Do the squash test, then mash or chop as needed and let it cool before serving.

How much to offer

Start with one or two soft sticks, or a spoonful of mashed jicama mixed into a food your baby already knows. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth.

Common mistakes

Offering raw jicama sticks

Raw jicama is hard and crunchy, and the CDC lists pieces of hard raw vegetables as a choking hazard. For babies, always cook it until it squashes between your fingers.

Cooking it just tender

Jicama keeps some crunch even after cooking. Cook it until a knife slides through easily and it passes the squash test.

Offering parts other than the root

The root is the part sold and eaten as food. The seeds of the jicama plant contain rotenone, a natural toxin, and can cause serious poisoning, so they're never eaten.

Stopping after a few refusals

Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering a little, alongside foods your baby already likes.

Where US and UK guidance differ on jicama

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

Keep serving jicama cooked soft. The AAP says that apart from mashed banana, most fruits and vegetables should be cooked until soft for babies, and lists raw vegetables among foods to avoid under 1. 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 jicama until soft in the first year: the NHS says to avoid hard foods like raw carrot for babies. From 12 months, the NHS snack list includes cooked or raw vegetables. For very young children, the NHS suggests grating, mashing, steaming or simmering firm vegetables. If you offer raw jicama to a toddler, grate it finely, and stay with them.

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

Questions parents ask

Can jicama be a choking hazard for babies?

Raw jicama is hard and crunchy: the CDC lists pieces of hard raw vegetables as a choking hazard for young children, and the NHS says to avoid firm foods. Before 12 months, serve jicama only cooked until very soft, in finger-sized sticks or mashed, then in small soft pieces once your baby can pick them up. 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 jicama?

Jicama is not a common allergen.

Is jicama healthy for babies?

Cooked jicama has some vitamin C (about 14 mg per 100 g), and raw jicama has about 5 g of fiber per 100 g. Babies 7–12 months need 50 mg of vitamin C a day. Jicama is not a major source of iron.

Can babies eat jicama?

Yes, from around 6 months, cooked until it squashes easily between your fingers. Soft-cooked sticks, or cooked jicama mashed into other foods, are both good first forms.

When can toddlers eat raw jicama?

Not under 1 year. The AAP advises holding back raw vegetables until about 4 years, depending on the child. The NHS lists raw vegetables among snacks from 12 months, but suggests grating firm vegetables for very young children, so grate raw jicama finely if you offer it. See the US vs. UK note.

Can babies eat jicama skin or seeds?

No. Peel off the brown skin, which is tough. The seeds of the jicama plant are toxic and are never eaten. The white flesh of the root is the part sold as food.

Can jicama help with constipation?

Jicama has fiber, and the NHS suggests plenty of fruit and vegetables, plus enough to drink, to help prevent constipation. If your baby is constipated, talk to your pediatrician.

If your baby refuses jicama

Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
Try it mashed into potato, or cooked into soups and stews.
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 jicama

Store whole jicama somewhere cool and dry. Once cut, wrap it and keep it in the fridge.
Cooked jicama 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 jicama, or soups and mash made with it, can be frozen for 2 to 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.

Offered jicama?

Add it to your first 100 foods.

Helpful guides

Sources

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