Mung beans
Small green beans that cook down soft. Lovely in a mild dal.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat mung beans from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve mung beans by age
6 months+
Thick mash or soft dal
Cook mung beans until they split and fall apart, then mash them with a fork into a thick, scoopable dal, adding a little water, breast milk or formula if needed. Load it onto a spoon your baby can hold, or mix with mashed potato and shape into soft fingers.
- Size
- A thick mash or dal on a pre-loaded spoon, or soft mung bean patties about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
- Check before serving
- Squash a little between your thumb and finger. It should smear flat, with no firm or whole beans left.
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+
Soft beans, each one squashed
Offer very soft mung beans that stick together in clumps, or small pieces of patty, for pincer-grasp practice. Stirring them into rice or mashed vegetables makes them easier to pick up.
- Size
- Pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch). Mung beans are smaller than this, but squash any that are still whole and round.
- Check before serving
- Each bean should squash flat between your thumb and finger with gentle pressure. If any stay firm, cook them longer.
12 months+
Dal or in family dishes
Serve mung beans in family meals: a mild dal with rice, soups or stews. Take your child's portion out before adding salt, stock cubes or hot spices.
- Size
- Soft, mashed beans, or pieces of patty about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Still do the squash test, especially with whole mung beans, which can hold their shape.
18 months+
Mung bean dishes the family eats
Offer mung beans the way your family eats them: dal, khichdi (rice and mung beans cooked together), soups or patties. A spoon works well for practice.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or beans in a soft dish.
- Check before serving
- Mung beans should be soft all the way through, with no firm or chalky middles.
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 mung beans
- 1
Tip dried mung beans into a sieve, pick out any small stones, and rinse them under running water. Canned mung beans: choose no-salt-added and rinse them.
- 2
Simmer them in fresh water, without salt, until they split and turn very soft. Split, skinned mung beans (yellow mung dal) cook faster and turn to mash.
- 3
Mash or serve soft whole beans, depending on your baby's age, and let them cool before serving.
- 4
First time? Pick a day your baby is well, at home, when you can watch them for a couple of hours afterward.
How much to offer
Start with a teaspoon or two of mash, or one mung bean finger. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Lots of squashing and smearing is normal at first.
Common mistakes
Undercooking whole mung beans
Whole mung beans can stay firm and round. Cook until each one splits and squashes easily, or use split yellow mung dal, which turns to mash.
Serving raw mung bean sprouts
The CDC lists raw or undercooked sprouts as a riskier food choice and says cooked sprouts, until steaming hot, are the safer choice. Never give your child raw sprouts. See our bean sprouts page.
Using salty stock or canned beans
Babies shouldn't have added salt, including stock cubes. Cook mung beans in plain water and pick no-salt-added cans.
Serving mung beans on their own every time
Pair them with a food rich in vitamin C, like tomato, red pepper or broccoli, which helps your baby absorb the iron in plant foods.
Questions parents ask
Can mung beans be a choking hazard for babies?
Whole beans are on the CDC's list of choking hazards for young children. Mung beans are small, but a whole, firm bean is round. Cook them until they split and squash easily, and serve them mashed or in soft clumps for young babies. Stay with your child during meals.
Can babies be allergic to mung beans?
Mung beans are not one of the top 9 US allergens, but the NHS lists beans, lentils and peas among foods that can trigger an allergic reaction. Offer a small amount on its own first, and watch for signs of a reaction. Talk to your pediatrician, GP or health visitor first if your baby already has a food allergy or eczema, or if there is a family history of food allergy, eczema, asthma or hay fever. Once mung beans are eaten without a reaction, keep offering them as part of usual meals.
Are mung beans healthy for babies?
Cooked mung beans have about 7 g of protein and 7.6 g of fiber per 100 g, plus folate. They also have about 1.4 mg of iron per 100 g, a small part of the 11 mg a day babies 7–12 months need, and it's the plant (nonheme) kind, which the body absorbs less well than iron from meat.
Can babies eat mung bean sprouts?
Only cooked. The CDC lists raw or undercooked bean sprouts as a riskier choice for food poisoning, especially for children under 5, and says to cook sprouts until steaming hot. Then chop them finely for babies.
Can babies eat mung dal?
Yes. Split mung beans cook into a soft dal that's easy to mash. The NHS lists pulses, such as beans and lentils, among foods to offer from around 6 months. Make your baby's portion without salt or stock cubes.
Can mung beans help with constipation?
Mung beans contain fiber, and the NIH lists legumes such as beans and lentils among fiber foods for children with constipation, along with plenty to drink. The NIH also says fiber guidelines aren't set for babies under 1 year. Offer sips of water with meals, and talk to your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if your baby is often constipated.
If your baby refuses mung beans
- Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
- Try another form: dal on a spoon, mung bean fingers, or stirred into rice.
- 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 mung beans
- Keep dried mung beans in a sealed container in a cool, dry cupboard.
- Cooked mung beans and dal keep for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge. Rice dishes such as khichdi 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 mung beans and dal 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:
- Your baby already has a food allergy or eczema, or there is a family history of food allergy, eczema, asthma or hay fever. Ask before introducing mung beans and other legumes.
- 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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Helpful guides
Sources
- CDC: Choking hazards
- CDC: Safer food choices
- USDA FoodData Central: Mung beans, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Iron
- NHS: Food allergies in babies and young children
- NHS: Your baby's first solid foods
- NIDDK: Eating, diet and nutrition for constipation in children
- Food Standards Agency: Home food fact checker
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
- NHS Best Start in Life: Storing and reheating food
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