When can babies eat plantain?

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

Plantain

A starchy cousin of the banana. Cook it soft and it's easy to hold and mash.

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

Quick answer

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

From 6 monthsMedium choking risk as servedNot a common allergen

How to serve plantain by age

6 months+

Soft-cooked sticks or mashed plantain

Peel a ripe plantain, cut it into finger-sized sticks, and steam, boil or bake until very soft all the way through. Or mash cooked plantain with a little breast milk or formula and serve it on a pre-loaded spoon. Never offer raw plantain or fried plantain chips.

Size: Sticks about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in), or mashed.
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 plantain

1
Rinse the plantain under running water before you peel it. Cut off both ends, slit the thick skin along its length and peel it away.
2
Pick a ripe plantain (yellow with black patches) for the softest texture. Cut it into finger-sized sticks (6 months), or chunks if you'll mash it.
3
Steam or boil for about 15 to 20 minutes, or bake at 350°F (180°C) for about 20 minutes, turning halfway, until a knife slides through with no resistance. Don't add salt or sugar.
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 sticks or a spoonful 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

Offering raw plantain

Unlike banana, plantain is firm and starchy raw, and the CDC lists pieces of hard raw fruit as a choking hazard. Always cook it until it squashes between your fingers.

Serving plantain chips or crisp fried plantain

The CDC lists chips and similar crunchy snack foods as choking hazards for young children, and they're usually salted. Babies shouldn't have salty foods, so steam, boil or bake plantain instead.

Serving crisp or hard edges

The NHS baked plantain recipe bakes thick slices until the edges are golden brown. Do the squash test: if any edges have turned crisp or hard, trim them off, or steam or boil plantain instead.

Adding salt or sugar

Babies shouldn't have added salt or sugar, including in the cooking water. Ripe plantain is sweet enough on its own.

Questions parents ask

Can plantain be a choking hazard for babies?

Raw plantain is firm, and the CDC lists pieces of hard raw fruit as a choking hazard for young children. Cooked until very soft, plantain is easy to squash. Serve it in finger-sized sticks or mashed, then in small soft pieces once your baby can pick them up. Plantain chips and crisp fried plantain are hard and crunchy, so skip them for babies and young toddlers. Stay with your child during meals.

Can babies be allergic to plantain?

Plantain is not a common allergen.

Is plantain healthy for babies?

Baked ripe plantain has potassium (about 480 mg per 100 g) and some vitamin C (about 16 mg per 100 g). Babies 7–12 months need about 860 mg of potassium and 50 mg of vitamin C a day. Plantain is not a major source of iron.

Can babies eat plantain?

Yes, from around 6 months, cooked until it squashes easily between your fingers. The NHS has a baked plantain recipe for babies from 6 months: thick slices baked in a little oil until the edges are golden. Trim any edges that turn crisp or hard. Soft-cooked sticks or mashed plantain are both good first forms.

Can babies eat fried plantain or plantain chips?

Not plantain chips or crisp, twice-fried plantain: they're hard, crunchy and usually salted. Plantain baked or pan-cooked until soft all the way through, with no salt and any crisp or hard edges trimmed, is fine.

Should I use green or ripe plantain?

Ripe plantain, yellow with black patches, cooks softer and tastes sweeter, so it's easier for babies. Green plantain is firmer and starchier. Either way, cook it until it passes the squash test.

Can plantain help with constipation?

Plantain has some 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 plantain

Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
Try another form: soft sticks, lumpy mash, or mashed into beans or 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 plantain

Keep raw plantains at room temperature until they're as ripe as you want.
Cooked plantain keeps for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge.
Cooked plantain sticks 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.

Offered plantain?

Add it to your first 100 foods.

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Sources

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