When can babies eat radish?

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

Radish

Crunchy and peppery raw, soft and mild once cooked. Cooked is the way for babies.

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

Quick answer

Babies can eat radish 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 radish by age

6 months+

Soft-cooked radish mashed, or soft-cooked daikon sticks

Boil or roast small round radishes until very soft, then mash them into potato or another food your baby already eats. For finger food, peel a daikon, cut it into finger-sized sticks and simmer until very soft. Never offer raw radish, or whole or halved round radishes.

Size: Mashed into soft foods, or sticks of long white radish (daikon) 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 piece 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 radish

1
Scrub the radishes under running water with a clean vegetable brush, and trim off the leaves and root.
2
Cut round radishes into quarters lengthwise. For daikon, peel it and cut it into finger-sized sticks (6 months).
3
Boil or steam for about 10 to 15 minutes, or roast 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 a spoonful of mashed radish mixed into a food your baby already knows, or one or two soft daikon sticks. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth.

Common mistakes

Offering raw radish

Raw radish 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.

Serving whole or halved round radishes

Small round foods can block a small airway. Cut radishes into quarters, and chop anything bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).

Cooking it just tender

Radish can stay firm in the middle. Cook it until a knife slides through easily and it passes the squash test.

Stopping after a few refusals

Peppery or bitter flavors often take 10 or more tries. Keep offering a little, alongside foods your baby already likes.

Where US and UK guidance differ on radish

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

Keep serving radish 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 radish 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 and avoiding round shapes. If you offer raw radish 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 radish be a choking hazard for babies?

Raw radish is hard, crunchy and round: the CDC lists pieces of hard raw vegetables as a choking hazard for young children, and the NHS says to avoid round shapes and firm foods. Before 12 months, serve radish only cooked until very soft, mashed, in soft sticks (daikon), or quartered and chopped small. Never give whole or halved radishes. 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 radish?

Radish is not a common allergen.

Is radish healthy for babies?

Radishes have some vitamin C (about 15 mg per 100 g raw) and a little folate. They are not a major source of iron.

Can babies eat radish?

Yes, from around 6 months, cooked until very soft. Mash it into other foods, or offer soft-cooked daikon sticks as finger food. Keep raw radish off the menu for babies.

Can babies eat cooked radish?

Yes. Boiled, steamed or roasted radish turns soft and much milder. Quarter round radishes before cooking, and check the middle with the squash test.

When can toddlers eat raw radish?

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 and avoiding round shapes, so grate raw radish finely if you offer it. See the US vs. UK note.

If your baby refuses radish

Peppery vegetables often take 10 or more tries. Keep offering a little, alongside foods your baby already likes.
Try it mashed into potato, or cooked into soups and stews, where the flavor is milder.
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 radish

Keep raw radishes in the fridge. Cut off the leaves first.
Cooked radish 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 radish, 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 radish?

Add it to your first 100 foods.

Helpful guides

Sources

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