Yuca (cassava)
A starchy root that mashes like potato. Always peeled and cooked through.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat yuca (cassava) from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve yuca (cassava) by age
6 months+
Soft-cooked sticks or mashed yuca
Peel the yuca, remove the woody core, cut it into finger-sized sticks and boil until very soft all the way through. Or mash cooked yuca with a little breast milk or formula and serve it on a pre-loaded spoon. Never offer raw or undercooked yuca.
- 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, or you feel tough strings, cook it longer and pull out any fibers.
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+
Small soft pieces or lumpy mash
Chop soft-cooked yuca into small pieces for pincer-grasp practice, or stir lumpy mashed yuca into beans, lentils or stews.
- Size
- Pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Each piece should squash flat between your thumb and finger, with no stringy bits.
12 months+
Soft-cooked pieces or in dishes
Serve boiled yuca with family meals, mashed, or simmered in soups and stews. Leave salt out of your toddler's portion.
- Size
- Small soft pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Still do the squash test: soft enough to flatten with gentle pressure.
18 months+
Boiled pieces or in family meals
Keep serving yuca boiled until soft, or mashed into family dishes. Skip yuca chips and crisp yuca fries, which are hard, crunchy and usually salted.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or chopped into dishes.
- Check before serving
- Still do the squash test, especially if you've browned boiled yuca in a pan afterward.
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 yuca (cassava)
- 1
Buy yuca sold as food from a shop. Rinse it under running water, cut it into short lengths, then slice off all of the thick brown skin and the pinkish layer under it.
- 2
Cut each piece in half lengthwise and pull or cut out the tough, woody core. Cut it into finger-sized sticks (6 months), or chunks if you'll mash it.
- 3
Boil in plenty of water for about 20 to 30 minutes, until a knife slides through with no resistance and the pieces start to split. Drain off the cooking water. Don't add salt.
- 4
Do the squash test, remove any stringy fibers, 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
Serving raw or undercooked yuca
Cassava contains natural compounds that release cyanide. The international food standard for sweet cassava (Codex) says it must be peeled and fully cooked before it's eaten. Never offer it raw, and cook it until it's soft all the way through.
Using cassava you can't be sure of
Bitter cassava has more of these compounds and needs much more processing (grating, long soaking and squeezing). In one outbreak, young children died after eating bitter cassava that had only been peeled and boiled. Only use yuca bought as food, never roots from a field or garden you're unsure of.
Leaving the core and fibers in
The woody core and stringy fibers stay tough after cooking and are hard for babies to manage. Remove the core before cooking and pull out any strings afterward.
Serving yuca chips or fries
The CDC lists chips and similar crunchy snack foods as choking hazards for young children, and they're usually salted. Boil yuca until soft instead.
Questions parents ask
Can yuca (cassava) be a choking hazard for babies?
Raw yuca is hard and must never be eaten raw. Cooked yuca can be fibrous, with a tough, woody core, so remove the core and any strings and cook it until very soft. Serve it in finger-sized sticks or mashed, then in small soft pieces once your baby can pick them up. Yuca chips and crisp fries are hard and crunchy: the CDC lists chips and similar snack foods as choking hazards for young children. Stay with your child during meals.
Can babies be allergic to yuca (cassava)?
Yuca (cassava) is not a common allergen.
Is yuca (cassava) healthy for babies?
Cassava is a starchy root: about 160 calories per 100 g (raw weight), with some vitamin C (about 21 mg per 100 g raw weight) and potassium. It is not a major source of iron.
Can babies eat yuca?
Yes, from around 6 months, peeled and cooked until very soft. The NHS lists cassava among cooked starchy finger foods for babies. Soft-cooked sticks or mashed yuca are both good first forms.
Is yuca the same as cassava?
Yes. Yuca, cassava and manioc are names for the same root, and some shops spell it "yucca". It isn't the same as the spiky yucca plant grown in gardens, or yam.
Why does cassava have to be cooked?
Cassava contains natural compounds (cyanogenic glycosides) that can release cyanide in the gut. The international food standard for sweet cassava (Codex) says it must be peeled and fully cooked before it's eaten. Bitter cassava needs extra steps, like grating, long soaking and squeezing, and the two are hard to tell apart: after an outbreak in the Philippines, the health department there advised full processing and cooking whatever the variety. So only use yuca sold as food, and always peel it and cook it until soft all the way through. If your child vomits, has diarrhea or belly pain, seems dizzy or very sleepy, breathes fast, faints or has a seizure within about 1 to 12 hours of eating cassava, call your emergency number and say they ate cassava: these can be signs of cyanide poisoning.
Can babies have cassava flour?
We don't recommend it for babies. No official baby-feeding advice covers cassava flour, and you can't tell at home how well it was processed. The CDC reported an outbreak of cyanide poisoning (Uganda, 2017) from cassava flour made from high-cyanide cassava, even though it was cooked into a dish. Stick to fresh or frozen yuca, peeled and cooked until soft, and ask your pediatrician if you're thinking of using cassava flour.
If your baby refuses yuca (cassava)
- 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 yuca (cassava)
- Cook fresh yuca soon after buying. Frozen peeled yuca from the shop works too: cook it the same way, until soft all the way through.
- Cooked yuca keeps for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge.
- Cooked yuca 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:
- Within about 1 to 12 hours of eating cassava, your child vomits, has diarrhea or belly pain, seems dizzy or very sleepy, breathes fast, faints or has a seizure. Call your emergency number and say they ate cassava: these can be signs of cyanide poisoning.
- 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 yuca (cassava)?
Add it to your first 100 foods.
Yuca (cassava) is in your 100 foods
1 of 100 offered · See all
Add a note (likes, dislikes, any reaction)
Saved in this browser only. Think it was a reaction? See signs of an allergic reaction and when to get help.
Helpful guides
Sources
- FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius: Standard for sweet cassava (CXS 238-2003)
- CDC MMWR: Outbreak of cyanide poisoning caused by consumption of cassava flour, Uganda (2019)
- Peñas et al.: A retrospective cohort study on cassava food poisoning, Philippines (Western Pac Surveill Response J, WHO, 2018)
- CDC: Choking hazards
- NHS: Your baby's first solid foods
- NHS: Help your baby enjoy new foods
- USDA FoodData Central: Cassava, raw
- FDA: 7 tips for cleaning fruits and vegetables
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
- AAP: Is it OK to make my own baby food?
- NHS Best Start in Life: Storing and reheating food
More first foods
Free printable: The First 100 Foods checklist
Tick off foods as your baby tries them. Print it or save it as a PDF, no sign-up needed.