When can babies eat zucchini?

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

Zucchini

Mild, soft and quick to cook. Called courgette in the UK.

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

Quick answer

Babies can eat zucchini 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 zucchini by age

6 months+

Soft-cooked spears or mashed zucchini

Cut zucchini lengthwise into finger-sized spears, leaving the skin on for grip, and steam or roast until very soft. Or mash cooked zucchini and serve it on a pre-loaded spoon.

Size: Spears 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 spear between your thumb and finger. It should flatten easily, skin included. 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 zucchini

1
Rinse the zucchini under running water, rubbing the skin gently. Trim off both ends.
2
Cut it lengthwise into finger-sized spears (6 months), or chop it after cooking into small pieces (9 months+).
3
Steam for about 5 to 8 minutes, or roast until soft all the way through.
4
Do the squash test, then let it cool before serving. Don't add salt.

How much to offer

Start with one or two spears 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 it raw or crisp

Raw zucchini is firm. For babies and young toddlers, cook it until it squashes between your fingers.

Leaving tough skin on

Thin zucchini skin turns soft when cooked and gives slippery spears some grip, so you don't have to peel it. Check that it passes the squash test, skin included. If the skin stays tough, peel it.

Cutting thin round slices

Cut lengthwise into spears your baby can hold, then into small pieces once they can pick them up.

Stopping after a few refusals

Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it.

Where US and UK guidance differ on zucchini

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

Keep serving zucchini cooked soft. The CDC lists pieces of hard raw vegetables as a choking hazard for young children, and the AAP advises holding back or changing raw vegetables until about 4 years, depending on the child.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

Cook zucchini (courgette) until soft in the first year. From 12 months, the NHS snack list includes cooked or raw vegetables, such as carrot or cucumber sticks. If you offer raw courgette, grate it finely, and stay with your child.

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

Questions parents ask

Can zucchini be a choking hazard for babies?

Raw zucchini is firm, and the CDC lists pieces of hard raw vegetables as a choking hazard, so the risk is rated medium. Zucchini cooked until very soft is a lower risk. Cook it soft for babies and young toddlers. 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 zucchini?

Zucchini is not a common allergen. In older children and adults with ragweed pollen allergy (hay fever), raw zucchini can cause an itchy mouth or throat, called pollen food allergy syndrome. It isn't usual in children under 3, and cooked zucchini is usually fine.

Is zucchini healthy for babies?

Mostly water (about 95%), with some vitamin C and potassium. Vitamin C helps the body absorb the iron in plant foods, such as beans, lentils and iron-fortified cereal.

Do I need to peel zucchini for my baby?

You don't have to. Thin skin softens when it's cooked and helps your baby grip the spear. Rinse it well first and check the skin with the squash test. If it stays tough, peel it: the NHS suggests washing and peeling fruit and raw vegetables for babies, so peeling is always fine too.

Can babies eat zucchini seeds?

Yes. The small seeds inside a zucchini are soft once cooked. Large, overgrown zucchini can have tougher seeds: scoop them out.

Can babies eat raw zucchini?

Not in the first year. Raw zucchini is firm, so serve it cooked until soft. For toddlers, US and UK advice differs: see the guidance note below.

Is zucchini a good source of iron?

Not a major one. But its vitamin C helps your baby absorb the iron in plant foods eaten at the same meal, like beans, lentils or iron-fortified cereal.

If your baby refuses zucchini

Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
Try it grated and cooked into pasta, rice or egg instead of as a spear.
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 zucchini

Keep raw zucchini in the fridge.
Cooked zucchini 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 zucchini can be frozen and used within 3 months, though it turns softer and more watery. Thaw it in the fridge, use it within 24 hours of thawing, and reheat it only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let it 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 child's mouth or throat often itches after eating raw zucchini. This can be pollen food allergy syndrome. Ask your pediatrician about seeing an allergist.
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 zucchini?

Add it to your first 100 foods.