Beet and yogurt dip

Name: Beet and yogurt dip
Total time: 30 min
Yield: About 6 baby portions
Ingredients: 1 medium beet; 4 tbsp plain, unsweetened, full-fat yogurt; 2–3 fresh mint leaves

Soft-cooked beet blended and swirled into plain, full-fat yogurt for a bright pink dip. Contains milk: offer it once your baby has had dairy on its own without a reaction.

From: 6 months
Time: 30 min
Makes: About 6 baby portions

Contains milk

Ingredients

1 mediumbeetabout 130 g (4½ oz)
4 tbspplain, unsweetened, full-fat yogurtmade from pasteurized milk, with no added sugar or sweeteners
2–3fresh mint leavesoptional, no stems

Steps

1Wash your hands. Scrub the beet with a clean vegetable brush under running water, trim off the leaves and root, then peel it and cut it into small chunks. Beet stains hands, boards and clothes, so you may want to wear gloves and use a bib.
2Put the beet in a pan, cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes, until a knife slides through with no resistance. Don't add salt. If you're using mint, rinse the leaves, pick them off the stems, chop them finely and add them for the last minute.
3Drain, let it cool, then blend until smooth. Add a spoonful of the cooking water if it's too thick to blend. Check there are no lumps of beet, whole mint leaves or large pieces of leaf left.
4Spoon your baby's portion of yogurt into a bowl, rather than using the pot, and swirl in about the same amount of beet purée. Don't add sugar or honey.

How to serve it by age

6 months+

Offer only after dairy has been introduced on its own. Serve on a pre-loaded spoon your baby can hold, or as a dip for soft-cooked vegetable sticks about the size of an adult finger.

9 months+

Offer it as a dip for soft finger foods, like strips of lightly toasted plain bread (no honey) once wheat has been introduced, or stir it into lentils or rice.

12 months+

Serve it as a family dip with soft-cooked vegetables, and pita or toast fingers once wheat has been introduced. Keep vegetables for dipping cooked soft: raw carrot and other hard raw vegetables are a choking hazard.

Where US and UK guidance differ on this recipe

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

The AAP says fresh baby food should be cooked with no added salt or seasoning. It doesn't mention mint or other herbs, and no AAP page gives an age for them. If you'd rather follow that line closely, leave the mint out until 12 months, or ask your pediatrician.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

The NHS says not to add salt or sugar, including stock cubes and gravy, to your baby's food or cooking water. Its beetroot dip recipe for babies from 6 months includes fresh mint as an optional extra. If you use mint, chop it finely, blend it in well and keep the dip unsalted.

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

If your baby reacts

This recipe contains milk. Introduce one new allergen at a time, mixed into a food your baby already eats, before serving it in a dish with other new foods. Contact your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if you notice mild signs after eating, such as a few hives or a little vomiting. See signs of a reaction.

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.

Leftovers and the rest of the family

Storing it

Keep the beet purée and the yogurt separate until serving. Cooked beet purée keeps for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge, or freeze it in an ice cube tray, move the cubes to a labeled, dated freezer bag and use them within 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge and use it within 24 hours of thawing, or defrost it in the microwave and reheat it straight away. Reheat it only once, until steaming hot, 165°F (74°C), then let it cool completely before stirring it into cold yogurt. Beets can turn your baby's poo red, and sometimes their pee pink or red: this is harmless. If you see red and your baby hasn't eaten beets or red foods, or the color doesn't go away, talk to your doctor. Throw away anything left in your baby's bowl, and any dip left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F / 32°C).