White bean dip with soft veggie sticks

Name: White bean dip with soft veggie sticks
Total time: 25 min
Yield: About 6 baby portions of dip, plus dippers
Ingredients: 1 can (400 g / 15 oz) white beans, such as cannellini; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp lemon juice; 1 small clove garlic; 2–4 tbsp water; 2 medium carrots; 1 small zucchini

Canned white beans blended smooth with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, with no added salt, served with soft-cooked carrot and zucchini to dip. No top allergens. Offer beans on their own first.

White bean dip with soft veggie sticks in a bowl

From: 6 months
Time: 25 min
Makes: About 6 baby portions of dip, plus dippers

No top allergens

Ingredients

1 can (400 g / 15 oz)white beans, such as cannellinino-salt-added, canned in water; about 240 g (1½ cups) drained
1 tbspolive oil
1 tsplemon juicesqueezed through a small strainer to catch seeds
1 small clovegarlicoptional, finely minced and cooked soft
2–4 tbspwaterto thin the batch. Use water, not breast milk or formula, for dip you'll keep; thin only your baby's portion with breast milk or formula, just before serving
2 mediumcarrotsfor dipping
1 smallzucchinifor dipping

Steps

1Wash your hands. Scrub the carrots under running water and peel them. Rinse the zucchini under running water, rubbing the skin gently, and trim off both ends; leave the skin on for grip. Rinse the lemon skin before you cut it.
2Cut the carrots and zucchini lengthwise into sticks about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in), never round coins. Steam the carrot sticks for about 10 to 15 minutes and the zucchini for about 5 to 8 minutes, until very soft. Squash a stick of each between your thumb and finger: they should flatten easily. Let them cool.
3Drain the beans and rinse them well under running water. If you're using garlic, cook it gently in the olive oil for a minute or two, until soft but not brown. Don't add salt.
4Blend the beans with the olive oil (and the garlic, if using), lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of water until completely smooth, scraping down the sides. Add more water a little at a time until it's soft and creamy. Check there are no whole beans, half beans or tough skins left.
5Check the vegetables are cool, or only just warm, before serving.

How to serve it by age

6 months+

Once your baby has had beans on their own without a reaction, thin a spoonful of dip with a little water, breast milk or formula, just before serving. Offer it on a pre-loaded spoon, or let your baby dip the soft carrot and zucchini sticks. Once wheat has been introduced, strips of lightly toasted plain bread (no seeds or honey) about the size of an adult finger work too. No crackers, chips or raw vegetable sticks: they're hard and a choking hazard.

9 months+

Serve the dip thicker, as a dip or spread on strips of lightly toasted plain bread once wheat has been introduced. Cut the vegetables into pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or keep offering soft sticks to bite.

12 months+

Serve it as a family dip with soft-cooked vegetables and, once wheat has been introduced, soft toast or pita fingers, or spread it in a soft wrap. Any beans served on the side should each be pressed flat, and large ones like cannellini torn in half, never whole and round. Keep raw vegetable sticks and chips for the adults: the CDC lists hard raw vegetables and chips as choking hazards for young children.

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 lemon juice or garlic, and doesn't give an age for them. If you'd rather follow that line closely, leave them out until 12 months, or ask your pediatrician.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

The NHS says not to add salt to your baby's food, and its lemony chicken strips, for babies from 6 months, use lemon juice. Keep your baby's portion unsalted.

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

Leftovers and the rest of the family

Storing it

Only keep dip that was thinned with water. Dip thinned with breast milk or formula is for that meal only: throw away what's left. Keep the dip in a covered container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or freeze it in small portions and use it within 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge and eat it within 24 hours of thawing. Move any leftover beans out of the can into a covered container. Cooked vegetable sticks keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge; serve them cold, or reheat them only once, until steaming hot, 165°F (74°C), then let them cool before serving. Throw away anything left in your baby's bowl, and any dip your baby has dipped into. Don't leave the dip or vegetables at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F (32°C).

For the grown-ups

Spoon out your baby's portion first, then add salt, black pepper, chopped rosemary or a drizzle of chili oil to the rest for the adults. Serve it with warm bread and raw vegetable sticks for the adults.