Zucchini
- First taste
- 6 months
- Choking risk
- low
- Common allergen
- no
- Iron
- low
Cook soft · raw comes later
When can babies eat zucchini?
Zucchini can start when your baby is ready for solids, at about 6 months. Squash is native to the Americas. Depending on where you live, you may know it as calabacin, courgette, marrow or qua bi ngoi.
Zucchini is full of beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A for immunity and vision. It also has lutein and zeaxanthin. It is rich in vitamin C, and that vitamin helps the body take up iron from plant foods. It also contains folate, copper, and vitamins B6 and K. B6 is vital for brain development and folate for growth, and both can run short in toddlers' diets.
How do you prepare zucchini for babies?
Cooked and raw
At 6 months, cook zucchini until it is tender and cut it into sticks roughly the width of two adult fingers. You can keep the skin on or peel it. At this age, babies tend to pull the tender flesh off the peel, and the peel holds the piece together in a small hand. Raw grated zucchini can be put in a bowl and scooped up, or you can mix it into rice or other grains, mashed beans, mashed root vegetables, eggs, or yogurt. Noodles cut from cooked zucchini are fine too, but some babies cannot grip them well.
Raw zucchini can be served from about 18 months, as thin slices or sticks. Placing a dip next to it keeps your child interested in eating.
How much
Start with a small amount. Babies show interest by grunting, pointing or reaching. From 6 to 9 months most babies eat little solid food at first. By 10 to 12 months, work toward a balanced adult-style plate in smaller portions. Give more when your baby signals for more, and stop when they show they are done.
Preparation by age
The same food is served differently at each age. What matters is how your baby sits, grasps and chews, more than the calendar.
6 months
6 months · How to preparemash
Cut: Smooth puree
Zucchini is one of the easiest first purée foods. Boil or steam a young, seedless zucchini with the skin on until soft, then blend it smooth. Its own water sets the consistency, so you usually need no extra liquid. For baby-led weaning, steam skinless spears about as thick as a thumb and as long as a palm: they should be soft but still graspable.
9 months
9 months · How to prepare as small piecescube
Cut: Bite sized piece
Once your baby develops the pincer grasp, cut cooked zucchini into bite-sized pieces. Soft cooked sticks are still a good way to practice biting and tearing. Soft cooked zucchini ribbons are fine too.
12 months
12 months · How to prepare for meals, fritters and raw slicescube
Cut: Bite sized piece
Keep serving cooked zucchini in bite-sized pieces. Fold pieces or slices into casseroles and egg, grain and lentil dishes. Fritters, zucchini noodles and pancakes are great too. After 18 months many children are ready for raw zucchini, in thin slices or sticks with a dip.
Is zucchini a choking hazard for babies?
Choking risk: low
Raw or undercooked zucchini is firm and risky. Cook until soft. Raw zucchini waits until about 18 months, in thin slices.
Raw or undercooked zucchini is firm and hard to chew, which raises the choking risk. Cook it until soft. Serve raw zucchini in an age-appropriate way, as thin slices or sticks after 18 months. Stay close during meals.
Is zucchini a common allergen?
Zucchini is not a common allergen. Zucchini allergy has been reported but is uncommon. People with ragweed allergy may get oral allergy syndrome symptoms after eating raw or lightly cooked zucchini, such as itching and tingling in the mouth and sometimes mild belly pain. Serious reactions are rarely linked to this syndrome.
First try
As with any new food, offer it alone in a small amount for the first few servings. If there is no reaction, increase it gradually.
Key nutrients
Frequently asked questions about zucchini
When can babies have zucchini?
Once your baby is ready for solids, at about 6 months, cooked soft.
Should I peel zucchini?
Not necessarily. At 6 months you can leave the skin on or peel it. The skin helps the piece hold together in your baby's hand.
When can raw zucchini be served?
After about 18 months, as thin slices or sticks. For younger babies, cook it soft.
Are zucchini noodles suitable?
Yes, if cooked until soft. Some babies find them hard to pick up.
Sources for this page
- Dünya Sağlık Örgütü. (2023). Guideline for complementary feeding of infants and young children 6-23 months of age.
- NHS. (n.d.). Preparing food safely for babies.
- CDC, Infant and Toddler Nutrition. (n.d.). Choking Hazards.
Guides on iron, allergen introduction, gagging and drinks. Read the starting solids guides
Medical note
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Talk to your pediatrician before any feeding decision, especially about allergen introduction and reactions.
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Astro Tasarım Simay Yenice · Türkiye · merhaba@lokmini.com