How to prepare broccoli for babies

Broccoli might look like a tiny tree, but it’s a big hitter when it comes to early nutrition. Soft, versatile + packed with important vitamins, broccoli is a brilliant first food for babies from around 6 months.

What’s so good about broccoli?

Broccoli is a source of 3 key vitamins as well as providing fibre.

Vitamin C – the vitamin helps your little one’s immune system to function and also supports the skin and gums.

Folate – this is a B vitamin which helps lots of processes in the body that help little ones to grow and develop.

Vitamin K – helps to support bones and plays a role in blood clotting.

Take a peek for more tips on how to grow your own Little Veg Lover.

When is broccoli in season?

Broccoli is in season virtually all the year round and comes in not just green but white and even purple colours! You can also find long stemmed sprouting broccoli, again in green or purple.

You can feed broccoli to your baby whenever you’re ready to begin weaning.

How can I prepare broccoli for my baby?

Broccoli can be an ideal first food for babies from 6 months of age. You can serve broccoli as a smooth puree for the first time and it also works well as a finger food when cooked until easily squishable

These little green trees are packed full of nutrition but sometimes little ones dislike the savoury taste at first. Here’s the lowdown on this green mealtime friend.

How should I feed broccoli to my baby?

Broccoli from 6 months+

Puree: cook it well (either in boiling water or by steaming), until it’s soft and then blend into a puree with a little of baby’s usual milk or cooking water. Try our broccoli recipe here

Soft stalks + florets: broccoli makes a fantastic finger food if boiled or steamed until soft enough to squish easily between your thumb and finger (or under a fork). Cut into quarters lengthways so it’s easy for your baby to pick up and hold.

Keep offering broccoli to babies as finger food as they get older, or you can use it in meals.

Broccoli from 7 months+

Mash: mash up broccoli with other foods when your little one is eating more textured meals.

Broccoli from 10 months+

Soft chunks: well-cooked, soft chunks of broccoli are great as part of a mixed meal, when served in a thick puree e.g. in a risotto, pasta or stew.

Broccoli from 12 months+

Small pieces: you can serve cooked broccoli cut into smaller pieces (about the size of a blueberry) without sauce

Cooking tips

Broccoli is best either steamed or boiled. You can roast it, but it can burn very quickly so it’s best to keep an eye on it and make sure that, when cooked, the texture is soft enough to squish easily under the back of a fork.

How do I store cooked broccoli for my baby?

Before storing leftovers, make sure they’re completely cool within 2 hours of cooking, by standing the container of broccoli in a bowl of cold water. Once it’s completely cool, you can store in the fridge or freezer.

Storing broccoli in the fridge

Leftover cooked pureed broccoli or cooked broccoli florets may be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for 24-48 hours.

Freezing broccoli

You can freeze pureed broccoli by decanting the puree into an ice cube tray.

Once frozen, transfer the cubes to a freezer-bag, labelled with the date and store for up to a month. Never store uneaten food left in your little one’s bowl.

How should I reheat prepared broccoli for my baby?

Reheat broccoli puree from the fridge by heating in a pan, adding a little of baby’s usual milk to loosen if needed. Make sure it’s piping hot and then cool before offering to your baby.

Cooked broccoli florets can be steamed until hot before cooling and serving.

Frozen broccoli puree must be completely defrosted before reheating, ideally covered in the fridge overnight or in a microwave.

Sensory fun with broccoli

Tell a mealtime story about a broccoli tree forest.

Allow little ones to explore the broccoli florets with all their senses, even if they don’t want to taste them. All interactions can help to familiarise babies and toddlers with food even if they don’t eat it. Keep offering it, even if it gets rejected the first few times, because the more experiences of a new food, the more likely it is that your baby will accept it.

Older children can play a game of guess the veg. Put different types of vegetables into a bag or a box so your child can’t see. Put your hand inside and take the broccoli. Describe the shape and size e.g. a hard stem and a large bobbly head. If your child can’t guess, pretend to take a peek and tell them about the green colour. Once they’ve guessed, bring the broccoli out with a big “Ta-dah!” and let them explore it with all their senses.

Explore sensory play