First foods database
🫛 Broad beans for babies: when and how to serve it
Can babies eat broad beans? Yes, from about 6 months, cooked soft and with the tough outer skin removed. Broad beans offer plant protein, fibre and some iron.
Good source of: Protein, Fibre, Folate, Iron
How to serve broad beans by age
6 to 9 months
Cook until tender, slip the beans out of their pale grey skins, then mash or purée with a little olive oil. Squashed beans work well as finger food too. Young broad beans are sweeter and more tender.
9 to 12 months
Offer skinned beans squashed flat, or mash them onto toast fingers or into pasta. Broad bean mash with mint is lovely on toast.
12 months and up
Serve skinned broad beans in salads, risottos, dips and pasta dishes.
Choking safety
Whole broad beans are a size that could block a small airway. Remove the skins and flatten each bean for babies until they chew well. Check each bean is soft all the way through.
Gagging is common and noisy while babies learn to eat. Choking is usually silent. Always stay with your baby while they eat, sitting upright. How to help a choking baby (NHS).
Good to know
- Rarely, people with a genetic condition called G6PD deficiency react to broad beans. If your baby has this, check with your GP.
Easy ideas
- Broad bean and mint mash on toast
- Broad bean and pea risotto
- Broad bean hummus
Goes well with
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Questions parents ask
Can babies eat broad beans?
Can babies eat broad beans? Yes, from about 6 months, cooked soft and with the tough outer skin removed. Broad beans offer plant protein, fibre and some iron.
Do I need to skin broad beans for babies?
Yes. The outer skin is tough and chewy. Pop the bright green bean out after cooking.
Are broad beans a good source of iron?
They contain some plant iron. Serve with vitamin C-rich foods to help baby absorb it.
Sources
OBubba gives general information based on UK guidance. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose anything. Every baby is different. If your baby has a known allergy, severe eczema or a medical condition, speak to your doctor or health visitor before starting solids. Learn baby first aid, and in an emergency call your local emergency number (999 in the UK).