First foods database
🫑 Green pepper for babies: when and how to serve it
Can babies eat green pepper? Yes, from about 6 months. Green peppers are less ripe than red ones, so they taste a little more bitter, but roasted or cooked soft they are a useful source of vitamin C to serve alongside iron-rich foods.
Good source of: Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Fibre
How to serve green pepper by age
6 to 9 months
Roast or steam strips of pepper until soft and floppy. Remove the skin if it comes away easily, as the thin skin can stick in the mouth. Offer wide strips to hold, or blend roasted pepper into a sauce for pasta or lentils.
9 to 12 months
Offer smaller soft-cooked pieces, or dice and stir through rice, omelette and stews.
12 months and up
Thin strips of raw pepper can be offered to confident chewers with supervision. Cooked pepper remains easiest.
Choking safety
Raw pepper is crunchy and its skin can be tough. For babies cook it until soft and consider peeling. Offer wide strips rather than small hard pieces.
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
- Vitamin C helps the body absorb iron from beans and lentils.
Easy ideas
- Roasted pepper strips
- Pepper and tomato pasta sauce
- Diced into a vegetable omelette
Goes well with
Recipes with green pepper
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Questions parents ask
Can babies eat green pepper?
Can babies eat green pepper? Yes, from about 6 months. Green peppers are less ripe than red ones, so they taste a little more bitter, but roasted or cooked soft they are a useful source of vitamin C to serve alongside iron-rich foods.
Is green pepper too bitter for babies?
Some babies prefer sweeter red pepper at first, but roasting softens the flavour. Mixing with tomato or sweet potato helps.
Should I peel pepper for my baby?
It helps for young babies. Roasting until the skin blisters makes peeling easy.
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).