First foods database
🫘 Lupin beans for babies: when and how to serve it
Can babies eat lupin beans? Yes, from about 6 months in small amounts, as long as you use ready-prepared (debittered) lupini, peeled and mashed. Lupin is a high-protein legume, but it is one of the 14 major allergens and is closely related to peanut, so introduce it carefully.
Good source of: Protein, Fibre, Magnesium
How to serve lupin beans by age
6 to 9 months
Use jarred or tinned lupini that are ready to eat. Soak them in fresh water for several hours, changing it a few times, to reduce the salt from the brine. Pop each bean out of its tough skin, then mash or blend with olive oil, vegetables or a little yoghurt.
9 to 12 months
Offer peeled lupin beans squashed flat as finger food, or blend them into a hummus-style dip to spread on toast fingers.
12 months and up
Peeled lupin beans can be halved and offered as a snack, or added to salads and stews. Lupin flour can also be used in baking.
Choking safety
Lupin beans are firm and slippery, and the skins are tough. Always peel them and mash or squash flat for babies. For toddlers, halve or quarter peeled beans.
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
- Lupin is a major allergen. People with peanut allergy may also react to lupin, so speak to your GP first if your baby has a peanut allergy.
- Never use raw dried lupin beans, which need special soaking to remove natural toxins. Use ready-prepared lupini.
- Jarred lupini are packed in salty brine; soak and rinse well.
Introducing it as an allergen
It contains lupin, one of the 14 major allergens. How to introduce lupin
Easy ideas
- Lupin bean and olive oil mash
- Lupin bean hummus on toast fingers
- Lupin and tomato stew with rice
Goes well with
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Questions parents ask
Can babies eat lupin beans?
Can babies eat lupin beans? Yes, from about 6 months in small amounts, as long as you use ready-prepared (debittered) lupini, peeled and mashed. Lupin is a high-protein legume, but it is one of the 14 major allergens and is closely related to peanut, so introduce it carefully.
Are lupin beans the same as lupini?
Yes. Lupini or lupin beans are the seeds of the lupin plant, often sold in jars in brine.
Do babies need to have lupin?
No, it is optional. It is still useful to know it is an allergen, as lupin flour appears in some breads and pastries.
Why are lupin beans so salty?
They are preserved in brine. Soaking in fresh water for a few hours removes much of the salt.
Sources
- NHS Start for Life: Weaning
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- BSACI: Early feeding guidance
- NHS: Food allergies in babies and young children
- NHS: How to stop a child from choking
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).