A soft, mild vegetable dish for babies from around six months, which also works as a side for the rest of the table. Cauliflower and broccoli are among the easier first vegetables: they mash well, hold their shape as finger food, and aren’t sweet, which counts for more than people think.
Why not to lead with sweet vegetables. Babies are born preferring sweetness. Offering carrot and sweet potato first is easy and makes the greener, more bitter vegetables a harder sell later. Introducing broccoli, cauliflower and spinach early, repeatedly and without pressure, is how those get accepted.
What you need
Makes 3–4 baby portions
- 150g cauliflower florets
- 100g broccoli florets
- 100ml whole milk: or breast milk, formula, or unsweetened fortified plant milk
- 1 tsp unsalted butter or olive oil
- No salt. None
- Optional from around 8 months: a tablespoon of grated cheddar
Method
- Steam the cauliflower and broccoli until very soft: 8 to 12 minutes. Softer than you’d want for yourself; it should squash easily between finger and thumb.
- Warm the milk gently with the butter or oil. Don’t boil.
- Combine and blend or mash to the texture you need.
- Stir in the cheese off the heat, if using, until it melts.
- Cool to lukewarm and check the temperature on the inside of your wrist before serving.
Texture by age
- 6–7 months: blended smooth
- 8–10 months: mashed with soft lumps
- 10 months+: florets left whole as finger food, with the sauce alongside for dipping
Which milk to use
- Cow’s milk in cooking is fine from around six months. The restriction is on cow’s milk as a main drink, which shouldn’t happen before 12 months because it lacks sufficient iron.
- Breast milk or formula works equally well here and is the easiest substitute.
- Plant milks in cooking are fine from six months if unsweetened and fortified. Not as a main drink before one, and no rice drinks before five.
- Dairy is a common allergen. If this is your baby’s first exposure to cow’s milk, offer it on its own earlier in the day so a reaction is attributable.
Notes
- Freeze in an ice cube tray and use within a month. Reheat thoroughly and cool before serving.
- Cauliflower and broccoli produce wind in some babies. Not harmful, but handy to know if you’re wondering why the evening is unsettled.
- Add iron alongside. From six months iron is the priority, so serve this with lentils, meat, egg or an iron-fortified cereal, not as the whole meal.
- Expect rejection several times. A child may need ten to fifteen neutral exposures before accepting a new vegetable. Most families stop after three, so the vegetable “doesn’t get eaten”.
- No salt, no stock cubes, no soy sauce. Under-ones need very little salt and their kidneys can’t process much.
Frequently asked questions
Can babies have cow’s milk?
In cooking, from around six months. The restriction is on cow’s milk as a main drink, which should wait until 12 months because it doesn’t contain enough iron. Breast milk or formula works equally well in this recipe.
Why start with cauliflower and broccoli rather than carrot?
Babies are born preferring sweetness, so leading with sweet vegetables makes greener, more bitter ones harder to introduce later. Offering broccoli and cauliflower early, repeatedly and without pressure, is how they come to be accepted.
How soft should the vegetables be?
Softer than you’d want for yourself: 8 to 12 minutes steaming, and soft enough to squash easily between finger and thumb. That squash test applies to anything offered to a baby.
My baby keeps refusing it. What should I do?
Keep offering without pressure. A child may need ten to fifteen neutral exposures before accepting a new vegetable, and most families give up after three, and that’s usually why a vegetable “doesn’t get eaten”.
Can I add salt or stock?
No. Babies under one need very little salt and their kidneys can’t handle much, so avoid salt, stock cubes and soy sauce entirely.
Can this be frozen?
Yes, in an ice cube tray, used within a month. Reheat thoroughly and cool to lukewarm before serving, checking the temperature on the inside of your wrist.
What to remember
Steam until very soft, blend with warm milk and a little butter, no salt.
Cow’s milk is fine in cooking from six months. It’s only as a main drink that it waits until one.
Serve something iron-rich alongside, and keep offering it even when refused. Ten to fifteen times, not three.
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This article is general information and not a substitute for medical advice. Speak to your doctor before introducing allergens if your child has severe eczema or a known food allergy.