How to make zucchini for baby led weaning

Zucchini is a great first food for baby-led weaning or as a pureed baby food. Here we will go through how to prepare for baby at every stage so you are confident your baby will like it and develop the feeding skills they need.

*This post has been reviewed by Dora Babic-Cikos, PhD Nutritional Science 

Zucchini Health Benefits 

Zucchini is a healthy vegetable that can be eaten as raw zucchini or cooked/baked and of course the nutritional content and benefits of zucchini will depend on that. And it should definitely be included in your baby's diet from an early stage.

It contains a lot of important nutrients like vitamin B, vitamin C and vitamin A that can help support the immune system.

It's has a high water content so if you are planning on using it for fritters or in cakes (seeing as it is such a versatile vegetable), you should make sure to squeeze the excessive water out of it.

How to cook zucchini for baby? 

Babies can start eating zucchini as soon as they are ready to start eating solid foods, so from about 6 months of age. They can be made as baby-led weaning finger foods or as puree. 

The are different ways to cook zucchini for baby, even ones that will make the zucchini so tasty the whole family will enjoy it. 

• Steaming retains the most nutrients and is our recommended method whether you are making zucchini for baby-led weaning or as zucchini puree 
• Cooking retains the least nutrients because during boiling the nutrients leak into the boiling water 
• Roasting is a great option for zucchini puree and for zucchini slices for baby-led weaning as they remain soft enough. It is not a great option for zucchini spears for baby-led weaning as they wont be as soft. However, steaming and the roasting zucchini spears makes them soft enough for baby, yet delicious for the whole family to enjoy.

How long to steam zucchini for baby food? 

Zucchini for baby-led weaning needs to be steamed for about 10 minutes so that the zucchini spears are easily squish-able between your fingers.

1. Wash and cut the zucchini into spears. 
2. Place in a steamer basket over boiling water and cover.
3. Steam for about 10 minutes until easily pierce-able with a fork 
4. Remove from steamer and serve 
5. Optional - coat with olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, garlic powder
6. Optional - place them on parchment paper on a baking sheet and in the oven at 400°F/ 200°C for 15-20 minutes so they absorb all the flavors and become delicious. Make sure they are still squish-able between your fingers. Add some salt if serving for adults. 

Zucchini baby food puree 

To make this zucchini puree recipe for baby follow these steps.

1. Wash and cut the zucchini. 
2. Place in a steamer basket over boiling water and cover.
3. Steam for about 10 minutes (from when the water is boiling) until easily pierce-able with a fork. 
4. Cool for about 5 minutes then place in a food processor and process until you have a smooth puree. 
5. Add olive oil and some oregano or mix with some breast milk or other baby food purees such as mango puree, pear puree, pumpkin puree or zucchini sweet potato puree. 

How to serve zucchini for baby? 

Zucchini is not a common choking hazard but also there is a risk of choking with any food so make sure you are always next to the baby when they are eating and you follow the latest advise on how to minimize choking. 

There are different ways of preparing zucchini for baby-led weaning, depending on the age of the baby and the developmental stage. 

• zucchini for 6 month old baby
  • as zucchini puree - served on a preloaded spoon so the baby can still feed themselves and develop gross motor skills 
  • mashed - steamed zucchini mashed with a fork and also on preloaded spoon. This method is for babies that are passed the puree stage and are ready to move on to more textured food. 
  • baby-led weaning - steamed zucchini spears that are easy for them to hold. The spears need to be so soft that you can mash them between your fingers. 
• zucchini for 9 month old baby or older, when they are developing pincer grasp
  • you can still use any of the options as for the 6 months old baby or
  • cut into bite size small pieces (about the size of a pinky fingernail). You can even put it on a fork and let them bring the fork to their mouth. 
• zucchini for toddlers
  • peel and cut into bite size pieces so they can eat it as finger food
  • give them a fork to learn how to use a fork

Tip: With baby-led weaning it is always a good idea to have overall bib so you minimize the clean up yet give your child enough space to explore and learn. We loved the Bibado bib. 

One of our favorite baby food recipes featuring zucchini is our Zucchini Cake which my babies loved.

If you are prepping zucchini for your baby and want something more flavorsome for the whole family we can try Oven Roasted Zucchini Slices with Parmesan or Mini Zucchini Pizza Bites. 

Storage

• store puree or spears in airtight containers in fridge for up 3 days
• store puree in ice cube trays or airtight containers in freezer up to 3 months. Thaw in fridge overnight and reheat on stove with a bit of water
• store zucchini spears in airtight container in freezer up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in fridge, coat with olive oil and reheat in oven. 

Zucchini allergy for baby? 

Zucchini is not a common allergen, however there have been reports of zucchini allergies that include itchiness, swelling of the mouth, face, lip, tongue or throat.

If your child is experiencing wheezing, throat tightness, difficulty swallowing or trouble breathing call 911 immediately.

FAQ

If you've tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then please rate it and leave us a comment below!