Safe from 12 months. Celery provides vitamin K, folate, potassium, and vitamin C. It is also high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds. The leaves contain even more nutrients than the stalks and are often discarded unnecessarily.
Raw celery is crisp and fibrous with a sharp, grassy, faintly bitter flavor and a high water content that makes it refreshing but texturally risky for babies. Cooking transforms it completely: braised or sauteed celery becomes silky and mild, its bitterness fading into a gentle, savory-sweet base note. It pairs naturally with potato, carrot, onion, apple, parsley, lemon, and mild broths.
Choking risk: high
Raw celery is a high-risk choking food for babies due to its hard, fibrous, and stringy texture. Never serve raw celery to babies under 12 months. Always cook until the fibers are completely soft and remove strings before serving. Even cooked, cut into small pieces.
Thin raw strips as a dipper (safe now with supervision), cooked in soups and stews, finely diced in dishes.
Ingredients
Steps
Celery must be cooked until completely soft with no fibrous strings remaining before serving to babies. Freeze soup in portions for up to 2 months.
Garden notes
Raw celery sticks are a choking hazard under 12 months due to stringy texture. Always supervise. Long growing season.
Slow grower - start indoors 10-12 weeks before last frost.
Harvest for baby
Raw celery is a choking hazard. Cook until very soft in soups or braise before offering to babies.
See what other families are growing for their babies
Free account. Log foods, track reactions, get harvest reminders, and join a community of parents growing their baby's first foods.
Add Celery to my garden