Safe from 6 months. Parsnips provide fiber, folate, vitamin C, potassium, and manganese. They are sweeter than carrots when roasted and most babies take to them quickly.
Raw parsnips are dense, starchy, and moderately sweet with a mild, earthy bitterness that some people find pleasant and others find sharp. Roasting dramatically transforms them: the cut edges caramelize into a deep, almost toffee-like sweetness while the center stays creamy and tender. They pair naturally with butter, apple, pear, carrot, ginger, nutmeg, and thyme.
Roast or steam until very soft. Cut into long spears. Naturally sweet, especially after a frost. A wonderful first vegetable.
Dice into small pieces, roasted or steamed. Mash with a little butter for a sweet puree.
Roasted, mashed, in soups and stews, as fries.
Ingredients
Steps
Freeze in ice cube trays for up to 3 months. A great base to blend stronger-flavored vegetables into.
Garden notes
Sweeter after frost. Long growing season - plan ahead. Often left in the ground until needed.
Sow in spring for fall harvest - slow to germinate (2-3 weeks) but worth the wait.
Harvest for baby
Roast until very soft and caramelized. Naturally sweet - one of the best root vegetables for 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 Parsnips to my garden