Celery overview

How to Prepare Celery for Baby

Celery is safe for babies from 12 months old. How you prepare it changes as your baby grows. Here is exactly what to do at each stage.

Choking risk: high

High choking risk. Extra care is needed with size and texture. Follow the age-specific guidance exactly.

Flavor guide

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.

1

12+ months

Thin raw strips as a dipper (safe now with supervision), cooked in soups and stews, finely diced in dishes.

Serving ideas

  • -Grate raw celery finely into nut butter for dipping with soft crackers or bread (raw celery sticks are a choking hazard until 2 to 3 years)
  • -Add to soups, stews, and stir-fries
  • -Use raw stalks as edible spoons for thick dips once chewing is well established

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Celery and Potato Soup

From 12 months

Ingredients

  • -3 celery stalks, strings removed, thinly sliced
  • -2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
  • -1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • -2 cups unsalted vegetable or chicken broth
  • -1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Steps

  1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add celery and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very soft with no remaining crunch.
  2. Add potato and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes until potato is completely tender.
  3. Remove from heat. Add parsley and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.
  4. For 12 months and older, serve as a soup with small pieces of soft bread for dipping.
  5. Check consistency and add a splash of water if needed to thin.

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.

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Related

Can babies eat celery?All foods safe at 12 monthsPrintable first foods checklist

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Disclaimer: This page is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your pediatrician before introducing new foods.
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