Green Beans overview

How to Prepare Green Beans for Baby

Green Beans is safe for babies from 6 months old. How you prepare it changes as your baby grows. Here is exactly what to do at each stage.

Choking risk: low

Low choking risk with appropriate preparation. Always supervise mealtimes.

Flavor guide

Raw green beans are crisp and grassy with a faint bitterness and a satisfying snap. Steaming or sauteing softens that bitterness into a clean, mildly sweet vegetable flavor with a tender but not mushy bite when cooked just right. They pair naturally with butter, garlic, lemon, almonds, tomato, and mild soft cheeses.

1

6 to 8 months

Steam until completely soft. Serve whole - the long shape is perfect for tiny hands. Remove tough strings if present.

Serving ideas

  • -Steam until very soft and serve whole as a natural finger food (the shape is easy to grip)
  • -Mash or puree with butter and a pinch of garlic
  • -Blend with potato for a mild puree
2

9 to 11 months

Cut into bite-sized pieces, well steamed. Mix into soft foods or serve as finger food.

Serving ideas

  • -Cut steamed beans into small pieces for pincer grasp practice
  • -Mix diced green beans into rice or couscous
  • -Stir into a mild curry with sweet potato
3

12+ months

Roasted, steamed, stir-fried, or served raw in salads.

Serving ideas

  • -Serve roasted green beans as finger food
  • -Add to a veggie stir-fry with soft tofu
  • -Toss into pasta with pesto

See what's safe for your baby's age

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Freezing Green Beans for baby

Trim ends. Blanch whole for 3 minutes, transfer to an ice bath, drain, then freeze in a single layer before bagging.

Blanch for 3 minutes before freezing. Keeps for up to 12 months.

Batch prep tip

Blanch green beans for 3 minutes, cool in ice water, and freeze flat on a baking sheet. Transfer to a bag. Steam from frozen as needed. Keeps 4 months.

Steamed Green Beans with Garlic Butter

From 6 months

Ingredients

  • -1 cup fresh green beans, tips trimmed
  • -1 tsp unsalted butter
  • -1 small garlic clove, peeled

Steps

  1. Place green beans and garlic clove in a steamer basket over boiling water.
  2. Steam for 8 to 10 minutes until beans are very soft and bend easily without snapping.
  3. Remove garlic clove and mash it into the butter.
  4. Toss hot beans in the garlic butter until coated.
  5. For 6-8 months, serve 2 to 3 whole beans at a time as a hand-held finger food for gnawing. For 9 months and older, cut into small pieces.

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Growing Green Beans at home?

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If your baby was born early, enter their due date instead of their birth date to use adjusted age. How to calculate adjusted age.

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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.