BabyJoy
Artichoke for babies
When and how to serve artichoke at every stage of starting solids.
- Introduce from
- 6–9 months
- Safety notes
- Common choking hazard
How to prepare artichoke by age
6–9 months
Use the heart only: remove the tough outer leaves and scoop out the fuzzy choke completely, then steam until very soft and offer quarters or mash. Jarred or marinated hearts are high in sodium — choose frozen hearts, or canned hearts in water with no added salt, and rinse well.
9–12 months
Soft steamed heart in small pieces or blended into dips. The leaves are fibrous — hold off until your child can scrape them with their teeth.
12 months+
Show your child how to scrape the soft base of a steamed leaf with their teeth and discard the rest; keep removing the choke.
Choking hazard
Artichoke can be a choking hazard for babies and young children. Prepare it exactly as described for your baby’s age, seat your baby upright and always supervise meals.
Gagging (loud coughing, watery eyes, a red face) is a normal part of learning to eat. Choking is silent: your baby cannot cough, cry or breathe and needs immediate help. Learn infant CPR and choking rescue.
Nutrition highlights
- High fiber
- Folate rich
- Vitamin K
- Magnesium
- Antioxidants
Serving ideas
- Mashed artichoke heart on toast fingers
- Artichoke and white bean dip
- Soft artichoke quarters stirred through pasta
Prepare these as described above for your baby’s age.
Choosing and storing
Storage: Fresh: refrigerate in a bag for up to 5 days. Cooked: refrigerate and use within 3 days.
Sources
This guide is based on published guidance from:
