Celery for Babies: When to Start and How to Serve It Safely

• From around 6 months
• Allergen (celery)
• Cooked soft, no raw sticks

Celery is one of the 14 allergens that must be labelled in the UK and EU, so introduce it like other allergens: a little at first, one new allergen at a time. From around 6 months you can offer it cooked until soft, blended into purées or chopped finely into sauces. Raw celery is hard and stringy and a choking risk, so don’t give raw sticks.

📲 10 Bibful recipes with celery

How to serve it by age

1. 6–8 months

   ✋ Finger food (BLW)

   Long pieces of celery with the strings peeled off, cooked until very soft.

   🥣 Purée or spoon

   Blend cooked celery into potato, carrot or lentil purée.

3. 9–12 months

   ✋ Finger food (BLW)

   Thin half-moon slices of soft-cooked celery.

   🥣 Purée or spoon

   Chop cooked celery finely into sauces, soups and risotto.

5. 12+ months

   ✋ Finger food (BLW)

   Soft-cooked celery pieces in family meals; keep it cooked, or grate it very finely.

   🥣 Purée or spoon

   Celery in soups, stews and pasta sauces.

Have celery at home? See what you can cook

Add a second ingredient to see matching Bibful recipes.

✓ 🌿 Celery+ 🥕 Carrot+ 🍅 Tomato+ 🫑 Red Pepper+ 🍝 Pasta+ 🥔 Potato

10 Bibful recipes with celery

• 
  Orange & Celery Muhallebi15 min · from 6 months
• 
  Celery, Carrot & Orange Soup25 min · from 6 months
• 
  Lamb & Celery Vegetable Mash35 min · from 8 months

See the recipes in Bibful

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Preparation tips

• Strings off, cook it soft. Peel off the stringy outside with a vegetable peeler and cook until a knife slides in easily.
• No raw sticks. Raw celery is hard and stringy; cook it, or grate it very finely.
• Watch stock cubes. Celery often hides in stock cubes and gravy, which are also salty; make your own unsalted stock.

• Choking vs gagging
• How to introduce allergens safely

Frequently asked questions

When can babies have celery?

From around 6 months, cooked until soft. Celery is a labelled allergen, so start with a little and watch for a reaction.

Can babies chew on a raw celery stick?

We don’t recommend it: raw celery is hard and stringy and can break into pieces that are hard to manage. Cook it until soft instead.

What are the signs of an allergic reaction?

Signs can include hives or a rash, swelling of the lips or face, vomiting, or coughing and wheezing, usually soon after eating. If your baby has trouble breathing or swallowing, call emergency services straight away. For milder signs, stop giving celery and speak to your GP.

More first foods

• 🍎 Apple
• 🥑 Avocado
• 🍌 Banana
• 🥩 Beef
• 🫐 Blueberries
• 🍞 Bread
• 🥦 Broccoli
• 🎃 Butternut squash
• 🥕 Carrot
• 🥦 Cauliflower
• 🧀 Cheese
• 🍗 Chicken
• 🫘 Chickpeas
• 🥥 Coconut
• 🥒 Courgette
• 🥚 Egg
• 🫛 Green beans
• 🍖 Lamb
• 🫘 Lentils
• 🥭 Mango
• 🥛 Cow’s milk
• 🥣 Oats
• 🍝 Pasta
• 🥜 Peanut
• 🍐 Pear
• 🫛 Peas
• 🥔 Potato
• 🦐 Prawns
• 🫑 Red pepper
• 🍚 Rice
• 🐟 Salmon
• 🥬 Spinach
• 🍓 Strawberries
• 🍠 Sweet potato
• 🥄 Tahini
• Tofu
• 🍅 Tomato
• 🌰 Walnut
• 🥛 Yogurt

This page is general information, not medical advice. It follows NHS Start for Life and World Health Organization guidance on introducing solid foods. Always stay with your baby while they eat, and speak to your health visitor or GP if you have concerns about feeding, allergies or choking.