Red Pepper for Babies: When to Start and How to Serve It by Age

• From around 6 months
• Not a common allergen
• Cook soft, peel the skin

Red pepper (sweet bell pepper) can be offered from around 6 months, once your baby has started solids. Roast or steam it until soft and peel off the skin, which is tough and can come away in thin, papery pieces. Start with long soft strips to hold, then move to small pieces. It’s sweet, mild and a good source of vitamin C. Spicy chilli peppers aren’t the same thing.

📲 68 Bibful recipes with red pepper

How to serve it by age

1. 6–8 months

   ✋ Finger food (BLW)

   Long strips of roasted or steamed red pepper, soft and with the skin peeled off.

   🥣 Purée or spoon

   Blend cooked red pepper with sweet potato, lentils or tomato.

3. 9–12 months

   ✋ Finger food (BLW)

   Small soft pieces of cooked, peeled red pepper.

   🥣 Purée or spoon

   Stir chopped cooked pepper into scrambled egg, rice or pasta sauce.

5. 12+ months

   ✋ Finger food (BLW)

   Thin strips of soft cooked pepper in family meals, skin off if it’s tough.

   🥣 Purée or spoon

   Pepper in pasta sauces, omelettes, stews and soups.

Have red pepper at home? See what you can cook

Add a second ingredient to see matching Bibful recipes.

✓ 🫑 Red pepper+ 🍅 Tomato+ 🥕 Carrot+ 🥚 Egg+ 🥒 Courgette+ 🥛 Yogurt

68 Bibful recipes with red pepper

• 
  Aubergine, Red Pepper & Couscous15 min · from 6 months
• 
  Cauliflower & Red Pepper Egg Muffins30 min · from 6 months
• 
  Veggie & Goat Cheese Fritters with Red Pepper Dip30 min · from 6 months

See the recipes in Bibful

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Preparation tips

• Peel after roasting. Roast until the skin blisters, cover for a few minutes, then slip the skin off.
• Soft enough to squash. Cooked pepper should squash easily between your finger and thumb; raw pepper is crunchy and harder to manage.
• Sweet, not spicy. Use sweet red bell pepper; leave chilli and spicy peppers for later.

• Choking vs gagging

Frequently asked questions

When can babies eat red pepper?

From around 6 months, once your baby has started solids, cooked until soft with the skin removed.

Can babies eat raw pepper?

Raw pepper is crunchy and can break into hard pieces, so cook it until soft for babies. Once your child chews well, thin raw strips can be offered at the table.

Do I need to remove the skin?

For babies, yes: the skin is tough and can come away in thin, papery pieces. Roasting makes it easy to peel.

More first foods

• 🍎 Apple
• 🥑 Avocado
• 🍌 Banana
• 🥩 Beef
• 🫐 Blueberries
• 🍞 Bread
• 🥦 Broccoli
• 🎃 Butternut squash
• 🥕 Carrot
• 🥦 Cauliflower
• 🌿 Celery
• 🧀 Cheese
• 🍗 Chicken
• 🫘 Chickpeas
• 🥥 Coconut
• 🥒 Courgette
• 🥚 Egg
• 🫛 Green beans
• 🍖 Lamb
• 🫘 Lentils
• 🥭 Mango
• 🥛 Cow’s milk
• 🥣 Oats
• 🍝 Pasta
• 🥜 Peanut
• 🍐 Pear
• 🫛 Peas
• 🥔 Potato
• 🦐 Prawns
• 🍚 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.