6–8 months
Chickpea and vegetable mash
Main mealPrep 20 minCook 55 minPortions: 3
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons of dried chickpeas
- 1 small carrot
- 1 small courgette
- Cooking water
Method
- Sort through the chickpeas and rinse them.
- Follow the soaking and cooking instructions on the packet; throw the soaking water away if the packet asks you to cook them in fresh water.
- With no salt added, cook until they are completely soft and crush between your fingers; do not use a slow cooker in place of the soaking and boiling the packet requires.
- Let them cool a little, then slip off every skin and throw the skins away.
- Boil the carrot and courgette separately until soft, mash them with the chickpeas and soften with the cooking water.
Texture
Softly mashed with small soft lumps, and no whole chickpeas, no chickpea skins and no firm pieces of carrot left.
Serving
Serve warm. Introduce foods that can trigger an allergic reaction one at a time and in small amounts, so you can spot any reaction.
Preparing for choking safety
Undercooked or firm chickpeas are never served; dried pulses must be soaked and cooked as the packet instructs. Chickpea skins stay firm and are a choking risk, so none is served before every skin is slipped off.
Key nutrients
ProteinIronFolateFibre
Storage
Cool within 1 to 2 hours of cooking, then refrigerate or freeze in small portions. Use a refrigerated portion within 2 days. Eat a defrosted portion within 24 hours. When reheating, heat until steaming hot all the way through, then let it cool before serving, and reheat any portion only once. Throw away a half-eaten portion rather than storing or reheating it.
Safety
Your baby should be sitting upright and someone should stay with them while they eat. Add no salt, sugar or honey; honey is not given before one year. Babies do not all manage the same texture at the same age — follow your baby's pace rather than pushing. If your baby has an allergy, eczema, or a family history of allergy, talk to your GP or health visitor before introducing new foods.
Collections this recipe appears in
Similar recipes
Courgette and potato purée
6–8 months · Main meal
Prep 5 min · Cook 15 min
Carrot and sweet potato purée
6–8 months · Main meal
Prep 5 min · Cook 20 min
Red lentil purée
6–8 months · Main meal
Prep 5 min · Cook 25 min
Spinach and potato mash
6–8 months · Main meal
Prep 8 min · Cook 18 min
Broccoli and potato purée
6–8 months · Main meal
Prep 8 min · Cook 20 min
Cauliflower purée
6–8 months · Main meal
Prep 8 min · Cook 20 min
Recipes are a suggestion; they do not replace breast milk, formula, or your child's own feeding plan. If there is an allergy or a specific dietary situation, speak with a health professional.