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Serving parsnips to baby, like potatoes or carrots, are great as these root vegetables can be served in a number of ways. With a mild flavor, parsnips are sure to be enjoyed by your baby. Here are some creative parsnip recipes for babies that you can try.

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Looking for ways to expand your baby’s palate?

Well, look no further! Parsnips are a great way to add variety to your family’s diet.

Today’s post has an abundance of parsnip recipes for baby, including ways to make your own parsnip baby food or serve parsnips as finger foods.

As a versatile vegetable, parsnips are a great example that fall into both camps of introducing solids: baby led weaning and purees.

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Parsnips are one vegetable I tend to forget about.

If anything, I only think about them during the fall and winter months, or holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

But, parsnips are a nutritious and delicious food, and one we should be serving to babies for all of these reasons.

Plus, they are a great baby finger food that we can season in so many ways!

Can Babies Eat Parsnips?

Absolutely – babies can eat parsnips. Baby led weaning is all about introducing new flavors and textures.

Parsnips are a starchy root vegetable that can be fed to your baby as a finger food, or mashed for spoon practice.

Sure, parsnips aren’t as popular as other root vegetables. Roasted carrots and cheesy potatoes are American staples.

But, when feeding a baby, you’ll certainly want to introduce parsnips along with your baby led weaning avocado recipes!

Here are some of our other baby led weaning vegetable recipes and nutrition break downs:

• Zucchini baby led weaning recipes
• Broccoli for baby led weaning
• Chicken for baby led weaning
• Peanut butter recipes for baby led weaning
• How to cook sweetpotatoes for baby led weaning
• Acorn squash for babies

What Do Parsnips Taste Like?

Firstly, if you’ve never tried a parsnip, you may wonder what they’re like. Parsnips have a distinct earthy flavor that is mild, nutty, and slightly sweet.

While they look a lot like carrots, only much paler in color, they don’t taste like them.

Instead, they have a sweeter taste that is more comparable to sweetpotatoes.

Parsnips Nutrition

In the nutrition world, we urge people to get a variety of colors in their diets.

The pigments in our fruits and veggies give us a wide range of vitamins and minerals. Let’s not forget white veggies.

Parsnips may not be as vibrant in color as broccoli or sweetpotatoes, but they pack a nutritional punch!

Here are just some of the nutrients parsnips have to offer:

• Vitamin C: Boost your baby’s immune system with the vitamin C found in parsnips—especially important during cold, RSV, and flu season. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, protecting cells against damage.
• Dietary fiber: The fiber in parsnips can help improve digestion. Insoluble fiber is the non-digestible fiber that adds bulk to your baby’s stool and helps with constipation. Likewise, soluble fiber aids in digestion by slowing it down. Soluble fiber also feeds healthy gut bacteria.
• Vitamin K: This vitamin assists with bone-building and blood clotting. Parsnips are considered an excellent source of vitamin K, containing about 1/4 of the daily recommended intake.
• Folate: Folate is key during periods of rapid development and growth, and we know no one grows as fast as a baby! Parsnips provide folate, which is involved in making DNA, cell division, blood cell production, energy metabolism, and more.

Tips for Cooking Parsnips for Baby

Parsnips can be prepared by any method, really. My personal favorite is roasted parsnips, but you can also include them in your soups and casseroles.

Parsnips make a great side to any dish!

Just remember that when you are preparing parsnips for your baby, you can use a number of seasonings (spices for baby led weaning are encouraged!) but limit salt.

Depending on the age of your baby, you can cut the parsnips into bite-sized pieces, thin strips, or longer pieces that are about 1/2-3/4″ thick for them to nibble on.

To try parsnips as a side dish, try the following cooking methods:

Mashed or Pureed Parsnips

Mashed parsnips are simple to make. You can peel 2-3 lbs of parsnips like you would carrots.

Rather than peeling though, I like to just scrub parsnips with a veggie brush. This helps preserve some of the nutrients and flavor. And it’s easier!

Trim the ends off. Then cover with water in a large pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Remove lid and simmer until parsnips are tender.

We made this parsnip puree for baby in the microwave to soften them. So easy and so delicious!

Drain and place back in the pot. Now add your desired seasonings, like rosemary and thyme, 1/2 cup of milk or half and half, and 4 tablespoons butter.

Mash them up with a potato masher or immersion blender. Put them in a bowl for baby and let your baby practice their spoon skills.

If the taste is too strong for toddlers, consider a 50/50 blend of mashed potatoes and mashed parsnips.

Roasted or Baked Parsnips

To roast parsnip fries for baby, start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Then, peel or scrub your parsnips (about 1.5 lbs will fit nicely on the cookie sheet). Cut them lengthwise and in pieces about 1/2 inch wide.

Toss the parsnips in a couple tablespoons of olive or avocado oil. Spread them on a baking sheet.

Season your parsnips with pepper, garlic, or onion powder.

Roast for about 15 minutes and stir them on the pan. Put them back in for another 15 minutes or until browned and fork tender.

This is one of my favorite ways that makes a crispy outside for baby to hold but starchy, chewy inside.

Steamed Parsnips

Steaming parsnips can be an easy and nutritious way to cook parsnips for your baby.

Put your scrubbed and trimmed parsnips in a steamer basket and steam over boiling water.

No steamer basket, no problem. Parsnips can be steamed in 1/2 inch of water in a saucepan. Just cover and bring to a boil.

Boiled parsnips

You can quickly boil parsnips for a side dish ready in minutes. Again, peel or scrub your parsnips and trim the ends off.

In a saucepan, cover the parsnips with water and bring to a boil. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the parsnips are tender.

Now they’re ready to serve. You can cut them into small pieces so the baby can properly handle them.

Sauteed Parsnips

Another quick and easy way to make parsnips is sauteeing. Heat your oil in a skillet on medium-high heat.

Put your scrubbed and trimmed parsnips in the hot oil and cook until fork-tender. Season as desired.

I love olive oil or avocado oil for sauteeing, and sometimes, adding a pinch of sesame oil adds flavor!

Parsnip Baby Recipes

Wondering how else you can incorporate parsnips into your baby’s diet?

Here are some great parsnip recipes that the whole family will love.

References:

• Kenari HM, Kordafshari G, Moghimi M, Eghbalian F, TaherKhani D. Review of Pharmacological Properties and Chemical Constituents of Pastinaca sativa. J Pharmacopuncture. 2021;24(1):14-23. doi:10.3831/KPI.2021.24.1.14