Vegetable Soup for Babies – Benefits and Recipes

Although WHO recommends that babies be exclusively breastfed until they are six months old, they could benefit from gradually introducing vegetables once they start solids after six months (1).

The best way to introduce vegetables is to start with vegetable soups. The water content in the soup compensates for the liquid intake needed by your child’s body. The mashed and pureed consistency of the vegetables in the soup aids in easy consumption and facilitates digestion. If your baby is suffering from a cold and cough, you can offer them a warm bowl of soup with vegetables rich in nutrients to fight the infection (2). Read on to find out the benefits of vegetable soups for babies and the different options you have to make some tasty and delicious soups for your little one.

Benefits of Including Vegetable Soup in Your Child’s Diet

Soups are great food, not just for adults but for babies, too. In fact, they are the best food for picky eaters and can be served as appetisers to build up hunger and have a wholesome and substantial meal. Soups have a lot of benefits when prepared fresh and in the right way.

1. Striking the Vegetable Intake Rate

A big struggle to meet the daily requirements of vegetables, parents could opt to serve vegetable and legume soup to kids. Sneak in the vegetables that your child dislikes in pureed form, along with large quantities of the vegetable he loves to mask the flavour and make him eat the same. It may sound like a shortcut method, but it will eventually work in the long run with your child getting used to the taste and slowly adjusting to it.

2. Hydrating Effect

Be it watery and thin or thick and creamy in consistency, soups are a great way to hydrate the body. Soup compensates for the liquid intake your child needs if he does not drink enough water during the day.

3. Storehouse of Nutrition

Soups made of vegetables, pulses, rice or legumes are enriched with nothing but minerals, calcium, proteins, and carbohydrates required for healthy growth. When we cook vegetables for a curry or gravy, we discard the fluid, thereby discarding the water-soluble nutrients. But in the case of soups, the nutrients make their way directly to the tummy, owing to its runny consistency.

4. Comfort Food

Soups are best for winters when you want to beat the cold with something to warm up your child’s baby and build his immunity during flu season. Some nutrients present in the food are absorbed best when had warm, and soups make the best choice to consume it.

5. Medicinal Value

A warm bowl of soup is best when your sick child is having difficulty swallowing solid food. Soups provide relief from colds, coughs, chest congestion and fever. Soups spiced with garlic, peppers and turmeric help in treating cough and even digestive disorders. Tomato soup flavoured with basil helps in treating colds and coughs.

6. The Solution to Weight Gain

Thick, creamy, and buttery soups are a great way to help kids increase weight. Soups made of rice, lentils or noodles can be served as a mid-morning snack or in the evening to increase the intake of calories and nutrients. It can also be served as a side dish to main meals.

7. Simple to Consume

If your baby has not yet mastered the art of chewing food or does not have their set of teeth fully developed, then soups are the best way to flush down vegetables into their tummy. It requires no chewing and pureed forms are best for small babies.

Why Homemade Vegetable Soups Are Best for Babies?

Instant soups are readily available and easy to serve, but definitely not the healthiest option. A quick glance at the contents of these packaged foods will reveal the number of artificial flavours and ingredients it is loaded with. In addition, they are stuffed with salt, thickening agents, corn starch and preservatives. So, in a nutshell, they offer no nutrition and are not a good choice at all. So, how to prepare vegetable soup for babies that are healthy and nutritious? Home-made soups made from freshly sourced vegetables, cooked in the hygienic confines of your home with zero chemicals and less salt, are the best option you can give your kids.

Remember, there is no need for a vegetable soup for a 6 month baby, as infants at this stage breastfeed exclusively and get all their vital nutrients from the breast milk.

8 Veg Soup Recipes for Infants

Are you looking at how to make veg soup for babies? Well, look no further. Here is a compilation of some lovely vegetarian options of soups for a generous amount of nutrition and energy all packed in the warmth of a bowl of soup. Just the right recipe you need to comfort your little one’s soul.

1. Spinach Soup

Spinach is a green leafy vegetable packed with vitamins, minerals, and fibre and is an absolute essential to include in your baby’s diet (3). This vegetable soup for infants above 6 months is going to be a power-packed recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of chopped spinach leaves
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp of cheese
• A handful of boiled potatoes and corn kernels (optional)

How to Make

1. Boil spinach leaves with a bit of salt.
2. Let them cool, and puree them in a blender.
3. Warm up the puree before serving.
4. You could make a variation by adding potatoes, lentils, corn kernels and cheese to hide the bland taste of spinach.

This soup can be served to babies from above 6 months of age.

2. Mixed Vegetable Soup

Mixed vegetable soup for babies is the perfect solution for those picky eaters who fuss over the sight of vegetables. Just make sure you have fed your child these vegetables individually in the past to ensure he is not allergic to any of them.

Ingredients

• 1-2 cups of chopped vegetables (carrot, peas, potatoes, spinach, corn, tomatoes)
• Salt to taste
• A dash of pepper for taste (optional)

How to Make

1. Boil the vegetables well in a pressure cooker.
2. Puree them, once cooled, into a thick consistency.
3. Add salt to taste

3. Lentil Soup

A popular dish served to every infant in India, lentil soup or dal paani is rich in proteins and iron. Lentils are a good source of carbohydrates and keep the tummy full for a longer time. This soup can be served from the age of 6 months and is a great first food for babies.

Ingredients

• 1/2-1 cup of lentils
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp ghee ( optional)

How to Make

1. Boil the lentils in a pressure cooker and add salt to taste
2. Serve it with a tablespoon of ghee for a unique taste and good digestion.

4. Tomato Soup

Tomato soup is rich in lycopene and has antioxidants to enhance the glow of your baby’s skin (4). Tomato soup can be introduced from 8 months onwards.

Ingredients

• 1-3 medium-sized tomatoes
• Salt to taste
• A dash of pepper
• A tsp of butter

How to Make

1. Boil the tomatoes, peel off the skin once cooled, de-seed them and puree it to a soup consistency.
2. Serve it with salt and a little pepper for a tangy taste.
3. Top it with butter for a creamy texture.

5. Beetroot Carrot Soup

This vegetable soup recipe for babies is rich in beta-carotene, folate, iron, magnesium, and other nutrients and is beneficial for babies who are anaemic or have low haemoglobin levels.

Ingredients

• 1-3 medium-sized carrots and beetroots
• Salt to taste
• A dash of pepper

How to Make

1. Chop carrots and beetroots and cook them well to a mashing consistency. Puree it to a soup consistency.
2. Serve it with salt and a little pepper for a tangy taste.

6. Chickpea and Spinach Soup

A powerful combination of nutrients and protein, this soup is rich in antioxidants, improves iron levels, promotes bone growth and also increases blood circulation.

Ingredients

• 1-2 tbsp of chickpeas soaked overnight
• 1 cup of spinach leaves chopped finely
• Salt

How to Make

1. Boil the spinach separately and puree it.
2. Cook the chickpeas in a pressure cooker to a mashing consistency.
3. Combine the spinach and chickpeas and add some salt to taste

This is soup is ideal for babies over 10 months and you could leave small chunks of chickpeas for your toddler to chew and use their newly formed incisors.

7. Vegetable Clear Soup

Veg Clear Soup for babies is another saviour for parents whose kids hate eating vegetables.

Ingredients

• 1-2 cup of cauliflower, carrots, and broccoli for vegetable stock
• Small potatoes, peas and beans for the vegetable chunks
• Coriander for taste
• Salt

How to Make

1. Boil the cauliflower, carrots and broccoli, all rich in Vitamin K, in water and drain the water.
2. Boil chunks of peas, beans and potatoes to a chewable consistency and add to the stock.
3. Add salt and garnish with coriander

Peas, beans and potatoes rich in protein and carbohydrates can be added as vegetable chunks for kids to chew. You can add coriander to help improve vision and aid digestion. For kids under one year, all these vegetables could be boiled and pureed. This soup involves adding cornflour to get the thick consistency but you can omit it if you wish.

8. Rice, Lentil and Vegetable Soup

This soup combines rice, lentils and vegetables to serve the appropriate portion of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals.

Ingredients

• ½ cup rice
• ½ cup lentils
• ¼ cup chopped vegetables (carrots, potatoes, peas, beans and cauliflower)

How to Make

1. Toss the rice, lentils and vegetables in a pressure cooker until it cooks well.
2. On cooling, mash it nicely and add salt.
3. Reheat it when serving.
4. Add a generous amount of ghee for taste.

FAQs

1. What vegetables can I give to my baby?

One of the super healthy veggies for babies include carrots and potatoes. Carrots are good for babies because they have fiber and vitamin B6, while potatoes have iron, vitamin C and B6, and other important nutrients that help babies grow strong and healthy (5) (6). You can also include tomatoes in the soup to get a bit of flavour!

2. How much soup should I serve to my baby?

Before giving your baby a big bowl of food, it’s good to start small. Try feeding them small spoonfuls first, so they can get used to the taste and how to eat from a spoon. Once they’re comfortable with spoon-feeding, you can try letting them drink from an open cup with a little help from you. They can sip and slurp at their own pace, but be careful not to spill!

3. Can I give my 5 month old baby vegetable soup?

Experts recommend babies to exlusively feed on breast milk for the first six months of infancy, not even water (7). Any thing solid or semi solid or even water should be introduced after the six months when babies are capable to gradually digesting solids and semi solids.

4. Can I add veggie stock cubes in the soup for may baby to enhance the flavour?

NHS advises not to add stock cubes or gravy in baby food or soup as they have high sodium content, as excess salt could damage their developing kidneys (8).

These veg soup recipe for babies can be served to babies after 6 months of age. It is considered to be a wholesome meal and mothers can include different vegetables on a daily basis to introduce variety. The only thing to take care of is not to overdo it. Soups are definitely good to include in a child’s diet but they shouldn’t be the only component in their diet. Soups should never substitute solid food.

References/Resources:

1. Exclusively breastfeed for 6 months; WHO; https://www.emro.who.int/nutrition/breastfeeding/exclusively-breastfeed-for-6-months.html

2. Can I give my 5-year-old over-the-counter cough medicine?; American Academy of Pediatrics; https://www.healthychildren.org/English/tips-tools/ask-the-pediatrician/Pages/Can-I-give-my-5-year-old-cough-medicine.aspx

3. 7 Reasons You Should Eat More Spinach; Cleveland Clinic; https://health.clevelandclinic.org/benefits-of-spinach

4. Khan. U. M, Sevindik. M, et al.; Lycopene: Food Sources, Biological Activities, and Human Health Benefits; Oxid Med Cell Longev.; PubMed Cenral; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8626194/; November 2021

5. Reasons Why Carrots (of All Colors) Are Healthy For You; Cleveland Clinic; https://health.clevelandclinic.org/reasons-why-carrots-of-all-colors-are-healthy-for-you

6. Potato health benefits and why you should eat more spuds; UC Davis Health; https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/good-food/potato-health-benefits-and-why-you-should-eat-more-spuds/2022/05; May 2022

7. Breastfeeding – deciding when to stop; BetterHealth Channel; https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/breastfeeding-deciding-when-to-stop

8. Foods to avoid giving babies and young children; NHS; https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/weaning-and-feeding/foods-to-avoid-giving-babies-and-young-children/

Also Read: 

Tomato Soup for Babies
Easy and Tasty Soup Recipes for Baby
Healthy Chicken Soup Recipes for Babies and Kids
Carrot-Moong Dal (Split Green Gram) Soup Recipe

Our Editorial Policy

Parenting is a huge responsibility, for you as a caregiver, but also for us as a parenting content platform. We understand that and take our responsibility of creating credible content seriously. FirstCry Parenting articles are written and published only after extensive research using factually sound references to deliver quality content that is accurate, validated by experts, and completely reliable. To understand how we go about creating content that is credible, read our editorial policy here.