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Bottle Gourd (Lauki) for Babies: A Classic First Vegetable

A mild, watery gourd (lauki) that is a classic Indian first food, gentle on little tummies and easy to cook soft.

When to introduce
Around 6 months
Common allergen?
No (not a common allergen)
Texture
Cooked soft, mashed
Key nutrients
Water, fiber, vitamin C

When can babies eat bottle gourd?

Bottle gourd, or lauki, is a mild, watery gourd that is a classic Indian first food, easy to digest and quick to cook soft. Peel it, remove any mature seeds, and cook it soft from around 6 months. One simple safety check: taste it raw first (see above).

⚠️ Taste a small piece of raw bottle gourd before cooking: if it is unusually bitter, throw the whole gourd away. Bitter bottle gourd contains cucurbitacins, which can cause stomach upset. A normal, mild gourd is perfectly safe.

How to prepare bottle gourd for baby-led weaning (BLW) and purées, by age

6 monthsPeel bottle gourd, remove mature seeds, and cook it soft, then mash or blend into a smooth puree.
9 monthsOffer soft-cooked bottle gourd in small pieces or in soft dal and khichdi.
12 months+Serve soft bottle gourd in mild curries and stews.

Is bottle gourd safe? Choking & prep

Taste raw bottle gourd first and discard it if it is very bitter (see the note). Otherwise peel, deseed, and cook it soft, then mash or cut small for younger babies. Not a common allergen.

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Nutrition

Bottle gourd is mostly water with fiber and some vitamin C, gentle and easy to digest, which is why it is such a common first vegetable in South Asian cooking.

Goes well with

Lentils · Rice · Cumin

Storage & freezing

Keep bottle gourd refrigerated and use within a week. Refrigerate cooked gourd for a couple of days.

More vegetables to explore

🥔
BreadfruitAround 6 months
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BroccoliAround 6 months
🥦
BroccoliniAround 6 months
🥬
Brussels sproutsAround 9 months
🥕
BurdockAround 9 months
🎃
Butternut squashAround 6 months

Related reading

Frequently asked questions

When can babies have bottle gourd?

From around 6 months, peeled, deseeded, cooked soft, and mashed. It is a gentle, classic first vegetable.

Why taste bottle gourd before cooking?

A rare bitter gourd contains cucurbitacins that can upset the stomach. A quick raw taste tells you: if it is very bitter, discard it.

Is bottle gourd a common allergen?

No, it is not a top-9 allergen. Cook it soft and introduce it like any new food.

Sources

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Last updated July 2026. How we write these: grounded in widely published pediatric guidance (the AAP, WHO, the NIAID 2017 allergen guidelines, and the LEAP study), and pending independent review by a pediatric professional. See our editorial and medical policy for how we research, source, and update these.

This is general information, not medical advice, and has not been individually reviewed for your baby. Always talk to your pediatrician about your baby's diet, introducing allergens, and any reaction. In an emergency, contact emergency services.

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