Can Babies Eat Yu Choy? Yes, Cooked Soft
A mild Chinese flowering green with tender stems and soft leaves. Cook it until fully tender, chop fine, and you have a gentle early green.
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- When to introduce
- Around 6 months
- Common allergen?
- No (not a top-9 allergen)
- Texture
- Leaves and tender stems cooked soft, chopped fine
- Key nutrients
- Vitamin A, vitamin C, folate
Yes, babies can enjoy yu choy from around 6 months, once you cook it until soft. Yu choy (also called yau choy or choy sum) is a mild Chinese flowering green with slim green stems, tender leaves, and small yellow buds. The flavor is gentle and only lightly cabbage-like, which makes it one of the friendlier greens to start with. The main thing to watch is the stems: thin ones soften quickly, but thicker stalks can turn fibrous and stringy, so cook everything until fully tender and chop it fine.
Prep School: how to prepare yu choy for baby-led weaning (BLW) and purées
🍴 Baby-led weaning
🥄 Purées
Is yu choy safe? Choking & prep
Yu choy is not a common allergen and has no established choking hazard when cooked soft as directed. The thing to watch is texture: thicker stems can be fibrous and stringy, so cook the whole vegetable until fully tender and chop it finely, or trim and use mainly the leaves and thin stems for younger babies. Skip added salt and soy sauce, since babies need very little salt. Rinse well, as grit can hide where the leaves meet the stems.
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Nutrition
Yu choy is a gentle way to bring leafy greens onto your baby's plate. Like other dark leafy brassicas, it offers vitamin A to support healthy eyes and skin, vitamin C that helps the body absorb iron from other foods at the same meal, and folate along with a range of plant nutrients. Because the flavor is mild rather than sharply bitter, babies often accept it more readily than stronger greens, which makes it a friendly food for building variety and comfort with vegetables early on.
Goes well with
Soft rice or congee · Mild noodles (no added salt) · Tofu · Shredded chicken or fish · Scrambled or mashed egg · A little garlic or ginger for flavor
Storage & freezing
Store unwashed yu choy loosely wrapped in the fridge crisper for up to 3 to 4 days, since flowering greens wilt faster than sturdier vegetables. Cooked yu choy keeps in a sealed container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days, or freeze cooked, chopped portions for up to 3 months.
More vegetables to explore
Related reading
- Best first vegetables for babies →
- How to cut food to prevent choking →
- Signs your baby is ready for solids →
- Baby-led weaning vs. purées →
Common questions
What is yu choy?
Yu choy is a mild Chinese flowering green, also called yau choy or choy sum. It has slim green stems, tender leaves, and small yellow buds, and it is common in Cantonese cooking. For babies, you cook it soft and chop it fine.
When can babies start eating yu choy?
Around 6 months, once your baby is starting solids, as long as you cook it until fully tender. Cook the leaves and stems soft and chop finely, or offer soft whole leaves and thin stems for baby-led weaning.
Is yu choy the same as Chinese broccoli?
They are close cousins but not identical. Chinese broccoli (gai lan) has thicker stems and a slightly more bitter, broccoli-like flavor, while yu choy is more delicate and milder. Both are prepared the same way for babies: cooked soft and chopped fine.
Are the stems safe for my baby?
Thin stems soften nicely, but thicker stalks can be fibrous and stringy even after cooking. Cook everything until fully tender and chop it finely, or lean on the leaves and thin stems for younger babies.
Can babies eat raw yu choy?
It is best cooked for babies. Raw stems are firm and stringy and harder to gum safely. Cooking softens the whole plant and mellows the flavor, which babies tend to prefer.
How do I cook yu choy for my baby?
Steam, boil, or blanch it until soft. Thicker stems take a little longer than the leaves, so give them a head start, then add the leaves to wilt at the end. Cook without salt or soy sauce.
Is yu choy a common allergen?
No, it is not one of the top-9 allergens, and true reactions to leafy brassicas are uncommon. As with any new food, offer it on its own for a couple of days so you can spot any reaction.
Can I add soy sauce or seasoning?
Skip the soy sauce and salt, since babies need very little salt and soy sauce is high in it. A little garlic, ginger, or a squeeze of citrus adds plenty of flavor safely.
How do I clean yu choy?
Grit can hide where the leaves meet the stems. Swish the whole bunch in a bowl of water, lift it out, and repeat until the water runs clear, then cook as usual.
Can I freeze cooked yu choy?
Yes. Cook and chop it, cool it, then freeze in small portions for up to 3 months. Thaw and warm it through before serving so the texture stays soft.
Further reading
- American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org): Starting Solid Foods
- CDC: Foods and Drinks to Encourage and Limit
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Start tracking for freeLast updated July 2026. Next review January 2027. 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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