From the YummyYucky team, founded by Nancy Nash

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Can Babies Eat Cubanelle Peppers? From 6 Months

Cubanelle peppers are sweet, light-green frying peppers with thin walls, which makes them soft and mild once cooked. From around 6 months, saute or roast them until tender, peel, remove the seeds, and serve in strips or mashed.

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When to introduce: Around 6 months
Common allergen?: Not a common allergen
Texture: Cooked soft, peeled, deseeded, cut into strips
Key nutrients: Vitamin C, vitamin A, folate, fiber

Cubanelle peppers are the pale-green, tapering peppers beloved across Caribbean and Italian kitchens as frying peppers. They are sweet and mild, with thin walls that turn meltingly soft in the pan, which is exactly what you want for a baby. There is no real heat to worry about here, just the usual pepper skin. From around 6 months, saute or roast a cubanelle until it is tender and sweet, peel off the skin, take out the seeds, and serve it in soft strips or folded into other foods.

Prep School: how to prepare cubanelle pepper for baby-led weaning (BLW) and purées

🍴 Baby-led weaning

6 monthsSauté or roast the cubanelle in a little oil until very soft and the skin loosens, then peel, remove the seeds and stem, and serve in soft strips rather than rounds. Cubanelles are sweet and mild, though it is still worth tasting a piece first.

9 monthsOffer soft cooked strips for self-feeding, or chop the flesh into rice, beans, pasta, or soft egg. The thin walls make cubanelle especially tender for little fingers.

12 months+Fold cooked cubanelle into family meals, keeping it soft and cut small. As chewing improves you can leave a bit more texture, but hold off on raw pepper for now.

🥄 Purées

6 monthsCook the cubanelle until very soft, peel it, take out the seeds and stem, then mash the flesh into a purée. The thin walls break down easily and taste sweet.

9 monthsMash the cooked pepper a little lumpier, or stir the chopped soft flesh through rice, beans, or soft pasta.

12 months+Stir soft cooked cubanelle into family mashes and grain dishes, cut small and cooked without added salt.

Is cubanelle pepper safe? Choking & prep

Cubanelles are sweet and mild, so heat is rarely an issue, though it is always worth tasting a piece first. The main thing is texture: pepper skin can peel away and bunch up in a small mouth, and firm raw pepper is a choking risk, so cook the cubanelle until soft, peel it, remove the seeds, and cut it into strips rather than rounds¹. Serve it soft, keep your baby seated and supervised, and introduce it on its own the first time so any reaction is easy to notice, though peppers are not a common allergen. Skip added salt when cooking peppers for a baby.

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Nutrition

Cubanelle peppers offer a nice dose of vitamin C to help with iron absorption, plus vitamin A, folate, and a little fiber. Their thin walls mean they cook down soft quickly, which is gentle on a baby's digestion, and their natural sweetness makes them an easy first pepper to enjoy. Served with iron-rich beans, egg, or meat, the vitamin C helps a baby get more from the whole meal.

Goes well with

Soft-cooked pasta or rice · Mashed beans or lentils · Scrambled or mashed egg · Shredded chicken or soft fish · Tomato-based sauce or mashed potato

Storage & freezing

Store fresh cubanelle peppers in the fridge and use within about a week. Cooked, peeled flesh keeps covered in the fridge for two days, or freezes in small portions for a few months. Thaw in the fridge, use promptly, and reheat leftovers only once until hot, then cool to warm before serving.

More vegetables to explore

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CucumberAround 6 months, as a large peeled spear or grated

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HuitlacocheAround 9 months, always cooked

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DaikonAround 6 months

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Dandelion greensAround 6 months

🎃

Delicata squashAround 6 months

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Drumstick (moringa pod)Around 9 months

Common questions

Can babies eat cubanelle peppers?

Yes, from around 6 months. Cubanelles are sweet, mild frying peppers. Cook them soft, peel and deseed them, and serve in soft strips or mashed. Introduce on their own the first time.

Are cubanelle peppers spicy?

No, cubanelles are sweet and mild with essentially no heat, which makes them a friendly first pepper. It is still worth tasting a piece before serving, just in case.

Do cubanelle peppers need to be peeled for a baby?

Yes for early eaters. The skin can bunch up in a small mouth. Cooking the pepper soft loosens the skin so it slips off, leaving tender flesh that is safer to chew.

What is a good first way to serve cubanelle to a baby?

Saute or roast it until very soft, peel and deseed it, then mash the flesh into a purée or serve it in soft strips for self-feeding. Cut into strips rather than rounds.

Sources

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Last updated September 2026. Next review December 2026. How we write these: built from current published guidance from the AAP, CDC, FDA/EPA, NIAID, WHO, and other pediatric and public-health authorities, with sources cited on the page. See our editorial and medical policy for how we research, source, and update these, and how we double-check the food advice.

This is general information, not medical advice, and is not individualized 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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