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From the YummyYucky team, founded by Nancy Nash

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Can Babies Eat New Zealand Spinach? How to Cook and Serve

A hardy leafy green (warrigal greens) from the Pacific. Nutritious once blanched and cooked, and not one to serve a baby raw.

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When to introduce
Around 6 months, blanched
Common allergen?
No (not a common allergen)
Texture
Blanched and cooked soft, finely chopped
Key nutrients
Vitamin A, vitamin C

New Zealand spinach, or warrigal greens, is a hardy Pacific leafy green with a taste like spinach. It is nutritious but high in oxalates raw, so it must be blanched first (see above), then cooked soft, from around 6 months.

⚠️ Blanch New Zealand spinach (warrigal greens) in boiling water for about 3 minutes and pour that water away before cooking it further.1 Raw, it is very high in oxalates, and boiling draws much of the soluble oxalate into the water.2 Do not serve it raw to your baby.

Why it matters: Raw New Zealand spinach is very high in oxalates, natural compounds that bind calcium and iron so a baby absorbs less of them, and boiling draws much of the soluble oxalate into the water, so blanching and pouring that water away lowers it.

Prep School: how to prepare new zealand spinach for baby-led weaning (BLW) and purées

🍴 Baby-led weaning

6 monthsBlanch the leaves for about 3 minutes and pour the water away, then cook soft and finely chop. Stir into food your baby can pick up.
9 monthsServe blanched, well-cooked, finely chopped New Zealand spinach mixed into soft dishes.
12 months+Add blanched, cooked New Zealand spinach to family meals, kept mild.

🥄 Purées

6 monthsBlanch the leaves for about 3 minutes and pour the water away, then cook soft and blend. Stir into food to spoon-feed.
9 monthsServe blanched, well-cooked, finely chopped New Zealand spinach stirred into soft dishes.
12 months+Add blanched, cooked New Zealand spinach to family meals, kept mild.

Is new zealand spinach safe? Choking & prep

Always blanch New Zealand spinach and pour the water away before cooking (see the note), and never serve it raw to your baby.1 Then cook it soft and finely chop for younger babies. Not a common allergen.

Trying new zealand spinach today? Log the first taste and whether it was a hit, a hard maybe, or launched across the room, dated and ready for the pediatrician.

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Nutrition

Blanched and cooked, New Zealand spinach provides vitamin A and vitamin C. It is not a good iron source: it has far less iron than regular spinach,3 and its oxalates keep much of that iron from being absorbed.2

Goes well with

Potato · Egg · Rice

Storage & freezing

Keep fresh New Zealand spinach refrigerated and use within a few days, or blanch and freeze.

More vegetables to explore

🥔
OcaAround 6 months
🫛
OkraAround 6 months, once cooked very soft
🌺
Roselle (hibiscus calyx)Around 9 months
🍲
Bamia okra stewAround 9 months
🫒
Olives9 months and up, in small amounts
🧅
OnionAround 6 months, cooked

Related reading

Common questions

When can babies have New Zealand spinach?

From around 6 months, blanched first (water discarded), then cooked soft and finely chopped. Never raw.

Why blanch New Zealand spinach?

Raw, it is very high in oxalates, which bind calcium and iron so the body absorbs less of them. Blanching for about 3 minutes and pouring the water away lowers the soluble oxalate before further cooking.12

Is New Zealand spinach a common allergen?

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

Sources

  1. Utah State University Extension (Samuelson and Drost, 2020): New Zealand Spinach in the Garden (high oxalate content; blanch the leaves for 3 minutes and dispose of the water)
  2. Salgado et al., Foods 2023 (PMC): Oxalate in Foods (raw New Zealand spinach 1764.7 mg total oxalate per 100 g; boiling lowers soluble oxalate most; oxalates bind calcium and iron)
  3. USDA FoodData Central: New Zealand spinach, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt (FDC 168441), iron 0.66 mg per 100 g; Spinach, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt (FDC 168463), iron 3.57 mg per 100 g

Further reading

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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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