This creamy broccoli rice for baby pairs soft basmati rice with a smooth sauce made from already-steamed broccoli, water, and mascarpone. Once the broccoli is ready, the dish comes together in one pot and a blender. The ingredients and steps are in the recipe card below.

Steam the broccoli first

The recipe starts with 1 US cup of broccoli that is already steamed and chopped, so prepare it before you begin. Our guide to broccoli for baby covers steaming it. CDC suggests cooking foods until they are soft enough to mash easily with a fork, which is a useful check before the broccoli goes into the blender. The recipe's time estimates do not include steaming.

One total for the water

The 2 1/3 US cups of plain water is the full amount for the whole recipe. 2 US cups go into the pot with the rice, and the remaining 1/3 US cup goes into the blender with the broccoli and mascarpone. The 1 US cup of rice is measured dry, before cooking.

What to look for

The rice is soft, and all of the cooking water has been absorbed.
The broccoli sauce is blended until completely smooth.
The finished rice is evenly coated, creamy, and moist.

Serving and age

The Yummy Bites app groups this dish with its 9 months+ recipes. Treat that as app context, not a readiness check. Age alone doesn't tell you whether your child can manage this texture, so go by your child's own eating skills. CDC guidance favors soft, moist textures for babies learning to eat, so serve the rice while it is still moist and creamy.

Let it cool before serving, as NHS advises for hot food. Offer it in a bowl or on a preloaded spoon your child can grasp. Let your child set the pace rather than putting the spoon into their mouth for them. Some children will also scoop it up with their fingers.

Milk and label checks

This version contains milk from the mascarpone, and FDA identifies milk as a major food allergen. Choose pasteurized, full-fat mascarpone. In the UK, NHS guidance says pasteurized full-fat dairy, including cheese, can be part of a baby's diet. Read the actual package to confirm that it says pasteurized, and check the ingredient list and allergen statement. Check the labels on the rice and on any bagged broccoli you use, too. If your child has a milk allergy or you have questions about allergens, ask their healthcare provider. Our guide to reading baby food labels has more on label checks.

About this recipe

The 5-minute prep time and 15-minute cook time in the recipe card are app estimates, not measured kitchen times. They do not cover steaming the broccoli, and cooling time varies. This recipe is adapted from the Yummy Bites app and reviewed against public guidance from CDC, NHS, and FDA. Yummy Bites has not kitchen-tested or clinically reviewed it. The image is an AI-generated illustration, not a photograph of a tested batch. It does not show safe texture or doneness.

For more ideas, browse all Yummy Bites recipes.