HeySolids
Choking risk
Veal is a moderate choking risk. It's lean, so it turns dry and stringy if it's overcooked.
Serve it ground or braised until it shreds, and keep it moist with its cooking juices or a sauce. See how to serve for age-by-age prep.
Allergens
Veal is not a common food allergen, so a true allergy is rare - and babies with a cow's milk allergy can usually eat veal without trouble, especially when it's cooked through.[1]
As with any new food, start with a small amount and watch for a reaction.
If baby refuses
Veal dries out even faster than beef, and dry meat is what babies refuse. Braise it, stew it, or serve ground veal through a tomato sauce or gravy - moist and mild, it rarely needs more convincing than that.
Food safety
Cook whole cuts of veal to 145°F with a 3-minute rest, and ground veal to 160°F with no pink remaining.[3]
Check with a thermometer, or make sure it's cooked through with clear juices - and keep raw veal, boards, and hands away from ready-to-eat food.[4]
How to serve
6+ months old
Finely ground stirred into soft food, or braised and shredded
Serve veal soft and moist - finely ground and stirred through mashed vegetables, or braised until it falls into shreds and loosened with its cooking juices. Offer it on a pre-loaded spoon or let baby scoop with their hands.
A soft veal meatball bound with breadcrumb works too, once wheat - and any milk in the mix - has been introduced on its own.
Skip firm cubes and chewy pieces for now.
How to cook
Braise or stew until fork-tender, or brown ground veal and simmer it in a sauce - ground veal to 160°F with no pink, whole cuts to 145°F plus a 3-minute rest.
9+ months old
Finely shredded, or soft pieces
Pea-sized pieces
Offer finely shredded braised veal, or a soft meatball broken into pea-sized pieces, kept moist with sauce or juices. Small round meatballs stay off the plate before 12 months, and so do firm cubes.
How to cook
Braise, stew, or simmer ground veal in sauce so it stays soft - ground veal to 160°F with no pink, whole cuts to 145°F plus a 3-minute rest.
12+ months old
Small soft pieces, or ground in a family dish
Bite-sized soft pieces, about 1/2 inch
Small, soft pieces work as finger food or fork practice - braised veal, a soft cutlet cut up small, or ground veal through a ragu. Keep it moist, and keep skipping tough, chewy cuts.
Veal slots into family dishes the way beef does - stews, meatballs, pasta sauces - with the same doneness rules.
How to cook
Cook as part of the family meal - ground veal and meatballs to 160°F with no pink, whole cuts to 145°F plus a 3-minute rest.