First foods database
🥜 Cashews for babies: when and how to serve it
Can babies eat cashews? Yes, as smooth cashew butter or finely ground cashews from about 6 months. Whole or chopped cashews are a choking risk and should not be given to children under 5.
Good source of: Healthy fats, Magnesium, Zinc, Protein
How to serve cashews by age
6 to 9 months
Stir a small amount of smooth cashew butter into porridge, yoghurt or purée, or spread very thinly on toast fingers. Cashew butter is mild and creamy, so it is a gentle way to introduce tree nuts.
9 to 12 months
Use ground cashews in curries and bakes, or thinly spread cashew butter.
12 months and up
Keep using smooth cashew butter or ground cashews. No whole or chopped cashews until age 5.
Choking safety
Whole and chopped cashews are a choking risk for under-5s. Thick nut butter can also stick in the mouth; thin it with yoghurt, milk or water.
Gagging is common and noisy while babies learn to eat. Choking is usually silent. Always stay with your baby while they eat, sitting upright. How to help a choking baby (NHS).
Good to know
- Cashews are a tree nut allergen. Introduce a small amount first and keep offering regularly if tolerated.
- If your baby has severe eczema or a known allergy, speak to your GP before introducing nuts.
Introducing it as an allergen
It contains tree nuts, one of the 14 major allergens. How to introduce tree nuts
Easy ideas
- Cashew butter swirled into porridge
- Mild cashew curry
- Cashew butter on toast fingers
Goes well with
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Questions parents ask
Can babies eat cashews?
Can babies eat cashews? Yes, as smooth cashew butter or finely ground cashews from about 6 months. Whole or chopped cashews are a choking risk and should not be given to children under 5.
When can babies eat cashews?
From about 6 months as smooth cashew butter or ground cashews. Whole cashews only from age 5.
Are cashews a tree nut?
Yes, for allergy purposes cashews are treated as a tree nut. They are botanically seeds, but they cause the same kind of reactions as tree nuts.
Sources
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- BSACI: Early feeding guidance
- NHS: How to stop a child from choking
OBubba gives general information based on UK guidance. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose anything. Every baby is different. If your baby has a known allergy, severe eczema or a medical condition, speak to your doctor or health visitor before starting solids. Learn baby first aid, and in an emergency call your local emergency number (999 in the UK).