First foods database

🫓 Injera for babies: when and how to serve it

Can babies eat injera? Yes, from about 6 months. This spongy Ethiopian and Eritrean flatbread, traditionally made from teff, is soft and easy to tear, and it is perfect for scooping up lentil and vegetable stews.

From 6 monthsAllergen: GlutenLow choking risk when prepared wellIron rich

Good source of: Iron, Fibre, Calcium, Protein

How to serve injera by age

6 to 9 months

Tear injera into strips about the size of an adult finger for baby to hold, or soak small pieces in mild lentil or vegetable stew to soften. Its slightly sour, fermented taste is very normal and many babies enjoy it.

9 to 12 months

Offer smaller torn pieces to practise scooping mild shiro, misir wot or vegetable stews.

12 months and up

Share injera with the family meal and let your toddler eat with their hands.

Choking safety

Injera is soft and spongy, so it is low risk. Avoid offering it dried out, when it can become chewy. Tear it into strips rather than balls.

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

Pure teff injera is gluten-free, but many shop-bought versions also contain wheat or barley flour: check labels.
Keep spicy berbere for adult portions.

Introducing it as an allergen

It contains gluten, one of the 14 major allergens. How to introduce gluten

Easy ideas

Injera strips with mild red lentil stew
Injera with mashed chickpea shiro
Injera with soft cooked greens

Goes well with

🫘Red lentilsFrom 6 months 🫘ChickpeasFrom 6 months 🥬Collard greensFrom 6 months 🌾TeffFrom 6 months

Recipes with injera

🫓Mild Ethiopian-style red lentil stewFrom 9 months · Dinner · 40 min

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Questions parents ask

Can babies eat injera?

Is injera gluten-free?

Only if it is made from 100% teff; many versions include wheat or barley.

Can babies eat spicy Ethiopian food?

Keep baby's portion mild and add spice like berbere to adult plates.

Sources

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).