First foods database
🫒 Olive oil for babies: when and how to serve it
Can babies have olive oil? Yes, from about 6 months. Olive oil is ideal for cooking baby food and adds energy and healthy unsaturated fats, helping small tummies get enough calories from small portions.
Good source of: Healthy fats, Vitamin E
How to serve olive oil by age
6 to 9 months
Stir about half a teaspoon into a portion of vegetable purée, mashed beans or lentils, or toss vegetable fingers in a teaspoon of oil before roasting until soft. A light brush on toast fingers makes them easier to swallow.
9 to 12 months
Use olive oil for roasting, in homemade hummus and tomato sauces, and drizzled over pasta and soft vegetables. Around a teaspoon per meal is plenty.
12 months and up
Use it in family cooking for roasting, gentle frying, dressings and sauces. Dipping soft bread in olive oil is an easy, nourishing snack.
Choking safety
Olive oil itself is not a choking risk and a light coating helps dry foods go down. Avoid frying foods until crisp and hard for babies.
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
- Use in small amounts; it is very energy-dense.
- Avoid deep-fried foods for babies.
- Store away from heat and light.
Easy ideas
- Olive oil roasted courgette and pepper fingers
- Pasta tossed with olive oil and soft peas
- Hummus loosened with olive oil
Goes well with
Recipes with olive oil
Weaning with OBubba
Log first foods in seconds. OBubba spots the allergens for you.
Track every food your baby has tried, see reactions over time, and let OBubba gently pace new allergens one at a time. Free to download.
Questions parents ask
Can babies eat olive oil?
Can babies have olive oil? Yes, from about 6 months. Olive oil is ideal for cooking baby food and adds energy and healthy unsaturated fats, helping small tummies get enough calories from small portions.
Is olive oil good for babies?
Yes, from about 6 months. It is a healthy fat for cooking and a useful way to add energy to vegetable-based meals.
Extra virgin or regular olive oil for babies?
Both are fine. Extra virgin has more flavour for drizzling; regular olive oil suits roasting.
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).