When can babies eat almond butter?

From around 6 months, once your baby is ready for solids, served in a safe shape and texture for their age.

Almond butter

An easy first tree nut. Thin it or stir it in, then keep it on the menu.

Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review

Quick answer

Babies can eat almond butter from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.

From 6 monthsHigh choking risk as servedAllergen: Tree nuts

How to serve almond butter by age

6 months+

Thinned smooth almond butter

Stir a teaspoon of smooth almond butter with a little hot water until it's thin and blended, let it cool, and serve it on a pre-loaded spoon. Or stir it into a purée, oatmeal or infant cereal your baby already eats, or thin it with breast milk or formula.

Size: Thinned to a smooth, runny purée, or, once wheat has been introduced on its own, a very thin layer on a toast strip about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
Check before serving: Tip the spoon. Thinned almond butter should slide off smoothly, with no sticky lumps. If it holds its shape, add more liquid.

US and UK advice differ here. The AAP suggests mashed food or soft pieces no larger than ½ inch; the NHS suggests soft finger-sized pieces your baby can hold in their fist. Both agree the food must squash easily.

Always have your child sit upright in a high chair or at the table, and stay with them the whole time they eat. Keep to the size and texture for their stage. Every baby develops on their own timeline.

How to prepare almond butter

1
Choose smooth almond butter with no added salt or sugar. Never crunchy.
2
Put a teaspoon in a bowl and slowly stir in hot water, a little at a time, until thin and blended. Or stir it into breast milk, formula, or a purée your baby has already had.
3
Let it cool and check that it slides off the spoon with no lumps.
4
First time? Pick a day your baby is well, at home, when you can watch them for a couple of hours afterward.

How much to offer

For the very first taste, offer a small amount on the tip of a spoon. If there's no reaction, your baby can have more at their own pace; they decide how much. Once almond is in their diet, keep offering it regularly. The AAP gives about 2 teaspoons of nut butter as a typical portion for a baby.

Common mistakes

Spoonfuls or thick globs

Thick nut butter can stick in a young child's throat. Always thin it, stir it into food, or spread it very thinly.

Putting tree nuts off out of fear of allergy

Waiting doesn't prevent allergy. Guidance is to introduce common allergens, including tree nuts, around 6 months, and not before 4 months.

Offering it once and stopping

Once tolerated, almond should stay part of your baby's usual diet. Use the tracker below to see when you last offered it.

Crunchy almond butter or chopped almonds

Use smooth almond butter only. Whole or chopped nuts are a choking hazard: the AAP says wait until at least 4 years, and the NHS says no whole nuts under 5.

Where US and UK guidance differ on almond butter

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

Introduce nut butters from around 6 months, thinned or mixed into food. The CDC lists chunks or spoonfuls of nut butter as a choking hazard, and the AAP advises keeping whole nuts from children until about 4 years, depending on the child.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

Nuts can be introduced from around 6 months, crushed, ground or as nut butter spread onto food such as toast, never on its own (we suggest spreading it thinly). Talk to your GP or health visitor first if there's a family history of allergies or your baby has eczema. No whole nuts under 5 years.

We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.

Questions parents ask

Can almond butter be a choking hazard for babies?

Almond butter is a high choking risk if it's served thick, on a spoon or in lumps: the CDC lists chunks or spoonfuls of nut and seed butters as a choking hazard. Whole or chopped almonds are a choking hazard for young children. Serve smooth almond butter thinned, stirred into food, or spread very thinly. Never give whole or chopped nuts to babies or toddlers. Stay with your child during meals.

Can babies be allergic to almond butter?

Tree nuts, including almonds, are a common food allergen, and tree nut allergy usually lasts for life. Guidance is to introduce common allergens like tree nuts around 6 months (not before 4 months), one at a time and in a small amount, then keep offering them regularly. If your baby has severe eczema, an egg allergy, or has reacted to another food, talk to your pediatrician about how and when to introduce nuts, not about putting them off. If your baby is allergic to peanut, ask their doctor before offering tree nuts: 25% to 40% of people with peanut allergy also react to at least one tree nut.

Is almond butter healthy for babies?

Almonds, which almond butter is made from, are among the best food sources of vitamin E. Almond butter has some iron (about 3.5 mg per 100 g), but a baby portion of a teaspoon or two gives well under 1 mg.

How do I thin almond butter for a baby?

Stir a teaspoon of smooth almond butter with a little hot water until it's smooth and runny, then let it cool. You can also use breast milk or formula, or stir it into a purée or infant cereal your baby has already had.

Should I introduce almond butter or peanut butter first?

Either is fine. Introduce one at a time, a few days apart, so you can tell what caused any reaction. If your baby has had a reaction to peanut, talk to their doctor before trying tree nuts.

Does my baby need to try every tree nut?

There's no rule that they must. Each tree nut is a separate food, and some people allergic to one tree nut can eat others, though allergists usually advise avoiding all tree nuts once a tree nut allergy is diagnosed. Offering a variety of foods, including different nut butters introduced one at a time, may help prevent food allergy. Ask your pediatrician if you're unsure which nuts to offer.

If your baby refuses almond butter

Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
Try another form: stirred into oatmeal or mashed banana (or yogurt, once dairy is in their diet), or thinly spread on toast.
Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.
If your baby keeps refusing almond butter and you're relying on it as an early allergen, mention it to your pediatrician.

Never force or pressure your baby to eat. Some days they'll eat more, some days less, and that's normal.

Buying and storing almond butter

Keep the jar tightly closed and follow the storage advice on the label.
Mix thinned almond butter fresh for each meal, and throw away what's left in the bowl.
Muffins or pancakes made with almond butter can be frozen for 2 to 3 months. Reheat only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let them cool before serving.
Throw away any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F / 32°C).

When to talk to your doctor

Contact your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if:

Your baby has severe eczema, an egg allergy, or another food allergy. Ask how and when to introduce nuts, not about putting them off.
Your baby is allergic to peanut. Ask before offering tree nuts, because the two allergies often go together.
Your baby has had any reaction to almond, even a mild one. Stop offering it until you've talked to your pediatrician.
You notice mild signs of an allergic reaction after eating, such as a few hives or a little vomiting. See signs of a reaction.
You're worried about how much your baby eats, their growth, or they refuse most solid food for weeks.

Call 911999your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) now if your baby has trouble breathing, wheezing, can't cough or cry, has lips, mouth, tongue or throat that suddenly swell, or becomes pale, bluish, floppy or unresponsive. Also call if hives come with repeated vomiting.

Offered almond butter?

Add it to your first 100 foods.

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