When can babies eat almond milk?

From around 12 months, served in a safe shape and texture for their age.

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Almond milk

A light drink made from almonds. Fine in a cup now and then, but not a main milk on its own.

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

Quick answer

Children can have almond milk from around 12 months. Prepare it as shown below.

From 12 monthsLow choking risk as servedAllergen: Tree nuts

How to serve almond milk by age

12 months+

Unsweetened, fortified almond drink in an open cup

Offer almond drink only once your child has had almond, for example as thinned smooth almond butter, without a reaction. Choose unsweetened almond drink with added calcium and vitamin D, served in an open cup or a straw cup, not a bottle. It has almost no protein and few calories, so don't make it your child's main milk without talking to your pediatrician or a dietitian.

Size: A few sips to a small cup with meals and snacks.
Check before serving: Check the label: unsweetened, with calcium and vitamin D added. In the UK, drinks labelled organic can't be fortified.

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 milk

1
Buy almond drink that's unsweetened and fortified with calcium and vitamin D. Check the ingredients for sugar or syrup.
2
Pour a small amount into an open cup or a straw cup. Serve it cold or at room temperature.
3
Offer it with meals and snacks, alongside food. Offer water between meals.
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

Start with a few sips in a cup. The CDC says fortified dairy alternatives can be part of a balanced diet from 12 months but are not a substitute for food, so serve it as a drink with meals. Almond drink has very little protein or energy, so if it's replacing cow's milk, ask your pediatrician or a dietitian how to make up the difference. Your child decides how much to drink.

Common mistakes

Using it as the main milk without advice

Unsweetened almond drink has well under 1 g of protein and about 15 calories per 100 g, compared with about 3 g and 61 calories in whole cow's milk. A US expert panel (Healthy Eating Research) says for children 1 to 5 who need a plant milk because of an allergy or intolerance, the choice should be made with a health care provider, such as a pediatrician or registered dietitian, and the AAP says only soy milk is an acceptable alternative to cow's milk.

Giving it as a drink before 12 months

Plant drinks don't replace breast milk or formula, which stay the main drink until 12 months. NHS dietitians say milk substitutes can be added to a baby's food from 6 months, though nut drinks aren't their first choice because of possible reactions. Cambridgeshire NHS dietitians list oat, soya, hemp and pea drinks for cooking, with at least 40 calories and 1 g of protein per 100 ml. Unsweetened almond drink has about 15 calories and 0.4 g of protein per 100 g, well under that. The CDC says milk alternatives should not be given before 12 months. If you follow US advice, use breast milk or formula in your baby's food instead.

Choosing a sweetened or flavored version

Flavored and sweetened almond drinks have added sugar. The CDC says your child doesn't need added sugars, and US and UK advice is to avoid added sugar up to age 4.

Picking an unfortified, organic or homemade drink

In the UK, plant drinks labelled organic aren't allowed to be fortified, and the AAP says homemade almond milk isn't fortified. Check the label for added calcium and vitamin D.

Where US and UK guidance differ on almond milk

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

The AAP says that, other than soy milk, plant-based milks are not recommended in place of dairy milk. Since April 2026, the CDC says unflavored, unsweetened dairy alternatives fortified with calcium and vitamin D (it names almond) can help meet a child's dairy needs from 12 months, and that milk alternatives should not be given before 12 months. If you follow US advice, use breast milk or formula in your baby's food instead until then.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

The NHS says unsweetened, calcium-fortified almond drinks can be given from age 1 as part of a healthy, balanced diet. NHS dietitians say milk substitutes can be added to a baby's food from 6 months, with nut drinks not the first choice. UK expert advisers say almond and oat drinks have less protein than soya drinks, and that plant drinks labelled organic can't be fortified.

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

Questions parents ask

Can almond milk be a choking hazard for babies?

Almond drink is a low choking risk. Have your child sit upright to drink, and use an open cup or a straw cup rather than a bottle.

Can babies be allergic to almond milk?

Tree nuts, including almonds, are a common food allergen, and tree nut allergy usually lasts for life. Almond drink is made from almonds, so offer it only after almond has been introduced, for example as thinned smooth almond butter, without a reaction. Start with a small amount and watch for signs of a reaction. If your child 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 milk healthy for babies?

Unsweetened almond drink fortified with calcium and vitamin D has about 184 mg of calcium and 1 mcg of vitamin D per 100 g, similar to whole cow's milk (113 mg and 1.3 mcg). It has only about 0.4 g of protein and 15 calories per 100 g, compared with about 3.2 g and 61 calories in whole milk.

Can babies have almond milk?

Not as a drink before 12 months: breast milk or formula is the main drink. NHS dietitians say milk substitutes can go into a baby's food from 6 months, but nut drinks aren't their first choice because of possible reactions, and almond should be introduced first in another form, such as thinned almond butter. Almond drink is also very low in protein and calories, under the minimum Cambridgeshire NHS dietitians set for a plant milk used in food (at least 40 calories and 1 g of protein per 100 ml). The CDC says not to give milk alternatives before 12 months, so if you follow US advice, use breast milk or formula in food instead.

Is almond milk good for toddlers?

It's fine as an occasional drink once almond has been introduced, but it isn't a good main milk on its own. It has almost no protein and few calories. The NHS says unsweetened, calcium-fortified almond drink is fine from age 1 as part of a healthy, balanced diet; the AAP doesn't recommend plant milks other than soy in place of dairy milk.

Can almond milk help introduce tree nuts?

It isn't a reliable way to do it. Almond drink has very little almond protein. Introduce almond as thinned smooth almond butter or finely ground almonds stirred into food instead, then keep offering it regularly.

If your baby refuses almond milk

Many children need several tries to get used to a new taste. Keep offering it in a cup with meals.
Try it in other forms: in oatmeal, on cereal or in a sauce.
Drink some yourself at the same meal. Toddlers copy what they see.
If your child won't drink milk or a milk alternative at all, ask your pediatrician about other ways to get enough calcium and vitamin D.

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 milk

Store unopened cartons as the label says. Once opened, keep almond drink in the fridge and use it within the time on the label.
Throw away almond drink left in your child's cup after the meal.
Oatmeal and sauces made with almond drink keep for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge. 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:

You'd like almond drink to be your child's main milk, or your child has a milk allergy or intolerance. Ask which milk to use and how to cover protein, calcium and vitamin D.
Your child is allergic to peanut. Ask before offering tree nuts, because the two allergies often go together.
Your child 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 milk?

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