When can babies eat brazil nuts?

From around 7 months, once your baby is ready for solids, served in a safe shape and texture for their age.

Brazil nuts

A tree nut so rich in selenium that, from 7 months, a tiny finely grated amount about once a week is plenty.

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

Quick answer

Babies can eat brazil nuts from around 7 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.

From 7 monthsHigh choking risk as servedAllergen: Tree nuts

How to serve brazil nuts by age

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6 months+

Not yet at 6 months: from 7 months, a pinch finely grated into food

Wait until your baby is 7 months old. Up to 6 months, the NIH upper limit for selenium is 45 mcg a day from all food and drink, including breast milk or formula, and one Brazil nut can have more than that. To introduce tree nuts at 6 months, use finely ground almonds, cashews or walnuts instead. From 7 months, grate no more than a quarter of a plain, unsalted Brazil nut on the finest side of a grater, or grind it, and stir the powder into porridge or puréed fruit or vegetables. That's the whole serving (see the nutrition note below). We suggest offering it about once a week at most, not every day.

Size: None at 6 months. From 7 months, no more than about a quarter of one Brazil nut, finely grated or ground and stirred into a smooth food.
Check before serving: Rub a pinch between your fingers: it should feel soft and fine, with no gritty bits or pieces of nut.

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 brazil nuts

1
Choose plain Brazil nuts with no added salt, sugar or coating.
2
Grate about a quarter of one nut on the finest side of a grater, or grind a little in a clean, dry spice grinder. Sieve out any bits that won't grind.
3
Stir it into a food your baby already eats, such as porridge or puréed fruit.
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

Wait until your baby is 7 months old. For the very first taste, offer a small pinch of finely grated Brazil nut stirred into food, and never more than about a quarter of one nut at a time. If there's no reaction, we suggest offering it about once a week at most (our suggestion, not an official limit), never daily. Your baby decides how much of the meal to eat; you decide how much Brazil nut goes into it.

Common mistakes

Offering whole or chopped Brazil nuts

Pieces of nut are a choking hazard for young children. Grate or grind Brazil nuts finely, and keep whole ones out of reach.

Using Brazil nuts as an everyday nut

One Brazil nut has about 68 to 91 mcg of selenium (NIH), more than the 60 mcg daily upper limit for babies 7 to 12 months, and that limit counts all food and drink, including milk. Keep them to a quarter of a nut at most, about once a week, and use other tree nuts for regular servings.

Baking a batch with Brazil nuts

It's hard to know how much selenium ends up in each muffin or slice. Bake with ground almonds, cashews or walnuts instead.

Mixing them into a nut butter blend

Offer each tree nut on its own first, so you know what caused any reaction. Mixed nut butters can also hide how much Brazil nut is in each spoonful.

Where US and UK guidance differ on brazil nuts

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

The AAP advises keeping nuts from children until about 4 years, depending on the child, and the CDC lists whole or chopped nuts as a choking hazard. We suggest waiting until 7 months for Brazil nut, then no more than a quarter of a nut, finely ground and stirred into food, about once a week. The NIH upper limit for selenium, from all food and drink, is 45 mcg a day up to 6 months, 60 mcg at 7 to 12 months and 90 mcg at 1 to 3 years.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

The NHS says no whole nuts for children under 5. Crushed or ground nuts added to food are fine from around 6 months; for Brazil nut, we suggest waiting until 7 months because of the selenium. If your baby has eczema or a diagnosed food allergy, or there's a family history of food allergies, eczema, asthma or hay fever, talk to your GP or health visitor before introducing any nut.

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

Questions parents ask

Can brazil nuts be a choking hazard for babies?

Whole and chopped Brazil nuts are a choking hazard: they're large, hard and difficult to chew. The AAP advises keeping nuts from children until about 4 years, depending on the child, and the NHS says no whole nuts under 5. Serve a small amount finely grated or ground and stirred into food. Stay with your child during meals.

Can babies be allergic to brazil nuts?

Brazil nuts are a tree nut, one of the most common food allergens, and the FDA lists Brazil nut among the tree nuts that must be labeled as major allergens. Current guidance is to introduce common allergens around 6 months (not before 4 months) and, once your baby tolerates them, keep offering them regularly. Because of the selenium, we suggest introducing tree nuts at 6 months with other nuts, such as almonds, cashews or walnuts, waiting until 7 months for Brazil nut, and then offering it about once a week at most, as a quarter of a nut or less. Keep your baby's regular tree nut servings to other nuts. Tree nut allergy usually lasts for life: fewer than 1 in 10 people outgrow it. Between 25% and 40% of people with a peanut allergy also react to at least one tree nut.

Are brazil nuts healthy for babies?

Brazil nuts are very high in selenium, and the NIH says the amount varies widely. FoodData Central averages about 1,920 mcg per 100 g, or about 96 mcg in one 5 g nut, but its samples range from about 140 to 2,740 mcg per 100 g, and the NIH says one nut has 68 to 91 mcg. A quarter of a nut is about 17 to 24 mcg on average, and up to about 34 mcg for the richest samples. The NIH upper limit counts selenium from all food and drink, including breast milk or formula: 45 mcg a day up to 6 months, 60 mcg at 7 to 12 months and 90 mcg at 1 to 3 years. Babies need only about 15 to 20 mcg a day, and the limits are set to prevent signs of too much selenium over time, such as hair loss and brittle nails. That's why we suggest no more than a quarter of a nut, about once a week, from 7 months. Brazil nuts are also a source of fat, magnesium and copper.

How many Brazil nuts can a toddler eat?

Less than one. A single Brazil nut has about 68 to 91 mcg of selenium (NIH), close to or above the 90 mcg daily upper limit for 1 to 3 year olds, and that limit counts selenium from all their food and drink, including milk. The amount also varies widely from nut to nut. We suggest no more than about a quarter of a nut, finely ground, about once a week at most.

What happens if a child gets too much selenium?

Too much over time can cause garlic-smelling breath, a metallic taste, hair loss, brittle nails, rash, upset stomach, tiredness and irritability (NIH). Very large amounts can cause severe stomach and nerve problems and trouble breathing.

If my baby is fine with Brazil nuts, are other nuts fine too?

Not necessarily. Each tree nut is a different food. Introduce them one at a time, in a safe form, so you can spot any reaction.

My baby is allergic to peanuts. Can they have Brazil nuts?

Ask your allergist first. Peanuts are legumes, not tree nuts, but 25% to 40% of people with a peanut allergy also react to at least one tree nut.

If your baby refuses brazil nuts

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 porridge, yogurt or mashed fruit.
Eat some yourself at the same meal, in a safe form for your baby. Babies copy what they see.
Brazil nuts aren't a must. Your baby can get tree nuts from almonds, cashews or walnuts instead.

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

Buying and storing brazil nuts

Store whole Brazil nuts sealed and up high, out of your child's reach: they're a choking hazard, and a handful is far more selenium than a young child should have.
Grate or grind only what you need for one meal.
Porridge or purée with grated Brazil nut stirred in keeps for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge.
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 child has eaten several Brazil nuts at once. Call your pediatrician, or Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 in the US (NHS 111 in the UK, or 999 if they seem unwell), for advice. If they're choking or have trouble breathing, call your emergency number.
Your child eats Brazil nuts often and has garlic-smelling breath, hair loss or brittle nails. These can be signs of too much selenium.
Your baby has severe eczema, a peanut allergy or another food allergy. Talk to your pediatrician or allergist about how to introduce tree nuts, not about putting them off.
Your baby has had any reaction to Brazil nuts or another tree nut, 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 brazil nuts?

Add it to your first 100 foods.

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