When can babies eat chorizo?

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

Chorizo

Not yet for babies: salty and often spicy, so for toddlers it's best skipped, or a little cooked through and finely chopped now and then.

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

Quick answer

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

From 12 monthsHigh choking risk as servedNot a common allergen

How to serve chorizo by age

12 months+

Best skipped, or a little finely chopped into soft food

Not before 12 months: chorizo is very salty, and dry-cured chorizo isn't cooked. From 12 months, it's still best skipped. If you serve it, use just a little for flavor. Cook fresh (raw) chorizo all the way through, or heat dry-cured chorizo in the dish until steaming hot. Let it cool, peel off any skin, chop it finely and stir it into rice, beans, scrambled egg or a soft stew. Pick a mild one, never give slices or coins, and keep it occasional.

Size: Very small pieces, no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), stirred into a soft, moist dish.
Check before serving: Look at every piece before serving: no round slices, chunks or bits of skin. Each piece should be small and mixed into moist food.

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 chorizo

1
Check the label. Fresh chorizo (common in Mexican cooking, sold soft in a casing or loose) is raw meat. Dry-cured chorizo (common in Spanish cooking, firm enough to slice) is sold ready to eat. Choose a mild, lower-salt one if you can.
2
Cook fresh chorizo to 160°F (71°C) in the middle, checked with a food thermometer. Heat dry-cured chorizo in the dish until steaming hot, 165°F (74°C), rather than serving it cold.
3
Let it cool, peel off any skin, and chop it finely. Never cut it into round coins.
4
Stir a small amount into a soft, moist food, such as rice, beans, scrambled egg or a stew, after taking your child's portion out before any salt is added.

How much to offer

Use chorizo as a flavor, not a main food: a small spoonful of finely chopped chorizo in your toddler's dish is plenty, and not every day. 100 g of pan-fried pork chorizo has about 983 mg of sodium (about 2.5 g of salt). Dry-cured chorizo has no standard FoodData Central entry, so check the salt on that label. The NHS suggests no more than 2 g of salt a day for children aged 1 to 3. Your child decides how much to eat from what you offer.

Common mistakes

Cutting round coins or slices

Sausages are on the CDC and AAP choking lists, and round slices are the right size and shape to block a small airway. Peel off the skin, chop chorizo finely and mix it into soft food.

Serving dry-cured chorizo cold

USDA FSIS says dry sausages aren't cooked and that very young children might want to avoid them, because germs like E. coli can survive the drying process. The CDC names chorizo among the fermented or dry sausages that can carry listeria, and says people at higher risk of listeria, including newborns, should only eat them reheated to 165°F (74°C) or until steaming hot. We suggest the same for toddlers: heat it in the dish, then let it cool.

Offering chorizo to babies

The NHS lists chorizo, with bacon and sausages, among salty foods babies shouldn't eat, because salt isn't good for their kidneys. Babies under 1 need less than 1 g of salt a day. Offer fresh meat, such as shredded pork or chicken, instead.

Choosing a hot, spicy chorizo

No official source sets an age for chili heat. Pick a mild chorizo, use only a little, and keep extra chili for the adults' plates.

Where US and UK guidance differ on chorizo

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

The CDC names processed meats (lunch meats, sausages, hot dogs and ham) among foods high in salt, and says to avoid foods high in salt for young children. If you follow US advice, skip chorizo or serve it only now and then. USDA FSIS says to cook fresh pork or beef sausages to 160°F. The CDC says people at higher risk of listeria, including newborns, should only eat fermented or dry sausages such as chorizo reheated to 165°F or until steaming hot; heating chorizo for toddlers is our suggestion.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

The NHS names chorizo among salty foods babies shouldn't eat, and suggests no more than 2 g of salt a day for children aged 1 to 3. It says to limit how often you give processed meat such as ham or sausages, though small amounts are OK. Guidance for UK nurseries says not to give children under 5 foods high in salt such as sausages and bacon, says sausages should be avoided because of their high salt content, and says to cook food until steaming hot, then cool it. Chorizo is a sausage, so a little now and then at home is our suggestion, not nursery advice.

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

Questions parents ask

Can chorizo be a choking hazard for babies?

Sausages, meat sticks and chunks of meat are on the CDC choking list, and round slices or chewy chunks of chorizo can block a small airway. Skip chorizo in the first year. For toddlers, cook or heat it through, peel off the skin, chop it finely and stir a little into soft, moist food. Never serve coins, slices or chorizo sticks. Stay with your child while they eat.

Can babies be allergic to chorizo?

Chorizo is not a common allergen itself, but USDA FSIS says fresh sausages can contain binders such as wheat flour and nonfat dry milk. Check the ingredients if your child has a food allergy. In the UK, allergens are highlighted in bold in the ingredients list.

Is chorizo healthy for babies?

A source of protein, but high in salt and fat. FoodData Central lists about 983 mg of sodium (about 2.5 g of salt) and 28 g of fat per 100 g of pan-fried pork chorizo. Dry-cured chorizo has no standard FoodData Central entry, so check the salt on the label.

Can babies eat chorizo?

Not yet. Wait until at least 12 months, and even then it's best skipped. The NHS names chorizo among salty foods babies shouldn't eat, because too much salt isn't good for their kidneys. Offer fresh meat, like shredded pork or chicken, instead. If you serve chorizo later, keep it to a small, occasional flavor.

Is Spanish chorizo raw?

Dry-cured chorizo isn't cooked: it's cured and dried, then sold ready to eat. USDA FSIS says very young children might want to avoid dry sausages because they aren't cooked, and the CDC says people at higher risk of listeria, including newborns, should only eat them reheated to 165°F (74°C) or until steaming hot. Fresh chorizo is raw meat and must be cooked to 160°F (71°C). Either way, we suggest cooking or heating chorizo in the dish before giving it to your toddler.

Is chorizo too spicy for toddlers?

It depends on the chorizo: some are mild and some are hot. No official source sets an age for chili heat, so choose a mild one, use only a little, and see how your child gets on.

How much salt can toddlers have?

The NHS suggests no more than 2 g of salt a day for children aged 1 to 3, and less than 1 g a day for babies under 1. That includes salt already in foods like chorizo, bread and cheese.

If your baby refuses chorizo

There's no need to keep offering chorizo. It's an occasional flavor, and fresh meat, fish, eggs and beans give the same protein with much less salt.
If your toddler wants what the family is eating, stir a little finely chopped chorizo into a food they already like.
If it's too strong or spicy for them, try a milder chorizo, or leave it out of their portion.
Funny faces don't mean they dislike it. They're getting used to a new taste and texture.

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

Buying and storing chorizo

Keep fresh (raw) chorizo in the fridge and cook it within 1 to 2 days, or freeze it for 1 to 2 months. Once opened, keep dry-cured chorizo in the fridge and use it within 3 weeks, or by the date on the label.
Cooked chorizo and dishes made with it keep for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge, or 2 to 3 months in the freezer. Rice dishes are the exception: cool them within 1 hour, keep them in the fridge for no more than 1 day, and reheat them only once.
Reheat dishes made with chorizo 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 child had a choking episode, even if the food came out and they seem fine. The NHS advises getting medical help, because part of the food could be left behind.
Your child has diarrhea, vomiting or tummy cramps after eating dry-cured chorizo that wasn't heated until steaming hot, or fresh chorizo that wasn't cooked through. Call your pediatrician for bloody poop, a fever higher than 102°F (39°C), diarrhea or vomiting lasting more than 2 days, or signs of dehydration such as very dark pee, a dry mouth or crying without tears. Call your emergency number for blood in the pee, very little or no pee, losing the pink color in the cheeks or inside the lower eyelids, unexplained bruising or a rash of tiny red spots, or being very tired, cranky or less alert: these can be signs of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication that can damage the kidneys.
Your child has a fever, diarrhea or vomiting, or is feeding less and seems irritable, after eating chorizo that wasn't cooked through or heated until steaming hot. The NHS lists cured meats as a cause of listeriosis, so get medical advice the same day: call your pediatrician (in the UK, ask for an urgent GP appointment or call NHS 111). If your child has a seizure, is floppy, very sleepy or hard to wake, seems suddenly confused, has a stiff neck, or has a rash that doesn't fade when you press it, call your emergency number instead.
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 chorizo?

Add it to your first 100 foods.

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