When can babies eat latkes?

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

Latkes

Grated potato pancakes, baked thick and soft for little hands. Lovely with applesauce.

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

Quick answer

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

From 6 monthsMedium choking risk as servedAllergens: Egg, Wheat

How to serve latkes by age

6 months+

Thick, soft baked latke strips

Make your baby's latkes at home: grated potato squeezed dry, mixed with egg and a little flour, with no salt. Shape thick patties and bake them until the potato is soft and the egg is set all the way through, golden rather than brown. Trim off any crisp edges and cut them into thick strips. Offer latkes once your baby has had egg and wheat on their own. A spoonful of unsweetened applesauce or plain full-fat yogurt makes a soft dip.

Size: Strips about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
Check before serving: Squash a strip between your thumb and finger. It should flatten easily, with no firm shreds, crunchy edges or wet egg in the middle.

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 latkes

1
Scrub the potatoes with a clean vegetable brush under running water, then peel them. Cut away any green, damaged or sprouting parts: they can contain higher levels of natural toxins called glycoalkaloids (FSA).
2
Grate the potato (and a little onion, if you like), then squeeze out as much water as you can in a clean tea towel. Mix in beaten egg and a spoonful of flour or matzo meal. Don't add salt.
3
Press the mixture into thick patties on a lined, lightly oiled baking tray and bake at about 400°F (200°C) for 25 to 30 minutes, turning halfway, until soft inside and set all the way through. Dishes containing eggs should reach 160°F (71°C). Aim for golden, not brown.
4
Let them cool, trim any crisp edges, and cut them for your baby's stage.
5
Offer latkes only once your baby has had egg and wheat, each on their own. 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 one or two strips. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Latkes made with salt are salty: one medium latke has about 280 mg of sodium (about 0.7 g of salt), and the NHS says babies under 1 should have less than 1 g of salt a day. Make your baby's without salt.

Common mistakes

Serving crisp, lacy fried edges

Crunchy edges break into hard pieces, and the CDC advises avoiding hard foods that are difficult to chew and swallow, listing potato chips and similar snack foods as choking hazards. Bake thick, soft latkes for babies, and trim crisp edges off fried ones.

Adding salt

The NHS says not to add salt to a baby's food. A home recipe with salt can have about 764 mg of sodium per 100 g (about 1.9 g of salt), above the NHS high-salt line of 1.5 g per 100 g. Leave salt out of your baby's batch, and salt the adults' latkes at the table.

Leaving the middle wet

Latke batter contains raw egg. USDA FSIS says dishes containing eggs should reach 160°F (71°C). Cook latkes until the middle is set and the potato is soft, and don't let your child taste the raw batter.

Frying them dark

The FDA says frying forms more acrylamide in potatoes than roasting or baking, and the FSA advises aiming for golden yellow or lighter. Oven-baked latkes cooked to golden are softer for babies too.

Where US and UK guidance differ on latkes

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

USDA FSIS says dishes containing eggs should reach 160°F (71°C), so cook latkes until the middle is set, with no wet batter.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

The NHS says hens' eggs with the British Lion stamp (a red lion) can be eaten lightly cooked; other hens' eggs, and duck, goose and quail eggs, should be cooked until the white and yolk are solid. For babies, we suggest cooking latkes until set all the way through, so the potato is soft and the middle isn't wet.

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

Questions parents ask

Can latkes be a choking hazard for babies?

Latkes are a medium choking risk. Thick, soft baked latkes squash easily, but fried latkes have crisp, lacy edges and shreds that break into hard pieces, and the CDC lists potato chips and similar snack foods as choking hazards. Bake them thick and soft for babies, trim crisp edges, cut them into strips or small pieces, and offer crisper latkes only in small pieces once your child chews well. Stay with your child during meals.

Can babies be allergic to latkes?

Latkes usually contain egg, which binds them, and wheat (with gluten) in the flour or matzo meal. Some recipes use potato starch instead of flour, so check the recipe or label. Foods that can trigger allergy can be introduced from around 6 months. Introduce each one on its own first, one at a time and in small amounts, so you can spot any reaction. Most reactions start within a few minutes to 2 hours. Sour cream and yogurt toppings contain milk, so offer dairy on its own first too.

Are latkes healthy for babies?

Potato pancakes have about 4.5 to 6.1 g of protein and 1.3 to 1.7 mg of iron per 100 g, depending on the recipe. They soak up oil when fried: about 11 to 15 g of fat per 100 g. Salt varies with the recipe, from about 402 mg to 764 mg of sodium per 100 g (about 1.0 to 1.9 g of salt); the saltier recipe is above the NHS high-salt line of 1.5 g of salt per 100 g.

Can babies eat latkes?

Yes, homemade ones from around 6 months, once your baby has had egg and wheat on their own. Bake them thick and soft with no salt, cook them through, trim crisp edges, and cut them into finger-sized strips.

Fried or baked latkes for babies?

Baked. Thick, oven-baked latkes stay soft all the way through, while fried latkes have crisp edges, more fat and, the FDA says, more acrylamide. If the family is having fried latkes, trim the crisp edges off your child's portion and cut it small.

What can babies have on latkes?

Unsweetened applesauce or plain full-fat yogurt from 6 months, and a little plain sour cream once dairy has been introduced. Skip sweetened applesauce, sugar and honey: no honey before 12 months, and US and UK advice is to avoid added sugar up to age 4.

If your baby refuses latkes

Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
Try another form: soft potato wedges, mashed potato, or smaller, thicker latkes.
Offer a dip your baby already likes, such as applesauce or plain yogurt.
Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.

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

Buying and storing latkes

Cook the batter right away, or keep it in the fridge and cook it within 24 hours: it contains raw egg.
Cooked latkes keep for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge.
Cooked latkes can be frozen for 2 to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge and use them within 24 hours of thawing. Reheat only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let them cool and check they're still soft 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 had any reaction to egg or wheat, even a mild one. Stop offering latkes 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 latkes?

Add it to your first 100 foods.

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Sources

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