Longan
Small, sweet and juicy, a close cousin of lychee. Always peeled, seed out, and cut into quarters, top to bottom.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat longan from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve longan by age
6 months+
Peeled, seeded, quartered lengthwise and flattened, or finely chopped
Peel a ripe longan, cut it in half from top to bottom and take out the shiny dark seed. Cut each half lengthwise again to make quarters, then press each quarter flat with your finger. Or chop the flesh finely and stir it into a food your baby already eats, like oatmeal or plain full-fat yogurt (once dairy has been introduced on its own). Offer it as part of a meal.
- Size
- Each peeled, seeded longan cut lengthwise (top to bottom) into quarters (4 small pieces), then pressed flat. Or chopped finely and stirred into a soft food.
- Check before serving
- Check the plate before serving: no shell, no seeds, and no round or slippery whole pieces left. Each piece should flatten with gentle pressure.
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.
9 months+
Peeled, seeded and quartered lengthwise
Offer peeled, seeded, quartered longan for pincer-grasp practice, alongside other foods at a meal. Pieces are slippery: rolling them in finely ground oats (once oats have been introduced on their own) can help.
- Size
- Each peeled, seeded longan cut lengthwise (top to bottom) into quarters, each about 1 cm (just under ½ inch) wide or less.
- Check before serving
- Check the plate before serving: every longan peeled, seeded and in quarters, with no round pieces left.
12 months+
Peeled, seeded and quartered lengthwise
Keep peeling, seeding and cutting every longan lengthwise into quarters. Halves are still too big and slippery. Serve a few pieces with a meal or snack. Stay with your toddler while they eat.
- Size
- Lengthwise quarters, each about 1 cm (just under ½ inch) wide or less. Cut large longans smaller.
- Check before serving
- Check the plate before serving: no seeds, quarters only, with no halves or round pieces left.
18 months+
Peeled, seeded and quartered, or in dishes
Serve peeled, seeded, quartered longan in fruit salad or stirred into yogurt, as part of a meal. Keep cutting them at home, at parties and in lunch boxes, and ask grandparents and sitters to do the same. Make sure your toddler sits down to eat, and stay with them.
- Size
- Lengthwise quarters, each about 1 cm (just under ½ inch) wide or less. Cut large longans smaller.
- Check before serving
- Check the plate before serving: no seeds, quarters only, with no halves or round pieces left.
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 longan
- 1
Choose fresh longans with firm, tan shells. Rinse them under running water, gently rubbing the shells, before peeling.
- 2
Crack the thin shell with your fingers and peel it off.
- 3
Cut each longan in half from top to bottom and take out the seed. Check every one.
- 4
Cut each half from top to bottom again, to make 4 long quarters. For young babies, press each quarter flat or chop the flesh finely. Check the plate for any seeds, shell or round pieces you missed.
How much to offer
Start with two or three longans, peeled, seeded and quartered, as part of a meal. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. A few pieces alongside other foods is plenty: longan is a side, not a meal.
Common mistakes
Serving longans whole
A peeled longan is round, slippery and has a hard seed, the kind of food that can block a child's airway. Always peel it, take out the seed and cut it lengthwise into quarters.
Missing a seed
The seed is large and hard. Cut every longan open, and never let a child suck or bite the flesh off the seed.
Letting a child fill up on longans
Offer a few pieces with a meal, alongside other foods, not in place of one.
Giving dried longan
Dried longan is chewy and sticky. The CDC lists uncooked dried fruit, such as raisins, as a choking hazard for young children. Use fresh longan instead.
Where US and UK guidance differ on longan
United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting
The AAP advises cooking most fruit until soft before 12 months, except mashed banana, and lists fruit chunks among foods to avoid under 1. If you follow US advice, mash peeled, seeded longan, or chop it finely and stir it into a soft food.
United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting
The NHS says to cut small round fruits into quarters and to always remove hard pips or stones. Peel, seed and quarter every longan lengthwise, and press the quarters flat or chop them finely for young babies.
We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.
Questions parents ask
Can longan be a choking hazard for babies?
Whole longans are a choking hazard for young children. Like a grape, a peeled longan is round, smooth and slippery, and the seed is large and hard. The AAP lists whole grapes among foods to avoid or modify for young children, the CDC lists uncut grapes and uncooked dried fruit, and the NHS says to cut small round fruits into quarters and always remove stones. Always peel, take out the seed, cut lengthwise into quarters, make sure your child sits down to eat, and stay with them.
Can babies be allergic to longan?
Longan is not a common allergen.
Is longan healthy for babies?
Longan is rich in vitamin C: raw longan has about 84 mg per 100 g. It also gives some potassium (about 266 mg per 100 g) and a little fiber. It is not a major source of iron.
How should I cut longan for a baby?
Peel off the thin shell, cut the longan in half from top to bottom, and take out the seed. Then cut each half from top to bottom again, to make 4 long quarters. For young babies, press the quarters flat or chop them finely.
Can longan lower blood sugar like lychee?
Longan belongs to the same plant family as lychee. A 2016 laboratory study found small amounts of hypoglycin A, a natural substance that can lower blood sugar, in 3 of 5 fresh longans, at about a tenth of the highest level in the lychees it tested, and none in canned longan. No illness has been linked to longan, and offering fruit as part of a meal is a sensible habit.
Can babies eat dried longan?
Not as it comes. Dried longan is chewy and sticky, and the CDC lists uncooked dried fruit as a choking hazard for young children. Fresh longan, peeled, seeded and quartered, is the safer choice.
If your baby refuses longan
- Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
- If the slippery texture bothers your baby, chop the flesh finely and stir it into yogurt or oatmeal.
- Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.
- 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 longan
- Keep fresh longans in their shells in the fridge, at or below 40°F (4°C).
- Peeled, seeded and cut longan keeps for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge.
- Don't give frozen longans to babies or toddlers, even quartered: frozen pieces are hard.
- 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 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.
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Helpful guides
Sources
- CDC: Choking hazards
- AAP: When can babies start solid foods?
- AAP: Choking prevention for babies and children
- NHS: Preparing food safely for babies
- UK Department for Education: Food safety in early years settings
- Isenberg et al.: Quantification of toxins in soapberry (Sapindaceae) arils: hypoglycin A and methylenecyclopropylglycine (J Agric Food Chem, 2016)
- USDA FoodData Central: Longans, raw
- FDA: 7 tips for cleaning fruits and vegetables
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
- NHS: Help your baby enjoy new foods
More first foods
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