When can babies eat macadamia nuts?

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

Macadamia nuts

A rich, creamy tree nut that blends into a smooth butter for porridge and toast.

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

Quick answer

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

From 6 monthsHigh choking risk as servedAllergen: Tree nuts

How to serve macadamia nuts by age

6 months+

Thinned macadamia butter or finely ground macadamias

Thin smooth macadamia butter with a little water, breast milk or formula until runny, then stir it into porridge or puréed fruit or vegetables. Or grind plain, unsalted macadamias to a fine powder and stir that in. Toast strips are fine once wheat has been introduced on its own.

Size: Stirred into a smooth food, or spread very thinly on soft toast strips about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
Check before serving: Thinned butter should drip easily off a spoon. Rub a pinch of ground macadamia between your fingers: it should feel soft and fine, with no gritty bits.

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 macadamia nuts

1
Choose plain macadamias, or smooth macadamia butter, with no added salt, sugar or honey. Many macadamias are sold roasted and salted, so check the label.
2
To grind, blitz macadamias in short bursts in a clean, dry blender or spice grinder until they're a fine powder. Stop before it turns oily, and sieve out any bits that won't grind.
3
Stir about ½ teaspoon of ground macadamias, or macadamia butter thinned with water, breast milk or formula, into a food your baby already eats.
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

For the very first taste, offer a small amount: about ½ teaspoon stirred into food. If there's no reaction, offer more next time. Your baby decides how much to eat. After that, the goal is to keep macadamias in your baby's diet regularly, not to finish a portion.

Common mistakes

Offering whole or chopped macadamias

Pieces of nut are a choking hazard for young children. Grind macadamias finely, or use smooth macadamia butter, thinned or spread thinly.

Salted, honey-roasted or chocolate-coated macadamias

These add salt or sugar, and honey isn't safe before 12 months. Buy plain macadamias and grind them yourself.

Cookies and breads with nut pieces

The CDC lists cookies, and breads with nut pieces, as choking hazards, and macadamia cookies are usually full of nut pieces. Use finely ground macadamias in home baking instead.

Offering it once and stopping

Once macadamia is in your baby's diet, keep offering it regularly. Use the tracker below to see when you last offered it.

Where US and UK guidance differ on macadamia 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 and chunks or spoonfuls of nut butter as choking hazards. Finely ground macadamias, or smooth macadamia butter thinned or spread thinly, are fine from around 6 months.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

The NHS says no whole nuts for children under 5. Crushed or ground nuts added to food, and nut butter spread on a food such as toast (never on its own; we suggest spreading it thinly), are fine from around 6 months. 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 macadamia nuts be a choking hazard for babies?

Whole and chopped macadamias are a choking hazard. 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 macadamias finely ground, blended completely smooth, or as smooth butter thinned or spread very thinly. Never offer spoonfuls or chunks of thick macadamia butter.

Can babies be allergic to macadamia nuts?

The FDA counts macadamias as a tree nut, one of the most common food allergens. Current guidance is to introduce common allergens, including nut products, from around 6 months once your baby has started solids, then keep offering them regularly. Start with a small amount when your baby is well and watch for signs of a reaction. Botanically, macadamias are seeds, and the AAAAI says people with a tree nut allergy can often tolerate them, but the ACAAI says allergists usually advise people allergic to one tree nut to avoid all nuts. If your child has a tree nut allergy, never try macadamias at home unless your allergist has cleared them. 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 macadamia nuts healthy for babies?

A source of fat, most of it monounsaturated, plus manganese and thiamin (vitamin B1). Macadamias have some iron (about 3.7 mg per 100 g), but a teaspoon of ground macadamias gives well under 1 mg.

When can my child eat whole macadamia nuts?

Not until at least 4 years in the US (the AAP says 4 years or older, depending on the child) and 5 years in the UK. Until then, keep them finely ground, blended smooth or as a thinned butter.

Are macadamias a tree nut?

Botanically they're seeds, but the FDA lists macadamia as a tree nut for allergy labeling. Introduce them the same careful way as any other nut.

If my baby is fine with macadamias, 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 child has a tree nut allergy. Can they have macadamias?

Ask your allergist first, and never try them at home unless your allergist has cleared them. Macadamias are botanically seeds, and the AAAAI says people with a tree nut allergy can often tolerate them, but the ACAAI says allergists usually advise people allergic to one tree nut to avoid all nuts. Your allergist will decide based on your child's test results and past reactions.

If your baby refuses macadamia 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, spread thinly on toast, or baked into pancakes.
Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.
If your baby keeps refusing macadamias and you're relying on them as an early allergen, mention it to your pediatrician.

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

Buying and storing macadamia nuts

Store macadamias and macadamia butter as the label directs, and stir any separated oil back into the butter so it's smooth.
Porridge or purée with macadamia stirred in keeps for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge.
Pancakes and muffins made with ground macadamias can be frozen for 2 to 3 months. 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:

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 child has a diagnosed tree nut allergy. Ask your allergist whether macadamias are safe for them before offering any.
Your baby has had any reaction to macadamias 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 macadamia nuts?

Add it to your first 100 foods.

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