When can babies eat mayonnaise?

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

Mayonnaise

A little binds flaked fish or mashed egg. The egg inside is what to check.

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

Quick answer

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

From 6 monthsLow choking risk as servedAllergen: Egg

How to serve mayonnaise by age

6 months+

A little mixed into mashed food

Offer mayonnaise only once well-cooked egg has been eaten on its own without a reaction. Use shop-bought mayonnaise, which is made with pasteurized egg. For homemade, see the US vs. UK note below. It's salty and almost all fat, so mix just a little into food, and not every day.

Size: About ¼ teaspoon mixed into a spoonful of mashed food, such as potato, or flaked fish once your baby has had fish on its own, on a pre-loaded spoon, or a thin smear on soft finger foods about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
Check before serving: Check the jar: shop-bought mayonnaise, kept in the fridge after opening. Squash a finger food between your thumb and finger: it should flatten easily.

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 mayonnaise

1
Check that egg has already been eaten on its own, well cooked (for example hard-boiled and mashed), with no reaction.
2
Use shop-bought mayonnaise. Homemade mayonnaise is made with raw egg: in the US, don't make it for children under 5; in the UK, make it only with British Lion stamped hens' eggs, and don't add salt.
3
Mix a small amount into mashed or flaked food, or spread a thin layer on soft finger foods.
4
Serve it straight from the fridge, and put the jar back as soon as you've used it.
5
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

Use a small amount, about ¼ teaspoon in a baby portion at first, just enough to moisten the food. Mayonnaise is a sauce, not a food on its own: a tablespoon has about 88 mg of sodium (about 0.2 g of salt) and 10 g of fat, so keep it to now and then, not every day. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth.

Common mistakes

Making homemade mayonnaise with ordinary eggs

Homemade mayonnaise uses raw egg, which can carry Salmonella, and the CDC says children under 5 are three times more likely to be hospitalized with Salmonella. In the US, USDA FSIS advises against foods made with raw egg, including homemade mayonnaise, so use shop-bought for children under 5. In the UK, the NHS allows homemade mayonnaise only with British Lion stamped hens' eggs.

Offering it before egg

Mayonnaise is made with egg, one of the most common food allergens. Introduce well-cooked egg on its own first, so you know how your baby handles it.

Leaving mayonnaise dishes out

Tuna, egg and pasta salads are cold perishable foods. Keep them in the fridge, and throw them away after 2 hours at room temperature (1 hour above 90°F / 32°C).

Using a lot

Mayonnaise is almost all fat and has added salt. The NHS lists it among sauces that can be high in salt, so use just enough to bind or moisten food.

Where US and UK guidance differ on mayonnaise

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

Shop-bought mayonnaise is made with pasteurized egg products, and the CDC lists pasteurized eggs in foods that won't be cooked, such as salad dressing, as the safer choice for children under 5. USDA FSIS also says pasteurized egg products 'are best used in a cooked product, especially if served to high-risk persons such as infants and young children', so keep to a small amount mixed into food, not every day. Avoid raw or undercooked egg, including homemade mayonnaise, for children under 5.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

The NHS and the Food Standards Agency say hens' eggs with the British Lion mark are fine raw or lightly cooked for babies and young children, for example in homemade mayonnaise, so make it only with those eggs. Other hens' eggs, and duck, goose and quail eggs, should be cooked until the white and yolk are solid. The NHS tuna mayo jacket potato recipe for babies aged 7 to 9 months uses a heaped teaspoon of mayonnaise for 5 portions.

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

Questions parents ask

Can mayonnaise be a choking hazard for babies?

Mayonnaise is a low choking risk. It can make food easier to swallow by moistening it. The foods it goes with matter more: check canned fish for bones, mash or chop egg, and cut sandwiches into soft fingers. Stay with your child during meals.

Can babies be allergic to mayonnaise?

Mayonnaise is made with egg, one of the most common food allergens. The NHS says egg can be introduced from around 6 months, one allergen at a time so you can spot any reaction, and kept in your baby's usual diet once tolerated; delaying egg beyond 6 to 12 months may increase the risk of allergy. The ACAAI says some people with an egg allergy can eat egg that has been heated for a long time at a high temperature, but the egg in mayonnaise isn't cooked, so offer it only after well-cooked egg has gone down well. Many mayonnaises also contain mustard, which the NHS lists among foods that can trigger allergy, so check the label. If your baby has eczema or a food allergy, or there's a family history of allergies, the NHS says to talk to your GP or health visitor before introducing allergens.

Is mayonnaise healthy for babies?

Mostly fat: 100 g of regular mayonnaise has about 75 g of fat (about 12 g saturated) and 635 mg of sodium (about 1.6 g of salt). A tablespoon (13.8 g) has about 10 g of fat and 88 mg of sodium (about 0.2 g of salt). It is not a meaningful source of protein or iron.

Can babies eat mayonnaise?

Yes, a little shop-bought mayonnaise mixed into food from around 6 months, once your baby has had well-cooked egg on its own, and not every day. An NHS recipe for babies aged 7 to 9 months mixes a little mayonnaise into tuna, and the CDC lists pasteurized eggs in foods that won't be cooked, such as salad dressing, as the safer choice for children under 5.

Is shop-bought mayonnaise safe for babies?

Shop-bought mayonnaise is made with pasteurized egg products (USDA FSIS), and the CDC lists pasteurized eggs in uncooked foods such as salad dressing as the safer choice for children under 5. USDA FSIS adds that pasteurized egg products are best used in cooked food for infants and young children, so keep to a small amount mixed into food, offer it only after well-cooked egg has gone well, and keep the jar in the fridge after opening.

Is homemade mayonnaise safe for babies?

It depends on where you live and on the eggs, because homemade mayonnaise is made with raw egg. In the US, USDA FSIS advises against foods made with raw or undercooked egg, naming homemade mayonnaise, so avoid it for children under 5. In the UK, the NHS says hens' eggs with the red lion stamp are fine raw for babies, for example in homemade mayonnaise, so use only those. Eggs without the mark, and duck, goose or quail eggs, aren't safe raw for young children.

If your baby refuses mayonnaise

Mayonnaise is usually part of another food, so try a different food or texture rather than more mayonnaise.
Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
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 mayonnaise

Keep opened jars of mayonnaise in the fridge, and follow the label for how long they keep. Use a clean spoon each time.
Tuna, egg and pasta salads made with mayonnaise keep for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge. They don't freeze well.
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, even a mild one. Stop offering egg, including mayonnaise, until you've talked to your pediatrician.
Your child has diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps or vomiting in the days after eating raw or lightly cooked egg. Salmonella symptoms usually start 12 to 72 hours after eating (FDA), and young children are more likely to need hospital care (CDC). Call your pediatrician, and call right away if they show signs of dehydration. If they are floppy, very sleepy or hard to wake, call your emergency number.
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 mayonnaise?

Add it to your first 100 foods.

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