Mozzarella
Mild, soft and melty. Best served in thin strips, shredded or melted.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat mozzarella from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve mozzarella by age
6 months+
Thin strips, or melted on toast strips
Slice soft fresh mozzarella into thin, flat strips, or, once your baby has had wheat, melt a thin layer of shredded mozzarella onto toast strips and let it cool. Check the bread label for honey, which isn't safe before 12 months. Firm low-moisture mozzarella (the block or bagged shredded kind) is rubbery, so shred and melt it rather than serving it in strips. Never serve cubes or chunks.
- Size
- Thin, flat strips about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in), or toast strips the same size with melted cheese.
- Check before serving
- Press a strip between your thumb and finger. It should squash flat easily. If it springs back or feels rubbery, shred and melt it instead.
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+
Shredded or small torn pieces
Offer shredded mozzarella or small torn pieces of fresh mozzarella for pincer-grasp practice, or stir it into warm pasta or eggs. Cut mozzarella pearls and bocconcini into small pieces; never serve them whole.
- Size
- Pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Squash a piece between your thumb and finger. It should flatten easily.
12 months+
Shredded, melted or thin strips
Serve shredded or melted mozzarella in family dishes like pasta and baked vegetables, or thin strips of fresh mozzarella. Cut string cheese into short, thin strips, not rounds. Quarter pearls and cut bocconcini into small pieces.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or short, thin strips.
18 months+
In family meals
Offer mozzarella the way your family eats it: on pizza or flatbread cut into small pieces, in pasta bakes, or fresh mozzarella cut small in salads. Keep cutting string cheese into short, thin strips and pearls into small pieces.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or as part of a dish.
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 mozzarella
- 1
Check the label: choose whole-milk mozzarella made from pasteurized milk, especially for fresh, imported or market cheese.
- 2
For fresh mozzarella, pat it dry and cut thin, flat strips. For firm low-moisture mozzarella, shred it finely.
- 3
To melt it, once your baby has had wheat, sprinkle a thin layer of shredded mozzarella over toast strips and warm until just melted. Melted mozzarella can stretch into long strings, so cut any strings short. Let it cool, and test the temperature before serving.
- 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: one thin strip or a pinch of shredded cheese. If there's no reaction, offer more next time. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Mozzarella contains salt, so keep portions small and don't add salt to the rest of the meal.
Common mistakes
Cutting it into cubes
Chunks of cheese are a choking hazard. Cut thin strips, shred it, or melt it.
Serving pearls or bocconcini whole
These are small and round, like grapes. Cut them into small pieces every time.
Slicing string cheese into rounds
Round pieces can get stuck in a child's airway. Cut string cheese into short, thin strips.
Serving it hot from the oven
Melted cheese can burn a baby's mouth. Let it cool and test it before serving.
Where US and UK guidance differ on mozzarella
United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting
For children under 5, the CDC lists soft cheese as a safer choice only when it's clearly labeled made from pasteurized milk, and soft cheese made from raw milk as a riskier one. Fresh mozzarella is a soft cheese, so check the label. The CDC lists string cheese among safer choices.
United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting
The NHS says babies can have pasteurised full-fat cheese from 6 months, choosing lower-salt options. It advises avoiding unpasteurised cheese because of listeria. If it goes into a cooked dish, cook it until steaming hot all the way through.
We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.
Questions parents ask
Can mozzarella be a choking hazard for babies?
Large chunks of cheese, especially string cheese, are on the CDC's choking hazard list. Serve mozzarella in thin strips, shredded, or melted in a thin layer, and cut small round pieces (pearls and bocconcini) into small pieces. Stay with your child during meals.
Can babies be allergic to mozzarella?
Mozzarella is a milk product, and cow's milk is one of the most common food allergens. Milk products like cheese and yogurt can be introduced from around 6 months, a small amount at a time. Once your baby has had them without a reaction, keep them in your baby's usual diet. Most reactions start within minutes to 2 hours, but with cow's milk allergy, symptoms can take up to 3 days to appear. If your baby has a diagnosed milk allergy, don't offer mozzarella unless their doctor says it's OK. If your baby has eczema or another food allergy, or there's a family history of food allergies, eczema, asthma or hay fever, the NHS says to talk to your GP or health visitor first.
Is mozzarella healthy for babies?
A source of protein and calcium, with some vitamin B12. It also contains salt: about 486 mg of sodium per 100 g of whole-milk mozzarella.
Can babies eat mozzarella?
Yes, from around 6 months, if it's made from pasteurized milk and served in a safe form: thin strips, shredded, or melted in a thin layer.
Is fresh mozzarella safe for babies?
Yes, if the label says it's made from pasteurized milk. Soft cheeses made from raw milk are more likely to carry harmful bacteria, so check fresh, imported and market cheese carefully.
Can babies eat string cheese?
Yes, if you cut it. The CDC advises cutting cylindrical foods like string cheese into short, thin strips, because round pieces can get stuck in a child's airway.
If your baby refuses mozzarella
- Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
- Try it melted: many babies take to it more easily on toast strips or stirred into pasta.
- 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 mozzarella
- Keep mozzarella sealed in the fridge and use it by the date on the pack. Once opened, follow the label's advice on how many days it keeps.
- Cooked dishes with mozzarella, such as pasta bakes, keep for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge.
- They 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 had any reaction to milk products, even a mild one. Stop offering them until you've talked to your pediatrician.
- Your baby vomits a few hours after eating dairy. This can be FPIES, a delayed type of food allergy that milk can trigger. If they vomited once or twice and seem alert and like themselves, call your pediatrician or GP, and don't offer dairy again until you've talked to them. If they vomit again and again, or are pale, 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.
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Recipes with mozzarella
Helpful guides
Sources
- CDC: Choking hazards
- CDC: When, what, and how to introduce solid foods
- CDC: Safer food choices for children under 5
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- NHS: Your baby's first solid foods
- NHS: Food allergies in babies and young children
- USDA FoodData Central: Cheese, mozzarella, whole milk
- ACAAI: Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES)
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
- NHS Best Start in Life: Storing and reheating food
- USDA FSIS: Freezing and food safety
More first foods
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