When can babies eat pesto?

From around 12 months, served in a safe shape and texture for their age.

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Pesto

Basil, nuts, cheese and oil blended smooth. Homemade and unsalted, it's a family pasta sauce from 12 months.

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

Quick answer

Children can have pesto from around 12 months. Prepare it as shown below.

From 12 monthsLow choking risk as servedAllergens: Tree nuts, Milk

How to serve pesto by age

12 months+

A little homemade pesto, blended smooth, stirred into food

Before 12 months, offer the parts on their own instead: finely ground pine nuts stirred into food, and basil finely chopped and cooked into a sauce (see our pine nuts and basil pages). From 12 months, make pesto at home: blend basil, plain pine nuts and olive oil until completely smooth, with no salt. Cook any garlic first, or leave it out, and add a little finely grated pasteurized cheese only once dairy has gone well. Stir a teaspoon or two into soft pasta or mashed potato.

Size: Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch) of soft pasta, potato or vegetables, with a teaspoon or two of smooth pesto stirred through.
Check before serving: Rub a little between your thumb and finger: it should feel smooth, with no bits of nut. Check the cheese label says pasteurized.

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 pesto

1
Before pesto, make sure your child has already eaten the nuts or seeds in it (finely ground) and dairy, each on its own, with no reaction.
2
Rinse fresh basil under running water, pick the leaves off the stems and pat them dry.
3
Blend the basil with plain, unsalted pine nuts and olive oil until completely smooth. If you add garlic, cook it gently in a little of the oil first and let it cool. Don't add salt.
4
Stir in a little finely grated pasteurized parmesan if you like, then mix a teaspoon or two into soft pasta or vegetables.
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

None before 12 months: offer ground pine nuts and basil on their own instead. From 12 months, start with a teaspoon of homemade pesto stirred into a small bowl of pasta or vegetables. Pesto is a flavor, not the main part of the meal. Your child decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth.

Common mistakes

Using jarred pesto as an everyday sauce

Shelf-stable jarred pesto has about 998 mg of sodium per 100 g (about 2.5 g of salt), and the NHS counts more than 1.5 g of salt per 100 g as high. Make it at home without salt, or use a little now and then.

Thinking chilled pesto is low in salt

FoodData Central lists refrigerated pesto at about 603 mg of sodium per 100 g (about 1.5 g of salt), right at the NHS high line. Compare labels and keep portions small.

Missing the allergens

Most pesto has tree nuts and milk. Some use cashews or walnuts instead of pine nuts, or pumpkin seeds, and some use sheep's milk cheese such as pecorino. Read the label, and offer each nut, seed and dairy food on its own first.

Leaving nut pieces or whole pine nuts

The CDC lists whole or chopped nuts and seeds as choking hazards. Blend homemade pesto until completely smooth, and take whole pine nuts off the top.

Where US and UK guidance differ on pesto

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

The AAP says not to give whole peanuts or tree nuts (pine nuts are tree nuts) to babies or young children because they are choking hazards, and to wait for whole peanuts until a child can chew them well, usually at least 4 years. The CDC lists whole or chopped nuts and seeds as choking hazards. The CDC also says to avoid feeding young children foods high in salt (sodium).

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

The NHS says no whole nuts for children under 5, while crushed or ground nuts added to food are fine from around 6 months. It says children aged 1 to 3 should have no more than 2 g of salt a day, and that unpasteurised cheese is better avoided unless it's cooked in a recipe.

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

Questions parents ask

Can pesto be a choking hazard for babies?

Smooth pesto is a low choking risk. The nuts are what matter: the CDC lists whole or chopped nuts and seeds as choking hazards, and the AAP says not to give whole peanuts or tree nuts (pine nuts are tree nuts) to babies or young children, and to wait for whole peanuts until a child can chew them well, usually at least 4 years. Blend homemade pesto until completely smooth, check shop-bought pesto for nut pieces, and skip whole pine nuts on top. The NHS says no whole nuts under 5. Stay with your child during meals.

Can babies be allergic to pesto?

Pesto usually contains tree nuts and milk. Pine nuts are the classic nut, and the ACAAI counts them among tree nuts; some pesto uses cashews, walnuts or almonds, or seeds such as pumpkin seeds. The cheese is usually parmesan or pecorino, and the ACAAI says people allergic to cow's milk may also be allergic to sheep's and goats' milk. Introduce each nut, seed and dairy food on its own from around 6 months, in safe forms, so you can spot any reaction (NHS). Once they've all gone well, pesto isn't a new allergen. Tree nut allergy usually lasts for life, and allergists usually advise people allergic to one tree nut to avoid all nuts (ACAAI). If your child has a nut, seed or milk allergy, ask your allergist before offering pesto, and read every label.

Is pesto healthy for babies?

Mostly fat, from the oil, nuts and cheese: 100 g of refrigerated pesto has about 38 g of fat, 10 g of protein and 306 mg of calcium, with about 603 mg of sodium (about 1.5 g of salt). Shelf-stable pesto has about 998 mg of sodium per 100 g (about 2.5 g of salt). A teaspoon or two adds flavor rather than a meaningful amount of iron.

When can babies have pesto?

From about 12 months, homemade, blended completely smooth and made without salt, once your child has had the nuts and dairy in it on their own. Before then, offer the parts separately: finely ground pine nuts stirred into food, and finely chopped basil cooked into a sauce.

Is shop-bought pesto OK for toddlers?

A small amount now and then. A tablespoon (16 g) of shelf-stable pesto has about 160 mg of sodium (about 0.4 g of salt), and children aged 1 to 3 should have no more than 2 g of salt a day (NHS). Chilled pesto is a little lower. Read the label for nuts, seeds and cheese, and stir it into a big bowl of pasta rather than spooning it on top.

Is the cheese in pesto safe for young children?

Choose pesto made with pasteurized cheese. The CDC says not to give young children unpasteurized cheese or other unpasteurized dairy foods, and the NHS says unpasteurised cheese is better avoided unless it's cooked in a recipe. Stirring pesto into hot pasta isn't cooking it, so check the label.

Can I make pesto without nuts?

Yes. Blend basil and olive oil with finely ground pumpkin or sunflower seeds, or with no nuts or seeds at all. Seeds can be allergens too (NHS), so offer them on their own first, and still blend until completely smooth.

If your baby refuses pesto

Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
Try a milder pesto: more olive oil, less basil, and no garlic.
Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.
If your child keeps refusing pesto, keep the nuts and cheese in their diet in other ways, such as ground nuts stirred into oatmeal and grated cheese on pasta.

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

Buying and storing pesto

Keep shop-bought pesto in the fridge once opened, and follow the label for how long it keeps.
Homemade pesto keeps for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge, and no longer. The CDC says to keep homemade oils made with garlic or herbs in the fridge and throw them away after 4 days.
Homemade pesto can be frozen in small portions, such as in an ice cube tray, for 2 to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge and use it within 24 hours of thawing.
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 child has a tree nut, seed or milk allergy. Ask your allergist which pesto, if any, is safe for them, and don't try it at home unless they've cleared it.
Your child has had any reaction to nuts, seeds or dairy, even a mild one. Stop offering pesto 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 pesto?

Add it to your first 100 foods.

Recipes with pesto

Spinach pesto pasta

From 12 months · 25 min

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