When can babies eat quail eggs?

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

Quail eggs

Tiny eggs with the same allergen as hens' eggs. Always fully cooked, and always cut.

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

Quick answer

Babies can eat quail eggs 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: Egg

How to serve quail eggs by age

6 months+

Mashed egg or omelet strips

Hard-boil quail eggs until the white and yolk are firm, peel them, and mash them with breast milk or formula. Or whisk several quail eggs together and cook a thin omelet until firm, then cut it into finger-length strips. Never offer a whole quail egg.

Size: Mashed on a pre-loaded spoon, or omelet strips about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
Check before serving: Cut one boiled egg in half: the yolk should be firm all the way through, with no runny center. Omelet strips should have no wet egg left and should squash easily between your thumb and finger.

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 quail eggs

1
Put quail eggs into a pan of simmering water and cook until the yolk is firm all the way through. Cut one open to check before cooling the rest.
2
Cool them in cold water, then peel carefully: the shells are thin and the membrane can cling. Rinse off any tiny bits of shell.
3
Mash (6 months) or quarter lengthwise and chop small (9 months+). Don't add salt.
4
For the very first taste of egg, mash a little hard-boiled egg and stir about a quarter of a teaspoon into a food your baby already eats (ASCIA). If your baby already eats hens' eggs, start quail eggs the same careful way, since they can still cause a reaction (ACAAI).
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

For the very first taste, offer a small amount, such as a quarter of a teaspoon of mashed hard-boiled egg mixed into a food your baby already eats (ASCIA). If there's no reaction, offer more next time. After that, keep egg in your baby's diet regularly; quail eggs can be one of the ways you offer it. Your baby decides how much to eat.

Common mistakes

Serving whole or halved quail eggs

A boiled quail egg is small, round and firm. The AAP says small round objects, including foods, cause the most choking deaths, and the CDC says to avoid small, hard foods that are difficult to chew and swallow. Mash quail eggs for babies, and quarter them lengthwise and chop them for toddlers.

Serving soft-boiled or raw quail eggs

In the US, cook every egg until the white and yolk are firm (CDC, USDA FSIS). In the UK, the NHS says duck, goose and quail eggs should be cooked until both the white and yolk are solid: the British Lion mark covers hens' eggs only.

Using pickled or canned quail eggs

Jarred and canned quail eggs are often packed in a salty or vinegar brine. Babies shouldn't have added salt, and the NHS says children aged 1 to 3 should have no more than 2 g of salt a day. Boil fresh quail eggs for your child instead.

Thinking they're a different allergen

The ACAAI says people allergic to chickens' eggs may also be allergic to other eggs, including quail. If your baby has reacted to hens' eggs, talk to your pediatrician before offering quail eggs.

Where US and UK guidance differ on quail eggs

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

Cook quail eggs until the white and yolk are firm. Egg dishes such as omelets should reach 160°F (71°C) (CDC). The CDC lists runny eggs as a riskier choice for children under 5, and USDA FSIS says to cook eggs until both the white and yolk are firm.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

The NHS says hens' eggs with the British Lion mark can be served raw or lightly cooked, but duck, goose and quail eggs should be cooked until both the white and yolk are solid.

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

Questions parents ask

Can quail eggs be a choking hazard for babies?

Whole and halved quail eggs are small, round and firm, a high choking risk for babies and young children, even when well cooked. The AAP says small round objects, including foods, cause the most choking deaths. Mash quail eggs for babies, quarter them lengthwise and chop them for toddlers, and peel off every bit of shell. Stay with your child during meals.

Can babies be allergic to quail eggs?

Egg is one of the most common food allergens, and quail eggs count: the ACAAI says people allergic to chickens' eggs may also be allergic to other eggs, such as goose, duck, turkey or quail. Current guidance is to introduce well-cooked egg around 6 months and keep offering it regularly; the NHS says delaying hens' egg beyond 6 to 12 months may increase the risk of allergy. Start with a small amount when your baby is well and watch for signs of a reaction. If your baby has severe eczema or another food allergy, talk to your pediatrician about introducing egg promptly, not about putting it off. In the UK, the NHS asks you to talk to your GP or health visitor first if your baby has eczema or a food allergy, or there's a family history of food allergies, eczema, asthma or hay fever. Egg can also trigger FPIES, a delayed reaction. Egg is a less common trigger in most countries, though it's the third most common in Australia: see when to call the doctor.

Are quail eggs healthy for babies?

A source of protein, choline and vitamin B12: FoodData Central lists about 13 g of protein, 263 mg of choline and 1.6 µg of vitamin B12 per 100 g of quail egg. It has some iron (about 3.7 mg per 100 g), but each egg is small, so a baby's portion gives well under 1 mg.

Are quail eggs safer than hens' eggs for allergies?

No. The ACAAI says people allergic to chickens' eggs may also be allergic to quail eggs. Introduce them the same careful way, and if your baby has reacted to any egg, talk to your pediatrician first.

Can babies have soft-boiled quail eggs?

Not as soft-boiled. In the US, cook all eggs until the white and yolk are firm. In the UK, the NHS says quail eggs, like duck and goose eggs, should be cooked until both the white and yolk are solid; only hens' eggs with the British Lion mark can be served runny.

When can children eat a whole quail egg?

Keep cutting them until at least age 4. The AAP says to keep high-risk foods from children until 4 years or older, depending on the child, and names round, firm foods such as grapes among them. Quarter quail eggs lengthwise and chop them, as you would grapes.

If your baby refuses quail eggs

Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
Try another form: mashed, small chopped pieces, scrambled, or omelet strips.
Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.
If your baby keeps refusing quail eggs, offer egg another way, such as hens' egg omelet strips or scrambled egg.

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

Buying and storing quail eggs

Keep raw quail eggs in the fridge and use them by the date on the pack.
Hard-boiled eggs keep for up to 1 week in the fridge; refrigerate them within 2 hours of cooking. USDA FSIS says not to freeze hard-cooked eggs.
Cooked egg dishes keep for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge. Reheat them 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 or another food allergy. Ask about introducing egg promptly, not about putting it off.
Your baby has had any reaction to egg, even a mild one. Stop offering eggs of any kind until you've talked to your pediatrician.
Your baby vomits a few hours after eating quail egg. This can be FPIES, a delayed type of food allergy. Egg is a less common trigger in most countries, though it's the third most common in Australia. If they vomited once or twice and seem alert and like themselves, call your pediatrician or GP. 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.

Offered quail eggs?

Add it to your first 100 foods.

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