Rice pudding
Soft, creamy rice cooked in milk. Make it at home and let fruit do the sweetening.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat rice pudding from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve rice pudding by age
6 months+
Homemade, unsweetened and mashed
Make it at home with no sugar, honey or salt: simmer rice in milk until very soft and creamy, then blend or mash it (see the guidance note below on which milk). Stir in mashed ripe banana or soft-cooked apple or pear for sweetness. Offer it once your baby has had dairy on its own. Shop-bought rice pudding has added sugar, so it's not for babies.
- Size
- A pre-loaded spoon of smooth or lightly mashed rice pudding.
- Check before serving
- Squash a little between your thumb and finger. It should mash flat, with no firm grains.
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+
Thicker homemade pudding with soft fruit
Serve homemade rice pudding a little thicker, with less mashing, so your baby gets used to soft grains. Top it with mashed or finely chopped soft fruit, and let your baby try the spoon themselves. Still no sugar, honey or syrup.
- Size
- Soft spoonfuls, with any fruit mashed or in pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Each grain should squash flat between your thumb and finger.
12 months+
Homemade rice pudding
Serve homemade rice pudding made with whole cow's milk, sweetened only with fruit. Honey is safe from 12 months as far as botulism goes, but it's an added sugar, and US and UK advice is to avoid added sugar up to age 4. Shop-bought tins and pots: not yet, because of the added sugar.
- Size
- Soft spoonfuls, with fruit pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Keep it soft and creamy; loosen thick leftovers with a splash of milk.
18 months+
Homemade rice pudding at family meals
Make a family pot without sugar, take your child's portion out, and let the adults sweeten their own bowls. Shop-bought rice pudding still waits until after age 4 (added sugar). Keep rice to one of several grains your child eats.
- Size
- Soft spoonfuls, with fruit pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
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 rice pudding
- 1
Rinse the rice (the AAP suggests rinsing rice before cooking). Rice pudding keeps its cooking liquid, so it can't be drained like pasta to lower arsenic: rotate rice with other grains instead.
- 2
Simmer the rice gently in plenty of milk, stirring often so it doesn't stick, until the grains are very soft and creamy. Add more milk if it gets thick. Don't add sugar, honey, syrup or salt.
- 3
Under 12 months, if you follow US advice, cook the rice in water until very soft, then stir in breast milk or formula once it's off the heat (our suggestion).
- 4
Cool it quickly, within 1 hour, then mash or blend it for young babies and stir in mashed fruit. Serve it just warm.
- 5
Offer rice pudding once your baby has had dairy on its own. First time? Offer it earlier in the day, so you can watch your baby for a few hours afterward. Milk and rice can both cause a delayed reaction: see when to call the doctor.
How much to offer
Start with a few teaspoons. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Rice pudding is a nice part of a meal, not a meal on its own: rotate rice with other grains, such as oats, barley and quinoa.
Common mistakes
Sharing shop-bought rice pudding
Ready-to-eat rice pudding has about 11.6 g of sugars per 100 g. USDA data doesn't say how much of that is added, but shop-bought rice pudding is sweetened. The CDC says infants and young children should not have added sugars, and the NHS says to avoid sugar up to age 4. Make your own and sweeten it with mashed fruit.
Sweetening it with honey
Never give honey before 12 months, even cooked into food: it can cause infant botulism (NHS, CDC). After 12 months it still counts as an added sugar to avoid up to age 4.
Keeping leftovers too long
Cooked rice can carry bacteria that grow at room temperature. Cool rice pudding within 1 hour, keep it in the fridge for no more than 1 day, and reheat it only once.
Serving rice every day
Rice takes up more arsenic than other grains. The AAP suggests switching up grains, so make rice pudding one of many foods, not a daily dessert.
Where US and UK guidance differ on rice pudding
United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting
The CDC says not to give cow's milk before 12 months. If you follow US advice, use breast milk or formula instead. The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines call on parents to avoid added sugar for children aged 4 and under. USDA FSIS gives 3 to 4 days in the fridge for cooked leftovers in general, but for rice we follow the stricter UK rule for everyone.
United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting
The NHS says cows' milk can be used in cooking or mixed with food from around 6 months, but shouldn't be given as a main drink until 1 year. It says to cool rice within 1 hour, eat it within 24 hours and never reheat it more than once, and to avoid food with sugar for children aged 4 and under.
We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.
Questions parents ask
Can rice pudding be a choking hazard for babies?
Rice pudding is a low choking risk when the grains are soft and the pudding is creamy. Mash it for young babies, loosen thick or dried-out leftovers with milk, and leave out any skin from the top of a baked pudding. Stay with your child during meals.
Can babies be allergic to rice pudding?
Rice pudding is usually made with cows' milk, one of the most common food allergens in young children. Offer dairy on its own first, in a small amount, before rice pudding. Most reactions start within minutes to 2 hours, but with cows' milk allergy, symptoms can take up to 3 days to appear (NHS). Rice itself is not a common allergen, but rice and milk are both common triggers of FPIES, a delayed reaction that causes repeated vomiting a few hours after eating: see when to call the doctor. Don't make it with rice drink: the NHS says children under 5 shouldn't have rice drinks in place of milk, because of arsenic.
Is rice pudding healthy for babies?
Ready-to-eat rice pudding has about 3.2 g of protein and 95 mg of calcium per 100 g, with about 11.6 g of sugars and 97 mg of sodium (about 0.2 g of salt). Homemade rice pudding with no sugar has only the natural sugar from the milk and any fruit you add. It is not a source of iron.
Can babies eat rice pudding?
Yes, homemade from around 6 months, once your baby has had dairy on its own. Cook it until very soft, add no sugar, honey or salt, mash it, and sweeten it with fruit. In the UK, the NHS says cows' milk can be used in cooking from 6 months; US advice is to use breast milk or formula before 12 months.
Is shop-bought rice pudding OK for toddlers?
Not yet. Tins and pots have added sugar, and US and UK advice is to avoid added sugar up to age 4. A homemade pot with no sugar takes a few minutes of stirring and keeps in the fridge for a day.
Can rice pudding be eaten cold?
Yes, if it was cooled quickly and kept in the fridge. The Food Standards Agency says rice can be eaten cold if it was cooled down quickly and eaten within 24 hours.
If your baby refuses rice pudding
- Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
- Try another texture: smoother, thicker, or with a different fruit stirred in.
- 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 rice pudding
- Cool rice pudding quickly, ideally within 1 hour: spread it in a shallow container, then refrigerate. Eat it within 1 day, and reheat it only once.
- Or freeze small portions within 1 hour of cooking, for up to 3 to 4 months. Thaw them in the fridge, eat them within 24 hours of thawing and reheat only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, stirring in a splash of milk, then let it cool before serving.
- Spoon your baby's portion into a bowl, and throw away what they leave.
- 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 dairy, even a mild one. Stop offering rice pudding until you've talked to your pediatrician.
- Your baby vomits a few hours after eating rice pudding. This can be FPIES, a delayed type of food allergy, and milk and rice are both common triggers. 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.
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Helpful guides
Sources
- NHS: Your baby's first solid foods
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- CDC: Foods and drinks to avoid or limit
- HHS: Fact sheet on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030
- AAP: Heavy metals in baby food
- NHS: Food allergies in babies and young children
- ACAAI: Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES)
- USDA FoodData Central: Puddings, rice, ready-to-eat
- NHS Best Start in Life: Storing and reheating food
- Food Standards Agency: Home food fact checker
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
More first foods
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