When can babies eat rice?

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

Rice

Soft, mild and part of family meals around the world. Mix it up with other grains.

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

Quick answer

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

From 6 monthsMedium choking risk as servedNot a common allergen

How to serve rice by age

6 months+

Mashed rice or soft rice fingers

Cook rice until very soft, then mash or blend it with breast milk, formula or water. Load a spoon and hand it to your baby, or gently shape the soft mashed rice into fingers that just hold together. Don't pack it tight: it should stay soft and squash easily.

Size: A pre-loaded spoon of mashed rice or smooth rice porridge, or soft mashed rice gently shaped into fingers about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
Check before serving: Squash a little between your thumb and finger. It should mash flat, with no firm grains. Rice fingers should squash with gentle pressure.

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 rice

1
Cook rice in plenty of water, like pasta (about 6 to 10 parts water to 1 part rice), then drain the extra. FDA research found this lowers inorganic arsenic by 40 to 60 percent, though it also lowers the added nutrients in enriched white rice.
2
The AAP suggests rinsing rice first, but FDA research found rinsing has little effect on arsenic and washes added iron, folate, thiamine and niacin off enriched white rice. Cooking it in extra water and draining does more to lower arsenic.
3
Cook it until very soft, a little past how adults like it. Don't add salt to the water.
4
Mash or blend it for young babies, then let it cool before serving.
5
First time? Offer rice earlier in the day, so you can watch your baby for a few hours afterward. Rice can cause a delayed reaction: see when to call the doctor.

How much to offer

Start with a few teaspoons of mashed rice. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Rotate rice with other grains, such as oats, barley, quinoa and couscous.

Common mistakes

Serving only rice

Rice takes up more arsenic than other grains. Rotate it with oats, barley, quinoa, couscous and pasta.

Leaving cooked rice out

Cooked rice can carry bacteria that grow at room temperature. Cool leftovers within 1 hour in shallow containers, refrigerate, eat within 1 day and reheat only once.

Serving it dry or crunchy

Dry, loose grains are hard for babies to manage. Keep rice soft and moist, and leave out crispy bits from the pan.

Salting the cooking water

Babies shouldn't have added salt, including in cooking water.

Where US and UK guidance differ on rice

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

The CDC advises cooking rice and other whole-grain kernels, then mashing or finely grinding them for babies, and lists whole kernels of cooked grains as a choking risk for young children. The AAP and FDA advise a variety of grains, and FDA research found cooking rice in extra water lowers arsenic.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

The NHS lists cooked rice among finger foods from around 6 months. It says children under 5 should not have rice drinks instead of milk, because of arsenic, and notes the UK sets maximum arsenic levels for rice products, with stricter limits for foods for young children.

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

Questions parents ask

Can rice be a choking hazard for babies?

Cooked rice is soft, but loose grains can be hard for young babies to manage. The CDC lists whole kernels of cooked grains as a choking risk for young children, and advises cooking rice and other whole-grain kernels, then mashing or finely grinding them for babies. Keep rice soft and moist, and stay with your child during meals. See the US vs. UK note below.

Can babies be allergic to rice?

Rice is not a common allergen. It is, though, one of the most common grain triggers of FPIES, a delayed reaction that causes repeated vomiting a few hours after eating: see when to call the doctor.

Is rice healthy for babies?

Mostly starch for energy. Enriched white rice has added iron and folate, but it isn't a major source of iron: about 1.2 mg per 100 g cooked.

Is rice safe for babies, given the arsenic?

Yes, as part of a varied diet. Rice takes up more arsenic than other grains, so the AAP suggests rotating grains and cooking rice in extra water, then draining it; FDA research found this lowers inorganic arsenic by 40 to 60 percent. The AAP notes brown rice tends to have the highest levels, and white basmati and sushi rice lower levels.

Can babies eat brown rice?

Yes, cooked very soft and mashed for young babies. The AAP notes brown rice tends to be higher in arsenic than white rice, so rotate it with other grains.

Can babies have rice milk?

No. The NHS says children under 5 should not have rice drinks instead of breast milk, formula or cow's milk, because of arsenic, and the AAP advises avoiding rice milk and brown rice syrup.

If your baby refuses rice

Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
Mix it into a food your baby already likes, such as mashed vegetables or lentils.
Try a different texture: smooth rice porridge, or a slightly thicker mash.
Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.

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

Keep uncooked rice in a sealed container in a cool, dry place.
Cool cooked rice quickly, ideally within 1 hour: spread it in shallow containers, then refrigerate. Eat it within 1 day, and reheat it only once.
Or freeze cooked rice within 1 hour of cooking, for up to 3 to 4 months. Thaw it in the fridge, eat it within 24 hours of thawing and reheat it only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let it 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 vomits a few hours after eating rice. This can be FPIES, a delayed type of food allergy, and rice is one of the most common grain 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.

Offered rice?

Add it to your first 100 foods.