Risotto
Soft, creamy rice to share from the family pot. Cook it in water or homemade unsalted stock.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat risotto from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve risotto by age
6 months+
Mashed risotto on a spoon
Cook risotto in water or homemade unsalted stock until the rice is very soft, a little past how adults like it. Take your baby's portion out before any salt or extra cheese goes in, mash it or blend it briefly, and loosen it with a little water, breast milk or formula. Load a spoon and hand it to your baby, or let them scoop it with their fingers. If it has cheese or butter, offer it once your baby has had dairy on its own.
- Size
- A pre-loaded spoon of risotto mashed or briefly blended until thick, with no firm grains.
- 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+
Soft, sticky risotto to scoop
Serve it soft and moist. Creamy risotto sticks together, so it's easier to scoop or pinch than loose rice. Press peas flat, and cut other mix-ins small and soft, such as soft-cooked vegetables, or flaked fish once your baby has had fish on its own.
- Size
- Soft risotto, unmashed, with any mix-ins in pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Each grain and mix-in should squash flat between your thumb and finger.
12 months+
Risotto from the family pot
Serve family risotto from the pot before any salt goes in, and keep cheese to a small sprinkle, because cheese adds salt. Keep pressing peas flat until your child chews well.
- Size
- Soft risotto, with mix-ins cut to about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Still check that the grains are soft all the way through, not firm in the middle.
18 months+
Any soft risotto
Offer risotto the way your family eats it, with soft vegetables, flaked fish or finely shredded chicken. Cook it soft rather than firm, keep cheese to a sprinkle, and keep rotating rice with other grains through the week.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch) for anything mixed in.
- Check before serving
- Check the grains are soft, mix-ins are small, and fish has no bones.
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 risotto
- 1
Soften a little finely chopped onion in oil, stir in the risotto rice, then add hot water or homemade unsalted stock a ladle at a time, stirring, until the rice is very soft and creamy. Don't add salt, stock cubes or ready-made stock. Our pea risotto recipe has the full method.
- 2
If you add cheese, stir in a little finely grated pasteurized hard cheese at the end, once your baby has had dairy on its own. Take your baby's portion out before any salt or extra cheese goes in.
- 3
Spread your baby's portion in a shallow bowl, stir and let it cool: risotto holds heat. Cool any leftovers within 1 hour, then refrigerate.
- 4
First time? Pick a day your baby is well, at home, when you can watch them for a couple of hours afterward. Rice can also cause a delayed reaction a few hours later, so offering it earlier in the day helps: 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. Rotate risotto with dishes made from other grains, such as oats, barley, quinoa and couscous.
Common mistakes
Using stock cubes or salted stock
Babies shouldn't have added salt, and the NHS says not to use stock cubes or gravy in their food. Cook risotto in water or homemade unsalted stock: the NHS fish risotto recipe for babies cooks the rice in water.
Stirring in lots of cheese
Cheese adds salt, and the NHS suggests lower-salt options for babies. Stir in a little finely grated pasteurized cheese, and only once your baby has had dairy on its own.
Keeping leftover risotto for days
Cooked rice needs extra care. Cool risotto within 1 hour, keep it in the fridge for no more than 1 day, and reheat it only once (NHS, Food Standards Agency).
Serving risotto every day
Rice takes up more arsenic than other grains. Risotto soaks up its cooking water, so draining doesn't lower arsenic here. Rotate risotto with dishes made from oats, barley, quinoa or couscous.
Where US and UK guidance differ on risotto
United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting
USDA FSIS gives 3 to 4 days in the fridge for cooked leftovers in general. For rice, we follow the stricter UK rule for everyone. FDA research found that cooking rice in plenty of water and draining it lowers arsenic, but risotto soaks up its cooking water, so that doesn't apply here. The AAP suggests switching up grains, so make risotto one of several grains your baby eats.
United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting
The NHS says to cool rice within 1 hour, eat it within 24 hours and never reheat it more than once. Its fish risotto with peas recipe for babies aged 7 to 9 months cooks the rice in water, and the NHS says not to add salt, stock cubes or gravy to your baby's food.
We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.
Questions parents ask
Can risotto be a choking hazard for babies?
Soft, creamy risotto is easier to manage than loose, dry rice, but the grains are still whole kernels, and the CDC lists whole grain kernels of cooked grains as a choking hazard for young children. Cook the rice until very soft, mash it at first, press peas flat and check fish for bones. Stay with your child during meals.
Can babies be allergic to risotto?
Rice itself isn't a common allergen, but most risotto has cheese or butter stirred in, and both contain milk, one of the most common food allergens. Offer dairy on its own first, then risotto with cheese. For a milk-free risotto, leave out the cheese and butter and use a little oil. Rice is also 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. Mix-ins can add allergens, such as fish, shellfish or egg, so introduce each on its own first.
Is risotto healthy for babies?
Risotto is mostly rice starch for energy. FoodData Central's entry for rice with a cheese or cream sauce, which includes risotto, has about 5 g of protein, 110 mg of calcium and 0.9 mg of iron per 100 g. Its recipe includes salt, giving about 322 mg of sodium per 100 g (about 0.8 g of salt); homemade risotto for babies has no salt added. The NHS says babies under 1 should have less than 1 g of salt a day, and children aged 1 to 3 no more than 2 g.
Can babies eat risotto at 6 months?
Yes. Cook it very soft in water or homemade unsalted stock, with no salt, and mash it for first tastes. If it has cheese or butter, offer it once your baby has had dairy on its own.
Is risotto safe, given the arsenic in rice?
Yes, as part of a varied diet. Rice takes up more arsenic than other grains. FDA research found that cooking rice in plenty of water and draining it lowers arsenic, but risotto soaks up its cooking water, so that doesn't apply. The AAP suggests switching up grains, so make risotto one of several grains your baby eats.
How long does risotto keep in the fridge?
No more than 1 day. The NHS says to cool rice within 1 hour, eat it within 24 hours and never reheat it more than once. This is stricter than the 3 to 4 days given for most cooked leftovers.
Can I use stock in my baby's risotto?
Homemade stock with no salt added is fine, and plain water works well too. The NHS says not to use stock cubes or gravy in a baby's food, because they're often high in salt.
If your baby refuses risotto
- Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
- Stir in a food your baby already likes, such as mashed peas or pumpkin.
- Try a different texture: smoother, or a little thicker.
- 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 risotto
- Keep uncooked risotto rice in a sealed container in a cool, dry place.
- Cool leftover risotto quickly, ideally within 1 hour: spread it in shallow containers, then refrigerate. Eat it within 1 day, and reheat it only once.
- Or freeze it 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, stirring in a splash of water, 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 risotto. 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.
- Your baby has had any reaction to dairy, even a mild one. Stop offering risotto made with cheese or butter 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.
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Recipes with risotto
Helpful guides
Sources
- FDA: What you can do to limit exposure to arsenic
- AAP: Heavy metals in baby food
- CDC: Choking hazards
- NHS: Your baby's first solid foods
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- NHS: Salt in your diet
- NHS Best Start in Life: Fish risotto with peas
- NHS Best Start in Life: Storing and reheating food
- Food Standards Agency: Home food fact checker
- ACAAI: Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES)
- USDA FoodData Central: Rice, white, with cheese and/or cream based sauce, fat added
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
More first foods
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