When can babies eat shakshuka?

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

Shakshuka

Eggs cooked in a soft, mild tomato sauce: one pan for the whole family, with your baby's egg cooked firm.

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

Quick answer

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

From 6 monthsLow choking risk as servedAllergen: Egg

How to serve shakshuka by age

6 months+

Firm egg strips with thick tomato sauce

Make the sauce with no-salt-added tomatoes, soft-cooked onion and pepper and mild ground spices, with no salt, and take your baby's sauce out before chili goes in. Cook your baby's egg until the white and yolk are both firm: leave it in the covered pan longer than the adults' eggs, or cook a thin omelet and cut it into strips. Mash the egg into a little thick sauce, or serve the strips with the sauce as a dip. Soft toast strips are good for dipping once wheat has been introduced on its own.

Size: Strips of firm-cooked egg about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in), or egg mashed into the sauce on a pre-loaded spoon.
Check before serving: Cut into the yolk. It should be firm all the way through, with no runny or wet egg. The sauce should be thick, with no firm pieces of pepper.

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 shakshuka

1
Wash your hands after handling raw eggs, and rinse vegetables under running water. If you serve toast strips for dipping before 12 months, check the bread label and skip loaves made with honey (not safe under 12 months, because of infant botulism).
2
Soften onion and pepper in a little oil, add mild ground spices such as cumin or paprika, then no-salt-added canned or fresh tomatoes. Simmer until thick and soft. Don't add salt or stock cubes.
3
Take your baby's portion of sauce out, then add chili and salt to the rest for the adults.
4
Make hollows in the sauce, crack in the eggs, cover and cook. Lift out the adults' eggs when they're done the way they like, and keep cooking your baby's egg until the white and yolk are firm. Egg dishes should reach 160°F (71°C). Let your baby's portion cool, then cut or mash it to their stage.
5
Offer egg on its own first, as on our egg page. 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

Start with a strip or two of egg and a spoonful of sauce. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Once egg has gone down well, the goal is to keep it in your baby's diet regularly, not to finish a portion.

Common mistakes

Giving your baby a runny yolk

The CDC lists raw or undercooked (runny) eggs as a riskier choice for children under 5, and says to cook eggs until the yolks and whites are firm. In the UK, the NHS says hens' eggs with the British Lion stamp can be given lightly cooked: see the note below. Other eggs should be cooked until the white and yolk are solid.

Salting the sauce or using a jarred one

Babies shouldn't have added salt, and the NHS says not to use stock cubes in their food. Jarred sauces vary: one brand of shakshuka sauce in FoodData Central has about 778 mg of sodium per 100 g (about 1.9 g of salt), above the NHS line for high salt (more than 1.5 g of salt per 100 g). The CDC says to choose canned foods labeled low sodium or no salt added. Make your baby's sauce from no-salt-added tomatoes.

Making your baby's portion spicy

The NHS mixed bean hot potato recipe (a mild bean chilli) for babies aged 7 to 9 months uses only ¼ teaspoon (or a pinch) of mild chilli powder for four baby portions. Our suggestion is to keep any more chili, harissa and hot peppers for the adults: add them after your baby's sauce is out.

Lots of feta on top

Feta is salty, and the NHS lists cheese among salty foods to eat less often or in small amounts. Babies under 1 should have less than 1 g of salt a day (NHS). We suggest leaving it off for babies, and keeping it to a small sprinkle of pasteurized feta for toddlers.

Where US and UK guidance differ on shakshuka

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

Cook eggs until the white and yolk are firm, and egg dishes such as shakshuka to 160°F (71°C) (CDC). The AAP says fresh baby food should be cooked with no added salt or seasoning, and no AAP page gives an age for spices. If you'd rather follow that closely, keep your baby's sauce plain until 12 months, or ask your pediatrician.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

Hens' eggs with the British Lion stamp can be served soft-cooked or runny. Other hens' eggs, and all duck, goose and quail eggs, should be cooked until the white and yolk are solid (NHS). The NHS mixed bean hot potato recipe (a mild bean chilli) for babies aged 7 to 9 months uses ¼ teaspoon (or a pinch) of mild chilli powder.

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

Questions parents ask

Can shakshuka be a choking hazard for babies?

Shakshuka is a low choking risk once the egg is cooked firm and cut to size and the vegetables are simmered soft. Cut the egg into strips or small pieces rather than serving it whole, chop any firm pieces of pepper, and serve bread as soft or lightly toasted strips. Stay with your child during meals.

Can babies be allergic to shakshuka?

Egg is one of the most common food allergens. Introduce well-cooked egg from around 6 months, one allergen at a time, and keep offering it regularly: the NHS says delaying egg beyond 6 to 12 months may increase the risk of an allergy. Offer egg on its own first, so you know what caused any reaction. Feta and other cheese toppings contain milk, and bread for dipping usually contains wheat. Egg can also trigger FPIES, a delayed reaction. It's a less common trigger in most countries, though it's the third most common in Australia: see when to call the doctor.

Is shakshuka healthy for babies?

The eggs bring protein: whole egg has about 12.6 g of protein and 1.75 mg of iron per 100 g (FoodData Central). Jarred sauces vary in salt: one brand of shakshuka sauce has about 778 mg of sodium per 100 g (about 1.9 g of salt), while a homemade sauce from no-salt-added tomatoes has no salt added.

Can babies eat shakshuka?

Yes, from around 6 months, once your baby has had egg on its own. Cook your baby's egg until the white and yolk are firm, make the sauce without salt, and keep chili for the adults.

Can babies have the runny yolk?

US and UK advice differs. The CDC says to cook eggs until the yolks and whites are firm for children under 5. The NHS says hens' eggs with the British Lion stamp can be given lightly cooked, and other eggs should be cooked until solid. See the note below.

Can I freeze shakshuka?

We suggest freezing the sauce on its own, for 2 to 3 months, like soups and stews (USDA FSIS). Thaw it in the fridge, heat it until steaming hot, then cook fresh eggs in it.

If your baby refuses shakshuka

Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
Try another form: egg strips with the sauce as a dip, or egg mashed into the sauce.
Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.
If your baby keeps refusing egg and you're relying on it as an early allergen, mention it to your pediatrician.

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

Buying and storing shakshuka

Cooked shakshuka keeps for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge.
Freeze the sauce without the eggs for 2 to 3 months, like soups and stews (USDA FSIS), and cook fresh eggs in it when you reheat it.
Reheat only once, to a rolling boil or 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 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 it until you've talked to your pediatrician.
Your baby vomits a few hours after eating 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 shakshuka?

Add it to your first 100 foods.

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