Soursop
Creamy, tangy and tropical. Take out every seed and keep it an occasional fruit.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat soursop from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve soursop by age
6 months+
Seedless mash
Use only a ripe soursop that gives when you press it gently. Cut it open, scoop the white flesh away from the skin, and pick out every black seed and the firm core. Mash the flesh well with a fork and serve it on a pre-loaded spoon, or stir it into a food your baby already eats.
- Size
- A teaspoon or two of mashed, seedless flesh, on a pre-loaded spoon.
- Check before serving
- Squash a bit of flesh between your thumb and finger: it should flatten easily. Run a fork through the mash to check that no seeds or firm strands are left.
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+
Small soft pieces or mash
Offer small pieces of ripe, seedless soursop flesh for pincer-grasp practice, or stir the mash into oatmeal or plain full-fat yogurt (once dairy has been introduced on its own).
- Size
- Pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Each piece should squash flat between your thumb and finger, with no seeds.
12 months+
Small pieces or in dishes
Offer small pieces of ripe soursop, seeds removed, now and then (our suggestion), on their own or in a fruit salad with other soft fruit. Scoop it out for your toddler rather than handing over a piece of the whole fruit.
- Size
- Pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Check every piece for seeds.
18 months+
Bite-sized pieces or in dishes
Serve seedless soursop as an occasional fruit (our suggestion), in fruit salad or stirred into yogurt. Keep taking out every seed before it reaches your child, and throw away the skin. Make sure your toddler sits down to eat, and stay with them.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Check every piece for seeds.
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 soursop
- 1
Choose a soursop that gives a little when you press it. Rinse it under running water, gently rubbing the skin, and dry it before cutting.
- 2
Cut it open and scoop the flesh away from the skin with a spoon. Throw the skin away.
- 3
Pick out every seed and the firm core. The seeds are spread through the flesh, so work through it slowly.
- 4
Mash the flesh (6 months) or cut it into small pieces (9 months+). Run a fork through it for a final seed check. Don't add sugar.
How much to offer
Start with a teaspoon or two of mash. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Because of the annonacin question (see the FAQ below), our suggestion is to offer soursop now and then, not every day.
Common mistakes
Missing a seed
Soursop seeds are hard, spread all through the flesh, and not safe to eat: the FDA says they contain high levels of natural toxins (acetogenins) that make them inedible. The NHS says to always remove hard pips from fruit, and the CDC lists seeds as a choking hazard. Take every one out, and check the plate again before serving.
Giving soursop leaf tea or graviola supplements
Leaf tea and supplements are not food for babies or toddlers. In studies of adults in the Caribbean, soursop leaf tea was linked with parkinsonism, and a 2020 risk assessment in the EFSA Journal, written under a European food safety fellowship programme, said the available data don't allow a safe intake to be set for soursop supplements.
Giving soursop nectar or juice
The NHS advises avoiding fruit juice and sugary drinks for children aged 4 and under. The FDA reports that in 1990, 34 adults and children vomited within 15 minutes of drinking an imported soursop drink in which cells from the seeds were found. One study also found a can of commercial soursop nectar had more annonacin than a whole fruit.
Making it an everyday fruit
No health agency has set a limit for soursop fruit. Our suggestion is to keep it occasional and offer a wide range of other fruits.
Where US and UK guidance differ on soursop
United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting
For babies under 1, the AAP says that apart from mashed banana, most fruits should be cooked until soft, and it lists fruit chunks among foods to avoid under 1. If you follow US advice, mash ripe, seedless soursop well, or simmer it briefly and let it cool.
United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting
The NHS lists slices of soft fruit as finger foods from around 6 months and says to always remove hard pips from fruit. Use raw soursop only when it's fully ripe, with every seed out, and passes the squash test.
We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.
Questions parents ask
Can soursop be a choking hazard for babies?
Ripe soursop flesh is soft, but it is full of hard seeds and has a firm core. The NHS says to always remove hard pips from fruit, and the CDC lists seeds and pieces of hard raw fruit as choking hazards. The seeds also contain natural toxins (FDA), so don't let your child chew or suck on them. Take out every seed and the core, use only ripe fruit that squashes easily, cut it to the size for your baby's stage, and stay with your child during meals.
Can babies be allergic to soursop?
Soursop is not a common allergen.
Is soursop healthy for babies?
Raw soursop gives some fiber (about 3.3 g per 100 g), vitamin C (about 21 mg per 100 g) and potassium (about 278 mg per 100 g). It is not a major source of iron.
Is soursop safe for babies? I've read about annonacin.
Soursop contains annonacin, a natural compound that damaged nerve cells in rats given it by intravenous infusion. In the French Caribbean, studies of adults have linked eating soursop and related Annona fruits (such as sugar apple), and drinking their leaf tea, with an unusual form of parkinsonism. An earlier study, reported in a 2022 paper, found the risk was higher after the equivalent of about one fruit a day for 10 years or more. The 2022 study, of adults who already had Parkinson's disease or a related condition, found worse symptoms even with much smaller lifetime amounts of the fruit or juice, or with any leaf tea. These studies show a link, not proof that the fruit causes it, and none looked at babies or children. One study estimated about 15 mg of annonacin in an average fruit, 36 mg in a can of nectar and 0.14 mg in a cup of leaf tea. No health agency has set an age or a limit for the fruit. Our suggestion: small amounts of fresh, seedless fruit now and then, not every day, and never leaf tea, nectar or supplements.
Do I need to cook soursop for my baby?
Not if it's fully ripe and squashes easily: the NHS lists slices of soft fruit as finger foods from around 6 months. The AAP advises cooking most fruit until soft before 12 months, apart from mashed banana, so families following US advice can mash it well or simmer it briefly (see the guidance note below).
Can babies eat soursop seeds or skin?
No. Take out every seed and throw away the skin and seeds. The FDA says soursop seeds contain high levels of natural toxins (acetogenins) and are inedible, seeds are on the CDC's choking hazard list, and the NHS says to always remove hard pips from fruit. If your child chews or swallows seeds, see when to call the doctor below. Keep whole soursops and the seeds out of reach of babies and toddlers.
If your baby refuses soursop
- Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
- Soursop can be tangy. Try it stirred into oatmeal or yogurt instead of on its own.
- 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 soursop
- Ripen a firm soursop at room temperature. Once it gives when pressed, keep it in the fridge, at or below 40°F (4°C), and use it within a few days.
- Scooped, seedless soursop keeps for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge.
- Mashed soursop can be frozen in small portions and used within 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge and use it within 24 hours of thawing.
- 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 child has chewed or swallowed soursop seeds. Get advice straight away: in the US, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222; in the UK, the NHS says to call 999 or go to A&E if a child may have swallowed something harmful, or to call NHS 111 if you're not sure it's harmful. If they keep vomiting, are floppy or hard to wake, have trouble breathing or have a seizure, call your emergency number.
- You're thinking of giving soursop leaf tea or soursop (graviola) supplements for any reason. Talk to your pediatrician first: no safe intake has been set for soursop supplements.
- 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
- CDC: Choking hazards
- AAP: When can babies start solid foods?
- NHS: Your baby's first solid foods
- NHS: Preparing food safely for babies
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- USDA FoodData Central: Soursop, raw
- The Lancet: Possible relation of atypical parkinsonism in the French West Indies with consumption of tropical plants (1999)
- Journal of Neurochemistry: Annonacin induces nigral and striatal neurodegeneration in rats (2004)
- Movement Disorders: Quantification of acetogenins in Annona muricata linked to atypical parkinsonism in Guadeloupe (2005)
- Movement Disorders: Annonaceae consumption worsens disease severity and cognitive deficits in degenerative parkinsonism (2022)
- EFSA Journal: Risk assessment regarding the use of Annona muricata in food supplements (2020)
- FDA: Import Alert 31-03: Detention without physical examination of guanabana (soursop)
- Poison Control: Poisonous and non-poisonous plants
- NHS: Poisoning
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
- NHS Best Start in Life: Storing and reheating food
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