When can babies eat tomato?

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

Tomato

Juicy, bright and a little tangy. Ripe wedges are easy to squash and hold.

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

Quick answer

Babies can eat tomato 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 tomato by age

6 months+

Large ripe wedges, or cherry tomatoes quartered and flattened

Choose soft, ripe tomatoes. Cut large tomatoes into finger-sized wedges, scoop out any hard core, and peel off the skin: the NHS says removing skins makes food easier for young babies to swallow. Cut every cherry or grape tomato lengthwise into quarters and press each piece flat. You can also cook tomatoes down into a soft, unsalted sauce and serve it on a pre-loaded spoon or stirred into pasta.

Size: Wedges of a large ripe tomato about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in). Cherry and grape tomatoes cut lengthwise (top to bottom) into quarters, then pressed flat.
Check before serving: Squash a wedge between your thumb and finger. A ripe tomato flattens easily; if it feels firm, cook it until soft. Check the plate for any round cherry tomato pieces.

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 tomato

1
Rinse the tomatoes under running water, gently rubbing the skin, then pat them dry with a clean cloth or paper towel.
2
Cut large tomatoes into finger-sized wedges (6 months) or small pieces (9 months+), and remove the hard core near the stem.
3
Cut every cherry or grape tomato from top to bottom into 4 long quarters. For young babies, press each quarter flat.
4
If the tomato feels firm, cook it gently until soft. Don't add salt, and check the plate for any round pieces before serving.

How much to offer

Start with a wedge or two, or a few quartered cherry tomatoes. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Lots of squashing, sucking and dropping is normal at first.

Common mistakes

Serving cherry tomatoes whole or halved

Cherry and grape tomatoes are small and round, the shape that can block a child's airway. Cut each one lengthwise into quarters, every time.

Cutting them across into round slices

Round slices keep the shape that blocks airways. Always cut cherry tomatoes from top to bottom.

Using jarred sauce or canned tomatoes with added salt

Babies shouldn't have added salt. Choose canned tomatoes with no added salt, or make a simple sauce from fresh tomatoes.

Giving up on tomato after a red rash around the mouth

Acidic foods like tomato often cause redness where they touch the skin. This contact rash isn't an allergy. Wipe the skin, pause tomato for a few days, then try a small amount again. See the FAQ below for more.

Where US and UK guidance differ on tomato

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

For babies under 1, the AAP says that apart from mashed banana, most fruits and vegetables should be cooked until soft. If you follow US advice, cook tomato down into a soft sauce, or cook peeled wedges until they squash easily. Cherry and grape tomatoes are always quartered lengthwise.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

The NHS lists slices of soft fruit as finger foods from around 6 months, says to wash and peel raw fruit and vegetables, and says to cut small round foods like cherry tomatoes into quarters. Use only ripe tomato that 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 tomato be a choking hazard for babies?

Ripe tomato is soft, but cherry and grape tomatoes are small and round. The CDC lists uncut cherry or grape tomatoes as a choking hazard, and the NHS and UK early years guidance say to cut them lengthwise into quarters. Always quarter them, check the plate for round pieces, make sure your child sits down to eat, and stay with them.

Can babies be allergic to tomato?

Tomato is not a common allergen. Its acidity can cause a red rash around the mouth, chin or hands where the food touches the skin. This is a contact reaction, not an allergy, and it fades once the skin is wiped clean. People with a latex allergy can also react to some foods, and ACAAI lists tomato among them. If your child has a latex allergy, ask your pediatrician before offering it.

Is tomato healthy for babies?

Raw tomato gives some vitamin C and potassium: about 14 mg of vitamin C and 237 mg of potassium per 100 g.

Why does my baby get a red rash around the mouth after tomato?

Acidic foods like tomato often cause a contact rash where the food touches the skin. It isn't an allergy: it stays around the mouth, chin and hands, isn't swollen, and fades once you wipe the skin clean. Pause tomato for a few days, then try a small amount again, mixed into another food so less of it touches the skin. A thin layer of petroleum jelly around the mouth before meals can help. A rash that spreads beyond where the food touched, or raised hives, is different: talk to your pediatrician. Swelling of the lips, face, tongue or throat, breathing trouble, repeated vomiting, or a floppy baby needs your emergency number right away.

Can babies eat cherry tomatoes?

Yes, from around 6 months, but never whole or halved. Cut each one from top to bottom into 4 quarters, and press the quarters flat for young babies.

Do I need to peel tomatoes for my baby?

It's a good idea for young babies. The NHS says removing the skin makes fruit and vegetables easier to swallow, especially for very young children. Peel wedges, or cook the tomato into a sauce. If some skin gets through, you may see bits of it in your baby's diaper: the AAP says undigested tomato skins in the stool are normal.

Can babies eat tomato sauce?

Yes, homemade or with no added salt. Sauces and ketchup made for adults often contain added salt, so check the label or make your own from fresh or no-salt-added canned tomatoes.

If your baby refuses tomato

Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
Try it cooked into a soft sauce on pasta instead of as a raw wedge.
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 tomato

Refrigerate tomatoes once they're cut, at or below 40°F (4°C).
Cut tomatoes and cooked tomato sauce keep for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge. Rice dishes are the exception: cool them within 1 hour, keep them in the fridge for no more than 1 day, and reheat them only once.
Tomato sauce can be frozen in small portions for 2 to 3 months. Reheat 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:

A rash after tomato spreads beyond the skin the food touched, or turns into raised hives, and your baby otherwise seems well. That isn't a simple contact rash, so talk to your pediatrician before offering tomato again. If there's any swelling of the lips, face, tongue or throat, breathing trouble, repeated vomiting, or your baby becomes floppy or very sleepy, call your emergency number instead.
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 tomato?

Add it to your first 100 foods.