When can babies eat tortilla?

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

Tortilla

Soft, foldable and easy to fill. Warm it, then cut it into strips for little hands.

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

Quick answer

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

From 6 monthsMedium choking risk as servedAllergen: Wheat

How to serve tortilla by age

6 months+

Soft strips, plain or filled

Warm the tortilla in a dry pan until soft and pliable, then cut it into narrow strips. You can fold a thin layer of something soft inside, like mashed beans or mashed avocado, and warm it through. For a thin quesadilla, wait until your baby has had cheese on its own, and use pasteurized cheese. Don't cook it crisp.

Size: Strips about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
Check before serving: Bend a strip. It should be soft and flexible, with no crisp or crunchy edges.

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 tortilla

1
Check the label. Flour tortillas contain wheat, and some are made with honey: no honey or foods made with it before 12 months (CDC), because of infant botulism. For a wheat-free option, choose tortillas made only from corn and check the ingredient list for wheat. Corn tortillas are also much lower in salt.
2
Warm the tortilla in a dry pan for about 20 to 30 seconds on each side, until soft and pliable.
3
Cut it into narrow strips (6 months) or small pieces (9 months+). Add a thin layer of a soft filling if you like.
4
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

For the very first taste, offer one or two strips. If there's no reaction, offer more next time. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. If you're using flour tortillas as an early wheat food, keep offering wheat regularly once it's in your baby's diet.

Common mistakes

Serving tortilla chips or hard taco shells

Corn chips are on the CDC's choking hazard list for young children, and the AAP says hard foods are a choking hazard for children under 4. Tortilla chips and hard taco shells wait until at least age 4 (after age 5 if you follow UK advice: UK early years guidance says children under 5 shouldn't be given crisps, and we suggest the same for hard shells). Serve tortillas soft and warm instead.

Cutting big pieces

Soft tortillas are chewy. Cut them into narrow strips, as the NHS advises for chapatis and other breads.

Assuming every tortilla is wheat-free

Flour tortillas are made from wheat. If you need a wheat-free option, choose corn tortillas and read the ingredient list and allergen statement.

Picking a salty brand

Flour tortillas can be much saltier than corn ones: about 736 mg of sodium per 100 g (about 1.8 g of salt), compared with 45 mg for corn, in USDA data. A whole quesadilla made with one medium (20 cm / 8 in) flour tortilla (about 49 g) and 25 g of cheddar has about 1.3 g of salt, and the NHS says babies under 1 should have less than 1 g a day, so offer a strip or two. Compare labels.

Questions parents ask

Can tortilla be a choking hazard for babies?

Soft tortillas are chewy, so cut them into narrow strips rather than big pieces. Crisp tortillas, tortilla chips and hard taco shells are hard and crunchy, and the CDC lists corn chips as a choking hazard for young children. Serve tortillas soft and warm, and stay with your child during meals.

Can babies be allergic to tortilla?

Flour tortillas are made from wheat, one of the 9 major food allergens in the US, and they contain gluten. Tortillas made only from corn are wheat-free and naturally gluten-free, so they can suit children with a wheat allergy or celiac disease. Always read the label, because wheat can get into corn products through cross-contact. Foods with gluten can be introduced from around 6 months, one new allergen at a time and in small amounts, so you can spot any reaction.

Is tortilla healthy for babies?

Flour tortillas have about 3.6 mg of iron per 100 g and added folic acid, but much more salt (about 736 mg of sodium per 100 g, or about 1.8 g of salt). Corn tortillas have less iron (about 1.2 mg per 100 g) but provide fiber (about 6 g per 100 g), some calcium and very little salt (about 45 mg of sodium).

Corn or flour tortillas for babies?

Both are fine from around 6 months, served soft and cut into strips. Corn tortillas are wheat-free and much lower in salt. Flour tortillas contain wheat, so they can also count as an early wheat food. The 2025–2030 US Dietary Guidelines, which are general advice for everyone rather than for babies, say to choose fiber-rich whole grains and cut back on refined carbohydrates such as white bread and flour tortillas.

Are corn tortillas gluten-free?

Corn is naturally free of gluten and wheat, so tortillas made only from corn are too. If your child has celiac disease, look for a 'gluten-free' label. In the US, foods labeled gluten-free must contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten.

Are tortilla chips safe for babies?

No. Tortilla chips and hard taco shells are hard and crunchy, and corn chips are on the CDC's list of choking hazards for young children. They wait until at least age 4, since the AAP says hard foods are a choking hazard for children under 4 (after age 5 if you follow UK advice). Serve soft tortillas instead. See our tortilla chips page.

If your baby refuses tortilla

Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
Try a thin quesadilla strip with a filling your baby already likes.
Switch types: try corn instead of flour, or the other way round.
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 tortilla

Store tortillas as the package says (some need the fridge), and use them by the date on the label.
Leftover quesadillas and filled wraps keep for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge.
Reheat leftovers only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let them 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 had any reaction to wheat, even a mild one. Stop offering flour tortillas and other wheat foods until you've talked to your pediatrician.
Your child has ongoing diarrhea, tummy pain or bloating, or isn't growing as expected, especially if a parent, brother or sister has celiac disease. Ask your doctor whether testing is needed.
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 tortilla?

Add it to your first 100 foods.