When can babies eat tzatziki?

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

Tzatziki

Cool yogurt with grated cucumber. Made at home without salt, it's an easy dip from 6 months.

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

Quick answer

Babies can eat tzatziki 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: Milk

How to serve tzatziki by age

6 months+

Homemade, unsalted, on a spoon or as a dip

Once dairy has been introduced on its own, stir finely grated, peeled cucumber into plain, full-fat pasteurized yogurt. Add a little finely chopped dill or mint if you like, and no salt. Leave raw garlic out for now, or stir in a little garlic cooked soft in olive oil and cooled (see our garlic page). Serve it on a pre-loaded spoon, or as a dip for soft-cooked carrot, zucchini or sweet potato sticks.

Size: Thick on a pre-loaded spoon, or as a dip for soft-cooked vegetable sticks about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
Check before serving: Rub a little between your thumb and finger: the cucumber should be finely grated, with no hard pieces. Squash a dipping stick: it should flatten easily.

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 tzatziki

1
Choose plain, unsweetened, full-fat yogurt made from pasteurized milk. Greek yogurt makes a thicker dip.
2
Wash your hands. Scrub the cucumber under running water, then peel it and grate it finely. Squeeze out some of the water so the dip isn't runny.
3
Stir the cucumber into the yogurt with a little chopped dill or mint and a drizzle of olive oil. Don't add salt. For babies under 12 months, leave out raw garlic, or add a little garlic cooked soft in oil and cooled.
4
Keep it in the fridge until you serve it.
5
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 teaspoon or two on a spoon or as a dip. If dairy is new, offer plain yogurt on its own first, then tzatziki once it has gone well. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth.

Common mistakes

Using shop-bought tzatziki for babies

FoodData Central lists tzatziki dip at about 307 mg of sodium per 100 g (about 0.8 g of salt), and one brand's at about 300 mg (about 0.75 g of salt); that brand also lists cane sugar. Plain whole-milk yogurt has about 46 mg of sodium. Babies under 1 should have less than 1 g of salt a day (NHS), and US and UK advice is to avoid added sugar up to age 4, so make your own without salt or sugar.

Chopping the cucumber into chunks

Raw cucumber is firm, and the CDC lists pieces of hard raw vegetables as a choking hazard. Grate it finely, with no hard pieces.

Using unpasteurized yogurt

The CDC says not to give young children unpasteurized yogurt, milk or cheese, which can carry harmful bacteria that cause severe diarrhea. Check the label says pasteurized.

Lots of raw garlic for a baby

The AAP says fresh baby food should be cooked with no added seasoning. For babies, leave garlic out or cook it first. No official source gives an age for raw garlic: our suggestion is a little finely grated raw garlic in family tzatziki from 12 months.

Where US and UK guidance differ on tzatziki

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

For babies under 1, the AAP lists raw vegetables among foods to avoid and says fresh baby food should be cooked with no added salt or seasoning. If you follow US advice closely, steam the peeled cucumber until soft before grating or mashing it in, and leave garlic and herbs out until 12 months, or ask your pediatrician. The CDC says not to give young children unpasteurized yogurt.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

The NHS says full-fat plain yoghurt can be given from around 6 months, and to wash and peel raw fruit and vegetables. It says not to add salt to your baby's food, and its salt advice suggests herbs, garlic and lemon juice to add flavor instead.

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

Questions parents ask

Can tzatziki be a choking hazard for babies?

Tzatziki is a low choking risk when the cucumber is finely grated. Raw cucumber is firm, and the CDC lists pieces of hard raw vegetables as a choking hazard, so never leave chunks or slices in your child's portion. Serve it with soft foods for dipping, not hard raw vegetables or crackers. Stay with your child during meals.

Can babies be allergic to tzatziki?

Tzatziki is made from yogurt, so it contains milk, one of the most common food allergens. Plain yogurt can be given from around 6 months (NHS), so offer it on its own first, a small amount at a time, then tzatziki once it's gone well. Most reactions start within a few minutes to 2 hours, but with cow's milk allergy, symptoms can take up to 3 days to appear (NHS). Some tzatziki is made with sheep's or goats' milk yogurt, and the ACAAI says people allergic to cow's milk may also be allergic to these. If your baby has eczema or a food allergy, or there's a family history of food allergies, eczema, asthma or hay fever, the NHS says to talk to your GP or health visitor first. Once dairy is in your baby's diet, keep it there.

Is tzatziki healthy for babies?

Mostly yogurt and cucumber: 100 g of tzatziki dip has about 5 g of protein, 6 g of fat and 70 mg of calcium, with about 307 mg of sodium (about 0.8 g of salt). Plain whole-milk yogurt has about 121 mg of calcium per 100 g. Tzatziki isn't a source of iron.

Can babies eat tzatziki?

Yes, from around 6 months, homemade: plain, full-fat pasteurized yogurt with finely grated cucumber, no salt, and garlic left out or cooked. Offer plain yogurt on its own first. Shop-bought tzatziki has added salt, so keep it for after 12 months, in small amounts. Some brands also add sugar, which US and UK advice says to avoid up to age 4, so check the ingredients.

Is raw garlic OK for toddlers?

No official source gives an age for raw garlic. Our suggestion is to cook garlic, or leave it out, for babies under 12 months, then add a little finely grated raw garlic to family tzatziki from 12 months. Start with a small amount: raw garlic tastes much stronger than cooked.

Can I use Greek yogurt?

Yes, if it's plain, unsweetened, full-fat and made from pasteurized milk. It makes a thicker dip that stays on a spoon well. The AAP names whole milk yogurt or Greek yogurt as a way to introduce dairy before 1 year.

Do I need to peel the cucumber?

For babies, yes. The NHS says to wash and peel raw fruit and vegetables. Scrub the cucumber under running water first, then peel and grate it finely.

If your baby refuses tzatziki

Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
Try it as a dip for soft-cooked vegetables, or spooned onto a food they already like.
Leave out the garlic and herbs at first, then add them a little at a time.
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 tzatziki

Keep yogurt and tzatziki in the fridge, at 40°F (4°C) or below.
Homemade tzatziki keeps for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge. The cucumber makes it watery over time: stir it before serving.
Keep shop-bought tzatziki in the fridge, and follow the label for how long it keeps once opened.
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 milk products, even a mild one. Stop offering them until you've talked to your pediatrician.
Your baby vomits a few hours after eating dairy. This can be FPIES, a delayed type of food allergy that milk can trigger. 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 tzatziki?

Add it to your first 100 foods.

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