Udon
Thick, soft wheat noodles. Cook them in fresh water, skip the sachet and cut them short.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat udon from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve udon by age
6 months+
Soft noodles to grab
Cook udon in plenty of fresh, unsalted water until very soft, then drain. Leave out any soup sachet that comes with the pack. Offer a few finger-length noodles plain, or tossed with a smooth sauce with no added salt. Offer udon once your baby has had wheat on its own.
- Size
- A few noodles cut to about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in), or cut short and mashed into soft vegetables.
- Check before serving
- Squash a noodle between your thumb and finger. It should flatten easily, with no firm center.
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+
Short soft pieces
Chop soft udon into short pieces and mix them with soft vegetables, flaked fish (once your baby has had fish on its own) or finely shredded chicken. Thick udon pieces are easy to pinch up.
- 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.
12 months+
Udon in family meals
Take your toddler's noodles out before soy sauce or a soup base goes in, and serve them with a little water or homemade unsalted broth, only just warm. Cut long noodles short.
- Size
- Short pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or short strands.
- Check before serving
- No long noodles, and broth that's only just warm.
18 months+
Udon bowls, cut up
Offer udon the way your family eats it, with the noodles cut short and toppings soft and small. Keep salty broth to a spoonful, and skip hard, crispy toppings such as tempura bits.
- Size
- Short noodles and bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Noodles cut short, toppings soft, and broth only just warm.
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 udon
- 1
Check the label. Udon is made from wheat, some packs add egg, and the salt varies a lot between brands. Some packs come with a soup sachet: leave it out of your child's food.
- 2
Cook udon in plenty of fresh, unsalted water, a little longer than the package says, until very soft. Don't add salt or stock cubes.
- 3
Drain, let the noodles cool, and cut them to the right length for your baby's stage. Serve plain or with a smooth sauce with no added salt.
- 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 a few noodles. 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. Once wheat is in your baby's diet, keep offering it regularly.
Common mistakes
Using the soup sachet or stock cubes
Babies shouldn't have added salt, and the NHS says not to use stock cubes or gravy in their food. Leave the sachet out, and flavor udon with soft vegetables or homemade unsalted broth.
Not checking the salt
Udon sodium varies a lot between brands. In FoodData Central, one brand's dried udon has about 1,700 mg of sodium per 100 g (about 4.3 g of salt), while one brand's precooked udon has about 90 mg (about 0.2 g of salt). The NHS calls more than 1.5 g of salt per 100 g high, so compare labels, and cook udon in plenty of fresh water.
Serving long, slippery noodles
Long, thick noodles are slippery and hard for babies and toddlers to manage. Cut them with kitchen scissors: finger-length pieces at 6 months, short pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch) from 9 months.
Cooking them firm
Firm noodles are too hard for babies. Cook udon until a noodle squashes easily between your fingers.
Questions parents ask
Can udon be a choking hazard for babies?
Soft, well-cooked noodles are a low choking risk, and the NHS lists noodles among first finger foods. Udon are thick and slippery, so cook them soft and cut long noodles short. Skip hard, crispy toppings like tempura bits for babies: the CDC advises avoiding hard foods that are difficult to chew and swallow. Stay with your child during meals.
Can babies be allergic to udon?
Udon is made from wheat, one of the most common food allergens, and contains gluten. Some packs also contain egg (one brand in FoodData Central lists egg whites), and soup sachets can add other allergens, so read the label. Wheat can be introduced from around 6 months: offer it on its own first, in a small amount, and watch for signs of a reaction. If your baby already eats pasta or bread without a problem, plain udon isn't a new allergen. Once wheat is introduced, keep it in your baby's diet regularly. Wheat allergy is different from celiac disease, a digestive condition triggered by gluten.
Is udon healthy for babies?
Udon is mostly wheat starch for energy, with some protein: one brand's dried udon in FoodData Central has about 8.9 g of protein per 100 g before cooking. Across the brands we checked, sodium ranges from about 90 mg (about 0.2 g of salt) per 100 g in one brand's precooked udon to 1,700 mg (about 4.3 g of salt) per 100 g in one brand's dried udon before cooking, so compare labels for the same type of udon. The NHS says babies under 1 should have less than 1 g of salt a day, and children aged 1 to 3 no more than 2 g.
Can babies eat udon?
Yes, from around 6 months, once your baby has had wheat on its own. Cook it very soft in fresh, unsalted water, cut it short, and leave out the soup sachet.
Is udon salty?
It can be. One brand's dried udon has about 1,700 mg of sodium (about 4.3 g of salt) per 100 g as sold, and the NHS calls more than 1.5 g of salt per 100 g high. One brand's precooked udon has about 90 mg (about 0.2 g of salt). The NHS says babies under 1 should have less than 1 g of salt a day, and children aged 1 to 3 no more than 2 g. Compare labels, cook udon in plenty of fresh water, and skip the sachet and salty broth.
Does udon contain egg?
Most udon is made from wheat flour, water and salt, but some brands add egg white (one brand in FoodData Central lists it). If your baby hasn't had egg on its own yet, or has an egg allergy, check the label.
If your baby refuses udon
- Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
- Offer the parts separately: a few soft noodles and some soft vegetable pieces.
- Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.
- If your baby keeps refusing udon, offer wheat another way, such as soft pasta or toast strips.
Never force or pressure your baby to eat. Some days they'll eat more, some days less, and that's normal.
Buying and storing udon
- Keep dried udon in a sealed container in a cool, dry place, and fresh or precooked udon as the label says.
- Cooked udon keeps for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge.
- Cooked udon can be frozen for 3 to 4 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:
- Your baby has had any reaction to wheat, even a mild one. Stop offering udon until you've talked to your pediatrician.
- Your child has ongoing diarrhea, tummy pain or bloating, or isn't growing as expected, while eating foods with gluten. These can be signs of celiac disease.
- 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.
Last offered today. Once udon is in your baby's diet, keep offering it regularly.
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Helpful guides
Sources
- NHS: Your baby's first solid foods
- NHS: Food allergies in babies and young children
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- NHS: Food labels
- CDC: Choking hazards
- NHS: Coeliac disease
- NHS: Salt in your diet
- USDA FoodData Central: Japanese udon noodles (dried, branded)
- USDA FoodData Central: Sanuki udon noodles (precooked, branded)
- USDA FoodData Central: Japanese udon noodles with egg whites (branded)
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
- NHS Best Start in Life: Storing and reheating food
More first foods
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