When can babies eat wild rice?

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

Wild rice

A dark, nutty grass seed. Cook it until it splits open, then mash it soft.

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

Quick answer

Babies can eat wild rice 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 wild rice by age

6 months+

Blended wild rice mixed into food

Cook wild rice until the grains have split open and are very soft, then blend it with some of the cooking water, breast milk or formula, or stir it into a smooth mash like sweet potato. Don't serve whole cooked grains.

Size: Blended or mashed to a smooth or slightly lumpy texture, served on a pre-loaded spoon or stirred into a food your baby already eats.
Check before serving: Rub a little between your thumb and finger. It should feel smooth or softly lumpy, with no whole, chewy grains.

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 wild rice

1
Rinse wild rice in a sieve under cold running water.
2
Simmer it in plenty of plain water, following the package, then keep cooking until most grains have split open and are very soft, adding more water if it dries out. Drain any extra water. Don't add salt or stock cubes.
3
Blend or mash it with a little cooking water, breast milk or formula to suit your baby's age, then let it cool.

How much to offer

Start with a teaspoon or two mixed into a familiar food. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Rotate wild rice with other grains, such as oats, barley, quinoa and couscous.

Common mistakes

Serving whole cooked grains

Cooked wild rice stays chewy, and the CDC lists whole kernels of cooked grains as a choking hazard for young children. Blend or mash it until no whole grains are left.

Undercooking it

Wild rice takes a long time to soften. Keep cooking until the grains split open and squash easily between your fingers.

Using seasoned wild rice mixes

Packaged rice mixes can contain wheat-based ingredients, and seasoning packets can add salt. Babies shouldn't have added salt. Use plain wild rice, or skip the packet and read the label.

Keeping cooked wild rice too long

The NHS treats wild rice like other rice, and many packs mix it with brown or white rice anyway. Cool leftovers within 1 hour, eat them within 1 day and reheat them only once.

Questions parents ask

Can wild rice be a choking hazard for babies?

Cooked wild rice is chewier than regular rice, and the CDC lists whole kernels of cooked grains as a choking risk for young children. The CDC advises cooking whole-grain kernels and finely grinding or mashing them for babies. Cook wild rice until it splits open and is very soft, blend or mash it into moist food, and stay with your child during meals.

Can babies be allergic to wild rice?

Wild rice is not a common allergen. Despite its name, it's a different plant from regular rice. It isn't wheat, barley or rye, the grains that contain gluten. If your child has celiac disease or a wheat allergy, read the label on packaged wild rice and rice mixes, which can contain wheat-based ingredients or pick up traces of gluten during processing.

Is wild rice healthy for babies?

Cooked wild rice provides carbohydrate for energy, some protein (about 4 g per 100 g), fiber (about 1.8 g) and zinc (about 1.3 mg). It has little iron (about 0.6 mg per 100 g), so serve it with iron-rich foods like meat, beans or lentils.

Is wild rice actually rice?

Not quite. Wild rice is the seed of a grass that grows in shallow water in North America, and it's a different plant from brown and white rice. Like other whole grains, it needs to be cooked very soft and mashed for babies.

Is wild rice gluten-free?

Wild rice isn't wheat, barley or rye, the grains that contain gluten. If your child has celiac disease, choose plain wild rice labeled gluten-free, and check rice mixes and seasoning packets, which can contain wheat.

Can babies eat wild rice every day?

Yes, as part of a varied diet. The AAP suggests switching up your baby's grains, such as oats, barley, couscous, quinoa, farro and bulgur.

If your baby refuses wild rice

Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
Mix it into a food your baby already likes, such as mashed sweet potato or lentils.
Try another form: smoother and blended, or mashed into soup.
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 wild rice

Keep uncooked wild rice in a sealed container in a cool, dry place.
Cool cooked wild rice quickly, ideally within 1 hour: spread it in shallow containers, then refrigerate. The NHS counts wild rice as a kind of rice, so eat it within 1 day and reheat it only once.
Or freeze cooked wild rice within 1 hour of cooking, for up to 3 to 4 months. Thaw it in the fridge, eat it within 24 hours of thawing and reheat it 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:

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 wild rice?

Add it to your first 100 foods.

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