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Can babies eat garlic?
Garlic can be offered once your baby has started solids, prepared to suit their stage.
How to cook garlic for a baby
- Method
- Sauté or roast
- Ready in
- 5 Min.
- Texture
- Cooked into dishes
How you cut and serve garlic changes as your baby grows. That is set out age by age below.
How to prepare garlic, age by age
- 6 to 8 months
- Add one small crushed garlic clove to purées while cooking. It mellows beautifully when cooked.
- 9 to 11 months
- Use in cooked dishes — soups, stews, and sautéed vegetables.
- 12 to 17 months
- Continue using as a flavouring in all cooked meals. Roasted whole cloves can be mashed.
- 18 months and over
- Use freely in all cooked family meals as a flavouring ingredient.
Choking risk
Garlic is used as a flavouring in cooked dishes and poses no significant choking risk when cooked into meals. Never give raw garlic directly to babies.
Watch: How to avoid choking
Is garlic an allergen?
Garlic is not one of the main food allergens. Any new food can cause a reaction the first time it is offered, so give it on its own and stay with your baby while they eat.
Is garlic good for babies?
Garlic is one of the most beneficial flavouring foods you can introduce to babies. Its active compound allicin has antimicrobial and immune-supporting properties. Introducing strong flavours like garlic early helps babies become less fussy eaters as they grow. It is perfectly safe and traditional in cuisines worldwide.
- Manganese
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin B6
- Allicin
Storing garlic
In the fridge
5 Days. Cooked garlic dishes can be stored refrigerated for up to 5 days
In the freezer
3 Months. Freeze minced garlic in olive oil in ice cube trays for convenience
Baby recipes with garlic
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This page is general information based on NHS weaning guidance, not medical advice. Always stay with your baby while they eat. If you have concerns about allergies, choking or your baby's development, speak to your health visitor or GP.