🥜 Pine nuts
Allergen note
Pine nuts are seeds from pine cones and are usually grouped with tree nuts; allergy to them is less common than to peanuts, but reactions can be severe. From around 6 months, offer a small amount finely ground into a familiar food and keep offering it if there is no reaction. Talk to your pediatrician first if your baby has severe eczema or a known food allergy.
How to serve
From around 6 months, stir 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of finely ground pine nuts into purées, oatmeal or yogurt, or toss soft pasta with a smooth homemade pesto made with ground pine nuts, basil and olive oil and no added salt. From 12 months, sprinkle ground pine nuts over soft vegetables or rice. Wait until after age 5 to offer whole pine nuts.
Preparation
Toast pine nuts in a dry pan over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, because they burn quickly. Let them cool, then grind to a fine powder or blend into a smooth paste. They go rancid fast, so store them in the fridge or freezer, and buy from a trusted source: some pine nuts cause a harmless but unpleasant bitter taste that can last for days.
Texture and choking risk
Whole pine nuts are small, firm and slippery, so they are easy to inhale into the airway. Keep whole or chopped pine nuts away from children under 5, including when they are scattered over salads or pressed onto cookies. Serve them only finely ground or as a smooth paste mixed into soft food, and always supervise.
Starting ages are typical guidance for healthy, full-term babies who show signs of readiness. Your paediatrician may advise differently, especially where there is a family history of allergy.
Track first tastes and reactions
Log when your child first tries pine nuts, note any reaction and see it in the allergen tracker.
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