How To Introduce Peanuts to Babies - Starting Solids

Introducing Peanuts

Peanuts are often one of the foods parents feel most nervous about when starting solids. Because peanut allergy is widely talked about, it can feel like a big milestone — but for most babies, peanuts can be introduced safely and become an easy, nutritious food to include regularly.

Fun fact: peanuts are actually not a nut, but a legume, meaning they belong to the same food family as peas and lentils.

With the right preparation and safe serving methods, peanuts can be a simple addition to your baby’s diet.

Nutrition

Peanuts are a nutritional powerhouse for growing babies. They provide protein and healthy fats that support growth and development, along with fibre to support gut health.

They’re also rich in important nutrients including zinc, B vitamins, magnesium, folate and vitamin E, which support immune function, heart health and brain development.

Are Peanuts an Allergen?

Yes — peanuts are considered a major food allergen and are often the food people most associate with severe allergic reactions.

While this can sound scary, it helps to look at the numbers. Around 10% of infants in Australia will have a food allergy, and approximately 3% will have a peanut allergy. This means that 97% of children do not have a peanut allergy.

We share this not to minimise the importance of introducing allergens safely, but to help reduce unnecessary fear. Having a plan in place and knowing what to look for is important — but there is no need to introduce peanuts outside an emergency department.

Why Early Introduction Matters

Peanuts are not only nutritious, but early introduction may actually help reduce the chance of allergy developing.

Research has shown that introducing peanut before 12 months of age — particularly for babies with severe eczema or an existing egg allergy — can reduce the likelihood of peanut allergy developing by around 80%.

Regular exposure after introduction helps the immune system learn that the food is safe.

How to Serve Peanuts Safely

Whole peanuts and thick nut butters can be a choking risk for babies, so peanuts should always be offered in safe forms.

6–12 months

Peanuts should be served as:

• Smooth peanut butter or peanut paste (no chunks)

• Spread thinly or mixed into other foods to reduce stickiness

Peanut butter can be quite thick and sticky, so avoid offering large blobs on their own. Instead try:

• Mixing into yoghurt or porridge

• Stirring through vegetable purées

• Thinning with breastmilk, formula, water or milk

• Spreading thinly on toast or soft foods

You can also use finely ground peanuts or peanut flour to roll slippery foods in, helping with grip while adding flavour and nutrition.

When choosing peanut butter, aim for varieties containing 100% peanuts with no added salt, where possible.

12 months +

Continue offering peanuts in the same safe forms.

At this stage you may not need to thin peanut butter as much, but large spoonfuls can still be difficult to manage, so continue spreading thinly.

Crunchy peanut butter should still be avoided due to the choking risk from nut pieces.

5 years +

Whole nuts are best avoided until around 5 years of age due to choking risk.

When introducing whole nuts:

• Start with nuts split in half

• Encourage slow chewing

• Offer only when seated and supervised

• Avoid eating while walking or playing

Crunchy peanut butter is generally appropriate from this age.

Maintaining Peanut Exposure

Once peanuts have been introduced and tolerated, aim to include them regularly as part of your child’s diet — at least once per week.

This doesn’t need to be perfectly scheduled. Including peanuts naturally within meals and snacks is enough to help maintain exposure.

Helpful Resources

You might also find these guides helpful:

• Buying Peanut and Nut Butter for Babies

• Intolerances and Allergies — Are They the Same Thing?

• Super Easy Peanut Butter Bars

References

1. Ros E. Health benefits of nut consumption. Nutrients. 2010.
2. Arya SS et al. Peanuts as functional food: a review. J Food Sci Technol. 2016.
   Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia — Peanut Allergy Information.
3. Du Toit G et al. Randomized trial of peanut consumption in infants at risk for peanut allergy. New England Journal of Medicine. 2015.
4. O'Connor C et al. Population impact of the LEAP protocol. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2016.
5. ASCIA Guide to Peanut Introduction.