Cashews for Babies & Toddlers: Why We Would Serve This Nut Every Week

Cashews: the underrated nut that deserves a weekly spot

When we think about getting nuts into our little ones, peanut butter usually steals the spotlight. But cashews are one of the most underrated foods you can pop into your baby or toddler's weekly rotation. They're creamy, mild, easy to disguise in everyday meals, and they happen to be the most iron-rich of the popular nuts.

Here's why cashews earn a regular place in my own kids' diets, plus simple, budget-friendly ways to serve them each week.

When can babies have cashews?

Cashews can be introduced from around 6 months, as soon as your baby is showing signs of readiness for solids, but never whole or chopped. Whole and chopped nuts are a choking hazard and aren't recommended until around 3 to 5 years of age.⁽¹⁾ Instead, offer cashews as a smooth cashew butter (thinly spread or thinned into food) or finely ground into a powder.

Cashew nutrition: small nut, big value

Cashews pack a lot of nutrition into a tiny package, which is exactly what we want for babies who have big nutrient needs but small tummies. They provide:

• Iron - more than any other popular nut (more on this below).
• Healthy fats - important fuel for rapid brain development in the first years.
• Zinc - supports a healthy immune system and growth.
• Magnesium - for strong, growing bones.
• Copper - which actually helps the body absorb iron.
• Protein and fibre - for growth and happy digestion.

The iron bit: cashews are the most iron-rich nut

Iron is one of the trickiest nutrients to get enough of in the early days. A 7 to 12 month old baby has similar iron needs to an adult man, and iron deficiency is common in young children. Cashews are a brilliant little helper here. They contain around 6.7mg of iron per 100g, more than almonds (3.7mg), walnuts (2.9mg) or peanuts (just 1.5mg).⁽⁴⁾

The iron in nuts is non-haem (plant) iron, which isn't absorbed as easily as the iron in meat. The simple fix: serve cashews alongside a vitamin C food, like tomato, capsicum, kiwi, berries or citrus, to boost absorption. Want the full picture on iron? Read our guide, What's The Deal With Iron For Babies?

Cashew allergy is on the rise, and regular exposure helps

Cashew is now the most common tree nut allergy in Australia, and rates are climbing.⁽²⁾ In Australian research, around 1.5% of babies are allergic to cashew by their first birthday,⁽²⁾ rising to roughly 2.7% by the time they reach school age.⁽⁶⁾

Here's the encouraging part: introducing common allergens early (in the first year) and keeping them in the diet regularly has been shown to reduce the risk of a baby developing a food allergy. Since Australia's guidelines shifted to early introduction in 2016, peanut allergy in infants has dropped by around 16%.^(1,3) The catch? One Australian study found only 25% of babies had tried cashew by 12 months, so tree nuts are often the allergen that slips through the cracks.⁽²⁾

ASCIA (our peak allergy body) recommends introducing tree nuts like cashew in the first year as smooth nut butter, paste or finely ground nuts, never whole.⁽¹⁾ Introduce a new allergen at home, earlier in the day, starting with a small amount, and watch your baby for any reaction. If your baby has severe eczema or an existing food allergy, chat to your GP first. Not sure on the difference between an allergy and an intolerance? We cover it here.

Once cashew is safely introduced, the goal is regular exposure, roughly once a week.

Easy ways to serve cashews every week

This is where cashews shine. They're so easy to weave into food your family already eats. A few favourites:

• Grind them into a powder. Blitz cashews into a fine powder, store it in an airtight jar in the fridge, and sprinkle over porridge, yoghurt, fruit, scrambled egg or veggies for an instant iron and nutrition boost.
• Bake nut butter into muffins. Stir cashew (or ABC) butter through muffin or pancake batter. An easy way to keep exposure up that toddlers love.
• Use it as a toast spread. Spread smooth cashew butter thinly over toast fingers or crumpets. For more ideas see our 10 Toast Spreads For Baby.
• Turn it into a dip. Thin cashew butter with a little water, milk or yoghurt to make a dip for soft finger foods, veg sticks or fruit.
• Marinade meats. Mix nut butter into marinades for chicken or pork for a mild, satay-style flavour.
• Stir through sauces. A spoon of cashew butter makes a creamy, peanut-free satay sauce for noodles, stir-fries or drizzling over veggies.

Budget-friendly nut butters 

You don't need a fancy health-food-store nut butter. Both major supermarkets have great, affordable options particularly when it comes to cashews.

• Woolworths - Macro Natural Cashew Spread is 100% cashew no additives and $6 for 250g.
• Coles - Coles own cashew butter is 100% cashew nuts, no added extras and also comes in at $6 for 250g.

Keeping cashews safe

• No whole or chopped nuts until around 3 to 5 years.
• Offer smooth nut butter only, spread thinly or thinned into food, never a thick blob off the spoon.
• Introduce as a new allergen on its own, at home, and watch for a reaction.
• Always supervise your little one while they're eating.

Cashews for babies and toddlers: FAQs

When can my baby try cashews?
From around 6 months, as smooth cashew butter or finely ground cashew, never whole.

Are cashews a choking hazard?
Whole and chopped nuts are, yes. Ground cashews and smooth, thinly spread cashew butter are safe ways to serve them.

Cashew butter or peanut butter, which is better?
Both are great, and variety is ideal. Cashew butter offers more iron, while peanut butter is the most studied for allergy prevention. Rotating different nut butters exposes bub to more allergens.

How often should I offer cashews?
Once safely introduced, aim for regular exposure, at least once or even twice a week, to help maintain tolerance.

References

1. ASCIA - Introducing Solid Foods to Babies for Food Allergy Prevention (Fast Facts). allergy.org.au
2. Murdoch Children's Research Institute - Cashew and cow's milk allergy rates uncovered among Australian infants (EarlyNuts; ~1.5% of infants allergic to cashew by age 1). mcri.edu.au
3. National Allergy Centre of Excellence - Updated ASCIA Guideline aims to reduce food allergy risk in infants (2026). nace.org.au
4. USDA FoodData Central - Nuts, cashew nuts, raw (iron content). fdc.nal.usda.gov
5. healthdirect (Australian Government) - Tree nut allergy. healthdirect.gov.au
6. HealthNuts study (Murdoch Children's Research Institute) - Patterns of tree nut sensitisation and allergy in the first 6 years of life; cashew allergy 2.7% at age 6. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2019)