Prawns for Babies: When to Start and How to Serve Them Safely

• From around 6 months
• Allergen (shellfish)
• Thoroughly cooked, never raw

Prawns are shellfish, which can cause allergies. You can offer them from around 6 months, once your baby has started solids, one new allergen at a time. Always cook prawns thoroughly, until they’re pink and opaque all the way through, never raw or lightly cooked, and chop them finely, because whole prawns are rubbery. Ready-cooked and brined prawns can be salty, so plain raw prawns you cook yourself are best.

📲 4 Bibful recipes with prawns

How to serve it by age

1. 6–8 months

   ✋ Finger food (BLW)

   Soft, finger-length patties of finely chopped cooked prawn mixed with mashed potato.

   🥣 Purée or spoon

   Finely chop or blend thoroughly cooked prawns into mashed potato, rice or vegetable purée.

3. 9–12 months

   ✋ Finger food (BLW)

   Finely chopped cooked prawn in pieces about the size of a pea, or soft prawn fishcakes.

   🥣 Purée or spoon

   Mix finely chopped prawns into risotto, pasta or a soft omelette.

5. 12+ months

   ✋ Finger food (BLW)

   Thoroughly cooked prawns cut in half lengthwise, then into small pieces, so no piece stays round.

   🥣 Purée or spoon

   Stir chopped prawns into pasta, rice dishes and mild curries.

Have prawns at home? See what you can cook

Add a second ingredient to see matching Bibful recipes.

✓ 🦐 Prawns+ 🍝 Pasta+ 🫛 Peas+ 🍚 Rice+ 🌽 Sweetcorn+ 🫛 Green Beans

4 Bibful recipes with prawns

• 
  Lemon & Garlic Prawn Orzo17 min · from 6 months
• 
  Easy Prawn Cakes18 min · from 6 months
• 
  Steamed Prawn Köfte23 min · from 6 months

See the recipes in Bibful

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Preparation tips

• Always thoroughly cooked. Cook prawns until pink and opaque all the way through; never raw or lightly cooked.
• No round pieces. Whole prawns are rubbery and round; chop them finely, and from about 12 months cut them in half lengthwise first.
• Watch the salt. Brined, ready-cooked and breaded prawns are often salty; plain raw prawns you cook yourself are best.

• How to introduce allergens safely
• Foods to avoid before 12 months

Frequently asked questions

When can babies eat prawns?

From around 6 months, thoroughly cooked and finely chopped. Shellfish can cause allergies, so start with a little and watch for a reaction.

Is a fish allergy the same as a shellfish allergy?

No. Fish and shellfish are different allergens, and a baby can react to one but not the other. Introduce each one on its own.

What are the signs of an allergic reaction?

Signs can include hives or a rash, swelling of the lips or face, vomiting, or coughing and wheezing, usually soon after eating. If your baby has trouble breathing or swallowing, call emergency services straight away. For milder signs, stop giving prawns and speak to your GP.

More first foods

• 🍎 Apple
• 🥑 Avocado
• 🍌 Banana
• 🥩 Beef
• 🫐 Blueberries
• 🍞 Bread
• 🥦 Broccoli
• 🎃 Butternut squash
• 🥕 Carrot
• 🥦 Cauliflower
• 🌿 Celery
• 🧀 Cheese
• 🍗 Chicken
• 🫘 Chickpeas
• 🥥 Coconut
• 🥒 Courgette
• 🥚 Egg
• 🫛 Green beans
• 🍖 Lamb
• 🫘 Lentils
• 🥭 Mango
• 🥛 Cow’s milk
• 🥣 Oats
• 🍝 Pasta
• 🥜 Peanut
• 🍐 Pear
• 🫛 Peas
• 🥔 Potato
• 🫑 Red pepper
• 🍚 Rice
• 🐟 Salmon
• 🥬 Spinach
• 🍓 Strawberries
• 🍠 Sweet potato
• 🥄 Tahini
• Tofu
• 🍅 Tomato
• 🌰 Walnut
• 🥛 Yogurt

This page is general information, not medical advice. It follows NHS Start for Life and World Health Organization guidance on introducing solid foods. Always stay with your baby while they eat, and speak to your health visitor or GP if you have concerns about feeding, allergies or choking.