Pine Nut

Choking risk

Pine nuts are a high choking risk. They are small, hard, and smooth, which is the shape most likely to block an airway, and whole nuts are not served before age 4.

Serve them finely ground or blended smooth into a sauce, never whole. See how to serve for age-by-age prep.

Allergens

Pine nuts are a common food allergen. Botanically they are seeds, but the FDA groups them with tree nuts, so they appear on labels that way.^[3] There's no reason to delay them: waiting doesn't prevent allergies, and allergens can start alongside other solids from around 6 months.

Tree nuts are not one allergen. A reaction to pine nuts can happen on its own, without any allergy to almond, cashew, or the others - so each nut is introduced separately.

If your baby has severe eczema or an existing food allergy, check with your pediatrician before starting allergens.

Start with about 1/4 teaspoon of finely ground pine nut mixed into a familiar food, earlier in the day, not near bedtime. Wait 10 minutes, and if all looks well, carry on with the meal. Watch for a reaction over the next couple of hours. Build up gradually from there, and keep pine nuts in the diet a few times a week.^[2]

If baby refuses

Pine nut has a mild, buttery flavor that is rarely turned down. If baby is unsure, stir a little ground pine nut or homemade pesto into a familiar food like soft pasta or mash, then build up.

Pine mouth

Some people get a bitter or metallic taste in the mouth a day or two after eating pine nuts. It is harmless and it passes on its own, usually within a week or two, but while it lasts it makes everything else taste bitter too.^[7] If your baby eats pine nuts and then turns down foods they normally like, this is worth knowing about - it is easy to read as fussiness or as a reaction, and it is neither.