Can babies have tofu?

The verdict

Yes, and enthusiastically. Tofu is on the NHS list of protein foods suitable from around 6 months, alongside beans, beef, chicken, egg, fish, lamb, lentils, pork, pulses and turkey.

It is named elsewhere too, more often than most foods on this site. The Canadian Paediatric Society lists tofu among the iron-containing foods to start with, saying meat, poultry, cooked whole egg, fish, tofu and well-cooked legumes are good sources of iron and should be offered at least twice per day. HealthLink BC includes mashed cooked tofu among iron-rich first foods and cooked tofu among finger foods for 8 to 12 months. ASCIA lists tofu among the iron rich foods to offer around 6 months, and again among meat alternatives for the first year.

Why it is recommended rather than merely permitted

Iron is the reason. Iron stores laid down before birth begin to run down in the second half of the first year, and it is the nutrient every infant feeding guideline on this page returns to. The Canadian Paediatric Society warns that waiting past 6 months to introduce other foods increases a baby's risk of iron deficiency.

Tofu carries iron, protein and calcium, and it is soft enough to serve without the preparation that meat needs. For families who do not eat meat it is one of the most useful foods available at this age; the NHS notes that children who do not eat meat or fish are more likely to lack iron, which can lead to iron-deficiency anaemia and affect physical and mental development, and names beans, lentils and fortified cereals as alternatives.

Plant iron is absorbed less easily than iron from meat. The NHS distinguishes the two, describing iron found in meat and fish as easily absorbed and iron from plant foods as harder for the body to take up. Serving tofu alongside a source of vitamin C, such as broccoli, tomato or a little fruit, is the standard way to improve that.

How to serve it

Firm and extra-firm tofu holds its shape and can be cut into finger-width strips, which is the shape guidance asks for. The HSE describes finger food as cut into pieces big enough for a baby to hold in their fist with a bit sticking out, roughly the size of your own finger.

Silken tofu is soft enough to be blended or mashed straight into a puree, which suits a baby at the very start of weaning.

Cook it. Baking, pan-frying without salt, steaming or simmering all work, and cooking firms the surface so a strip holds together rather than crumbling into slippery pieces. The NHS's general instruction for children's food is to cook all food thoroughly and cool it until lukewarm before serving.

Avoid cubes of a size and firmness a baby might swallow whole. New Zealand's rule for compressible foods is to chop them to 8mm by 8mm or smaller, described as about half the width of a standard dinner fork, and while tofu is much softer than meat, a firm cube is still worth cutting small or serving as a strip instead.

The NHS also mentions tofu in a different context, listing it with legumes such as butter beans and chickpeas among firm foods worth grating, mashing, steaming or simmering for very young children.

Soya as an allergen

Soya is one of the common allergens, and every authority here lists it. The NHS names soya among the foods that can trigger an allergic reaction, alongside eggs, nuts and peanuts, cows' milk, gluten-containing foods, beans, lentils and peas, seeds, shellfish, fish, celery, mustard and sulphur dioxide.

The instruction is to introduce it, not to delay it. The NHS says these foods can be introduced from around 6 months as part of a baby's diet, just like any other foods, and that once introduced and tolerated they should become part of the baby's usual diet to minimise the risk of allergy. ASCIA lists soy among the common allergy causing foods to introduce in the first year, and asks for introduced allergens to be kept in the diet at least once a week.

Introduce tofu on its own rather than alongside two other new foods, so a reaction can be traced.

Soya formula is a different question

Eating tofu is not the same as using soy-based infant formula, and the guidance is different. The Canadian Paediatric Society says there is no evidence that soy-based formula will prevent a child developing an allergy, and that it should only be used as an alternative to cow milk-based formula in specific circumstances such as galactosemia, or where a baby cannot consume dairy for cultural or religious reasons. ASCIA says infant formula based on soy, goat or sheep milk, rice, oat, pea or coconut is not recommended for preventing food allergy.

Soya drinks are also not a milk substitute for a baby. The NHS says unsweetened calcium-fortified plant-based drinks including soya should be avoided before 12 months, and can be given from 12 months as part of a balanced diet.

What not to put on it

Soy sauce, which is the obvious pairing, is among the saltiest things in a kitchen and has no place in a baby's food. The NHS sets the limit for children under 1 year old at less than 1g of salt a day, and says not to add salt to a baby's food or cooking water and not to use stock cubes or gravy because they are often high in salt.

Marinades, teriyaki, hoisin and pre-flavoured tofu products are all seasoned for adults. Plain tofu cooked with herbs, garlic, mild spices or lemon is the version for a baby. Smoked tofu is usually salted.

Where guidance differs

It does not. Tofu is named as suitable by the NHS, the Canadian Paediatric Society, HealthLink BC and ASCIA, all in the context of first foods from around 6 months, and none of them restricts it.

The only variation is in emphasis. Canada and Australia name it primarily as an iron source and are the most explicit about offering iron-rich foods at least twice a day. The UK lists it as a protein food and also names it, with hummus and soya mince, among protein sources for young children. All of them treat soya as an allergen to introduce early rather than avoid.