Tomato swings from sharp and juicy raw to deep and sweet once cooked down. It is the backbone of shakshuka, Hong Kong baked pork chop rice and tomato egg udon soup, while cherry tomatoes go into an upside-down tart or get pickled in plum and soda syrup. Cook a sauce until the oil separates for depth, and add a pinch of sugar if it tastes thin.
Not a common allergen. It is not on the UK list of 14 foods that must be declared on labels.
How to serve Tomato to babies
6–8 months
Quartered lengthways
Quarter cherry tomatoes lengthways, never whole or in rounds.
9–11 months
Quartered lengthways
Still quartered lengthways.
12–24 months
Quartered lengthways
Quartered lengthways until about 5 years.
Watch out for
Prepare it rightunder 60 months
Cut small round fruits — grapes, cherries, berries, strawberries, cherry tomatoes — into quarters. Cut sausages in half and then lengthways, never into coins.
NHS Best Start in Life: preparing food safely for babies
Per 100 g from CoFID (13-596). Weaning guidance from NHS. Not medical advice.
Cooking with Tomato
Pairs well with
The ingredients that most often share a recipe with tomato on Nourishible.
A ripe tomato needs very little, but peeling and seeding one properly is the difference between a sauce that is silky and one with stray skins in it.
1Choose: Pick tomatoes that feel heavy for their size and smell sweet at the stalk end.
2Store: Many cooks keep ripe tomatoes on the worktop rather than in the fridge, because they find the cold dulls the flavour.
3Prep: Cut a small cross in the base, drop the tomato into just-boiled water for 10 to 15 seconds, then into cold water. The skin peels back from the cross with a fingernail.
4Prep: Quarter the tomato, scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon and dice the flesh into small, even pieces.
5Cook: For sauces, cook them down with a pinch of salt until thick. For salads, cut them just before serving so they do not weep.
Video: “How to de-seed and skin tomatoes - GoodFood.com - BBC Food” by Good Food on YouTube.
Answers are drawn from the sources named on this page. Not medical or veterinary advice.
When can babies eat tomato?+
The earliest stage on this page is 6–8 months: Quarter cherry tomatoes lengthways, never whole or in rounds.
How do I cut and serve tomato for my baby?+
6–8 months (Quartered lengthways): Quarter cherry tomatoes lengthways, never whole or in rounds.
9–11 months (Quartered lengthways): Still quartered lengthways.
12–24 months (Quartered lengthways): Quartered lengthways until about 5 years.
Is tomato a choking hazard for babies?+
Cut small round fruits — grapes, cherries, berries, strawberries, cherry tomatoes — into quarters. Cut sausages in half and then lengthways, never into coins. Source: NHS Best Start in Life: preparing food safely for babies.
