From the YummyYucky team, founded by Nancy Nash

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Can Babies Eat Pot Pie? Yes, From About 12 Months

Pot pie works from about 12 months. Frozen supermarket versions are the salty ones, and they are sold not ready to eat, so they need a thermometer rather than a guess. Homemade, with the salt kept low and the filling chopped small, it is a genuinely good baby dinner.

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When to introduce: From about 12 months
Common allergen?: Contains wheat and milk from the pastry and sauce, and often egg from the glaze
Texture: Soft filling under a flaky crust; chop the meat and vegetables small and mash any whole corn kernels
Key nutrients: Protein from the chicken and some vegetables, alongside a lot of sodium and saturated fat

Yes, babies can eat pot pie, usually from around 12 months, and the honest reason to wait is salt rather than anything alarming. A frozen supermarket pot pie is built for adult taste buds, and the CDC names frozen dinners specifically among the high-salt foods to keep away from young children.¹ There is a second thing worth knowing, which surprises most people: a frozen pot pie is sold not ready to eat, so it has to be cooked properly rather than warmed through. In 2007, an outbreak of Salmonella was traced to frozen pot pies.⁴ It made 401 people ill across 41 states, and most of those interviewed had cooked the pies in a microwave without getting the inside hot enough.⁵ None of this rules out pot pie. It tells you to bake it instead of microwaving it, to use a thermometer, and to keep the serving small. Homemade, with a light hand on the salt and the filling chopped down to pea size, pot pie is a soft, warm dinner that the whole table can eat.

Prep School: how to prepare pot pie for baby-led weaning (BLW) and purées

Around 12 monthsScoop out a small portion of filling with a little crust, chop the chicken and vegetables to pea size, and mash or leave out whole corn kernels, which the CDC lists as a choking hazard. Stir it well so the heat spreads evenly, then test it yourself: the filling holds heat long after the crust feels cool to touch. Serve it in a bowl with a preloaded spoon.

18 months and upYour toddler can manage bigger pieces of filling and short strips of crust. Keep skipping the outer rim of a store-bought crust, which is the driest and hardest part. If you are cooking a frozen pie, bake it rather than microwaving it, and check that the center reaches 165F on a food thermometer.

Making a baby version, from about 9 monthsHomemade is where pot pie gets good for a baby. Poach chicken with no salt, thicken the sauce with milk and a little flour rather than a bouillon cube, fill it out with soft carrot, peas and potato, and top it with pastry. Cook the poultry to 165F. Take your baby's portion out before you salt the rest, chop everything to pea size, and skip the egg wash on their corner if egg is still new.

🍪 The filling, without the salty pastry →

Is pot pie safe? Choking & prep

Three things matter here, and the first is the one nobody expects. A frozen pot pie is a not-ready-to-eat product, which means it needs cooking rather than reheating, and a microwave heats unevenly and leaves cold spots. In 2007 an outbreak was traced to Banquet brand frozen pot pies.⁴ It left 401 people across 41 states ill with Salmonella, and 77 percent of those interviewed had cooked the pies in a microwave, most of them without knowing their oven's wattage.⁵ Bake your pie in the oven, allow the full standing time, and check that the center reaches 165F with a food thermometer, which is the safe temperature for poultry.³ Second, sodium. The CDC advises against feeding foods high in salt to young children and names frozen dinners as an example,¹ and the NHS says not to add salt to a baby's food or to use stock cubes and gravy, which is most of what a commercial filling tastes of.² Keep the portion small and lean toward homemade, where you control the salt. Third, texture and temperature. Pot pie filling stays scalding hot in the middle long after the crust feels cool, so stir it and test it yourself before serving. Chop the meat and vegetables to pea size, because the CDC lists tough or large chunks of meat and whole corn kernels among the choking hazards for this age, and skip the hard outer rim of the crust.⁶ The AAP sets the general rule at pieces no bigger than half an inch, with an adult sitting with the child at every meal.⁷ Cutting food small reduces the choking risk rather than removing it, so keep your baby seated upright and stay with them while they eat. On allergens, pot pie is built on wheat and milk, often carries egg from the wash brushed over the pastry, and commercial crusts often contain soy. If wheat, milk or egg are new to your baby, introduce each on its own in a simpler food first.

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Nutrition

A pot pie is a real mix of good and less good. The filling brings protein from the chicken, along with carrot, peas and potato, so it is a more complete plate than it looks. The sauce is usually made with milk or cream and thickened with flour, which adds calcium and carbohydrate, and the pastry adds energy in the form of fat and refined flour. Against that, a commercial pot pie carries a lot of sodium and a fair amount of saturated fat for a small body, which is the reason to keep the store-bought version occasional and small.¹ A homemade pie flips the balance: unsalted poached chicken, a milk-based sauce and plenty of soft vegetables give you the same comfort food with a fraction of the salt.

Goes well with

Green beans · Carrot · Peas · Broccoli · Applesauce · Yogurt (whole milk)

Storage & freezing

Refrigerate leftover pot pie in a sealed container and use it within 3 to 4 days. It freezes for up to about 3 months, though the crust softens on thawing, so freeze the filling on its own if you care about texture. Reheat in the oven until steaming hot all the way through rather than in the microwave, which is where the cold spots come from, then let it cool and test the temperature yourself before serving. Do not refreeze a pie you have already thawed, and do not leave a cooked pie out at room temperature for more than about 2 hours.

More grains to explore

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PretzelsFrom about 12 months

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PupusaFrom about 9 months

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QuesadillaFrom about 9 months (some wait until 12 months for restaurant/salty versions)

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Cheese ravioliFrom about 9 months (some wait to 12 for sodium and processing)

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Proso millet6 months+

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Baby puffsAround 6 months, once baby sits up well and brings food to the mouth

Introducing this allergen

Common questions

Can babies eat pot pie?

Yes, from about 12 months. Serve a small portion with the chicken and vegetables chopped to pea size, mash or skip whole corn kernels, and stir the filling so no part of it is scalding. Homemade with low salt is much better than a frozen one.

At what age can a baby have chicken pot pie?

Around 12 months for a typical store-bought or restaurant pie, mostly because of the salt. A homemade low-salt version with soft chopped filling suits an earlier eater, so a lot of families share the filling from around 9 months, well before they share a bought pie.

Are frozen pot pies safe for babies?

Only if you cook them properly. Frozen pot pies are sold not ready to eat, so they need cooking rather than warming, and a 2007 Salmonella outbreak was traced to people microwaving them without the inside getting hot enough.⁴⁵ Bake it, allow the standing time, and check for 165F in the center with a thermometer.³ Then keep the serving small, because these are high in salt.

Is pot pie too salty for a baby?

The frozen and takeout versions usually are. The CDC advises against high-salt foods for young children and names frozen dinners as an example, and the NHS says not to add salt to a baby's food or use stock cubes.¹² Keep those occasional, and make your own when you can, leaving your baby's portion unsalted.

What allergens are in pot pie?

Wheat in the pastry and the thickener, milk in the buttery crust and the cream sauce, and often egg from the wash brushed on top. Commercial crusts often contain soy as well. Check the label, and introduce anything new on its own first.

Is pot pie crust a choking hazard?

The hard outer rim is the part to respect, along with any tough chunks of meat or whole corn kernels in the filling, all of which the CDC lists.⁶ Serve short strips of the softer inner crust, chop the filling to pea size, and stay with your baby while they eat.

How do I make a low-salt pot pie for my baby?

Poach chicken in plain water with a bay leaf instead of using stock cubes, thicken the sauce with milk and flour, and build it out with carrot, peas and potato. Take your baby's portion out, then season the rest of the pie for everyone else.

Why is the filling so hot when the crust feels cool?

The pastry insulates the filling, so the outside cools long before the middle does. Scoop your baby's portion into a separate bowl, stir it, leave it a few minutes and test it yourself before it goes anywhere near them.

Sources

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Last updated September 2026. Next review December 2026. How we write these: built from current published guidance from the AAP, CDC, FDA/EPA, NIAID, WHO, and other pediatric and public-health authorities, with sources cited on the page. See our editorial and medical policy for how we research, source, and update these, and how we double-check the food advice.

This is general information, not medical advice, and is not individualized for your baby. Always talk to your pediatrician about your baby's diet, introducing allergens, and any reaction. In an emergency, contact emergency services.

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