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From the YummyYucky team, founded by Nancy Nash

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Can Babies Eat Raita? From 6 Months, Hold the Salt

Raita is a friendly early food, because underneath the cucumber and cumin it is mostly plain yogurt, and dairy foods like yogurt can start around 6 months. The catch is the family bowl: it is usually salted, sometimes spiked with chili or chaat masala, and boondi raita adds crisp fried pearls. Spoon out a plain baby bowl first, and your baby gets the same cool side dish as everyone else.

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When to introduce
Around 6 months, as a plain baby bowl: plain yogurt, finely grated cucumber and a pinch of roasted cumin, with no salt or chili.
Common allergen?
Yes, milk (from the yogurt). Boondi is made from chickpea flour, which is not one of the nine major allergens, but packets vary, so read the label.
Texture
Smooth, spoonable yogurt with soft grated cucumber. Raw onion pieces and crisp boondi are the parts that need work.
Key nutrients
Protein, fat and calcium from whole-milk yogurt. Cucumber is mostly water, and the bowl has almost no iron.

Yes. Most babies can start dairy foods around 6 months, and the AAP calls plain, whole-fat yogurt a good first form of cow's milk protein for babies to try.1 Raita is that yogurt with a few friends stirred in: cucumber in cucumber raita, onion and tomato in another, crisp boondi in a third, plus roasted cumin and often chili or mint. A plain baby version, whole-milk yogurt with finely grated cucumber and a pinch of ground roasted cumin, works from about 6 months. The part that needs your attention is the grown-up bowl. It is usually salted, sometimes with black salt or chaat masala, and a quarter teaspoon of table salt carries about 580 mg of sodium,6 more than the 370 mg a day the National Academies set as an adequate intake for babies 7 to 12 months.5 So make the baby's bowl first, then season the rest. Your baby gets the same cool, tangy side dish as the rest of the table, minus the salt.

⚠️ The family raita is usually salted, and black salt and chaat masala are salt too. A quarter teaspoon of table salt carries about 580 mg of sodium, more than the 370 mg a day the National Academies set as adequate for babies 7 to 12 months.65 Spoon your baby's portion out before any salt, chili or chaat masala goes in.

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

🍴 Baby-led weaning

Around 6 monthsIf yogurt or cucumber is new to your baby, offer each on its own first, one new food at a time with at least a day before the next. Then make a thick baby bowl: plain whole-milk yogurt, peeled cucumber grated finely and squeezed so it stays scoopable, and a small pinch of ground roasted cumin. No salt, black salt, chaat masala or chili. Hand your baby a preloaded spoon to bring to their mouth, or offer the raita as a dip for soft finger foods like steamed sweet potato strips.
9 monthsFinely dice peeled cucumber instead of grating it, chop ripe tomato small, and grate raw onion or soften it in a pan first, since pieces of hard raw vegetables are a choking hazard. Strain any mustard seeds and curry leaves from the tempering out of your baby's bowl. Spoon raita over soft rice your baby can rake up, or set it out as a dip with soft idli pieces. Still no salt or chili.
12 months+Your toddler can scoop from a small bowl of the family raita, spooned out before the salt goes in or kept lightly salted, since heavily salted food is still best skipped. Small diced cucumber is fine now. If your family likes heat, add a whisper of chili and let your toddler set the pace. Keep them seated and stay with them while they eat.
Boondi raita (12 months+)Leave boondi out before 12 months: crisp boondi from the packet is small, hard and crunchy, and it is fried and salted. From 12 months, soak a spoonful in warm water until soft, squeeze each one gently, and press it flat before stirring it into the raita. A spoonful is the whole portion. Keep your toddler seated and stay with them.

🥄 Purées

Around 6 monthsIf yogurt or cucumber is new to your baby, offer each on its own first, one new food at a time with at least a day before the next. Then stir peeled, very finely grated cucumber and a small pinch of ground roasted cumin into plain whole-milk yogurt, or blend the two smooth for the first spoonfuls. No salt, black salt, chaat masala or chili. Spoon-feed it on its own or swirl it through a vegetable mash.
9 monthsMove to a thicker, lumpier raita: finely grated or finely diced peeled cucumber, ripe tomato chopped small, and raw onion grated or softened in a pan first, since pieces of hard raw vegetables are a choking hazard. Strain any mustard seeds and curry leaves from the tempering out of your baby's bowl. Stir it through khichdi, soft rice or mashed dal. Still no salt or chili.
12 months+Offer a spoonful of the family raita, spooned out before the salt goes in or kept lightly salted, since heavily salted food is still best skipped. Chop the cucumber into small pieces rather than grating it as chewing improves. If your family likes heat, add a whisper of chili and let your toddler set the pace. Keep your toddler seated and stay with them.
Boondi raita (12 months+)Leave boondi out before 12 months: crisp boondi from the packet is small, hard and crunchy, and it is fried and salted. From 12 months, soak a spoonful in warm water until soft, squeeze each one, and mash it into the raita so no whole pearls are left. A spoonful is the whole portion. Keep your toddler seated and stay with them.

Is raita safe? Choking & prep

Raita is made with yogurt, so it carries milk, one of the nine major food allergens.11 That is no reason to wait: most babies can begin dairy foods around 6 months, and plain, whole-fat yogurt is a good first form of cow's milk protein.1 The AAP lists yogurt among the highly allergenic foods you can start once your baby handles a few first foods, and suggests keeping them in the diet routinely once they are in. If your baby has had severe, persistent eczema or an immediate allergic reaction to a food such as egg, talk with your pediatrician first.2 If yogurt is new, offer it plain on its own before raita. After a new allergen, watch for about two hours. Call 911 (or your local emergency number) right away if any of these show up soon after a food, on their own or together: swelling of the lips, face, eyes, or tongue; swelling or tightness in the throat, or trouble swallowing; vomiting; hives that spread beyond the mouth and face; trouble breathing, noisy breathing, or wheezing; a cough that keeps going; a hoarse voice; skin or lips that turn pale or blue; or a baby who goes floppy or limp, or is suddenly sleepy or hard to wake. If the only sign is a new rash or a few hives around the mouth or face, stop the food, watch your baby closely, and call your pediatrician. If anything else about your baby worries you, call 911.131415 Salt is the second thing. The family bowl is usually salted, and black salt (kala namak) and chaat masala are salt too: every chaat masala label we checked lists salt or black salt. A quarter teaspoon of table salt carries about 580 mg of sodium,6 and the National Academies set the adequate intake for babies 7 to 12 months at 370 mg a day, rising to 800 mg at ages 1 to 3.5 The CDC says to avoid feeding foods high in salt to young children,4 and the AAP's advice is no added salt in a baby's first foods and limiting processed foods made for adults, which often contain more salt.3 So the baby bowl comes out before the salt goes in, and after 12 months the salt stays light.9 Shape is the third thing. The yogurt is smooth, but the add-ins are not always: the CDC lists pieces of hard raw vegetables, and chips, pretzels and similar snack foods, among choking hazards, and says to avoid small, hard foods.7 That covers firm cucumber chunks, raw onion pieces and crisp boondi. Grate the cucumber and onion for a young baby, soak and mash boondi from 12 months, cut anything else into pieces no larger than half an inch, and keep your child seated and supervised at every meal.8 If you set dahi at home, use pasteurized milk: the AAP recommends only pasteurized milk and dairy products for children, and lists yogurt made from unpasteurized milk among the high-risk milk products to avoid.10 Use plain, unsweetened yogurt too, since the CDC says infants and young children should not have added sugars and names flavored yogurts as an example.4 Last, packet boondi varies. It is made from chickpea flour, which is not one of the nine major allergens,11 but one brand we checked fries it in an oil blend that includes peanut oil, so read the label, and ask your pediatrician if your child has a peanut allergy.

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Nutrition

Raita is mostly yogurt, and plain whole-milk yogurt is real food: per 100 g, about 3.5 g of protein, 3.3 g of fat and 121 mg of calcium, with only 46 mg of sodium of its own.6 Peeled cucumber is about 97% water, so it brings coolness and texture more than nutrients.6 What raita does not have is iron. Yogurt has almost none (0.05 mg per 100 g), so let raita be the side to something that does, like mashed lentils at about 3.3 mg per 100 g.6 The flavor is the bigger win. Raita shows a baby that yogurt can be savory, and roasted cumin and a little mint add flavor without any salt. It also cools down the rest of the plate, which is why it sits next to biryani and spicy dal, and it can do the same job for a baby meeting family food. Log the try in YummyYucky with the date and a yummy, meh or yucky, and you can see whether the face changes as the cumin creeps up.

Goes well with

Khichdi · Moong dal · Rice · Idli · Sweet potato · Lentils

Storage & freezing

Raita is best made fresh, and the baby bowl takes about two minutes. Grated cucumber keeps giving off water, so leftover raita turns thin and watery. Cover it, keep it in the fridge, and use it within a day or two, the same as cut cucumber. Do not leave a bowl at room temperature for more than two hours, or one hour if the air is above 90°F. Keep boondi in its sealed packet and soak only what you are using, since soaked boondi goes soggy fast. If you set dahi at home, start with pasteurized milk. Spoon your baby's portion into its own bowl and throw away whatever comes back.

More dairy foods to explore

🧀
RicottaAround 6 months
🍮
ShrikhandFrom about 12 months, as a small taste on an occasion; added sugar is best kept rare before age 2
🥛
SkyrAround 6 months, plain and whole-milk
🥛
Sour creamAround 6 months
🧀
String cheese6 months+
🧀
Swiss cheeseAround 6 months

Introducing this allergen

Related reading

Common questions

Can babies eat raita?

Yes, from about 6 months, as a plain baby version. Most babies can start dairy foods like plain yogurt around then,1 so stir finely grated cucumber and a pinch of roasted cumin into plain whole-milk yogurt and leave out the salt and chili. Spoon your baby's bowl out of the family batch before the seasoning goes in.

Can babies eat boondi raita?

Not with crisp boondi. Boondi are small fried balls of chickpea flour, and straight from the packet they are hard and crunchy: the CDC lists chips, pretzels and similar snack foods as choking hazards and says to avoid small, hard foods.7 Packet boondi is also salted, so leave it out before 12 months. After that, soak a spoonful in warm water until soft, squeeze each one, and press it flat or mash it before it goes in the raita.

Can I add salt to my baby's raita?

Not before 12 months. The AAP's advice for a baby's first foods is no added salt,3 and a quarter teaspoon of table salt carries about 580 mg of sodium, more than the 370 mg a day the National Academies set as adequate for babies 7 to 12 months.65 Black salt (kala namak) and chaat masala count too, since black salt is salt and chaat masala blends contain it. After 12 months, keep it light: the AAP says to skip heavily salted foods for one-year-olds.9

Is raita a choking hazard for babies?

The yogurt itself is smooth and easy to swallow. The risk is in what goes in it: firm cucumber chunks, raw onion pieces and crisp boondi. The CDC lists pieces of hard raw vegetables and crunchy snack foods among choking hazards, and says cutting food small and mashing it can help prevent choking.7 Grate the cucumber and onion for a young baby, soak and mash boondi, and keep your baby seated and supervised.8

What yogurt should I use for my baby's raita?

Plain, whole-fat yogurt or homemade dahi, with nothing sweet added. The AAP calls plain, whole-fat or whole Greek yogurt a good first form of cow's milk protein for babies,1 and the CDC says infants and young children should not have added sugars.4 If you set dahi at home, start with pasteurized milk, since the AAP recommends only pasteurized milk and dairy products for children.10

Is store-bought raita okay for a baby?

Read the label first. Tubs of raita are made for adults: one we checked listed salt and cayenne, with about 100 mg of sodium in 2 tablespoons, more than a quarter of the 370 mg a day the National Academies set as adequate for babies 7 to 12 months.5 The AAP suggests limiting processed foods made for adults, which often contain more salt.3 Homemade takes two minutes and lets you skip the salt entirely.

Can babies have raita with chili or chaat masala?

Leave both out of a baby's bowl. Chaat masala blends include salt or black salt, so they fall under the salt rule, not the spice one. For chili, start your baby's raita without it, and once your toddler is eating family food, you can add a whisper of heat and let them set the pace, well short of the heavily spiced food the AAP advises against for one-year-olds.9 Roasted cumin and a little fresh mint give plenty of flavor with neither.

My baby has a milk allergy. Can they have raita?

No. Raita is made with yogurt, and milk is one of the nine major food allergens, so a baby with a milk allergy should not have it unless their allergist says otherwise.11 If your baby has had severe, persistent eczema or an immediate allergic reaction to a food such as egg, talk with your pediatrician before starting highly allergenic foods like yogurt.2 For dairy-free swaps or anything about managing a milk allergy, ask your pediatrician.

How do I get my baby to like raita?

Start close to plain yogurt, which your baby may already know, and add the cucumber and cumin a little at a time. Serve it next to a food your baby already likes, like khichdi or soft rice, so a spoonful can go on top. A first cool, tangy bite often gets a funny face, which is not the same as a no, so keep offering it alongside favorites.

Sources

  1. AAP HealthyChildren, Cow's Milk Alternatives: Parent FAQs (most babies can begin dairy foods around 6 months; plain, whole-fat yogurt is a good first form of cow's milk protein)
  2. AAP HealthyChildren, When to Introduce Egg, Peanut Butter and Other Common Food Allergens to a Baby
  3. AAP HealthyChildren, Starting Solid Foods (no added salt; limit processed foods made for adults, which often contain more salt)
  4. CDC, Foods and Drinks to Avoid or Limit (foods high in salt; no added sugars for infants and young children)
  5. National Academies (NASEM), Sodium and Potassium Dietary Reference Intake Values Updated in New Report (2019): sodium adequate intake 370 mg a day at 7 to 12 months, 800 mg at ages 1 to 3
  6. USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: salt, table (173468) 38,758 mg sodium per 100 g, 1 tsp 6 g; yogurt, plain, whole milk (171284); cucumber, peeled, raw (169225); lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt (172421)
  7. CDC, Choking Hazards (Infant and Toddler Nutrition)
  8. AAP HealthyChildren, Choking Prevention
  9. AAP HealthyChildren, Feeding and Nutrition Tips: Your 1-Year-Old
  10. AAP HealthyChildren, Raw Milk Risks: What Parents Need to Know
  11. FDA, Food Allergies (the nine major food allergens)
  12. FDA, Are You Storing Food Safely? (the two-hour rule)
  13. NIAID Addendum Guidelines, Appendix D: Instructions for Home Feeding of Peanut Protein
  14. ASCIA: Anaphylaxis
  15. NHS: Anaphylaxis

Further reading

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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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