From the YummyYucky team, founded by Nancy Nash

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Can Babies Eat Sushi? Safety and Risks

Raw sushi and sashimi are not safe for babies. Raw fish can carry bacteria and parasites a baby's immune system cannot fight off, and some raw fish is high in mercury. Only fully cooked sushi is appropriate, cut small, and before age 2 the best one is made at home with plain rice, since restaurant sushi rice is seasoned with sugar and salt.

⛔ No raw fish; only fully cooked rolls, homemade with plain rice before age 2, and leave off the soy sauce.

Raw fish is not safe for babies: the FDA lists children among the groups who should avoid raw fish such as sashimi, and some fish carry parasites.¹ Some raw fish, like bigeye tuna, is also among the highest in mercury.² Never give a baby sashimi or any sushi roll made with raw fish. The only appropriate sushi is a fully cooked roll, made at home with plain rice before age 2 (restaurant sushi rice is seasoned with sugar and salt), served without soy sauce, wasabi, or pickled ginger, and cut into small pieces to prevent choking.

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When to introduce: 12 months+, fully cooked, and homemade with plain rice before age 2
Common allergen?: Yes - fish (and shellfish if it contains shrimp or crab)
Texture: Cooked rolls only, cut into small pieces
Key nutrients: Protein, carbohydrates, iodine from nori

Sushi is a Japanese dish of vinegared rice served with fish, seafood, egg, or vegetables, and sashimi is thin-sliced raw fish served on its own. The important thing to know before ordering it for a baby is that raw fish is not safe for babies. Their immune systems are not developed enough to fight off the bacteria and parasites that raw fish can carry, and some raw fish is also high in mercury. If you want to share sushi with your baby, the only appropriate choice is a fully cooked roll, from around 12 months, and the best one is homemade: plain cooked rice with no sugar or salt in the seasoning, rolled around a cooked filling and cut small.

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

🍴 Baby-led weaning

Under 12 monthsSkip sushi as a dish. For the fish itself, offer fully cooked, deboned, low-mercury fish like salmon or cod on its own from around 6 months, flaked soft.

12 months+Make your own: roll plain cooked rice, with no sugar or salt in the seasoning, around fully cooked shrimp, plain cooked egg, cooked fish, avocado, or cucumber. Cut each piece into small bites your baby can pick up, leave off the soy sauce, ginger, and wasabi, and never serve raw fish or sashimi. Restaurant sushi rice is seasoned with sugar and salt, so before age 2 make your own rather than ordering rolls.

18 months+Keep to homemade cooked rolls cut small and kept low-salt. Still no raw fish, and soy sauce only in a tiny amount, if at all, given how salty it is. Restaurant rolls, with their sugared rice, wait until after age 2.

🥄 Purées

Under 12 monthsSkip sushi as a dish. For the fish itself, mash fully cooked, deboned, low-mercury fish like salmon or cod from around 6 months and offer it from a spoon.

12 months+There is no spoon version of sushi. When you offer it, make your own with plain cooked rice, no sugar or salt in the seasoning, around fully cooked shrimp, plain cooked egg, cooked fish, avocado, or cucumber, cut into small bites, with no soy sauce, ginger, or wasabi, and never raw fish. Restaurant sushi rice is seasoned with sugar and salt, so it waits until after age 2.

18 months+Continue with homemade cooked rolls cut small and kept low-salt. Keep skipping raw fish, and offer soy sauce only in a tiny amount, if at all. Restaurant rolls, with their sugared rice, wait until after age 2.

Is sushi safe? Choking & prep

The core rule is simple: no raw fish for babies. Skip all sashimi and any roll made with raw fish, such as raw tuna, salmon, or yellowtail. The FDA counts children among the people at greater risk of serious foodborne illness and says they should avoid raw or undercooked fish, such as the sashimi in some sushi, and some fish can carry parasites.¹ Some sushi fish, like bigeye tuna, are also among the highest in mercury, a further reason to skip them.² The only sushi that is appropriate is a fully cooked one, and before age 2 the best is one you make at home. Restaurant sushi rice is seasoned with sugar and salt, and the CDC says children younger than 2 should not have added sugars,⁵ so roll plain cooked rice around fully cooked shrimp, plain cooked egg, cooked fish, avocado, or cucumber instead. When you do serve a cooked roll, cut it into small pieces so the sticky rice and any whole cooked shrimp are not a choking risk. Keep it low-salt: soy sauce is very high in sodium and should be left off a baby's portion entirely, and pickled ginger and wasabi are not for babies. Fish and shellfish are both common allergens, so if a cooked roll contains shrimp, crab, or other shellfish, introduce it the way you would any new allergen, on a day you can watch your baby, and offer a small amount first.

Nutrition

A cooked, low-salt sushi roll can offer a mix of the rice's carbohydrates, protein from cooked shrimp, egg, or fish, and, in vegetable rolls, foods like avocado and cucumber. Cooked fish and shrimp provide protein and, depending on the type, some of the fats that support development. The nori (seaweed) wrapper adds a little iodine. Keep in mind that restaurant sushi rice is seasoned with sugar and salt, which is one more reason a homemade roll with plain rice is the better pick before age 2, and the rice is not the main event nutritionally, and any benefit depends entirely on the roll being fully cooked and served without the high-salt condiments.

Goes well with

Steamed rice · Cooked salmon · Cucumber · Avocado · Edamame (mashed)

Storage & freezing

Sushi is best eaten fresh and does not store well, since the rice dries out and any seafood is highly perishable. If you have leftover cooked-roll sushi, refrigerate it in a sealed container and use it within 24 hours, and never save anything that contained raw fish for a baby. Do not freeze made sushi, as the texture breaks down. When in doubt, throw it out rather than serving day-old seafood to a baby.

More proteins to explore

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Swordfish and high-mercury fishAvoid for babies and young children

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Threadfin6 months+

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TilapiaAround 6 months

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TroutAround 6 months

🍢

SuyaFrom about 12 months

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Sword bean12 months+, fully cooked

Introducing this allergen

Common questions

Can babies eat raw sushi or sashimi?

No. Raw fish is not safe for babies. The FDA says children should avoid raw or undercooked fish,¹ and some raw fish is also high in mercury.² We suggest waiting until well past the toddler years for raw fish. The AAP says to make sure your child has had the hepatitis A vaccine first.³

Is any sushi safe for a baby?

Only fully cooked sushi, from around 12 months, and before age 2 the best is homemade: plain cooked rice with no sugar or salt, rolled around cooked shrimp, plain cooked egg, cooked fish, avocado, or cucumber, since restaurant sushi rice is seasoned with sugar and salt.⁵ Cut it small, leave off the soy sauce, ginger, and wasabi, and skip anything with raw fish.

Why can't babies have soy sauce with sushi?

Soy sauce is extremely high in salt, and babies' kidneys are not fully developed and cannot process much salt.⁴ Leave it off your baby's portion entirely. Pickled ginger and wasabi are also not for babies.

What about the mercury in sushi fish?

Some fish used in sushi, like bigeye tuna, are among the highest in mercury, which is another reason to avoid them for babies.² When you do serve fish, choose fully cooked, low-mercury types like salmon or cod instead.

Is sushi an allergen risk?

Yes. Fish is a common allergen, and many rolls also contain shellfish like shrimp or crab, which is a separate common allergen. Before you offer a roll, make sure each allergen in it, such as fish, shellfish, egg, or sesame, has already been introduced on its own. Then offer a small amount on a day you can watch your baby.

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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