YummyYucky

From the YummyYucky team, founded by Nancy Nash

🥫

Can Babies Eat Tomato Soup? A Small Cup From 12 Months

Tomato soup is a salt and sugar question more than a tomato one: a cup of the canned or boxed kind carries about 460 to 690 mg of sodium and a few grams of added sugar, and it usually contains wheat or milk. From about 12 months, a small taste on an occasion is fine, and added sugar is best kept rare before age 2. A homemade roasted tomato soup with no salt and no sugar is the version to make for grilled cheese night.

Log tomato soup today →

Free, no account needed. Takes about 10 seconds.

When to introduce
From about 12 months, as a small taste on an occasion; added sugar is best kept rare before age 2
Common allergen?
Yes, usually. Condensed cans are thickened with wheat flour, and creamy and bisque styles carry milk or cream; the condensed can also suggests milk for a creamier soup. Some brands add soy and some use neither, so read the label.
Texture
Smooth and thin, so the soup itself is not the choking worry. Skip croutons and oyster crackers, and cut grilled cheese into thin strips for dipping.
Key nutrients
Mostly water and tomato, with some vitamin C and potassium, little protein or iron, and a lot of sodium. Made with milk, it gains protein and calcium.

Yes, once your baby is about a year old, and as a small cup rather than a big bowl. Tomato soup, whether it comes condensed in a can, ready to heat in a carton, or creamy as a bisque, is cooked tomato plus three things a baby does not need much of: salt, added sugar and, usually, wheat or milk. A cup of canned tomato soup made with water has about 460 mg of sodium, and the cans and cartons we checked ran from about 480 to 690 mg a cup.3 The National Academies put the adequate intake at 370 mg a day for babies 7 to 12 months and 800 mg a day for ages 1 to 3, from everything they eat and drink.2 Most store soups also list sugar in the ingredients, about 4 to 8 grams of added sugars a cup, and the CDC says children younger than 24 months should not have added sugars.31 From about 12 months, a small taste on an occasion is fine, and added sugar is best kept rare before age 2. The good news is that tomato soup is easy to make at home with roasted tomatoes and no salt or sugar at all, and that pot is the one worth keeping in the freezer for grilled cheese night.

⚠️ Canned and boxed tomato soup is salty: about 460 to 690 mg of sodium a cup, more than a whole day's adequate intake for a baby 7 to 12 months old and more than half of the 800 mg for ages 1 to 3.32 Most also carry added sugar.3 Keep the store kind to a few spoonfuls or a small cup from 12 months, or make it at home with no salt and no sugar.

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

🍴 Baby-led weaning

Under 12 monthsSkip canned and boxed tomato soup for now: one cup has about 460 to 690 mg of sodium, more than a whole day's adequate intake for a baby 7 to 12 months old, and most carry added sugar. For the flavor, roast halved ripe tomatoes with a little olive oil until soft, slip off the skins, and blend them smooth with no salt and no sugar; that is plain cooked tomato, which the tomato page serves from about 6 months. Spread it thickly on soft toast strips your baby can hold, or let them dunk a strip and gum it. If your baby has not met wheat or dairy yet, introduce each on its own from around 6 months (toast strips for wheat, plain yogurt for dairy), then keep them in the diet; if your baby has severe eczema or an egg allergy, talk to your pediatrician first.
12 monthsOffer store tomato soup now and then as a small taste: a few spoonfuls or a small cup, not a full bowl. Half a cup carries about 230 to 350 mg of sodium. Pick a low sodium or no salt added soup when you can, and read the added sugars line too. Make condensed soup with water or whole milk. After heating, stir it well or let it stand two minutes, and test it before your toddler does. Hand over toast strips or thin strips of grilled cheese to dunk, or a small open cup to sip from. Keep your toddler seated and stay with them.
Homemade roasted tomato soupRoast halved tomatoes, a quartered onion, a carrot and 2 garlic cloves with a spoonful of olive oil at 400°F for about 40 minutes, slip off the tomato skins, and blend with unsalted broth or water. Add no salt and no sugar. Keep it a little thicker so it clings to a dipper, and let your toddler dunk soft toast strips or grilled cheese strips.
12 to 24 monthsKeep croutons and oyster crackers out of the bowl: they are small and hard, the kind of food the CDC says to avoid. Soft toast strips and thin grilled cheese strips are the dippers. In chunky soups, keep vegetable pieces soft and small, and quarter any cherry tomatoes. The store kind stays an occasional cup, since one cup can carry more than half of the 800 mg of sodium set as adequate for a whole day at ages 1 to 3. The homemade pot can be an everyday soup.

🥄 Purées

Under 12 monthsSkip canned and boxed tomato soup for now: one cup has about 460 to 690 mg of sodium, more than a whole day's adequate intake for a baby 7 to 12 months old, and most carry added sugar. For the flavor, roast halved ripe tomatoes with a little olive oil until soft, slip off the skins, and blend them smooth with no salt and no sugar; that is plain cooked tomato, which the tomato page serves from about 6 months. Thin it with water, unsalted broth, breast milk or formula, and spoon it on its own or stirred into mashed sweet potato. If your baby has not met wheat or dairy yet, introduce each on its own from around 6 months (toast strips for wheat, plain yogurt for dairy), then keep them in the diet; if your baby has severe eczema or an egg allergy, talk to your pediatrician first.
12 monthsOffer store tomato soup now and then as a small taste: a few spoonfuls from a spoon or a small open cup, not a full bowl. Half a cup carries about 230 to 350 mg of sodium. Pick a low sodium or no salt added soup when you can, and read the added sugars line too. Make condensed soup with water or whole milk. After heating, stir it well or let it stand two minutes, and test it before your toddler does. Keep your toddler seated and stay with them.
Homemade roasted tomato soupRoast halved tomatoes, a quartered onion, a carrot and 2 garlic cloves with a spoonful of olive oil at 400°F for about 40 minutes, slip off the tomato skins, and blend with unsalted broth or water until very smooth. Add no salt and no sugar. Push it through a sieve for a silky soup, and stir in a spoonful of mashed white beans or plain whole milk yogurt to make it easier to spoon.
12 to 24 monthsAs your toddler moves to more texture, leave small soft pieces of vegetable in the homemade soup, and quarter any cherry tomatoes. Keep croutons and oyster crackers out: they are small and hard, the kind of food the CDC says to avoid. The store kind stays an occasional cup, since one cup can carry more than half of the 800 mg of sodium set as adequate for a whole day at ages 1 to 3. The homemade pot can be an everyday soup.

Is tomato soup safe? Choking & prep

Tomato soup has four things to get right, and the tomato is the easy part. Salt comes first. USDA FoodData Central lists canned tomato soup made with water at about 460 mg of sodium a cup, and the store cans and cartons we checked ran from about 480 to 690 mg a cup.3 The National Academies set the adequate intake for sodium at 370 mg a day for babies 7 to 12 months and 800 mg a day for ages 1 to 3, with advice to cut back if a 1 to 3 year old's intake runs above 1,200 mg a day.2 The CDC says to avoid feeding foods high in salt to young children and to choose low sodium or no salt added canned foods, and the AAP suggests limiting processed foods made for adults, which often contain more salt.17 On a US label, low sodium means 140 mg or less per serving, while no salt added only means no salt went in during processing, so the soup may still have some sodium.10 Sugar is second. Most canned and boxed tomato soups list sugar or high fructose corn syrup in the ingredients, the labels we checked carry about 4 to 8 grams of added sugars a cup, and USDA's dietary survey recipe for canned tomato soup includes granulated sugar.3 The CDC says children younger than 24 months should not have added sugars, and the AAP says to avoid foods and drinks with added sugar for children under 2.14 The AAP's advice for one-year-olds is not to give foods that are heavily salted or sweetened, so the store kind stays a small cup now and then.14 Allergens are third. Condensed tomato soup is usually thickened with wheat flour, creamy and bisque styles carry milk or cream, and USDA's survey recipe for cream of tomato soup uses both heavy cream and wheat flour.3 The classic condensed can also suggests making it with milk for a creamier soup, and some brands add soy. US labels must name these allergens in the ingredient list or in a Contains line, so read it every time you switch brands.9 Wheat and dairy are both on the AAP's list of common allergenic foods, and the AAP says there is no evidence that delaying allergenic foods like dairy prevents allergies.8 Introduce wheat and dairy on their own first, one at a time, from around 6 months (plain yogurt is an easy first dairy), then keep them in the diet, and if your baby has severe eczema or an egg allergy, talk to your pediatrician first.87 Tomato is also acidic, and the AAP lists skin irritation from the acids in tomato products among the things that are not food allergies, so a pink ring where the soup touched the skin can be just that.11 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 911.151617 Heat and shape are fourth. Soup holds its heat, and the AAP advice is to stir food well or let it stand for two minutes so the heat can spread evenly before anyone tastes it.12 Smooth soup is a liquid, so the shape to think about is what goes in it or next to it. Croutons and oyster crackers are small and hard, and the CDC says to avoid small, sticky or hard foods that are difficult to chew and swallow.5 Cut grilled cheese into thin strips, keep any pieces in a chunky soup soft and small, and keep your toddler sitting up and supervised while eating.56

Trying tomato soup today? Log the first taste and whether it was a hit, a hard maybe, or launched across the room, dated and ready for the pediatrician.

Log tomato soup today →

Free, no account needed. Takes about 10 seconds.

Nutrition

Tomato soup is mostly water and tomato. USDA lists a cup of canned tomato soup made with water at about 2 g of protein, 0.7 mg of iron and 20 mg of calcium, plus some vitamin C (some cans add it as ascorbic acid).3 Made with milk instead of water, USDA's figures for a cup come to about 6 g of protein and 170 mg of calcium, a real upgrade once your toddler is on milk.3 What the soup does not bring is much protein or iron, so pair it with something that does: blend a handful of soft white beans into the homemade pot, or serve it with grilled cheese or egg. Flavor is where tomato soup earns its spot. It is a big, tangy taste, and roasting the tomatoes with a carrot softens the sour edge. Dipping a toast strip is half the fun, and a swirl of plain yogurt cools it down and mellows it. Some toddlers drink it straight from the cup, and some stare at it like it owes them money. Log the try in YummyYucky with the date and a yummy, meh or yucky, so you can see how the face changes from one try to the next.

Goes well with

Grilled cheese · Toast strips · Greek yogurt · White beans · Carrot · Bell pepper

Storage & freezing

Move leftover soup into a covered container and get it into the fridge within two hours, and keep the fridge at 40°F or below.13 Leftover soup keeps 1 to 2 days in the fridge, or 1 to 2 months in the freezer.18 The homemade pot freezes well in an ice cube tray: pop out the cubes, bag them, and thaw one or two for a toddler-sized cup. Reheat until steaming, then stir and let it stand before serving. Throw away whatever comes back in the cup rather than pouring it back into the pot.

More vegetables to explore

🫛
Green bean casseroleThe assembled casserole is best left until after 12 months, and then only a small spoonful from under the topping. Plain cooked green beans on their own work from about 6 months.
🥔
LatkesFrom about 12 months for latkes as they are usually served, because a holiday batch is fried and salted to taste.
🥔
Mashed potatoesFrom about 6 months, once your baby can sit upright with support and is starting solids.
🌶️
MuhammaraAround 6 months
🎃
Turban SquashAround 6 months
🥔
TurnipAround 6 months

Introducing this allergen

Related reading

Common questions

Can babies eat tomato soup?

From about 12 months, a small taste on an occasion is fine, and added sugar is best kept rare before age 2. The store kind also carries about 460 to 690 mg of sodium a cup, more than a whole day's adequate intake for a baby 7 to 12 months old, so canned and boxed soup waits and then stays a small cup.32 A homemade roasted tomato soup with no salt and no sugar is the version to make, and a grilled cheese cut into thin strips is its best friend.

Is canned tomato soup too salty for a baby?

For a baby under 12 months, yes. USDA lists canned tomato soup made with water at about 460 mg of sodium a cup, and the National Academies set 370 mg a day as the adequate intake for babies 7 to 12 months.32 For ages 1 to 3 the adequate intake is 800 mg a day, so a few spoonfuls or half a cup of the store kind (about 230 to 350 mg) leaves room for the rest of the day's food.23

How much sugar is in tomato soup?

On the labels we checked, about 4 to 8 grams of added sugars a cup, and the classic condensed can lists 8 grams per serving, about 2 teaspoons.34 The unsalted version of that can lists the same 8 grams, so lower salt does not mean lower sugar.3 The CDC says children younger than 24 months should not have added sugars, which makes the homemade pot with no sugar the everyday choice.1

Does tomato soup have dairy or gluten in it?

Often, yes. Condensed tomato soup is usually thickened with wheat flour, and creamy, cream of tomato and bisque styles carry milk or cream; USDA's survey recipe for cream of tomato soup uses both heavy cream and wheat flour.3 Some brands add soy and some use neither wheat nor milk, so read the label, which must name these allergens in the ingredient list or a Contains line.9 If your baby has not had wheat or milk yet, introduce each on its own first.8

How do I make tomato soup for a baby?

Roast halved ripe tomatoes with a quartered onion, a carrot, a couple of garlic cloves and a spoonful of olive oil at 400°F for about 40 minutes, slip off the tomato skins, and blend everything with unsalted broth or water until smooth. Add no salt and no sugar; the roasting and the carrot bring the sweetness. Out of season, drained no salt added canned tomatoes roast the same way, and the pot freezes well in small portions.1

Can my toddler have tomato soup with grilled cheese?

Yes, from about 12 months, and dipping is half the fun. Let the hot cheese cool, cut the sandwich into thin strips, and keep your toddler seated and supervised.5 Bread and cheese carry salt too, so with store soup it is a once in a while lunch, and with the homemade pot it is an easy regular. Grilled cheese brings wheat and milk, so make sure your toddler has met both first.

Are croutons safe for toddlers?

Not as a soup topping for a young toddler. Croutons are small, hard cubes of toasted bread, and the CDC says to avoid small, sticky or hard foods that are difficult to chew and swallow.5 Soft toast strips or thin strips of grilled cheese give the same dunk without the crunch. Keep your toddler sitting up while eating, and stay with them.5

Why does tomato soup leave a red ring around my toddler's mouth?

Tomato is acidic, and the AAP lists skin irritation from the acids in tomato products, the same as orange juice, among the things that are not food allergies.11 A pink ring where the soup touched the skin can be just that, so wipe the face gently with water after the meal. If you are not sure whether it is irritation or a reaction, ask your pediatrician.

Is low sodium tomato soup okay for a toddler?

It is the better store pick from 12 months. On a US label, low sodium means 140 mg or less per serving, reduced sodium only means at least 25% less than the regular product, and no salt added means no salt went in during processing, though the soup may still have some sodium.10 USDA lists low sodium tomato soup at about 80 mg of sodium a cup but still about 10 grams of sugars, so check the added sugars line as well.3

Sources

  1. CDC, Foods and Drinks to Avoid or Limit (foods high in salt, choose low sodium or no salt added canned foods; no added sugars under 24 months)
  2. National Academies (NASEM), Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium (2019), Summary, Table S-2: sodium adequate intake 370 mg a day at 7 to 12 months and 800 mg at 1 to 3 years; reduce intakes if above 1,200 mg a day at 1 to 3 years
  3. USDA FoodData Central: SR Legacy tomato soup, canned, prepared with equal volume water (171176), with low fat milk (174546), low sodium with water (171591); FNDDS survey recipes for canned tomato soup (2709759) and cream of tomato soup (2709758); Branded Foods label data for a condensed can (2776073), its unsalted version (2771603), a creamy carton (2771772) and a tomato basil can (2771119)
  4. AAP HealthyChildren, How to Reduce Added Sugar in Your Child's Diet
  5. CDC, Choking Hazards (Infant and Toddler Nutrition)
  6. AAP HealthyChildren, Choking Prevention
  7. AAP HealthyChildren, Starting Solid Foods (limit processed foods made for adults, which often contain more salt)
  8. AAP HealthyChildren, When to Introduce Egg, Peanut Butter and Other Common Food Allergens
  9. FDA, Food Allergies (the nine major allergens and how labels must name them)
  10. FDA, Sodium in Your Diet (what low sodium, reduced sodium and no salt added mean on a label)
  11. AAP HealthyChildren, Food Allergies in Children (skin irritation from acids in tomato products is not a food allergy)
  12. AAP HealthyChildren, Microwave Safety Tips to Prevent Burns (stir well or let it stand two minutes)
  13. FDA, Are You Storing Food Safely? (two-hour rule; fridge at 40°F or below)
  14. AAP HealthyChildren, Feeding and Nutrition Tips: Your 1-Year-Old
  15. NIAID Addendum Guidelines, Appendix D: Instructions for Home Feeding of Peanut Protein
  16. ASCIA: Anaphylaxis
  17. NHS: Anaphylaxis
  18. FoodSafety.gov: Children Under Five, Safe Storage of Puréed and Solid Baby Food (homemade baby foods: 1 to 2 days refrigerated, 1 to 2 months frozen)

Further reading

😋 🤢

Track it in YummyYucky

Log first tries and reactions, with an automatic allergen tracker when a food needs one, all in one place you can share with your pediatrician.

Start tracking for free

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.

Some links in our guides are affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. We only suggest things we'd actually use, and it never changes our guidance.