Blood Sausage

Meat

Age Suggestion

6 months

Iron-Rich

Yes

Common Allergen

three different types of blood sausage next to each other on a white background

When can babies have blood sausage?

Blood sausage may be introduced as soon as baby is ready to start solids, which is generally around 6 months of age. Make sure sausage is prepared in an age-appropriate way, well-cooked, and free of honey, due to the risk of infant botulism. While blood sausage is high in sodium, an occasional taste is fine as part of a varied diet.

For centuries, humans have found ways to ensure that no part of a slaughtered animal is wasted, and blood sausage is a great example. It is made by mixing blood (from animals like goat, pig, or water fowl) with filler ingredients like ground meat, grains, vegetables, herbs, and spices and forming the mixture into cakes, links, patties, or other shapes. Blood sausages tend to fall into one of two categories: those that are eaten cold, like deli meat, and those that are served hot. But within those broad categories, there are hundreds of varieties, including black pudding, gyurma, morcilla, moronga, mustamakkara, and mutura.

How do you serve blood sausage to babies?

Every baby develops on their own timeline, and the suggestions on how to cut or prepare particular foods are generalizations for a broad audience.

6 months old +:

Serve tiny crumbles or finely chopped pieces of well-cooked blood sausage mixed into a soft, scoopable food like mashed vegetables, porridge, or thick stew. If the sausage has a casing that can be removed, peel and discard it before crumbling the sausage. At this age, do not serve sausage crumbles on their own, or slices or large pieces of sausage, since these presentations pose an increased risk of choking. When serving blood sausage, make sure it is well-cooked to the safe internal temperature of whatever meat or fish is in the sausage. Do not serve dried sausage, jerky, or other forms of cured or smoked meat to babies because they are typically firm and hard to chew, which increases the risk of choking.

9 months old +:

Offer small crumbles of soft ground blood sausage that is well-cooked and mixed into sauces or scoopable foods. When serving sausage, make sure it is well-cooked to the safe internal temperature of whatever meat or fish is in the sausage. Continue to avoid dried sausages or jerky, which tend to be too firm and hard for baby to chew, which increases the risk of choking.

12 months old +:

Offer cooked crumbles with the casing removed, and when you feel the child is ready, consider keeping the casing on and cutting the blood sausage lengthwise into long quartered sticks. Patties and cakes of blood sausage can be cut into thin strips about the size of two adult fingers pressed together or broken into bite-sized pieces. Note that some varieties of blood sausage (such as fresh morcilla) contain rice or other loose grains, which may scatter in the mouth and cause the child to gag. Avoid cutting blood sausage into coins or other round shapes, as these can increase the risk of choking. Hold off on serving dried blood sausages that are firm and hard to chew until at least 24 months of age.

18 months old +:

Cut cooked blood sausages lengthwise into halves, or continue cutting into long, quartered sticks. You can also serve ground blood sausage that has been crumbled into sauces and other dishes or sausage patties, either whole for the child to practice biting or broken into bite-sized pieces to practice picking up. Avoid serving blood sausage cut into coins or rounds, as these shapes increase choking risk.

24 months old +:

At this age, if a child has mature eating skills (not overstuffing their mouths, taking accurate bites, and chewing thoroughly before swallowing), they can likely practice eating a whole blood sausage, although expect lots of spitting and mess as the child learns to deal with the challenging food. A whole sausage actually poses less choking risk than a sausage cut into rounds or small “coin” shaped pieces as when the brain is actively engaged in taking bites the body is more prepared for safe chewing and swallowing.

Sometime between 24 and 36 months of age, when you believe the child is able to follow directions and has had success in eating a variety of firm, hard-to-chew foods, you can offer rounds or coin-shaped slices of sausage. Offer one slice at a time and encourage the child to take a bite of the food with their front teeth before moving it to the side and chewing thoroughly. When practicing eating sausages, especially cut into rounds, make sure the child is seated and supervised in a safe eating environment. When practicing eating sausage, make sure the child is seated and supervised in a safe eating environment.

a hand holding a thin slice of blood sausage — A thin, flat slice of blood sausage with no casing for toddlers 12 months+

a hand holding a thin slice of blood sausage from the side to demonstrate how thin it is — A thin, flat slice of blood sausage with no casing for toddlers 12 months +

a hand holding a blood sausage quartered lengthwise — A blood sausage still in its casing quartered lengthwise for toddlers 12 months +

Is blood sausage a choking hazard for babies?

Yes. Blood sausages are often cylindrical in shape and firm and springy in texture, qualities that increase the risk of choking. To reduce the risk, prepare and serve blood sausage in an age-appropriate way as described in the How to Serve section. As always, make sure you create a safe eating environment and stay within an arm’s reach of baby during meals.

Learn the signs of choking and gagging and more about choking first aid in our free guides, Infant Rescue and Toddler Rescue.

Is blood sausage a common allergen?

No. Blood sausage is not a common food allergen, although it is possible to have allergies to ingredients in sausage, such as beef, pork, and others. Also, other ingredients that are common food allergens may be added to sausage, such as dairy, tree nuts, and wheat, so make sure to read the label carefully.

Certain tick bites (mainly the Lone Star tick in the continental United States, but other ticks in different parts of the world), are associated with the development of an allergy to galactose-alpha-1, 3-galactose (“alpha gal”), a sugar which is present in all non-primate mammalian meat. This results in a delayed allergic reaction 3 to 8 hours after red meat is consumed. However, some individuals with alpha gal allergy also react to small amounts of the sugar present in dairy products, gelatin, or organ tissues from mammals. Individuals with cat allergies may also have an increased risk of allergy to pork products, also known as pork-cat syndrome.

As with introducing any new food, start by serving a small quantity for the first few servings, and if there is no adverse reaction, gradually increase the quantity over future meals.

Is it safe to share blood sausage with babies?

Yes, as long as blood sausage is well-cooked, honey-free, and prepared in an age-appropriate way to reduce the risk of choking. Blood sausage is often rich in protein, fat, choline, iron, selenium, zinc, and vitamins B12 and K. While blood sausage tends to be high in sodium, the amount of sodium consumed from solid food tends to be low as babies learn to feed themselves. It’s fine to share an occasional taste of blood sausage as part of a varied diet.

Does blood sausage need to be cooked to be safe to eat?

Yes. Even cured and pre-cooked sausages should be thoroughly reheated to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. Blood sausage made of raw meat needs to be cooked to kill potentially harmful bacteria. Cook sausage made of: