Baby rice cereal recipe and rice porridge for babies – This homemade baby rice cereal is one of the best first foods for babies. It turns out delicious, creamy and smooth as good as the ready made baby cereals and you may stop buying any more after you try this. This cereal can be used not only for babies but also for toddlers up to 3 years during diarrhea, fever or teething.
This baby cereal is suitable as a first food for 6 months old baby. For babies younger than 6 months, i suggest consulting your pediatrician. You can check this food chart for 6 months old baby and this one for above 7 months old.
Rice is a highly recommended first grain for babies since it is easy to digest, non allergic and the smooth texture it yields. The ready made cereals are precooked, dehydrated and then processed. During this process many nutrients are lost – this is one of the reasons why ready made baby cereals are enriched with more nutrients.
Using this recipe, you can make brown rice and white rice cereal separately. Initially use white rice for about a week and then start brown rice by mixing both in equal quantities.
After the baby completes 6 months, dal/lentils can also be prepared the same way. The ratio of rice: dal should be 3:1 for the first week. If the baby is doing good without any colic, then the proportion can be increased to 2:1. If using brown rice , the ratio can be 2:1:1 white rice:brown rice: dal. You can also add few drops of ghee if using dal to make the baby cereal. To introduce ghee and the for quantity to try with, you can check this post on best foods for weight gain in babies.
I suggest using aged organic rice and dal. I have tried using basmathi, ponni, sona masuri, thai hom mali rice for my kids. Hom mali yields a very fragrant baby cereal and its taste is much superior than any other varieties.
Benefits of this dry cereal
1. Not much time is taken to prepare a baby’s meal. If this powder is ready, making baby’s food is a breeze. Since the ingredients are already soaked and roasted they get cooked fast. Just stir it in water and cook. Not much planning is needed.
2. The texture of the cereal is more like the ready made baby cereal – smooth, delicious, tasty, not expensive and more healthy than the ready made cereals.
3. Make one base cereal but can add so many flavors to this. Fruit purees, mashed veggies, milk or leafy greens can also be added.
How to make baby rice cereal at home step by step photos
1. Wash brown, white rice and dal separately until the water runs clear. Soak them in lot of water for about 6 hours. Do not cover the pot, leave them in a well ventilated place, like near a window. This process of soaking rice or dal breaks down the hard to digest components in the foods for easy digestion. This also helps to prevent colic. However if you feel you cannot do the entire process, you may just skip the soaking part. Rinse them well and drain the water.
2. Drain off completely in a colander. Spread them on a clean white cloth, preferable white or undyed cloth. Leave it to air dry or fan dry for 30 to 50 minutes.
3. Dry roast them on a medium flame for 5 minutes and then on a low flame. After a while, rice begins to pop and splutter. The grains turn out very light so the cereal is gentle on the tummy. Switch off and cool.
4. Similarly follow the same process for white rice and dal.
5. When cooled powder them finely and store in a air tight jar. If your blender cannot process well, sieve the flour. Powder the coarse grains again.
Rice porridge recipe for babies
To prepare baby food, always use a heavy bottom steel pot. Do not use aluminium or non stick pans. To prepare the cereal, mix 1 tbsp flour with 1/2 cup water and cook on a low flame constantly stirring to prevent burning. Foods cooked on a low flame yield the best texture and taste. 1:6 ratio of flour:water works well to bring it to the right consistency. You may need to add more water since that depends on the kind of rice. When the cereal cools down, add formula milk or breast milk to enhance the nutrition. For babies above 6 months, moong dal can be used. I suggest not to add milk to dal, instead ghee can be added.
Based on the baby’s tummy conditions, you can combine them and use. Prefer only white rice cereal with milk when the baby has more colic. During stomach upset or teething, this powder can be used to make a rice porridge or kanji. This powder can be used for light dinner as well after 7 months.
Any fruit puree or mashed veggies like potato or sweet potato can also be added to the rice cereal instead of milk. Since fruits and milk do not go well together, i suggest not to serve both in one meal.
There are so many ways this dry baby rice cereal can be put to use. I will update more ideas on this post shortly.
Here are the notes on baby rice cereal that may be useful:
1. I used aged brown basmathi rice and ponni rice, since i made this for the blog post and not for a baby in real. If making for baby i highly recommend using organic rice and dal.
2. I have used 1:6 proportion of brown rice:water to cook the cereal. It may vary depending on the stove flame, quality of rice, brand of rice and whether it is brown or white rice. You will have to adjust the quantity of water as needed especially if making very less quantity.
3. This dry cereal keeps good if refrigerated for more than an year and if frozen for longer.
How to make baby rice cereal at home (porridge for babies)
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 1 cup rice (prefer organic)
- Water to wash the rice
Instructions
- Please follow the instructions mentioned above in the post.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Hi Swasthi,
Thanks for the recipe. I tried this but do I need to add salt or something as it has no taste even I added breast milk. My baby refuses to eat it. Please suggest.
Hi Priyanka
When you roast the rice, it turns aromatic and makes the cereal fragrant. Babies should not be given salt or sugar. If you have already introduced fruits and veggies you can add some banana mash, steamed apple puree, dal stock/water or fresh vegetable broth. Please use the recipe index to locate more baby recipes on the blog. So you get an idea. I have apple rice post as well. Hope this helps
Dear Swasthi,
Can we use “Matta” rice for this recipe? ( matta rice is also known as palakkadan rice, it’s the red one used a lot in Kerala)
If so, will we need to make some adjustments?
Kind regards,
Priya.
Hello Priya
Yes the recipe works with any kind of rice. But if this is for a baby then you may try first with little quantity. Some babies don’t digest high fiber foods well. You can also mix matta with regular aged unpolished rice.
Awesome! Thank you.
Yes, it’s for my 8 month old son.
I made the baby rice cereal, it was delicious. Even though it is a recepie for baby, I made it for myself as I have MC, the rice cereal is easier on my digestive system. Since the rice cereal I make is for an adult, I am wondering, if I can skip the roasting part of it to shorten the process. Is roasting necessary? Thank you.
Hi Luisa
Yes you can skip the roasting part but it will taste more like the regular bland and mashed rice. Try with a small batch and see if you like. Roasting enhances the aroma and makes it easier for digestion. Hope this helps
Yes Swasthi this helps I will try it out to see how I like it. Thanks!!!
Hi Swasthi
Through the process I learned that roasted rice is easier to make into powder than not roasted. So at the end I decided to roast. I use a coffee grinder machine and it does a very good job making the rice into a very fine powder.
Now I see why not roasted rice is harder on digestion. I made a big batch, used 4 cups of rice so I don’t have to keep making it. Thank you!!!
Hi Luisa
Glad you to know!
🙂
Hello,
I made this recipe BUT I totally forgot one step: the roasting.
So I soaked and grinned the rice.. now what can I do with it? Should I still roast it or use it for something else and make a new batch for the baby?
Thanks for your time dear Swashti
Hello Joli,
It is just fine to use. Dry roast the flour on a very very low heat until it begins to smell good and aromatic. There should be no traces of moisture in the flour otherwise it will go bad soon even if you refrigerate. You can do the roasting part in the oven at 60 C to 80 C or 140 F to 175 F. Keep stirring every 3 to 4 minutes. It takes a long time. Place the tray in the middle rack. Hope this helps
In the mean time I cooked this rice powder for my husband and I. Cooked in milk with coconut and raw sugar and it was very delicious 🙂 making an other batch for the baby!
🙂
Absolutely fab. Followed the recipe step by step and my child loved it. Being a first time mother , In Singapore, during pandemic, this was super helpful.
So happy to know Shagun
Thanks for leaving a comment.
🙂
Hello. Can this be stored at room temperature atleast for a month or it has to be stored in the refrigerator only ?
Hi Vinny
You can store it at room temperature for several months. In the refrigerator it stays good for a few years.
Hi swathi g i am sumit agrawal. I want to thnk u for sharing these great recieps and tips for cooking. I love cooking and ur tips helped me a lot. Please keep writing and i wish u health and prosperity.
Hi Sumit ji
Thank you so much!
Hi,
This s very helpful.
Can u pls let me know from where can I get this Thai hom Mali rice in chennai? No one s aware of it here, also I don’t find it in amazon too.
Hi Divya
You can use any organic rice that is available in chennai. Aged rice is better. This is quite an old post. Those days organic rice from India was not available in Singapore. So I had used Thai hom mali rice.
Please what is the dal in English language, don’t understand the word
Hi Elizabeth,
Sorry for not being clear. Dal is the Indian term for lentils. Here you can use split and skinned pigeon peas or yellow petite lentils (skinned and split mung beans). If you need any further help please feel free to drop your queries here.
How long can we store the rice powder
Hi Linda,
I have stored it for an year in the fridge. It doesn’t go rancid.
My LO absolutely loved it .. Thank You?
You are welcome!
So glad to know!
🙂
I roasted my brown rice on medium heat and it turned became brown tinted as if toasted. Is that ok? Thanks!
Yes it is fine. Hope they didn’t burn & turn bitter. Eat a few grains and check.
Thank you swasti…. ?
Hi, Thanx for sharing this dry recipe. With purees nd all m always confused about how to use again. So, this was something i really liked. Although i hv a query,After preparing this rice cereal, i have to cook it again with water or I can just mix with water or formula and give?.
Thnx again. ?
Hi Akanksha,
You are welcome. Yes you need to cook it very well. Mixing is not enough. If you want to add formula, cool the rice completely and then add.
Thank you swasti…. ?
Hi can we use red rice for babies?
Hi Rekha,
Red rice has to be soaked overnight to reduce the arsenic levels. Then used for baby food.
Hi there,
I’ve prepared this for my 6 month old as her first food as she has a lot of intolerances. A lot of other blogs say to cook for 6-10 minutes but I find from the time I pop the rice cereal in cold water on the pot to when it looks thick and done is only 3 or so minutes – is it cooked okay if this is the case? I find if I do it longer it just ends up very stodgy.
Hi Amy,
Do not follow the cook time as each kind of rice varies. Also each variety may need different amount of water to cook. All you need to do is keep adding more water as needed and cook until it turns very smooth. I don’t think it will cook up in 3 minutes. You will have to experiment a few times on how much water your cereal absorbs.Then stick on to this. I will upload a picture of the right consistency soon. Hope this helps.
Hi Swasthi,
I am a huge fan of your blog….i have been cooking looking upto your recipes since a year now and everything turns out suoer delicious and is a instant hit with everyone at home……i am following your baby food recipes as well and its a life saver for me…..thank you so much
i tried this rice cereal for my baby who is 9 months old….but the rice didnt pop…what could be the reason…is it still good to go ahead and powder it…..i fried it for a good 20 minutes…..
Hi Bindu,
You are welcome. Glad to know your food turns out good. Yes you can still use the rice. I did have a few readers ask the same thing. My mom says it has got something to do with the bran. Not sure though. I will put a note on the recipe card. If the rice turns crunchy it is good enough. Thank you so much for following the blog.
THANK YOU ?
thankyou.. ll try for my baby…and do we have to soak the moong dal or raost them?
Hi Sindhu,
I suggest you soak and prepare the rice and dal separately. Sometimes you only want to cook rice then you can use it.We usually soak the dal, dry it completely and then roast. Soaked grains are easier to digest for the baby. Hope this helps
thankyou.. ll try for my baby. would be better if you add dal propotion…and do we have to soak or raost them?
Mam I like ur recipes. When I have cooking doubts immediately check ur website?. It’s
very helpful for me. and once again thank you mam.
Welcome Juli
Glad to know the recipes are useful. Thank you so much!
🙂
Hello Swasthi
I like your blog and tried most of the recipes, which came out mouth watering.
Long back i saw some post on teething biscuits for babies and now i am looking for it and could not find it. Can you please send me the link for that if you have. I am planning to make it for my teething baby.
Thanks
Shruthi
Hi Shruthi
You are welcome. Thanks for trying the recipes. I have these paneer biscuits. Just skip the chilli and onion paste. Blend the carom seeds and curry leaves first then add them to the flour. You can also check these ragi biscuits. Hope this help
Hi Swasthi
Thank You
Hi Swathy
I tried this for my baby and I feel the texture of the finished porridge is kind of grainy (resembling sooji )and isn’t mashed .
I tried boiling with more water didn’t work .
I even tried soaking it for 10 mins before making still its grainy.
What could have gone wrong?
Pls help.
Hi Gowri,
It’s just that the flour is not fine enough. My mom actually would always pass the flour through a thin muslin cloth when my babies were under 10 months. I think you should try it that way.Hope this helps
Okay Will try that.Thank you Swasthi
And sorry to have spelt your name wrong .Didn’t notice properly ?
Haha! No problem.I didn’t tell you how actually to do that. You will have to tightly tie the rim of a wide bowl with a muslin cloth.Then add a few tbsps of flour at one time and rub it to pass through the cloth. It is a bit of hard work but works so well.
🙂
Oh Okay..
I had actually tried it through sieve but result wasn’t satisfactory. Will try Muslim cloth as u said.
Thank you so much ?
Very confused here. The beginning you tell us that the washing and the drying and the cooking and the processing of store bought rice cereal removes the nutrients.
Then you give a recipe that does all those things and has nutrition facts that show a lack of value for a developing child.
Hi,
You dint understand the difference between store bought and homemade rice cereal. The store bought one is precooked, then dehydrated to stop spoilage then it is packed. But homemade one you cook and feed immediately. There is no dehydrating. There is a huge difference between the processed and fresh cooked rice cereal. I have given you the basic recipe which is a base. You have to enhance the nutrition of this cereal by adding lentils, cooked veggies, broth, pureed fruits or milk (formula) etc.