I loved discovering that I can make homemade baby rice cereal! When I ask others what they feed their baby first, most people say, rice cereal. But no one seems to know why or if it’s even nutritionally good for the baby. So, when I started feeding Everett (my first baby) I started searching out answers to a lot of the whys behind rice cereal. I originally posted this recipe in January of 2014 but I’ve used it so many times since then I thought it was worth refreshing.
Many of the commercial brands of rice cereal are fortified (vitamins are stripped then put back into the cereal) with iron and other supplements. But I really wanted to give Everett whole foods, foods that hadn’t been processed, modified or altered and that were in their natural state, including their natural vitamins. So, discovering homemade brown rice cereal was a thrill for me! Not only is homemade brown rice cereal filled with natural (God-made) nutrients but it’s also super cheap!
Making your own rice cereal is quite simple! It only requires one ingredient, brown rice, and a high powered blender or food processor.
Brown Rice is an unrefined, whole grain, loaded with Vitamin B, Iron, Magnesium, and Fiber, making it perfectly nutritious as a first food in a baby’s diet. At 6 months a baby is able to digest the rice (when made into rice cereal) and absorb these vitamins and dietary minerals. The fiber in the cereal is good for colon health and overall health of your baby.
The only thing you need is a little time to grind the rice into a powder and then cook it over the stove top. Some blenders or food processors take less time than others. You will be able to hear the change of sound of your machine when the rice turns into a powder. My blender takes 20 seconds, while my food processor takes about 8 minutes to turn 1 cup of rice into powder. If you’re using a blender you may need to use less rice (like 1/4 – 1/2 cup) at a time while you’re processing. Over time I found that my blender works better than the food processor and quicker too!
Once you have the rice cereal in powder form, you can store this in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month. I store the cereal in a glass jar and then at the beginning of every week I make a batch of porridge that will last the whole week.
When you make the porridge, you will need 1/4 cup of the rice cereal and 1 cup of water. Bring the water to a boil, then gradually stir in the cereal, using a whisk to combine. Simmer the rice cereal stirring frequently for about 10 minutes or until the rice is not gritty or chunky (I taste test a few times to make sure the rice is cooked).
Once your porridge is made, you can serve up a little bit to your little one and store the rest in a glass container in the fridge. Throughout the week I get a spoonful of cooked rice cereal (porridge)and combine it with other foods (banana, apple sauce, sweet potato or eventually nut butter or tahini) for meals. The porridge adds more substance to the baby foods and keeps my baby’s tummy full. You can easily tell that this stuff will literally stick to their bones!
About Homemade Baby Rice Cereal
• Brown Rice has more natural nutrients than white rice, which was been stripped of most of the good stuff. Organic is also best here.
• A blender has been proven to process the rice into a powder more easily than a food processor.
• It will take 6-10 minutes for the rice powder to fully cook in the simmering water. Add more water if necessary and cool down with an ice cube if serving right away.
• I use filtered water in all steps of this recipe
• Store the leftover rice powder and cooked rice cereal in the fridge for it to stay fresh longer. The cooked cereal will last about a week and the powder for a month.
It was a fun learning about why we feed babies rice cereal and what it is exactly. Now I can stop agonizing over the what and whys of the food and just enjoy feeding my little ones something I know is good for them!
Ingredients
Method
- Using a food processor or blender* grind the brown rice until it is a powder (this should take about 1 minutes unless you have a really powerful blender).
- You can make the dry brown rice cereal in bulk (like 1 cup of rice at a time) and store it in a jar in your fridge. This stays fresh for a month or so.
- While the brown rice is grinding bring 1 cup of water to a boil on the stove. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting and sprinkle 1/4 cup of the ground rice into the water while stirring briskly with a wire whisk. Keep on low heat for about 10 minutes and stir frequently to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot. When it is done cooking it should look like porridge.
- You can store this in the refrigerator for about a week and reheat individual portions (I started with about a tablespoon and gradually increased the amount).
- If the porridge is too thick, you may add a bit of warm water before serving it.
Notes
Original photo from 2014
Great post! Thanks for this recipe (if you can call it that – so easy!) I am pregnant with baby #3 and have made all my own baby food, but never thought of making my own rice cereal. Now I will!
Ally, I know – it’s crazy easy, right! Best wishes to you and your little ones 🙂
This is so great, Becky! I had a conversation with a mom friend recently about how it’s so much easier and cheaper to make your own baby food. Plus, you know exactly what goes into it. I’ll have to pass this recipe along to her. =)
Btw, why wouldn’t you be able to cook the rice first then, puree it? Either way, you’d have to cook it. I’m just wondering… b/c my mom used to make this porridge for me as a baby (I refused to drink milk) and they just cooked the rice til it was really mushy – no food processor back then. I’m guessing b/c rice powder cooks quicker?
I mix my daughter’s rice cereal with breast milk instead of water, so I have to make it each night with fresh, expressed milk. However, I really like the idea of turning the rice into a powder. Then, I can add fresh milk each evening. In a few weeks, I can add that mixture to her foods, as well!! Thank you for the inspiration! Love your posts
Great tips Steph. Thanks for sharing.
This is a great idea! I am just wondering am I able to use rice flour?
Thank you.
Angie, I would just look at the ingredients and if it is only brown rice listed than it should be the same!
Thanks for sharing! But i’m wondering if the grains need not to be washed first? I’m from Malaysia, and we usually run the grains/ rice with water 1st to ‘clean’ them.
Rye, It all depends on where you get the grains. Most of the grains you find the grocery stores here in America are pre-washed but if you’re not sure then I would go ahead and rinse them, then let them dry back out before processing them into a flour.
Becky I love this! I think it nearly killed my processor but little William loved his 1st rice cereal! I mixed it with pureed pumpkin and pear to thin it out a bit and add some extra flavour 🙂 thanks for sharing xx I had been warned off commercial rice cereal by the midwife because of all the added nasties 🙂 so easy to make and store. Thanks again.
Victoria, since posting this I’ve found that its actually easier in my old blender! Try is (small batches are best) in your blender and let me know if that works better!
Before baby starts eating baby food (like pureed fruits and veggies, which I plan to make) do you add the rice cereal to her bottle? I’m just curious how to feed it to her since she’s not quite on solid foods yet? She’s 5 months and my first baby 🙂
Caro, I started with a small baby spoon. You can add a little breast milk to the rice cereal or just use water (that’s what I did). Keep in mind that part of the rice cereal experience is for your baby to learn how to eat so don’t be discouraged if half (or more) spills out of her mouth as she learns to eat from a spoon! Put on some music and have fun, it will be messy 🙂
Why do you have to wait until after 6 months old for brown rice? What diy options are there for 4-6 month old?
That’s a great question Megan. I’m definitely not an expert but most pediatricians say to wait until 6 months before introducing solid foods – only formula or breast milk until then. However, I know that some babies are ready before then. I felt like my little guy was ready earlier but just to be safe, I waited until 6 months. Talk to your pediatrician first but you may try avocado or mashed banana if you feel your baby is ready.
Hi, TQ for the detailed steps for making rice cereal. Im from Malaysia too n we definitely need to wash/rinse our rice as it contains quite alot of foreign objects.but I was wondering how should I dry them thoroughly?with that amount shall I oven dry o pan fry ?could you please advise?TQ
I would wash a small amount of rice at a time and then lay it out on a towel to dry. This way you don’t actually cook the rice.
This might be a stupid question, but I would rather ask than make a mistake.
Do you store JUST the powder and add the boiling water per meal?
If water is added before storing, do you just reheat in the microwave?
Should the rice cereal be watery or more sticky when feeding?
When introducing other foods, do you mix it with the cereal, still adding the water? Or all separate?
Ftm and wanting to do my own food, so needing all tips/advice I can get.
Not a dumb question at all!! I actually do both – store the dry powder AND store already made cereal – both in the refrigerator. The powder lasts longer that way. And I reheat the pre-made cereal in the microwave for just 10 or so seconds. I would say start more watering and then go for a thicker cereal. And combine the other veggies/ fruits etc into the rice cereal after cooking it with the water OR feed them separately. I hope that helps! YAY!!! GO MAMA!
TQ for ur fast reply!one more Q, if drying on a towel, how do I ensure that it is totally dry?I worry it might get spoiled..shall I just leave it air dry with our humid weather here?sorry for such dumb question..
Im thinking,mayb I wil rinse then pat dry on kitchen tissue, then air dry on a clean dry towel?then grind and store in fridge?Does that sounds ok?pls help…
I used a baby bullet and it only took a couple of minutes to turn 1 cup of brown rice into a powder. I am excited to start my son on this cereal.
Patti, great to know that this works on a bullet! Enjoy it and your sweet baby!
Don’t you need to wash the rice?
You don’t though I hear that in many other countries you do. So if you usually wash your rise then go ahead and rinse it then dry it out by laying it out flat on a towel. Work in smaller batches! Hope that helps!
Hi becky.. Im glad to find your recipe. I have made my own cereal few times before but Im still looking for the best way. I have few questions ..
1. When do we actually add milk? Usually I will just cook with water and reheat before feeding. Im quite surprise that we can actually add milk.
2. Is it ok if i cook with milk instead of water?
3. How long does the cooked cereal last in refrigerator. Usually I will refrigerate 2 portion for the next day and freeze the rest. However I realize my baby wont eat the frozen cereal compare to the refrigerated cereal. Even though I already preheat them. Do you have any advice
Rinn, I add milk just before serving the cereal, which also cools it down enough for the baby! I always cook with water though I’ve made oatmeal for myself with all milk and its pretty tasty and creamy! I would use almond milk until the baby is 1 year old though (refer to your Pediatrician on this but mine said no cow’s milk until 1 yr old). And I haven’t tried freezing it. I make enough for 5 days or so and store that in the fridge in portioned-out containers. Hope that helps!