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!
Homemade Baby Rice Cereal
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup organic brown rice
- 1 cup water
- blender*
Instructions
- 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!
Can you freeze the already made brown rice cereal? Ideally, I want to make baby food ahead of time. Mainly because I’m lazy;)
I would freeze the dry cereal but maybe not the already made. Though you could definitely try it. Please let me know what you end up doing and if it works okay. I find that making a batch at the beginning of the week and then storing it in the refrigerator in pre-separated portions is quite easy!
Hi! My first batch is on the stove right now to feed to my 6 month old! He’s #3 for us and with the first 2 we did mostly commercia baby food products. Now I realize all the chemicals and really wanted to avoid this time. Also he’s got soy and diary allergy (possibly more; still working on all of them). Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! Can’t wait for him to try it.
Christine, I’m so glad to help! Let me know if you have any questions after the first batch!
Should you wash the rice first to remove some of the arsenic? Especially given that it’s brown rice so will contain more arsenic than white? There are the guidelines on providing rice to babies on consumer reports.org
Also, was a bit concerned about risk of bacillus cereus from reheating cooked rice. It should be cooled within an hour and then not kept for more than a day in the fridge.
Might be safer to make baby porridge by blitzing normal organic porridge oats and then heating as needed.
Shirley, in America most rice is pre washed so I don’t wash mine though you can just to make sure. I fed my baby this same rice cereal for the last year and he is a healthy and growing boy. Thanks for your concern but I have double checked with a nutritionist and this recipe is approved. Also, the original recipe is from a baby cookbook written by a nutritionist that includes the advice that you can reheat the rice cereal with no problem. I hope you have a nice holiday.
Thanks so much for this. Tonight I discovered a huge clump of mold in my son’s Gerber rice cereal. I threw all the baby food and other products in the trash! I have decided to prepare all of his foods now, but didn’t know how to make the rice cereal until now and it’s super easy!!
It’s so easy but I think commercial baby food brands want to keep that a secret from us 🙂 Glad you found my site!!
My LO is only 3 months but I’m so anxious to try this. I’m gonna wait until the recommended age but boy am I excited about this recipe.
Hope you’re little one enjoys it as much as mine did and still does!
Hi Becky,
The recipe is so helpful… I have 2 questions:
1)if I am to use half of your portioning (half cup water and 1/8 cup brown rice powder), do I still cook the cereal for 10 minutes or will it only take 5 minutes? I’m gonna start giving my baby cereal soon and I’m not sure if she can eat that much..
2) the portion that you mentioned is for a week’s supply?
Yes, you should still cook the rice for the full amount of time. You’ll be able to taste and see that the rice is still a little chewy if you haven’t cooked it enough. And yes, this recipe should last for a week (at least for babies who are just starting to eat). Hope that helps!
Any idea on how to prepare the powder into cereal if you only want to use breast milk? Do you just mix the powder with expressed milk and serve? I would think you would have to cook the rice somehow, but cooking on the stove as you describe doesn’t seem right when you’re using your own milk. Thanks!! I’m a new mom and have no idea what I’m doing…
Hi Tiffany. I would cook it in water, like the recipe says then add breast milk in at the end (so you don’t scald the milk. Depending on how much breast milk you want to add, you could subtract some of the water also. If you just want to add a little then you can just add it in right before you serve it, which will also cool it down enough for your baby to eat it. Hope that helps. Blessings to you and your sweet one!
Not to ask a silly question, but I know babies arnt ok to have water until at least a year..does the process of cooking it with water affect the baby at 6 months? I’m a first time Mom and have been doing lots of research on making all of my baby’s food and plan on adding breast milk to the cereal, I just want to know adding water to cook the rice is OK? Thank you! (:
Using water to cook the cereal is definitely okay! I just wouldn’t use cows milk. If you do add breast milk then add it in at the end of cooking, right before you serve it!
Hi Becky, will it be tasteless if we just serve the rice cereal to our baby? Just curios. 🙂
It definitely doesn’t taste like much but as babies build up their tolerance for flavor it is good to have more bland foods. And once your baby has been introduced to other foods then you can start mixing those in with the cereal (like sugar free apple sauce, avocado, or banana)
I’m glad I found this! My baby’s pediatrician recommended I start giving him rice cereal in his milk. He’s 4 months, and my first baby. Do you recommend I boil it first before putting it in the bottle with his milk or, just add it powdered?
If you’re making it from scratch then yes, boil it first to cook the rice then stir in some milk.
Looks wonderful! Just a baby food question. Is it best to start with cereals at six months or puree foods?
You can start with both at 6 months. Just introduce one pureed food at once. Have fun!
You can do both at 6 months. Around that time I also started feeding my little one avocado, then sweet potato, and banana.
While I appreciate your recipe that you have posted, I find it a bit concerning that so many people are being given advice to feed their little ones fruit as a first food. Introducing sugars as a first food choice is not a good idea because it could cause your child to have food aversions.
As for waiting until 6 months to being solids, it is recommended because starting solids too early can lead to food allergies.
Prices is so high on baby food so I’m starting to make Aden food He’s my granbaby we need to save an I keep fresh frozen veg,,lots of brown rice thanks a lot
So glad to help Annie!
Hello!
I’ve been making my own baby food for a couple months. But I’ve been purchasing my own rice cereal. I ground the rice so that it looks like dust. If I can it add breastmilk/formula/water to store bought rice cereal, then why can’t I just add it to my homemade rice cereal? (Without boiling it). I tried to but it turned out so gritty.
Thanks!
You still need to cook the rice even though its been ground. Hope that helps.
The rice still needs to be cooked even though its a powder. Hope that helps! You can cook it with water or watered down breastmilk/formula.
Thank you for this idea and recipe. My pediatrician suggests starting solids at 6 months but I may start earlier. My 4 month old cluster feeds and I think that of I add this to his diet he’ll be fuller longer.
Thank you for the recipe! I am a new mom and baby is 6mo.
If i would like to add a spoonful of this rice powder in his milk, should i boil the powder first? Boil with his milk?
Bring water to a boil then whisk in the powder then add milk at the end. If you want more milk and less water just add the milk once most of the water is absorbed. Hope that helps and let me know if you have more questions!
Hi Becky, this recipe is perfect! Just had our 4 mo appt and since my little guy has two teeth, we got the ok to start solids to help his poor little gums. And she wants us to give rice cereal at his evening meal now. I already pureed sweet potato and carrots!
One question: do I have to use glass jars for storage?
Shalena, no, you can use sealed plastic containers too! I hope you’re little guy enjoys it!
Is it ok to use organic brown Basmati rice? I live in a very rural area, and this was the only organic rice I could find…my son is just about 5 months and is eating every hour,so I really need to get going on solids…thank you so much for this recipe! With 15 years between my children, I used all the commercially processed formula and foods with my first; not to mention the cleaning products! After much research, I really want to go as organic and plant-based with my son as possible. Thanks again for your help.
Jill, yes that rice will be fine. Also, I’ve found that blenders grind up the rice much more finely which is nice for younger babies! Let me know if you have any more questions along the way!
What type of brown rice? I could only find long grain.. But saw another recipe that called for short grain. It also looks like you used short grain in your photos.
Love the recipe! Who knew this would be so simple 🙂 Why have I been buying itall this time? 🙂 Thanks!!
Hi Trudy, I have used both. I think you will be fine either way but if you can find short grain I would start with that. Take care, Becky
Hi Becky! I’m so happy I found your site. I just bought Bob’s Red Mill brown rice flour stone ground and followed the recipe. Think I did something wrong; It came out really pasty. Should I add more water or should I leave as such and add formula before I serve to him. Thanks in advance!
Hi Jackie. Occasionally mine is too thick as well and I just keep adding water until I get it to the right consistency. You can also add a little formula – either way to water it down a bit. Hope that helps.
Hi, I have a quick question. I’m starting my 4 1/2 month old on rice cereal today so I’m really excited I came across your blog. After I grind it what should I do differently if I will be using breast milk? Thanks so much!
Jennifer, I would go ahead and use water to cook it then add in breast milk at the end. I’m just not sure what cooking the breast milk would do to it. I’ll also do some more research and give a more full response asap!
Hi Becky, I am so glad I found this great blog today. My LO is 4 months old, my ped said I could start using rice cereal if I want to, but I will wait till 6 months. She’s on breast milk only, and I really want to stay as natural as I can. I am so glad and thankful I came across your blog. I just wanted to say thank you. I have gathered a lot of information by reading through it.
Thank you Becky!
Carthy, I’m so glad that you found my blog too!! And if you have any other questions along the way don’t hesitate to ask!
Hi Becky,
Thank you so much for the recipe. I love this idea especially since I make all of my son’s food except the rice cereal. He is 11 months old now, but has severe reflux and we have to keep him on 1 scoop of rice cereal to slightly thicken it for his milk. So we use the rice cereal for the thickening, so we don’t cook it down or heat it. So would this thicken ok in formula or not? We are hoping he grows out of the reflux by 14 months, but we will see, and until then, we have to continue to use it. We have been able to cut it back a ton! It was 1 scoop for every 2 Oz of milk. Thank you so much for your input, ideas and time! LM
Lorraine, you would definitely need to cook this version. The stuff at the grocery store is more processed so it doesn’t need to be cooked as long. I would ask your pediatrician if they thought you could try homemade rice cereal. Best wishes to you and your sweet one!
Thanks for the recipe!
I used my food processor at first, but it was taking FOREVER. Was worried the motor might burn out. Put it in my never used electric spice grinder and I had 1/4 cup in less than a minute. Those things cost $10 on sale, I think that’s why I had one. Happy to have a use for it now:)
Kells, I need to change up the recipe. I totally agree. I started using my blender which works way better than a food processor for this use!
We grind many things super fine in a coffee grinder. We don’t drink coffee but happen to have the grinder. It holds about a 1/2 cup. When I get the organic rice in a day or so in town, I am going to try the coffee grinder first before I try the food processor. Also, you never answer the question about whether you could just cook rice, then puree it. Would that work? If not, why not?
Crystal, honestly, I’m not sure about cooking then pureeing. Most all porridge or rice cereal recipes have you grind the grain first. I think that’s the way to go but if you want to try it the other way I’d love to hear how it turns out! And if you have a blender, you could also try that in addition to the coffee grinder.
Thanks for the reply, Becky! I’ll report back!
The coffee grinder ground the heck out of the brown rice in about 20 seconds! I set it on Espresso grind #13 and ground it a bit longer for good measure–but it sure did the trick!
Awesome!! That’s so great to know.
Hi my son is 1 year old what should I gve him. He dsnt like sweet dishes Can I give him rice cereal with vegetables and chiken. Plz told me healthy recipes.
I think rice cereal mixed with veggies and chicken would be perfect. You may also try tahini mixed in with the rice cereal (it’s sesame seed paste) which is filled with good protein. Plain Greek yogurt is also a favorite of my little guy. You can mix any veggies with the yogurt or rice cereal. Hope that helps! Oh and my little guy loves these fruit and nut energy bites – https://www.thevintagemixer.com/2015/02/energy-bites-recipe/
Becky, thank you so much for this recipe. It is so helpful. I have been using the recipe for 2 weeks now and am ready to thicken the rice cereal a bit. In order to do this, I’ve just used less water and cooked the rice a bit longer. I’m wondering if you have any suggestions on how to make the rice stay thickened. If I make a batch for a day or two, it becomes watery in the frig. I’ve even tried leaving it out a few hours. Any suggestions on how to keep the consistency?
I would just add less water. I wouldn’t cook it longer but just let it be thick and sticky and if you need to thin it out before reheating you can add more water. Hope that helps!
Thnk u so much.
Hi! This is just an awesome recipe! I have been looking for a way to feed my baby rice cereal without using the store ones. I have one question though…can we do the same with white rice? Or is that not suitable for babies. My baby is 5 months old.
Hi! This is just an awesome recipe! I have been looking for a way to feed my baby rice cereal without using the store ones. I have one question though…can we do the same with white rice? Or is that not suitable for babies. My baby is 5 months old.
That’s a great question – brown rice has more nutrients than white rice so I would definitely choose that if you have access to it. But if white rice is what you have then yes, that will work too!
Hi Becky, Thanks so much for this awesome recipe! My 5 and a half month old loved it! Just one questions- how long can you keep the cooked cereal outside the refrigerator? Few hours?
Outside the fridge I would say a couple of hours, unless it has any breast milk in it then maybe less. Glad you hear that your sweet one loved it 🙂 Take care, Becky
Thanks for the recipe. I just tried it today and it came out very good. I used coffee grinder to finely grind the rice and it takes less than a minute.
Thanks for reporting back! On our next baby maybe I’ll use the coffee grinder more 🙂
Thank you for thr recipe. I’m not keen on using commercial baby rice because it’s processed and seems it would have very little nutritional value. So it’s great to know how to make your own. I’m surprised you can refrigerate the cooked ground rice for a week as I thought you couco only keep cooked pureed baby food for 24 hrs in the fridge. I did since read on another site that you can only keep the cooked ground rice for 72 hrs in the fridge.
Rona,
I never had a problem keeping it in the fridge and I got my information from a little purple book called Super Baby Food. It’s definitely worth picking up if you want more baby food ideas! Getting to feed your baby food is so fun. Enjoy!
HI Becky, wanna ask do we need to wash the rice before blend it or before cook it?
thanks ya
Hi Stephy, I didn’t wash the rice but if you do, just make sure it’s fully dry again before you blend it! Hope that helps!
Thank you for this! My son is 6 months old and I only do homemade solids for him and haven’t introduced any cereals. I wanted to make sure it was homemade if I did. I will be trying your recipe soon!
That’s great Leslie! I really enjoyed making homemade rice cereal since I knew exactly what was going into it… rice! And I feel like it kept my little one full longer and he slept better because of that!
Thank you!! I am so sick of buying the expensive gerber-heinz baby cereal. they are so expensive: 5$ for 227g!!
This is great. I do all my baby’s fruit and veggie puree. So cereals were the only thing missing in my baby food art!
that’s wonderful Jeannie! And who knew making rice cereal would be so easy?!
I did LOL. “But I really wanted to give Everett whole foods, foods that hadn’t been processed, modified or altered and were in their natural state”
Before loading up your food processor with whole rice and processing it.
When I’m talking about processed foods I’m really talking about foods that have a lot of unknown ingredients like preservatives. Check the back of any baby rice cereal and you can see the difference. The only ingredient here is rice.
I love your website. Please can you recommend other home made baby food for my 7 months old baby. Thanks.
We also fed out little guy a lot of basics like mashed avocado, banana, butternut squash, sweet potato and pees. Hope that helps.
Hi. Do you recommend that the powder be fine? I used a good coffee grinder but there are still little chunks in there. Should I cook for a bit longer?
Maybe a bit longer and you could grind it in smaller amounts maybe. Best wishes to you and your little one!
My daughters pediatric if gave us the go ahead to start rice cereals yesterday with full knowledge I plan on making my own with brown rice. She is almost six months old, exclusively breastfed and has only sucked on Apple/ watermelon. Today I bought organic all natural Texmati brown rice, there was no organic basmati option. Will this make a difference/ is it safe to use ?
Madeline, That sounds just perfect. Once you make it once you’ll better understand the process but the only difference should be the cook time of the rice powder. Just keep sampling it until its smooth and not too chunky or chewy. Let me know if you have any more questions!
Shared this recipe in my Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Making Baby Food! I so wish I had found this when my baby was eating baby cereal.
http://www.chaoticlifeoflauren.com/2016/10/06/absolute-beginners-guide-to-making-baby-food/
Thanks Lauren! Take care, Becky
I am a grandmother taking care of 2 of my grandchildren. I am looking into healthy foods for my newest grandson (5 months old). I am surprised that no one has addressed the problem of arsenic in brown rice. Arsenic is dangerous to a child’s developing brain. The best way I can think of to use brown rice as a cereal for baby is to wash it first, and dry it before grinding. The next best way is to rinse and cook, then puree Good luck with your healthy babies everyone!
Most all rice in the US is pre-rinsed so we don’t need to worry about that. Taking extra pre-cautions (especially with our babies) is always good though!
it is best if we first dry roast rice before blending for baby’s less than 1 year of age. It digests easily so it prevents tummy troubles. I dry roast the rice and grind it into powder and store the powder in air tight container for 2 weeks. When making porridge i usually add grated carrot or bottle gourd or apple and cook it.I make a powder of lentils also and mix them and prepare porridge for my 8 months old baby.
Thanks for the info and tips! I will be trying the powdered lentils soon!
Hi
Please let me know if I need to wash the store bought brown rice before grinding?? Was confused though of asking..
I buy organic brown rice and do not rinse before grinding. If you do decide to rinse, you’ll need to then dry back out the rice before grinding. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the recipe! The rice I’m using normally cooks for ~50 minutes (lundburgs short grain brown rice). Should I only cook for 10 minutes since it’ll be ground into a powder? Or should I cook for the full 50 minutes?
I would just keep tasting it until its done. I would think it would take extra time so many 20-25 minutes but you’ll be able to tell if its still too chewy when you taste it. It also might require a little more water. Hope that helps! Congrats on your baby reaching this fun stage!
This is great and very useful
Thanks so much i will try it tomorrow
Glad you found my site! Please let me know if you have any problems!
Hi Becky, Tnks 4 D infor. I washed a little quantity of rice, cook it then blend it using blender then store it in a freezer which will last me for about 3 – 4 days,when im ready to give my baby i took little portion cook for some seconds add my mashed or blended carrot and apple. then my baby is good to eat. pls does it make any sense?
This should be fine too! I just like to make the rice flour first so I always have some on hand to cook up. I think it works well either way.
This is great 🙂 you mentioned that this same process can be used for other grains like oatmeal or barley, and another person commenting had mentioned using lentils, I’m wondering if this could basically be done ( with any minor alterations necessary) for any type of cereal or grain?
Yes Sadie, feel free to adjust for other grains. I usually wait until 8-10 months to diversify a bit more and introduce one at a time. Also cooking times may be different for different grains. Let me know if you have other questions along the way.
Hi I have roasted the rice and had grind to fine powder … can I just mix the powder with boiled water and feed my lo with out cooking rice on flame
No, you must cook the powered rice before feeding it to your baby.
This is a good post!! But how long can I continue with this? Can my child continue with this up to her 2years?
Yes definitely! As your child grows just mix in different fruits, veggies etc as directed by your pediatrician. I would add tahini or almond butter for a hearty snack (when my kid was almost 1) as well as pureed fruits and veggies.
White rice cereal is a great start because it is easy to digest and has a very low if none existant allergic reaction occurrence. It also is heavy on the stomach to allow sleeping through the night. For more nutritional value use breast milk or your formula instead of water.
Wheat allergies exist so it isn’t the main stream base. However, just like any new food, as long as you introduce it slowly and not with any other new food, you should be able to detect food allergy.
Hello I’m a ftm mom and my son will be 4months soon and his pediatrician told me to start him on baby cereal. I want to use your recipe but how much formula do I add at the end? How long is the powder good for in the fridge? When I’m ready to make him a meal do I just add the powder and some formula to it? Sorry for the stupid questions I just want to make it right so that he gets everything he needs.
Hello I’m a ftm and my son will be 4months soon and his pediatrician said that I could start him on baby cereal but I want to make your recipe for him. After I make the powder how long is it good for in the fridge? How do I make him a meal with the powder and formula? How much formula should I add to it when it’s ready to feed him? I just want to feed him the best and do it right for him.
The powder (uncooked) will last for a month in the fridge. Pre-cooked rice cereal lasts for about a week. Its nice to have a batch made so you can quickly feed your baby rice cereal when they’re hungry. As far as adding formula to the rice cereal, I would add it in after the rice cereal is cooked and you should consult your pediatrician on how much. Hope that helps!!
My baby just completed 6 months today do I need to add margarine in making his rice cereal or any other type of oil, or does it go plain
Great question! It’s perfectly find without adding any oil or fat. As you start introducing veggies and fruit you can add in those pureed to the rice cereal. I also like adding tahini but not until 10-11 months.
What kind of water should I use? I live in NY not sure how safe tap water would be for my baby. Also, what brand of brown rice should i buy? Im sorry im a new mom and i just want to be sure. Thanks a lot.
Whatever what you feel most comfortable with feeding your baby is the right one! I would get organic brown rice. Take care! Sounds like you’re doing a wonderful job being a new mom!
Hi Becky, when you switch grains to oats, what kind of oats did you use? Steel cut, organic, instant? I’m going to try the brown rice first, but then I want to introduce oats after that. Thanks!
I would start with rolled old fashioned oats and cook them using the same instructions as the rice (make into a flour first then cook). Let me know how your little one likes it!
I use a spice / coffee grinder to grind the rice. It’s always worked well. And you dont have to wash a large container.