10 Healthy Khichdi Recipes for Babies

As a mother, you might get tired of making the same old khichdi for your baby again and again. Your baby might not be as receptive to it, and it might get monotonous simply making the same thing repetitively. Khichdi is a highly nutritious meal, too- so taking it off the menu is not a good idea.

So this article is about 10 new ways as to how to make khichdi for babies so that you get to experiment a little and make it more nutritious. With these recipes, you are sure to not get bored in the kitchen!

10 Easy Khichdi Recipes for Infants

Here are the 10 recipes:

1. Plain Moong Dal Khichdi for Baby

This is the stepping stone, in case your child has not started having khichdi yet. This is great to give to your child after she has grown used to having rice-dal mixtures.

Ingredients

• Rice – 1 tbsp
• Moong dal – 1 tbsp
• Turmeric – a pinch

How to Make

First, wash and soak the rice and dal in hot water for around half an hour. Then, put it into the pressure cooker with a cup of water and cook for 3 whistles. You can then add some more hot water if the mix is too thick, and mix it with a spoon to feed it to the child.

2. Vegetable Khichdi for Babies Without Salt

For children who are less than a year old, this khichdi might be a good way to introduce them to solid food after rice.

Ingredients

• Rice – ½ cup
• Moong dal – ½ cup
• Mixed vegetables washed and chopped (potato, carrot, peas, beans) – 1 cup
• Ghee – 1 tsp
• Turmeric – a pinch
• Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

How to Make

Clean and wash the dal and rice, and soak them in water for half an hour. Heat the ghee in a cooker with the cumin seeds until the seeds crackle, then add the other ingredients and water. Let this mixture cook for 4 whistles, and then mix it with a spoon and give it to your baby.

3. Toor Dal Khichdi for Babies

Pigeon peas are a staple in Indian homes, but it is slightly heavier than moong dal for babies to digest. It is better to offer this to older babies (8 months and above).

Ingredients

• Rice – ½ cup
• Toor Dal – ¼ cup
• Ghee – 1 tsp
• Cumin Seeds – ½ tsp
• Hing – a pinch
• Turmeric – ½ tsp

How to Make

After washing the dal and rice well, soak it in water for half an hour. Then, pressure cook both with turmeric and 2 cups of water for around 4-5 whistles. On a pan, heat some ghee and add the cumin seeds and hing, until the mixture crackles – then, mix this with the khichdi and serve to your baby.

4. Palak Khichdi for Babies

Palak or spinach is highly nutritious for infants. The green leaves contain a lot of nutrients and minerals  (especially iron), which are great for the growth of your baby.

Ingredients

• Rice – ½ cup
• Toor Dal – ¼ cup
• Spinach (finely chopped) – ½ cup
• Ghee – 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
• Garlic – 2 cloves
• Turmeric – a pinch

How to Make

After soaking the dal and rice in water for half an hour, pressure cook it for around 5 whistles with the turmeric. Then, heat the ghee and cumin seeds in a pan till it crackles, and add the garlic. Then, add the spinach and stir and sauté this mixture for some time. When the leaves are cooked, add the rice-dal mix. Let it cook for a few minutes, and remove the garlic pods if you want to before serving.

5. Masoor Dal Khichdi

A traditionally Bengali dish, it is nevertheless good for children too.

Ingredients

• Rice – ½ cup
• Masoor Dal – ¼ cup
• Potato – ½
• Raw papaya – 1 piece
• Ghee – 1 tsp
• 1 bay leaf
• Cumin – ½ tsp
• Turmeric – a pinch

How to Make

Soak the rice and dal in water after washing. Cook in a pressure cooker for 4-5 whistles. Clean and chop the veggies into small pieces. Heat the ghee along with cumin seeds till it crackles, and add the mix to it along with the bay leaf. Saute the mix a little and add the potato and the papaya, and then cook the mix for 5-6 mixtures. Mash the khichdi with a spoon, and serve it to your child.

6. Tomato Khichdi

Tomato khichdi will be a welcome sensation on their budding tongues, and your child might start craving for more!

Ingredients

• Rice – 2/3 cup
• Toor dal – 1/3 cup
• Onion, tomato – 1 each
• Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
• Turmeric and ghee – as necessary

How to Make

Wash the rice and soak it and the dal for half an hour, and chop the tomato and onion in the meanwhile. Add the ghee and the cumin into the pressure cooker, and heat until they crackle. Then add the onions and sauté until they become transparent, at which you add the tomatoes, rice and dal along with a pinch of turmeric. Add three cups of water, and cook for 3 whistles.

7. Masala Khichdi

This is another variety of khichdi which can have a tangy, zesty taste.

Ingredients

• Rice – ½ cup
• Toor Dal and Moong Dal – 2 tbsp each
• Onion – 1
• Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
• Cinnamon stick – a small one
• Turmeric powder and ghee as necessary

How to Make

Wash and soak the rice and dal for about half an hour, and add the ghee into the cooker in the meantime. Then, add jeera, cloves and cinnamon to the ghee, and sauté – add the chopped onions, and heat until they become transparent. Then, add the rice and dal after which you fry for a minute. Add 3 cups of water, and let it cook for 3 whistles. Mash and serve.

8. Curd Khichdi

This is good for cooling down in case of any gastric issues for the baby.

Ingredients

• Rice – 1 cup
• Moong Dal – 2 tbsp
• Jeera – ½ tsp
• Curd – ¼ cup
• Ghee

How to Make

First, make plain khichdi with the moong dal and the rice. Then, mix it well with the curd. Add ghee into a tawa, and the cumin seeds when heating – let the mixture crackle. Then, add the khichdi to it and heat for 2 minutes. Serve when it is warm.

9. Wheat Dalia Khichdi

Wheat dalia is high in dietary fibre and can help smoothen digestion problems.

Ingredients

• Broken wheat dalia – ¾ cups
• Moong Dal – ¼ cup
• Jeera – 1 tsp
• Hing and turmeric powder – a pinch
• Onion – 1
• Garlic and ginger – small pieces, mashed together
• Cut vegetables (potato, carrot) – as needed
• Ghee

How to Make

Wash and soak the dalia for half an hour. Add the ghee into the pressure cooker, and then add hing and jeera and heat until they crackle. Then, add onions and the ginger, along with the veggies. Let this fry for a minute. Then, add the moong-dalia mixture, along with 4 cups of water – pressure cook for 4 whistles.

10. Oats Khichdi for Babies

Oats are also high in dietary fibre and have a lot of minerals which are important for the development of the baby.

Ingredients

• Oats – 2/3 cup
• Moong dal – 1/3 cup
• Hing and garlic – optional
• Ghee

How to Make

Wash and soak the dal and oats together for around half an hour, and then add the mixture to the cooker after draining the water off. Add two cloves of garlic and a pinch of hing, along with 3 cups of water. Let this cook for around 3 whistles, and add ghee to the mix and serve.

Khichdi recipes are many, and there is ample scope for experimentation – so try out a lot of combinations to find out what your baby likes!

Also Read: Health Benefits of Brown Rice for Babies