12 RAGI Recipes for Babies, If They Do Not Drink Milk

Is your baby refusing milk? Neither formula or breastmilk means lack of Calcium and lot of good things!!

So, introduce Ragi based food. In most Indian households, ragi also called Nachi in Hindi.

Ragi for Babies, Toddlers and Kids

Ragi is a useful supplement for calcium, iron and energy. The high calcium helps support bone growth if dairy intake is low in your baby. Ragi also provides iron and fiber that milk lacks.

By the toddler years, ragi can play a huge role in the diet without replacing all meals. The iron and nutrients support active brain, muscle growth and moderate carbs which gives energy to your toddler during the playtime. It is loaded with antioxidants and essential amino acids, which helps the body fight infections naturally.

When do I Start Ragi?

Ragi is a nutritious and easily digestible grain and making it a great first food for babies. But when should you start?  It is a question.

According to WHO, infants should be exclusively breastfed to 6 months, then gradually introduced to solids. After 6 months, mostly babies shows signs of readiness then introduce a thin porridge to them. It is gluten-free.

A toddler who do not drink milk can still get calcium daily with the list of these Ragi recipes for babies:

How to Prepare Ragi Recipes for Babies?

1. Ragi Porridge (6+ month)

Ingredients –

• 2 Tbsp Ragi Flour

• 1 Cup Water or Milk

• ½ Tbsp Ghee (optional)

• 1\2 Mashed fruit for sweetness (7+ month)

Method –

On a low heat pan, add ghee. On the other side, mix ragi flour with water or milk for smooth paste. Pour the paste in the heated pan and stir continuously to avoid lumps. Let it cool down.

Sweeten it naturally with mashed fruit of your choice and serve.

2. Ragi Pan Cakes

Ingredients –

• 1\4 Cup Cocoa Powder
• 1\2 Cup Ragi Flour
• 1\2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 3\4 Cup Jaggery Powder
• 1 Tsp Baking Powder

You can create a premix by these 5 ingredients and use in the future.

• 1 Cup Yogurt\Curd
• 2 Tbsp Ghee
• 1\4 Cup Warm Milk

Method –

Mix all the premix ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix curd and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Now, add milk and ghee. Mix it well and you will get the wet mix. Add premix with wet mix and make it lump free. Pour the pancake batter in a pan on low flame, cook it for 4,5 minutes and apply some ghee over the top. Cook from both the sides and serve with anything of your choice. Try to avoid sugar before 1 year.

Also try Homemade Sweet Baby Food

3. Ragi Muffins

Ingredients –

• 1 Tbsp Ghee
• 3 Tbsp Curd
• 1 Ripe Banana
• Seeds and Nuts (Optional)
• Choco Chips (Optional)
• 1\4 Ragi Flour
• 2 Tbsp Oats Flour
• 1-2 Tbsp Date Powder (Optional)

Method –

Peel and mash the whole banana. Add curd or yogurt and whisk it well. Now, Mix ragi and oats flour in it. Cover it for 3 hours for the fermentation that will help muffins fluffy.

After 3 hours, add dates powder, ghee, nuts and seeds of your choice. To prevent choking, add grated apple or carrot. Steam in Idli mould for 20 minutes, bake it for 10 minutes at 180 C in the oven and air fryer for 20 minutes at 200 C.

4. Ragi Vegetable Chilla

Ingredients –

• Ghee\Oil
• 2 Tbsp Ragi Flour
• Water
• 1\2 Chopped Carrot, Onion and Bottle Gourd
• Dhania Powder (Coriander)
• Jeera Powder (Cumin)
• Salt or Pepper

Method –

Mix all the ingredients together. Batter should be so thick, so do not add extra water.

On a heated pan, add ghee\oil and spread the batter evenly to make chillas. Cook well from both the sides. Check the spices before the serve, if less, add more and enjoy with the benefits of curd.

I started giving this to my daughter around 13 months old and trust me she is still loving it.

5. Ragi Malt

Ingredients –

• 2 Tbsp Ragi Flour
• 4-5 Soft Dates
• 1 Tbsp Ghee
• 1 Cup Water
• Cardamom

Method –

Soak dates in warm water for 10-15 minutes. Take ragi flour and 2-3 tbsp water into a bowl, mix it until smooth paste and lump free slurry. Heat the pan, add 1 tbsp ghee, ragi slurry while stirring continuously and 3-4 tbsp water. Cook for 4-5 minutes on low flame until it get thicken.

Now blend the soaked dates into a paste (including dates water). Add date puree, cook it for more 2-3 minutes and turn the stove off. Garnish with a pinch of cardamom powder for digestion.

6. Ragi Roti

Ingredients –

• 1 Cup Ragi Flour
• 1\4 Tbsp Ghee\Oil
• Luke Warm Water

Method –

In a pan, add water and heat it up until luke warm. In a bowl mix ragi flour and water by spoon. Kneed into a soft dough and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Ready to make rotis or chapatis?

Take a ball of dough and gently press with fingers to make even and thin roti as the dough as soft. You can also use roti maker. Put it on medium flam heated tawa. Cook both the sides until light brown.

Want to know which roti is best for your child?

7. Ragi Laddu

Ingredients –

• 1\4 Cup Ghee
• 10-12 Dates (Date Powder)
• 1\4 Cup Mixed Seeds
• 8-10 Almonds
• 1 Cup Ragi Flour
• Coconut Shedder (Optional)

Method –

Take a pan and dry roast almonds and seeds on a medium flame. Once it cool down, transfer it into a blender to have a powder.

In a pan, add ghee and ragi flour. Mix and cook it well until dark brown. Now, add dates, almond and seeds powder. Mix it well on gas. Let is cool down by turning of the gas. Make small balls by using coconut shedder.

8. Ragi Dosa

Ingredients –

• 1 Tbsp Ragi Flour
• 1 Tbsp Suji
• 1\2 Cup Moong Dal (Yellow Split or Green Gram)
• Water
• Salt and Pepper
• 50-80 Grams Paneer
• Ghee\Oil

Method –

Soak 1\2 cup moong dal before one night or 4-5 hours. Add ragi flour, soaked dal, suji, water, salt and pepper (according to the taste) in a blender to form the batter for dosa. Heat a pan, apply some ghee\oil, spread dosa batter and add paneer on top. You can taste batter or dosa, if salt or pepper is less, add more in the batter only.

9. Vegetable Ragi Soup

Ingredients –

• 1 Tbsp Ghee\Oil
• 2 Tbsp Ragi Flour
• 1-1.5 Cup Water
• 2 Chopped Garlic
• 1\2 Chopped Onion
• 1\4 Cup Peas
• 1\4 Cup Beans
• 1\4 Cup Chopped Carrot
• 2 Tbsp Sweetcorn Kernels
• 1 Spoon Lemon Juice (Optional)
• Salt And Black Pepper (Optional)
• Coriander Leaves

Method –

Heat a pan with ghee\oil. Add garlic, onion, salt and sauté until soft. Add and sauté peas, beans, carrot and corn for 3-4 minutes. Pour water, cover with lid and boil it.

On the other side, lets prepare lump free slurry by mixing ragi flour and water. Now, add this slurry slowly into the same pan and cook it until thicken for more 5-7 minutes. Garnish with black pepper, coriander and lemon juice.

Tip –  No salt for infants below that 1 year and mash vegetables for choking risk.

10. Ragi Cookie

Ingredients –

• 1\2 Cup Ragi Flour
• Baking Powder
• 4-5 Tbsp of Milk
• Cocoa Powder (Optional)
• 1\2 Cup Dates\Jaggery Powder
• Salt (Optional)
• Ghee\Butter
• Powder Cardamom

Method –

Take a bowl, add ghee\butter and dates\jaggery powder until lump free cream. Mix all the dry ingredients in a different bowl – ragi flour, a pinch of baking powder, cocoa powder, cardamom and a pinch of salt. You can use spatula or with your hands. To get a soft and non sticky dough, add little milk.

You can use cookie cutter to shape cookies or roll small balls and place it on the baking tray. In the oven, bake at 170 C for 15-2o minutes and airfry at 180 C for 20 minutes. It will firm once cool down.

Store it in an airtight container for a month.

11. Ragi Brownie

Ingredients –

• 5-6 Dates
• 1 Tbsp Coco Powder
• 2 Sweet Potatoes
• 1\4 Cup Ghee
• 3\4 Ragi Flour
• Salt
• 1-2 Tbsp Milk or Water

Method –

Steam or boil sweet potatoes. Take out the soaked dates and blend it with sweet potatoes. In the paste, add melted ghee and mix it well.

Take another bowl and mix ragi flour, cocoa powder and salt, mix it until thick batter. You can add 1-2 tbsp milk or water to adjust the texture. Now, mix all the ingredients in a same bowl and pour into a greased\lined baking tray. Bake it for 20-25 minutes at 180 C.

Let it cool down and serve with love!

12. Ragi Bread

Ingredients –

• 1 1\2 Cup Ragi Flour
• 2 Cups Warm Water
• 1 1\2 Tsp Instant Dry Yeast
• 2 Tbsp Oil
• 3 Tbsp Psyllium Husk (Isabgol)
•  1\2 Tsp Salt
• 2 Tsp Sugar
• Sesame Seeds

Method –

Take all the ingredients in a large bowl except water and mix it well. Use a whisker and add water with the spoon according to the requirement. With the help of spatula mix the batter until turn into thick sticky dough. Let it cover and rest for 2 hours in a warm place.

With the help of your fingers, take out the risen dough and place it in a greased bread tin by rolling it. Let it rest for more 45 minutes. Now, gently brush with milk and spread sesame seeds over the dough. In a pre heated oven bake it for 30 minutes at 200 C.

I hope you like the list and let me know which ragi recipes for babies you are gonna try!!