11 Vegetarian Healthy Recipes for Babies (7 months +)

Feeding a baby is one of the toughest tasks faced by parents. Babies are very demanding and sometimes may be very fussy while eating. Parents, and especially mothers need to have patience and do a lot of hard work while feeding their little ones. This article describes 11 Homemade Healthy Recipes for Babies.

There can be various techniques and ways in which you can divert your little one’s attention.

And make them eat like singing rhymes/songs, narrating a poem, making funny faces, making animal sounds, showing colourful pictures, and yes off-course your mobile phone, iPads, and TV!

Some tricks which I often use, at the time of feeding my little one includes:

1. Read aloud a story to divert attention or,
2. Flip pages of a colourful picture book.
3. To give a couple of her favorite toys to play with.
4. Eat with the child. Make expressions and sounds like yummy food, tasty food (khana) etc.

Babies get bored by the same food and taste, therefore, it’s always good to have a handful of healthy recipes for babies. Introducing solid foods to babies is a big challenge.

Things to Know before Introducing Solid Food to Babies

There are a lot of things that should be kept in mind while introducing solid food. Some of them are listed below.

Start with Semi-Solids

Fruits and vegetables are very healthy options for babies. Semi-solids like fruit and vegetable purees should be introduced during the sixth month. Fruits should be mashed or steamed to make purees. Similarly, vegetables should be washed, boiled/steamed and blended to form a paste. A lot of options are available which includes:

Fruit Purees

• Banana puree
• Chikoo puree
• Apple puree
• Avocado puree
• Papaya puree

Vegetable Purees

• Carrot puree
• Peas puree
• Pumpkin puree
• Bottle gourd puree
• Tomato puree
• Spinach puree
• Beetroot puree

Check for Allergies

Some common allergies can develop at the time of introducing solids to the babies. Therefore, it is advised to feed the little one in very small quantities and check for any symptoms. Symptoms may be (rashes, redness in the eyes, swollen lips, vomiting, diarrhoea etc).

Common allergies are found in:

• Wheat
• Eggs
• Green Vegetables
• Nuts
• Fish

Feed-in Very Small Quantities

New weaners need very small portions of food. Two to three tablespoons are sufficient for the babies at the time of starting solids. Gradually, the quantity can be increased.

Taste the Food Before you Feed your Baby

It is always advisable to check and taste the food before you feed your little one. This helps you in getting the taste and quality of the food as well as its properties (hot, cold, less salt, more sugar etc). You will also learn about the taste that your baby prefers and which ones she does not like.

Homemade Vegetarian Healthy Recipes for Babies

Like most parents, if you are also confused, what food to give to your baby as he/she is growing? Here are some of the Healthy Indian recipes for babies. These recipes are my baby’s favourite and most liked ones.

#1 Halwa Mix

Halwa is made almost in all households. It is very easy to make and works as a good filler. I usually garnish the Halwa with the alphabet R (since her name starts with R) to attract attention and also to teach her.

Ingredients

1. Gram flour (Besan)-1 tablespoon
2. Wheat Flour (Genhu ka Aata)-1 tablespoon
3. Semolina Suji)- 1 tablespoon
4. Ghee – 2 tablespoon
5. Milk -½ cup / Boiled water- ½ cup
6. Sugar/Khannd/ Mishri/ Jaggery- (As per taste)
7. Coconut powder- (katcha gola)(as per taste)
8. Raisins (kishmish)- handful
9. Lotus seed powder (Makhana)- 1 tablespoon

Time to Prepare

• It takes about twenty minutes to prepare Halwa (including preparation and cooking time).

Steps to Prepare

1. Firstly, mix all the three flour in a bowl and add in the pan.
2. Now add ghee in the pan and roast until light brown in colour.
3. Add water or milk as per your choice.
4. Allow it to boil for three to four minutes.
5. Add sugar/mishri/ jaggery/khaand as per your choice.
6. Add lotus seed powder and mix it well.
7. Then add raisins and garnish with coconut powder.
8. Allow it to cool and serve it to your little one.

#2 Cheela Mix

Cheela( a type of pancake) is a good breakfast and evening snack option for your little one. It’s an easy to prepare and a healthy recipe. A lot of vegetables like capsicum, carrot, beetroot, onion and tomato can be added to it.

Ingredients

1. Gram flour-(Besan)- 1 tablespoon
2. Semolina (Suji)-1 tablespoon
3. Wheat Flour (Genhu ka Aata)-1 tablespoon
4. Paneer (For garnishing)
5. Beetroot (For garnishing)
6. Salt- ½ teaspoon
7. Oil/Ghee for roasting Cheela
8. 1 cup water

Time to Prepare

• Total Twenty Five minutes including preparation and cooking time.

Steps to Prepare

1. Mix all the three flour and add water. Now allow the mixture to rest for one hour.
2. You can also add onion, tomato, capsicum, carrot as per your choice and taste and add salt.
3. Take a non-stick pan and heat it.
4. Pour some batter over the pan into a thin circular shape, allow it to cook from both the sides. Flip sides as required.
5. Serve hot with tomato sauce or green chatni.

#3 Ragi Idli (Finger Millet Idli)

Ragi, being rich in fibre content, is a healthy and weight gaining food. Ragi helps to improve a baby’s digestion and is a rich source of Iron and Calcium. I love making Ragi Idli because it’s very easy to prepare and very healthy.

 Ingredients

1. Ragi (Finger Millet)- 2 tablespoon
2. Ghee- 1 tablespoon
3. Salt (according to taste)
4. Sugar (according to taste)

Time to Prepare

• Twenty minutes including preparation and cooking time.

Steps to Prepare

1. Firstly, take Ragi powder, add water and one spoon of melted ghee in the powder.
2. Mix it to form a smooth batter and keep it aside for ten minutes.
3. Add a pinch of salt or sugar accordingly.
4. Grease the Idli maker with ghee.
5. Keep the mixture in the Idli Maker for ten minutes.
6. The Idlis are ready to be served.

Note: Serving Ragi Idli for babies more than six months, salt and sugar can be avoided and jaggery can be added.

#4 Suji/Rava (Semolina) Idli

Rava/ Suji(semolina) provides great energy and is a balanced food. Suji is considered one of the healthy recipes for babies, ideal for breakfast and evening snacks. It’s easy to prepare and loved by my daughter.

Ingredients

1. Suji /Rava/ Semolina- 1 cup
2. Salt- ½ teaspoon
3. Curd/Yogurt- 1 cup
4. Water-¼ cup of water or as required to form Idli batter consistency

Time to Prepare

• Twenty-Five minutes(Including Preparation and Cooking Time).

Steps to Prepare

1. Firstly, in a large pan roast 1 cup suji for five minutes or till it turns aromatic.
2. Allow it to cool completely, and transfer roasted suji to a mixing bowl.
3. Take 1 cup of  Suji/ Rava.
4. Add a cup of curd. Mix well. Keep it aside for sometime till the water is absorbed.
5. Add water or as required to form Idli batter consistency. Mix it to form a smooth batter and add salt.
6. Now, grease the Idli maker with oil/ghee.
7. Now heat the Idli Maker for 12 minutes.
8. The Idlis are ready to be served.

#5 Oats Potato Tikki

Oats are healthy, nutritious and fast to prepare. But if your little one is bored of eating oats you can do some innovation and can try out oats potato Tikki for a change.

Ingredients

1. Boiled Potato- 2
2. Oats-1 cup
3. Rice flour- 1 tablespoon
4. Salt- ½ teaspoon
5. Onion- 1
6. A pinch of Pepper
7. Oil/ Ghee for roasting the Tikki

Time to Prepare

• Fifteen to twenty minutes including preparation and cooking time.

Steps to Prepare

1. Firstly, blend oats to form fine powder.
2. Mash boiled potatoes and add it in the oats powder.
3. Add salt, pepper, onion according to taste.
4. Make round balls with hands and press them.
5. Now make thick rice flour paste and dip Tikki.
6. Heat oil/ ghee in a pan and add Tikki, stir occasionally.
7. Serve hot with tomato sauce or any chutney.

Note: You may use gluten-free oats.

#6 Vegetable or Milk Porridge (Daliya)

Porridge is a very healthy recipe and has a high fibre content. It helps in improving digestion. It can be made by adding a lot of vegetables as per your baby’s choice.

Ingredients

1. Boiled Potatoes- 2
2. Daliya – ½ cup ( soaked in water for half an hour)
3. Ghee- 1 tablespoon
4. Salt- ½ teaspoon
5. Turmeric- ½ teaspoon
6. Coriander- ½ teaspoon
7. Water-3 cups

Total Time Taken

• It may take twenty minutes to prepare Porridge.

Steps to Prepare

1. Firstly, squeeze water from the soaked daliya. Now, add oil/ghee in a pan and roast Daliya.
2. Daliya will turn aromatic and changes to light brown colour.
3. Now you can add potatoes or other vegetables like carrot, peas, beetroot etc.
4. Now add salt, turmeric, coriander.
5. Add three cups of water and cover the pan for ten to fifteen minutes.
6. Daliya is ready.

For making (Milk) Porridge

1. Repeat till the second step.
2. In a pressure cooker, add ½ cup water and ½ cup milk.
3. Now keep the porridge in medium flame and give two whistles.
4. You may add more milk and sugar according to taste.

#7 Vegetable Upma

Upma is one of the healthy recipes made up of semolina/sooji/rava. It has phosphorus, zinc and magnesium content. Semolina helps in maintaining healthy bones and the nervous system.

Ingredients

1. Semolina(Sooji)-1 cup
2. Onion-1
3. Curry leaves handful
4. Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon
5. Oil/ ghee -2 tablespoon
6. Peanuts powder (according to taste)
7. Lemon-(Few drops)
8. Water-2 cups

Time Taken

• Fifteen minutes including preparation and cooking time.

Steps to Prepare

1. Firstly, in a pan add oil/ghee and heat it. Then add mustard seeds and allow them to pop.
2. Now add curry leaves.
3. Then add onion and other vegetables and let them turn light brown.
4. Roast semolina until it turns light brown.
5. Now, add two cups of water.
6. Then add peanut powder.
7. Add few drops of lemon and serve.

#8 Sprouted Moong Daal Cheela

Moong Daal is full of protein, starch resistant and a good source of fibre. Hence, Moong Daal Cheela (Pancake) is considered as one of the healthy recipes for babies, to be served for breakfast, lunch and evening snacks.

Ingredients

1. Green Moong Daal- 1 cup
2. Ginger paste- 1 spoon
3. Salt- ½ teaspoon
4. A pinch of Pepper
5. Ghee to roast the Cheela

Time Taken

• Twenty minutes including preparation and cooking time.

Steps to Prepare

1. Soak moong daal overnight.
2. Now strain it and keep it aside to allow it to sprout (Sprouting depends on the temperature therefore exact time cannot be mentioned).
3. When the sprouts erupt, blend them to form a smooth paste.
4. Add salt and pepper according to taste.
5. Heat a non-stick tawa and smear it with oil/ ghee and spread the mixture.
6. Flip both the sides.
7. Serve hot with sauce or chutney.

#9 Poha

Poha (rice flakes) is a source of Vitamin B, Iron and carbohydrates. Since Poha is gluten-free, it can also be consumed by those having wheat allergies. Poha is considered one of the healthy recipes for babies.

Ingredients

1. Poha -1 cup
2. Peanut powder- ¼ teaspoon
3. Mustard Seeds -1 teaspoon
4. Curry leaves- handful
5. Vegetables like: Potato, Onion, Peas, Carrots
6. Oil/ Ghee- 2 tablespoon
7. Pomegranate and Coconut for garnishing

Time Taken

• Twenty minutes (including preparation).

Steps to Prepare

1. Dry roast peanuts and keep them aside.
2. Add oil/ghee in a pan. Allow the oil to heat and add mustard seeds and few curry leaves.
3. Then add vegetables to the pan and cover the pan for five minutes.
4. Add Poha in a sieve and wash it with cold water.
5. Squeeze the water from Poha. Add it to the pan when the vegetables are cooked.
6. Garnish with pomegranate or coconut powder.

Note: Adding pomegranate, groundnut and for babies, less than one year is not advisable.

#10 Wheat Cheela

Wheat Cheela is easy to cook and one of the healthy recipes for babies. Various vegetables can be added and they can be served for breakfast and evening snacks.

Ingredients

1. Wheat Flour- 1 cup
2. Salt- ½ teaspoon
3. Water- ½ cup
4. Onion-1 chopped
5. Ghee to roast the Cheela

Time Taken

• Thirty Minutes including the cooking and preparation time.

Steps to Prepare

1. Take wheat flour and add water to make a smooth paste.
2. Add salt and onion to the paste.
3. Rest aside for fifteen minutes.
4. Now heat a pan, add 1 tablespoon of ghee and add the paste in a circular motion just like a dosa.
5. Flip over to cook completely.

#11 Smiley Chapatti

Some more healthy recipes for babies include Smiley Chapattis. Smiley Chapattis are nothing but normal chapattis cut out in a smiley pattern to attract the attention of the toddler.

Ingredients

1. Wheat flour- 1 cup
2. Ghee 1 tablespoon
3. Water (to knead and make a dough)

Time to Prepare

• Fifteen Minutes including preparation and cooking time.

Steps to Prepare

1. Firstly, knead the dough by adding ghee as required for making chapatti.
2. Take small balls and start making normal or bigger sized chapattis, cut three-four small chapattis in round shape with the help of a bowl.
3. Take a spoon and with the help of it make eyes and smiling mouth.
4. Cook smiley chapatti as normal chapatti.
5. Ready to eat and attracts the child’s attention.

Note: You can also add olives in the eyes and grated carrots in the smile to make chapatti more attractive.

Summing it Up

These healthy recipes for babies require very little effort and time. Hope you liked the homemade vegetarian recipes. Please try these healthy recipes for babies and share your feedback in the comment section below.

Points To Note:

1. Sugar and Salt are not advisable until one year. Therefore add in very less amount.
2. Vegetables and fruits should be mashed or blended from 6 to 8 months to avoid choking.

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