Ragi (Finger millet) is a popular first food for babies in India. It is a gluten free grain and easy for baby to digest. Beyond the traditional porridge and ragi malt recipes, one can include ragi in a toddler’s diet by way of ragi pancakes, ragi dosa, or ragi ladoo. Here are some quick ragi recipes for toddlers that you can try.
Roast the ragi flour until it releases a strong aroma and changes to a slightly darker color.
Now add the roasted ragi flour, roasted peanuts, and jaggery powder to a mixer/blender and blend well.
Apply ghee on your hands and make round balls with the mixture.
Notes
These ragi ladoos stores well in an airtight container in a dark cupboard for up to 10 days.
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Another cheats version of this recipe is a part of my ebook on Toddler Snacks. You must check it out, no one will know you cheated! The Easy Toddler Snack Book contains 36 quick to prepare toddler snack recipes specially designed for busy moms like you. These are toddler-approved recipes with no compromise on nutrition. Buy the book here.
Ragi (Finger Millet) is a revered first food for babies in India. Our food culture has many ragi recipes for babies. From ragi porridge to ragi malt-based drinks, this nutritious millet can be incorporated in a variety of ways into the baby’s diet. Among the many ragi flour recipes for babies are these ragi pancakes.
Even if you follow baby-led weaning you can still include the goodness of ragi nutrition through pancakes. These pancakes are easy baby-led weaning finger foods that can be made for breakfast or packed for travel.
CAN RAGI BE GIVEN TO BABIES DAILY?
Ragi (finger millet) is ideally suited for babies because it is easy to digest, and rich in iron and calcium.
Yes, you can give ragi to baby daily, even so, it is best to avoid too much of one food and instead create exposures to a wide variety of foods early on and ensure that the child is getting nutrients from varied sources of foods.
You can include ragi based first foods 2-3 times a week in varied dishes like porridge, dosa, idli, pancake and other times include other nutritious foods.
I love experimenting with ragi flour recipes, be it in different types of ragi porridges or quick meals like pancakes.
Recently I paired ragi flour with jav flour (barley flour) to make these delicious pancakes. This ragi pancake combination is rich in both iron and calcium and super healthy for growing children.
When serving these ragi pancakes to babies under 1, steer clear of adding any maple syrup or other sweetening agents like honey and jaggery.
It is extremely easy to build pancakes using whole grain flours and children love them too.
In my new ebook – The Easy Toddler Snack Book I show you how to build pancakes using ragi flour, oat flour, whole wheat flour, and amaranth flour.
The ebook contains these pancake recipes plus many more easy and healthy snacks like energy bars, energy balls, puddings, smoothies, and patties.
These are recipes we enjoy together with our son as a family and have helped us shift to a more Whole Foods focussed diet at home.
RAGI PANCAKES: BABY LED WEANING INDIAN RECIPES
This pancake is one of the more easily accepted ragi recipes for kids. Young or old most kids won’t notice any difference in the taste and enjoy the combination of the wholesome pancake teamed with honey and creamy nut butter.
If you are wondering how to make ragi pancakes for babies, read on.
Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and add the coconut milk (just enough to cover the ingredients)
Mix well to remove all lumps.
Set the batter aside for 20 minutes. (The flaxseed powder works as an egg replacement and helps the pancake rise.)
On a hot pan add oil evenly to cover the surface. Then scoop out small circle shaped batter on the pan and let each side cook for about 5 minutes.
Serve with maple syrup and cashew butter.
Notes
Substitutions:
You can replace the barley flour with wheat or oat flour.
Use any milk you like. We liked the flavor of these pancakes with coconut milk and almond milk the best.
You can pair the pancakes with any nut butter you have on hand – peanut butter, almond butter, or homemade Nutella.
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Have you tried adding ragi flour to a pancake mix?
Do you have other interesting ragi flour recipes of your own? Do leave us a comment below with your ragi recipes for kids. All of us can learn and try something new.
For more ragi recipes for babies, follow me on Instagram where I post about healthy meals for kids and family regularly. Until next time, Ciao!
Pediatric Nutrition Consultant | FOUNDER & EDITOR AT EASYMOMMYLIFE.COM
I’m a mom to two by day and the Editor-in-Chief of Easy Mommy Life by night. This blog is where evidence-based child nutrition meets the wonderfully messy reality of everyday family life.
Here, you’ll find practical guidance on picky eating, balanced meals, healthy kid-friendly recipes, and research-backed parenting advice - all created to help modern parents make confident choices without adding more stress to their already busy lives.
