Medically reviewed and cowritten by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).

Using only 1 ingredient, this Homemade Baby Rice Cereal is a simple and easy recipe to make for your baby! Plus, it is completely freezer-friendly, so it’s a great addition to your freezer stash of baby purees. It’s great for babies 4-6+ months and up as a Stage 1 baby food.

Graphic for post - how to make baby rice cereal - stage one - homemade - 6+ months. Image is a white bowl with wooden baby spoon resting in the bowl with creamy rice cereal.

Homemade Baby Rice Cereal

Homemade brown rice baby cereal is packed with manganese, magnesium, and selenium. It is a good source of fiber, protein, and a ton of other essential vitamins and minerals for a growing baby. 💪

It’s a nutritious first food for your baby, and you can easily mix it with other fruit or veggie purees for a more wholesome and delicious meal! 😋

Plus, this homemade baby cereal is one of the easiest purees you can make for your baby! All you need is 1 ingredient and less than an hour of your time 🕐.

For this recipe, we will cook the brown rice, blend it up, and then pop it into the freezer for easy-to-grab cubes of baby rice cereal. I have found that this cooking method makes the creamiest and smoothest baby cereal you can ever imagine. Besides, there is nothing like having a freezer stash of healthy baby purees at your fingertips!

Is it your first time making homemade baby food? Then I suggest you start this journey by reading my in-depth Guide on How to Make Homemade Baby Food. You can also check out my best-selling cookbook for even more information and recipes!

Rice Cereal Video

Watch this video to see how easy making your own homemade rice cereal can be!

Small white bowl filled with pureed homemade rice cereal for baby.

Ingredients

Make sure to read the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and instructions!

  • Rice: I recommend using organic short grain brown rice in this recipe. Brown rice has health benefits and loads of nutrients in it, as opposed to white rice, which has all of the key nutrients stripped from it. I would strongly recommend using organic brown rice as the cost difference ounce-per-ounce is very small and the the organic variety has not been soaked in pesticides. You can use either short or long-grain organic brown rice for this recipe.
  • Water: This will be added to cook the rice. You can also use sodium-free bone broth or sodium-free veggie broth for more nutrients and flavor or a mixture of broth and water.
  • Liquid for Blending: While blending the rice, you’ll need to add more liquid to thin out the rice into a puree. You can use water, bone broth, veggie broth, fresh breast milk, or formula.

TIME-SAVING TIP:  If you are in a rush, you can use quick-cooked brown rice (I like the organic brown basmati rice from Trader-Joes) that only takes 20 minutes to cook!

Related

GUIDE TO BABY FOOD STAGES

Soaking the Rice

Soaking brown rice (or any grain) helps remove some of the naturally occurring phytic acids, which are some of the hard-to-digest components of the grain. Getting rid of these acids speeds up the cooking time and makes the rice easier to digest.

If you are introducing grains as your baby’s first food, soaking the grains would be helpful as your baby would have an easier time digesting the puree.

But if thinking 2-8 hours ahead of time is holding you back from making your own cereal, then feel free to skip this step.

How to Soak Rice: Place 1 cup of rice in a medium bowl and add 2-3 cups of hot water (enough to cover the rice) and leave at room temperature for at least 2 hours. You can also leave it overnight. Drain the rice and rinse well. Follow the recipe below on cooking and pureeing instructions, but note that the rice will cook faster, so check the rice after 20 minutes.

silver saucepan filled with water and rice.

How to Make Baby Rice Cereal

  1. Rinse Rice: Place the rice in a fine-mesh colander and rinse with cold water until the water runs clear. This will help remove any excess starch from the rice grains and make the rice fluffier and easier to blend. PLEASE DO NOT skip this step, or your puree will be starchy.
  2. Add to Saucepan: Add the water and the rice to a medium saucepan, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat.
  3. Cook: Once at a boil, turn down the heat, and let simmer on low for 35-45 minutes or until the water is gone and the rice is tender. Rice cooking times vary, so taste test the rice after 35 minutes to see if it is tender.
  4. Sit: Remove from heat and let it sit for 10 minutes.
  5. Blend: Transfer the cooked rice to a blender or food processor and blend for 1-2 minutes, adding liquid to thin out the rice puree.
  6. Store:  I recommend storing a small quantity of the rice puree in the fridge for use that week and then freezing the rest for future meals.

Tools Needed

Related

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Other Cooking Methods

I have found that cooking the rice first and then blending, creates the smoothest rice cereal for your baby. But there are a couple of other ways to make rice cereal for your baby.

Instant Pot

You can cook small or large batches of white or brown rice in your instant pot. For white rice, you will put 1 cup of rice and 1 cup of water into the instant pot and cook for 3 minutes with a natural pressure release until the pin drops. For brown rice, you will put 1 cup of rice and 1 cup of water into the instant pot and cook for 24 minutes with a natural pressure release until the pin drops. Feel free to double the recipe if needed.

Rice Powder

  1. Grind Rice: Place 1 cup of uncooked rice in a coffee grinder or blender. Grind for 1-2 minutes or until you have a very fine rice powder.
  2. Add Hot Water: In a microwave-safe bowl, add in roughly 1 tablespoon rice powder and 1-2 tablespoons hot or boiling water. Stir until smooth adding more water if needed. Let sit until warm enough to eat.

Frequently Asked Questions

When can babies eat rice cereal?

Babies can have rice cereal as one of their first foods. When a baby can start on solids is determined by their own rate of development, which generally comes between 4-6 months of age. Some of the developmental milestones babies need to reach in order to start solids include: if your baby has solid control of their head and neck, if your baby has doubled in weight, and if your baby is reaching for or opening their mouth when you eat (see my guide here). Before you start your baby on purees, you should consult with your pediatrician to make sure your child is developmentally ready.

Can rice cereal be the baby’s first food?

Rice can 100% be your baby’s first food if you want it to be. It is recommended to wait to introduce the top eight allergen foods to your baby once a few other well-tolerated foods have been introduced, but otherwise, foods can be introduced in any order so choose whatever you are most excited for your baby to have.

Is rice a common allergen for baby?

No, rice is not a common allergen, however, as with any food, start with a small portion and be aware of any signs that might be an allergic reaction after introducing it.

Does rice cause constipation for babies?

Rice may cause constipation in babies since it absorbs water and may make it harder to pass stools. Switch to a different whole grain like oatmeal if your baby is having a hard time digesting rice. 

Baby food Storage tray with homemade rice baby cereal inside.

How to Store Rice Cereal

This baby rice cereal is quick and effortless to freeze and reheat, making it convenient to have on hand. The frozen cubes are easy to grab and reheat right before mealtime.

How to Freeze

  • After you blend the rice into a puree, you can pour the rice cereal into freezer-safe trays . Do not overfill. 
  • Place the tray into the freezer for 3-4 hours or until completely frozen.
  • Transfer the cubes of frozen rice cereal into a Stasher Bag or ziplock baggie.
  • This puree will last 4 days in the fridge and for up to 4 months in the freezer.

How to Re-Heat

  • Take the number of frozen cubes you want to feed your baby for that meal and place them in a microwave-safe container.
  • Heat in the microwave for 30-second intervals until warm, stirring after every session.
  • You can also take the frozen cubes and place them in a small saucepan on the stove, heating on low and stirring continuously.
  • NOTE: The puree will be thick when you reheat it. You can thin it back out by adding other purees (see the list below for some of my favorite options), fresh or frozen breast milk, formula, or water. Add a little at a time, stirring in-between.

Label Tip: Don’t forget to label your purees before you place them in the fridge or freezer with the name of the puree and date you made it. Take it from me, you will completely forget when and what is in your freezer by the end of the week;).

White bowl filled with homemade baby rice cereal with teal spoon inside.

Feeding Tips

  • Place a small amount of puree on the tray during spoon feeding – so that your baby can dip their fingers or hands in the puree. Allowing baby to explore foods in this way helps them learn to self-feed and can help them be more willing to try new textures and foods in the future.
  • Have a spare spoon (or three!) – even very young babies often want to be involved in feeding themselves as much as possible. Giving baby an extra spoon to hold can be helpful in giving her a sense of control and also promotes hand-eye coordination.Allow baby to use spoons as a teether during the meal. There are many great options out there but a few we particularly love include the Olababy 3 Piece Set, the NumNum Pre-Spoon GOOtensils, and the ChooMee FlexiDip Baby Starter Spoons.
  • Purees are great to keep in your baby’s regular rotation of foods – but if you start feeding with traditional weaning using purees, make sure to progress beyond eating ONLY purees. Once baby can safely and comfortably swallow purees (usually by 7 or 8 months) it’s time to introduce other textures, such as teething biscuits and soft cooked finger foods. Moving onto additional textures in a timely manner may help prevent feeding difficulties at a later age.

Graphic for post - how to make baby rice cereal - with photo of white bowl on blue napkin with a wooden spoon sitting in the bowl with a creamy rice cereal.

Get the recipe: Homemade Baby Rice Cereal

4.9 stars (63 ratings)
Using only 1-ingredient, this Homemade Baby Rice Cereal is a simple and easy recipe to make baby!
Yield: 20 ounces
Prep: 3 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Author: Michele Olivier
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Baby Food
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup brown rice (I prefer organic short grain)
  • 2 cups water
  • 1-2 cups liquid for blending (fresh breast milk, formula, water)

Instructions 

  • Rinse Rice – IMPORTANT STEP: Place the rice in a fine-mesh colander and rinse with water until the water runs clear.
  • Cook: Transfer the rice to a medium saucepan and add 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer for 35-45 minutes or until the rice is tender and the water is evaporated. Each batch of rice cooks a little differently, so taste at 35 minutes to see if the rice is tender.
  • Let Rest: Remove the saucepan from the heat and let rest for 10 minutes, covered. If using fresh breast milk or formula for blending, remove the lid and let the rice cool for 15 minutes.
  • Blend: Place the rice into a blender or food processor and add 1/2 cup of liquid of choice. Blend for 1-2 minutes on medium-high speed until completely smooth and creamy, adding in the additional liquid in 1/4 cup increments, if needed, until you have your desired consistency.
  • Eat: Serve to baby or freeze for later.
    Baby food Storage tray with homemade rice baby cereal inside.

Notes

Age: 4-6 months and up
Yield: roughly 20 ounces
Notes on Rice: I recommend using organic short grain brown rice in this recipe. Brown rice has health benefits and a ton of nutrients in it, as opposed to white rice, which has had most of the key nutrients stripped from it. I would strongly recommend using organic brown rice as the cost difference ounce-per-ounce is very small and the organic variety has not been soaked in pesticides. You can use either short or long-grain brown rice for this recipe. 
Notes on Water: water will be added to the rice to cook in. You can also use sodium-free bone broth or sodium-free veggie broth for more nutrients and flavor, or do a mixture of half broth and half water.
Notes on Liquid for Blending: while blending the rice, more liquid will need to be added to thin out the rice into a puree. You can use water, bone broth, veggie broth, fresh breast milk or formula.

Equipment

Blender
Freezer Tray
Bumkins Baby Bowl
Grabease Utensil
Saucepan
Serving: 1ounce, Calories: 34kcal, Carbohydrates: 7.2g, Protein: 0.7g, Fat: 0.3g, Saturated Fat: 0.1g, Sodium: 1mg, Potassium: 26mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Calcium: 4mg

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