This smooth and creamy Homemade Quinoa Baby Cereal recipe has an earthy and robust taste and is loaded with protein, fiber, iron, folate and magnesium. It’s great served as a meal itself or mixed with baby’s favorite fruit or vegetable puree. Baby food for 4-6 months and up – stage 1 baby food.

Graphic for post - quinoa cereal for baby - 4+ month s- stage one baby food. Images are of a small bowl of quinoa cereal for baby.

Medically reviewed by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)

Baby cereal doesn’t have to be plain and boring 🙅‍♀️!

No way! Not for our adventurous babies!

Not only do we want a delicious tasting baby cereal, but we also want it to be loaded with nutrients to help our growing babies. Are we asking too much? I don’t think so!

Enter – our trusted superfood grain – quinoa 👏!

First time making homemade baby food? Then, I would suggest that you start by reading my very in-depth Guide on how to Make Homemade Baby Food – which goes over all the important information such as the best cooking tools to have on handsafe storagehow to know when baby is ready for solidshow to introduce pureesthe best first foods for baby, and more! You can also check out my best-selling cookbook for even more information and recipes!

Quinoa Baby Cereal Video

Watch this video to see how easy this recipe is to make for your baby!

Small glass bowl with dried quinoa inside.

REASONS TO LOVE THIS Quinoa Cereal

  • great baby food for 4+ months
  • 1-ingredient
  • super smooth and creamy
  • delicious
  • great for digestion
  • easy to make – less than 20 minutes
  • freezer-friendly
  • budget-friendly
  • homemade
  • healthy
  • organic – can easily use organic quinoa in this recipe

Health Benefits of Quinoa

Quinoa is so healthy that it literally has superpowers!

  • Protein: quinoa is a good source of protein for baby. It’s actually a complete protein, meaning it has all of the essential amino acids that our body cannot make on its own. Lysine is one of these, which is rare to find in a plant source. Protein helps support the growth and development of babies.
  • Fiber: this ancient grain contains almost twice as much fiber as brown rice, which makes it great for babies’ sensitive digestive organs and helps things get going ‘down there’ in a gentle way.
  • Iron: has a good amount of iron, which is especially important for babies around 6 months of age as their iron reserves start to diminish. Quinoa is a natural way to boost their reserves without using iron-fortified products.
  • Magnesium: excellent source of magnesium, which aids in bone and teeth growth.
  • Folate: quinoa has more folate than any other whole grain, which is important for making DNA and hemoglobin and for brain development. 

WHEN CAN BABY EAT QUINOA?

Baby can have quinoa 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 baby on purees, you should consult with your pediatrician to make sure your child is developmentally ready.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Besides all of the amazing health benefits from quinoa, it is also a super easy baby cereal to make.

  1. Cook: make a batch of your favorite quinoa.
  2. Blend: transfer the cooked quinoa into a blender or food processor. Add in a little water or other liquid to get the grains completely smooth.
  3. Serve: serve to baby by itself or paired with another fruit or veggie puree.
  4. Freeze: you can store this puree in the fridge for up to 4 days or you can freeze the cereal to use on another day.

Type of Quinoa to Use: I made this recipe using the trio color blend of quinoa, which has 3 different types of quinoa in it. But any color of quinoa will work with this recipe and usually, the white quinoa is the easiest to find in almost all grocery stores.

GREAT Quinoa COMBINATIONs

While Quinoa Puree is great by itself, it’s also super easy to mix and match with other nutrient-dense baby food purees. Give these fun flavor combos a try!

ADDING SPICES

While the most popular option is adding cinnamon to baby cereal, you can also add in a pinch of cloves, nutmeg, cardamom or pumpkin pie spice.

Tip on Spices: I always added spices to my baby food purees, but you can add or leave out spices in all of your baby food. You do you! Either way, this puree will taste amazing.

2 trays of frozen quinoa cereal for baby.

HOW TO STORE Quinoa Cereal

REFRIGERATOR

You can store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. 

FREEZER 

This puree can be frozen for up to 4 months.

  • Spoon puree into a freezer storage container (this is my favorite freezer storage container) – do not overfill. 
  • Place the lid on the storage container or cover with a piece of saran wrap and label with date and recipe name. 
  • Place the tray into the freezer and let freeze completely – preferably overnight. 
  • Pop-out the baby food cubes and place in a zip-lock baggie or stasher bag – don’t forget to re-label the baggie or stager bag for future reference.

Need more information on how to store your baby foods – head over to my Best Baby Food Storage Containers – Plus 6 Tips on Freezing and Thawing post!

Tools Needed

Favorite Kitchen Tools: Get a list of my favorite kitchen tools to make the best baby food here!

DID YOU MAKE THIS QUINOA BABY CEREAL?
 I’D LOVE TO KNOW HOW IT TURNED OUT! LEAVE A COMMENT AND A ⭐️ RATING BELOW 👇

Get the recipe: Homemade Quinoa Baby Cereal (4+ months)

4.6 stars (58 ratings)
This smooth and creamy Homemade Quinoa Baby Cereal has an earthy and robust taste and is loaded with protein, fiber, iron, folate and magnesium. It’s great served as a meal itself or mixed with baby’s favorite fruit or vegetable puree.

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup water, low sodium broth or bone broth
  • 1/2 cup quinoa (see notes)
  • extra liquid for blending

Instructions 

  • Cook: In a small saucepan, bring the liquid to a boil. Add quinoa and stir. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 12 minutes. Take off of heat, and let sit for 5 minutes.
    Silver saucepan filled with cooked quinoa.
  • Puree: Transfer the quinoa to a blender or food processor and puree for 2 minutes for a completely smooth puree or pulse for 1 minute for a chunky puree. If the puree is too thick, you may need to add in additional liquid. Start by adding in 1/4 cup of liquid at a time until you reach your desired consistency. I added 1/4 cup of water to get the perfect consistency for me (what you see in the photos).
    blender full of pureed quinoa for baby.
  • Serve: let cool and serve to baby or spoon into a storage tray and freeze for future use.
    2 trays of frozen quinoa cereal for baby.

Notes

Age: 4-6 months and up
Yield: roughly 25 ounces
Note on Quinoa: I used a trio blend of quinoa for this recipe, but you can use any color quinoa that you would like.
Storage: Fridge – store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Adding Spices: you can add a pinch of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice or pumpkin pie spice while blending. 
 

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