5-Star Homemade Baby Rice Cereal
Using only 1 ingredient, this Homemade Baby Rice Cereal is a simple and easy recipe for your baby! Plus, it is entirely freezer-friendly, so it’s a great addition to your freezer stash of baby purees.
Medically reviewed and cowritten by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).
Homemade Baby Rice Cereal
Looking for an easy rice cereal for your baby that isn’t in a box?
Then, I’ve got you!
This homemade brown rice baby cereal has only one ingredient (#spoileralert: rice) and can be made in less than an hour.
While you can and should serve this puree to your baby alone, you can also mix it with their fave fruit or veggie puree. Here are some of my baby’s favorite combinations:
🥦 Broccoli Baby Puree
🍠 Sweet Potato Baby Food
🍎 Apple Baby Puree
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!
Rice Cereal Video
Ingredients
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!
Let’s Get Pureeing
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
- 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.
- 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.
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.
Get the recipe: 5-Star Homemade Baby Rice Cereal
Ingredients
- 1 cup short grain brown rice
- 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.
Notes
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63 Comments on “5-Star Homemade Baby Rice Cereal”
I did the rice powder but curious to know how I can add breast milk to the recipe?
Hi! It’s covered in the Notes section under the recipe card at the bottom of the post. =) xo, Michele
Do I need to use any special water or just tap water?
Hi! I prefer using filtered or bottled water. You can also use sodium free bone broth or sodium free chicken or veggie broth for more nutrients. xo, Michele
What are you basing the claim that organic rice has less arsenic on? I’ve only ever read that the arsenic levels are the same regardless of organic or non-organic.
Hi Janis! After doing further research, you are correct, organic and conventional rice have the same amount of arsenic but organic rice does contain less pesticides. The guide has been updated with this new information. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. xo, Michele
What’s the instructions for storing? like how long can they be in the refrigerator and freezer?
Hi Theo! There is a whole section in the post titled How to Store with the information you are looking for!
Hello, can I use frozen breastmilk (thawed) for the blending process ?
I recommend only using fresh breastmilk.
This made a lot of things so much easier and simple. I soaked my rice all night and made it in the morning and still got some stored away. Thank you so much.
I just wanted to write a review not only for this recipe but for this site as a whole. I’ve been using BabyFoode recipes since my first baby girl started solids, and I have found so much joy and peace with the recipes and information on this site. There is so much detail, and this is the resource that gave me confidence when starting my baby girl on solids. She’s 18 months now and I still visit frequently for toddler meal and snack ideas! I’m so thankful for this resource and recommend it to all my mom friends!! Thank you for the detail and care you put into each recipe and all the content posted here!!
Lexi, you just made my day!! Thank you so much for your kind words and positive review. I’m crying now over here ❤️
Hello, I tried making this recipe using the same brown rice you use and it came out thick (once i added it to the blender and added several amount of water). I kept adding more liquid and it was almost too much before is was a paste texture. The taste was gross from all the liquid I’m sure. How much liquid do you add to the blender? Also can you tell me more about the soaking process. Do i rinse the rice or soak it in water prior to cooking? And for how long? Thank you, I hope I can get this recipe right as I’m excited to introduce baby food to my baby.
Did you rinse the rice first? I find that if you don’t rinse the rice first it can become too thick and paste-like. You can soak the rice if you like for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours and then you still have to rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Because it is a grain, it will be thicker than a fruit or veggie puree but it shouldn’t be paste-like. Hope that helps.
I’m starting to have my baby eat purées and was wondering if this cereal could be something added to her bottle? If I make the consistency thinner, is that something this could work for?
Thank you!
I don’t usually recommend adding cereal to a baby’s bottle unless recommended by your pediatrician. But I would say this puree is better for serving on a spoon or to let your baby self-feed rather than in a bottle as it isn’t as smooth as the store-bought variety.
After I asked this question I did more research and learned the same thing you’re saying. Someone told me to add cereal to her milk & im glad I waited.
Thank you for getting back to me and for the recipe!
Hello! Thank you so much for this. Ive been making my baby homemade purees and didnt realize it was also possible to make rice cereal for him. I have Jasmin rice. Is brown rice the best to use for the recipe?
Thank you agIn
So glad you are here! You can use any rice you prefer, though brown rice does have more nutrients in it.
Hi. Michele, Great recipe!!! Quick question… Would you mind telling me, where can I find the information you’re providing about arsenic content levels in organic brown rice are lower than white rice? I’ve searched all over online and what I’ve found is that brown rice, doesn’t matter if it’s organic, has the highest arsenic content than white rice, that’s why I ended up using california grown basmatic organic white rice since it has the lowest arsenic levels according to what I found. I know brown rice has more nutrients than white rice but as a first time single mom
I get freaked out by everything. Thank you in advance.
Hi! After doing further research, organic and conventional rice have the same amount of arsenic but organic rice does contain less pesticides. The guide has been updated with this new information. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. xo, Michele
Hey! I love this! If I wanted to try making rice powder, should I still rinse/soak it? Or would that not be needed because I’m not cooking it?
If grinding the rice into powder, then you would skip the rinse/soak part of the recipe. Thanks for checking.
I absolutely love your recipes! I am new to this baby food journey and love how simple you have made everything. I see that you stated 4 days in the refrigerator but I can not find how long it lasts in the freezer. Did I overlook this? Thank you so much for all your great tips!
So glad you are here! Thanks for catching this, I just updated the recipe card. This puree can last for up to 4 days in the fridge or 4 months in the freezer.
Hi, I used the Lundberg short grain rice as recommended, but can’t seem to be able to blend it out to a smooth consistency. No matter how long I blend it for, and no matter how much water I add, it still leaves behind the tiny yellow husks that can’t be broken down. Where did I go wrong?
Sorry, you are having issues with this recipe. Not sure how big the husks are in your puree. Mine looks like the recipe above – which is very smooth but if I take some puree between my fingers I can feel a slight texture. If the husks are small enough, the puree should be fine as texture is okay to serve baby.
How long does this last in freezer?
For up to 4 months in the freezer.
I made this but when I felt the consistency of it, I could feel some grains, very very tiny. Is that okay?
Yes, some texture is perfectly okay for your baby to start on.
How long does the puree keep in the refrigerator?
It keeps for 4 days in the fridge.
Thank you for the well written recipe. This was the first solid my baby tasted and he loved it
I am so happy your little one liked this recipe! Keep up the good work momma!
Hi please help.
My baby loves the rice cereal but since I have introduced new things, she prefers pear and Banana on its own. The rice cereal seems to be too lumpy for her. When I defrost it, it’s more grainy, if I add water to thin it out, this makes it too watery and my breast milk. How do I make the rice creamy and thick. She gags on the rice bits. But still likes the taste just gers fed up with gagging on the lumpy bits. Thank you
It sounds like you need to blend it for longer. I usually recommend blending for 1-2 minutes at high-speed but it may take another 1-2 minutes to get it really smooth. Hope that helps.
Can I make rice and instead of blending and freezing, can I keep rice In fridge and blend rice daily.
I haven’t thought of this, but it sounds like a great plan! I would just not serve baby rice that is older than 5 days old.
Is it okay to warm up the frozen rice I used with breast milk in the microwave?
Can I use any normal kitchen blender (the one I use for prep of adult meals)?
Yes, any blender will work great!
Hi again,
I’m thinking it’s my blender. What blender do you have ?
Thank You
Taylor
Hi!
I just made this, however mine still has very tiny grain texture. Did I not cook the rice long enough or could it have been the rice I used ?
I used an organic long grain brown rice.
Thank You !
Not sure if you tasted the rice before blending but it should be the consistency of what you would eat. It’s hard to say without tasting it, but I think it just needed more time in a blender with maybe a little more liquid. My rice cereal takes a full 2 minutes in the blender to get that creamy texture you see in the photo. Hope that helps.
I added two cups of liquid but it still had little small pebble like grains. I’m going to try this again and cook it longer and blend longer. Thank You for the reply 🙂
Is it safe to use tap water? Or should it be filtered water/ boiled water? When blending the rice? If I add formula, Im not sure if I can freeze it once prepared. Therefore, I was considering using water to prepare the puree.
I always use tap water, but the water in our city is good and you will be boiling it while it cooks. But you can always use filtered or distilled water if you prefer. You can freeze formula and reheat it. But you can also make the rice cereal with water and then use formula to thin out the puree when you reheat it.
Can I use a rice cooker to steam the rice?
Yes, you can use a rice cooker to cook the rice. I think that is an awesome idea! Just make sure you rinse the rice really well before cooking or it will be too starchy.
I used thawed breast milk to make the whole batch. Is it still safe to feed her this if it’s been refrozen?
If I decide to soak the rice, how long do I soak it? Do I soak before or after I rinse it?
This is a great question and I just updated the post and recipe card with full instructions on how to soak the rice.
If I make this with previously frozen breastmilk for the liquid, can I still freeze it in serving size portions? Just wondering because I read where you don’t refreeze breastmilk, but I didn’t know if that applied since this breastmilk has been cooked.
I would recommend cooking the rice with water, then pureeing the rice with either fresh breastmilk or water. Once you freeze and thaw the rice cereal, you will probably need to thin it down a little since it gets thicker once it cools and this is a great time to add in frozen (and thawed) breastmilk. Thanks for bringing this to my attentions – I just edited the recipe card to be more clear.
Just to check- formula needs to go into a sterile bottle. So should I mix with water first to freeze and then blend with formula when I’m using and use a sterile dish?
That sounds like a great plan!
I have a question. I made this and it was wonderful fresh…but the ones I froze it feels like rubber after it’s been defrosted. Is that normal? Will the texture return to normal when liquid is added and it’s heated?
The frozen and thawed rice cereal will be thick (see video) but I have found once you add a little liquid or another puree and gently heated it tastes just as it does when first made. Keep me updated once you try it.
These are absolutely delicious! I just love that my kids are eating somethings that is tasty and even have health benefits!
Hi – can I serve rice cereal to my baby cold? She drinks cold bottles and she prefers the rice cereal cold but not sure if it was safe. Thanks!
Yes, you can serve this rice cereal cold.