All you need to know about Homemade cerelac recipes

What Is Homemade Cerelac recipe?

Homemade cerelac recipe videos indicate a DIY baby food powder made by dry-roasting and grinding a mix of grains, lentils, and nuts — typically rice, wheat, moong dal, masoor dal, horse gram, urad dal, and nuts like almond, peanuts etc. It is prepared at home and widely shared across social media as a first food option for babies around 6 months of age but such recipes may fall short on key nutrients like iron, protein, zinc, and vitamin D that babies need most.

These homemade cerelac recipes indicate use of Ingredients such as almond, peanuts etc. —which may cause allergic reactions in some babies if introduced all at once.^1,2

These homemade cerelac recipes often contain 7+ ingredients like rice, wheat, 2-3 dals and nuts mixed together, which may be too difficult to digest for a 6-month-old baby. This is because, at 6 months, an infant’s digestive system is still developing.*,^3-5

The Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) actually recommends starting complementary feeding with single foods — like a single grain cereal (wheat, rice or ragi) or a single fruit purée (like mashed apple).⁶

Single foods are easy to digest and make it easier to identify if your baby has an allergic reaction to any ingredient.

We want to clarify that these videos do not have any association with NESTLE or CERELAC^®. CERELAC^® is a registered trademark of Société des Produits Nestlé S.A.

Nestlé CERELAC^® is a complementary baby food made with Grains (Like Wheat, Rice, Oats, Ragi & Barley), Milk & Fruits or Vegetables and NO PRESERVATIVES and can be introduced once your baby turns 6 months old. It is a complementary food to support babies during early feeding stages.

• At 6 months Nestlé CERELAC^® starts with simple ingredients like single grain (Wheat/Rice/Ragi) and fruits, at 10 months evolving to 2-3 grains and multiple fruits and upto 5 Grains after 18 months
• CERELAC^® does not contain common allergen nuts like almonds, peanuts etc.
• CERELAC^® is a Iron Rich Baby Cereal
• CERELAC^® is a Protein Rich Baby Cereal
• CERELAC^® is made using unique Z-Line Technology that makes it easy to digest
• CERELAC^® has Alpha-Amylase, a natural enzyme that helps break down complex carbohydrates, making food easier to digest for infants
• CERELAC^®is a source of essential nutrients like Iron, Protein, Omega-3 Fatty Acid (ALA) and Vitamin A, C, D
• CERELAC^® has NO Preservatives, NO Colors, NO Flavours

Always consult your baby's paediatrician before introducing any new food.

Are these homemade cerelac recipes Good for a 6-Month-Old Baby?

Not always — especially as a first food.

The Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) recommends that complementary feeding should begin with single foods — such as single-grain cereals (wheat, rice or ragi) or single fruit purées (like mashed apple).⁶ Simple foods are easier to digest and makes it easier to identify if your baby has an allergic reaction to any ingredient.

Commonly found Homemade cerelac recipes often contain 7 or more ingredients combined, which introduces multiple new foods to the baby's gut at the same time.

At 6 months, a baby's digestive system is still developing with low levels of digestive juices like salivary amylase and pancreatic amylase.*,^3-5 This makes complex multi-ingredient preparations like homemade cerelac recipes hard to digest.

Ingredients such as almonds, peanuts etc. — commonly used in homemade cerelac recipes— may cause allergic reactions in some babies if introduced all at once.^1,2

While such homemade cerelac recipes are widely shared across social media but such recipes may fall short on key nutrients like iron, protein, zinc, and vitamin D that babies need most.

Always consult your baby's paediatrician before introducing any new food.

What Are the Ingredients of homemade cerelac recipe?

A popular homemade cerelac recipe (as seen on Indian food blogs) typically includes:

• Rice – 1 cup
• Broken wheat – 2 tbsp
• Moong dal – 2 tbsp
• Masoor dal – 2 tbsp
• Horse gram – 2 tbsp
• Urad dal – 2 tbsp
• Almonds – 7 pieces

That is 7 ingredients introduced together in a single serving — on what may be one of your baby's very early days of eating solid food. Such complex homemade cerelac recipes may be too difficult to digest for a 6-month-old baby. This is because, at 6 months, an infant’s digestive system is still developing.*,^3-5

Ingredients such as almonds, peanuts etc.— commonly used in homemade cerelac recipes may cause allergic reactions in some babies if introduced all at once.^1,2

While such recipes are widely shared across social media as a first food for babies around 6 months of age but such recipes may fall short on key nutrients like iron, protein, zinc, and vitamin D that babies need most.

Always consult your baby's paediatrician before introducing any new food.

Is Homemade Cerelac recipe healthy or nutritious?

A popular homemade cerelac recipe (as seen on Indian food blogs) typically includes:

• Rice – 1 cup
• Broken wheat – 2 tbsp
• Moong dal – 2 tbsp
• Masoor dal – 2 tbsp
• Horse gram – 2 tbsp
• Urad dal – 2 tbsp
• Almonds – 7 pieces

Such common homemade cerelac recipes may be low in several micronutrients critical to infant development:

Iron — essential to support brain function and cognitive development.⁷ Often insufficient in homemade cerelac recipes.

Zinc and Vitamin C — important to support immune system function. Often insufficient in homemade cerelac recipes.^8,9

Vitamin D and Calcium — needed to support bone growth.⁸ Often insufficient in grain-and-lentil-based homemade cerelac recipes.

Protein — while homemade cerelac recipes do contain some protein from lentils, it’s an incomplete source of protein and the quantity per serving varies batch to batch depending on measurement and preparation.

Key nutritional fact- Most homemade cerelac recipes are described in approximate measurements like "a cup" or "a handful." This means the nutritional values may be inconsistent — your baby may receive very different amounts of calories, protein, and micronutrients from one preparation to the next.

Homemade Cerelac recipes may fall short on some key nutrients

Always consult your baby's paediatrician before introducing any new food.

Is homemade cerelac recipe safe for babies?

Homemade Cerelac recipes have two important risks that are often overlooked.

Allergens: Ingredients such as almonds, peanuts etc. — commonly used in homemade cerelac recipes—may cause allergic reactions in some babies if introduced all at once.^1,2 Especially when multiple allergens are combined in one mix, identifying the cause of a reaction becomes difficult. It is recommended that foods that may trigger allergies should be introduced one at a time.²

Too complex for Immature digestive system: Homemade cerelac recipes trending in India often contain 7+ ingredients mixed together, which may be too complex and difficult to digest for a 6-month-old baby. This is because, at 6 months, an infant’s digestive system is still developing with low levels of digestive enzymes such as salivary amylase and pancreatic amylase.*,^3-5

Always consult your baby's paediatrician before introducing any new food.

Homemade Cerelac recipes vs Nestlé CERELAC^®: What Is the Difference?

Is Homemade Cerelac recipe Good or Bad for Babies?

Homemade cerelac recipe is not inherently "bad" — but most popular recipes are not age-appropriate for babies starting solids at 6 months.

• Most homemade cerelac recipes contain too many ingredients for a 6-month-old's developing gut
• Paediatric guidelines recommend starting with single foods, not complex multi-ingredient mixes
• They often lack adequate iron, protein, zinc, vitamin D, and other critical micronutrients

Always consult your baby's paediatrician before introducing any new food.