How to make homemade sprouted ragi flour and ragi porridge popularly known as ragi kanji/kuruku with the homemade ragi flour? Let’s see today in this post.
Have you read our ragi cake with chocolate sauce? Ragi or finger millet has a distinct taste with amazing health benefits. It is a rich source of calcium, protein, carbohydrate, fibre, thiamine and iron.
The other names of ragi are panjapullu/kooravu/kora (Kerala), kelvaragu (Tamil Nadu), mandika/ragi (Karnataka), taidalu (Andhra), and nachni (North India).
Benefits of homemade sprouted ragi flour:
Ragi is low in fat and helps to keep the body cool. Sprouting ragi increases the Vitamin C levels in it which in turn helps in easier absorption of iron.
The other benefits of ragi are as follows.
- High nutritional content:
Ragi flour is recommended as a weaning food for babies because of its high nutritional content. It prevents malnutrition and provides adequate amount of energy too.
- Easily digestible:
Ragi is non-glutinous and non-acidic. So it’s easy to digest. It is a good laxative too.
- Feels full when consumed:
Ragi contains complex carbohydrate and glucose is released very slowly into the blood without overloading. Thus it keeps us full for a long period of time.
- Curbs appetite:
Ragi contains tryptophan, an amino acid which helps to curb appetite. Hence ragi porridge is a very healthy dinner for babies.
- Builds immunity:
It is ideal for pregnant mothers and helps build immunity to the baby in the womb.
- High calcium and iron:
It is good for lactating mother due to its high calcium and iron content. It improves the production of blood too.
- Maintain blood sugar levels:
The fibre content in ragi lowers cholesterol and help to maintain blood sugar levels. Mothers having gestational diabetes can use ragi/ ragi products instead of other grains as it will help control their blood sugar level.
Are you ready to prepare ragi flour at home? Come let’s start.
Step by step instructions to make homemade sprouted ragi flour:
Wash ragi seeds thoroughly and soak them in drinking water overnight. Drain out all the water in the next afternoon. Take a perforated utensil and line it with a clean white muslin cloth. Put the drained ragi seeds over the cloth. Tie it up and place it somewhere undisturbed in your kitchen for at least 12 hours (I kept overnight). Next day you can see all the ragi seeds with tiny white sprouts on their top.
Spread those sprouted seeds in a clean mat or a plate and dry it under sunlight or under fan for few hours till it is completely dry. As I am staying in flat I kept them under fan plus partial sunlight (you can see in the pic below). Heat a large non-stick pan or kadai. Add the dried ragi in it and roast on a very low flame and get it lightly toasted. Cool it down completely.
Put roasted ragi seeds in a blender. Add little (1/4 tsp) ginger powder and elachi powder to it. This step is completely optional. Powder it. If the quantity is large powder by giving it to a flour mill. I have done it in my mixie as I took less quantity.
Keep an eye on your mixie not to get overheated. If then wait for a while, allow it to cool down then you can proceed.
Now your ragi powder is ready. Allow it to cool. Put it in a fine mesh and sieve. Store it in an air tight container.
Preparation of ragi porridge with the homemade sprouted ragi flour:
- Take 2 tablespoon of ragi powder in a small pan and mix in a little water (¼ cup or less than that) without forming any lumps.
- Add more water and keep it on low flame stirring it continuously
- When the mixture turns thick, add jaggery syrup or any other forms of sweetener like date syrup, kalkandam, panamkalkandu/palm sugar or regular sugar.
- Add ¼ cup milk and cook well for another five minutes.
- Add 1 teaspoon ghee and switch off.
Notes:
- Shelf life of ragi powder is quite good so it will be fine outside room temperature for two to three months. If the quantity is high and you want to preserve for a long time say 6 months, then you can keep them in refrigerator.
- If your child is less than one year, skip the 4th step and add more water to cook it. If your baby is on formula, add prepared formula at the end after switching off the stove.
- If the child is one year old and above, you can even use almond powder, cashew powder or dry fruits powder to the porridge.
You will for sure feel happiness along with a little pride while you prepare the porridge with your own ragi powder and feed your little one.
Do you use the homemade sprouted ragi flour for your little one? Is there any variation you add to the whole preparation? Please share with me in comments.
77 Comments
Can I feed my 7 month old baby Ragi daily? Or on alternate days ?
How many times a week can I give Ragi to baby ?
Hello my baby is 15 month old..when I prepare ragi porridge it becomes thin which I cant feed my baby through fingers…how should I prepare for her..plz tel me quantity of water and how should be the porridge for 15 months old
Hi,
I bought organic ragi from the store. I washed it and soaked it in drinking water(covered with lid) by noon. I forgot to check in the next day morning. So, when i checked by noon the water was all foam. I washed it again 5 times just to get rid of the foam smell and let it out to sprout. Can i give this to my baby?. I’m concerned because i left it soaked for a day and it was all foam.
Smitha, please do not give to baby this time as we are unsure of the quality.
Hi,
My baby is 4 months old..can i start ragi porridge for him? If yes do i follow the same process?
Farah, 4 month baby doesn’t need anything other than breast milk or formula. Hope this helps.
Hi Farah,
As Sangeetha suggest , no need of starting ragi now for your baby as she is too small .Wait till your baby reach seven or eight months.Upto 6 months BM is best for your baby.
Regards
Jayalekshmy
Hi
I did the same process as u mentioned but I kept rahi in partial sunlight for 2 days and now ragi has got too much sprouts …Can i still use it ? Highly sprouted ragi is fine to feed to baby ?
Hi neha
It’s okay .You can dryroast, powder,sieve it and use .
Regards
Jayalekshmy
Hi,
It’s a very nice process and good food for babies.. Actually I did the same process but along with ragi I added moong dal, wheat,cashew and badam.. The process remained same as above u described.But the problem is my baby is 9 months old and many said not to use that mixture of cashew and badam which may cause allergies.. Is that true can you suggest.. And I prepared this powder when my baby is 7months old but I stopped using as they said about allergies.. For how many months it can be preserved… Can you help out in this…
Bye
Hi Lavanya ,
The new AAP guidelines suggest to introduce nuts to babies from six months .if your baby doesn’t show any allergy you can continue giving from now .If you are in dilemma, wait till your baby reach 1 year to introduce the same .the shelf life of ragi powder is good .in case you want to preserve it say six months or more , keep the powder in refrigerator.please refer the notes provided at the end of this article .
Happy parenting and go with your instinct!
Hei jayalakshmi chechi… thNks a ton for ur cerelac recipe..got a doubt. Can i add dry fruits like apricots and raisins white and black ??and dry dates too ?? Pls reply asap dear
Hi Zahidah,
Don’t know what’s our baby’s age .Dry fruit powder can be added to porridge if your baby is nine months older .Follow 3 day rule monitoring approach to check for any allergies.
Regards
Jayalekshmy
Hi.
I am Neha. My baby is 9 months old..I followed every step..but I forgot to roast the sprouted ragi..And I grind it..
Is it going to affect my baby..plz reply
I dont think any has effect. Its only to make the sprouts completely dry inorder to grind them for perfect dry flour. If your sprouts are not roasted, means they may have little moisture which will result in wet flour mixture and it cant be then stored!
You can also dry the sprouted ragi in Sunlight where you get hot sun. So you need not to worry!
Some people straight away grind the wet sprouts of ragi which results into ready flour dough.
Hi Neha ,
Nothing to worry .the roasting is done mainly to remove any moisture content .You can dry roast the grind powder and store it to avoid any contamination .
Regards
Jayalekshmy
Thank u so much.. I grinded at home ..I sieved twice before giving to my daughter, but I think she is not able to digest it..Tje ragi after adding water and proper boiling ..it smells lik rava Halwa..Is it fine? Should I continue to give?
Hi Neha
Some babies do not like the halwa consistency.so add more water to cook and try
Regards
Jayalekshmy
Thanks a lot for the detailed recipe. It is very helpful. I am a working mom. Can i prepare this porridge in the morning and warm and feed it to the baby after 3 hours? My baby is 5 months old. Please suggest.
Hi Saranya
I always used to prepare fresh ragi porridge for my little one. As your little one is just 5 month old, i strongly recommend you to wait until 7-8 months to start with ragi porridge.
Regards
Jayalekshmy
Hello, very nice article. Can you help me out?
1- Where to buy whole ragi ?
2- What is the approx price per kg?
I read that ragi is a wonder food for poor. It costs cheap but different brands are making huge money by selling ragi flour at very HIGH prices. Its all business game.
Also this so called organic flour sold by many brands is not sprouted one. Its a waste of money.
I am in delhi/gurgaon/faridabad . Please help me out. Thanks
Hi Priya
Thanks for your feedback . As I am out of India, don’t know where you can buy whole Ragi in Delhi .But I think you will get it in almost every super markets and grocery shops.Dont know the exact price but I am sure it won’t exceed 25 or 30 rupees for half kg.If you want homemade Ragi flour , you can visit this FB page of one of our team member “Yamuna’s Yummy Recipes”
Regards
Jayalekshmy
Hi Jeya,
When I soaked ragi overnight, it smells a lot. But I continued with it and sprouted it. The smell is still there. Can I powder it or should I have to discard it?
Hi husiana,
Normally soaking washed ragi in drinking water doesn’t produce any bad smell . Don’t know what went wrong in yours.I doubt, whether it maybe due to poor quality/old ragi or contaminated water . Better to discard it and try with a fresh batch .always sun dry sprouted ragi nicely before dry roasting it .
Regards
Jayalekshmy
Hello Jaya,
Just a general question on Ragi Porridge- instead of powder i grind soaked ragi n extract ragi milk then make a porridge out of it. Its a long process and am a working mom. Can we extract the milk in bulk and freeze it then later use them in batches. Please advice!!
Hi KRR,
To be frank, I have not heard or kept ragi milk in freezer and used. I think its okay to prepare ragi milk and store in freezer under very good and proper hygienic conditions.
But, I don’t personally suggest you to prepare this in bulk and use for your baby. Preparation of ragi powder is hardly a one day process and you can use this for months . The porridge preparation also takes 3-4 minutes. If you cant prepare the powder at home , try manna readymade ragi powder .
Hope this helps you 🙂
Regards,
Jayalekshmy
Hi Jaya,I liked the sprouted ragi preparation very much, can we give ragi porridge without adding any milk/formula, prepared only using water to 6 month old baby. Please share.
Hi Neha,
Can you please wait for your baby reach 7-8 months old to start with ragi porridge …meanwhile you can give her cooked vegetable and fruit purée .
Regards
Jayalekshmy
Reg
Hi.. I mixie the ragi seeds directly(after roasting) without this sprouting process n make porridge for my lil one ( he is 1.5 yrs) is this wrong or heavy to his stomach? plz reply
Hi Shweta,
Ragi with skins are very hard to digest by our little ones tummy.sprouting the Ragi however make it easier for our little ones to digest ,also the nutritional value will be increased when sprouted.
Regards
Jayalekshmy
Hi , i prepared this …everything went well..but i have 1 doubt..when my grandma made me ragi flour ( a complex procedure actually, she grinds it with water and sieves it in muslin cloth to remove skin ,then keeps the bowl u disturbed overnight, next morning the clean water on top is carefully poured out and d wet flour is tied up in a muslin cloth for half an hour or so for the water to drain out ,then this cloth is opened and d sticky raagi “paste” is kept out in direct sunliight ..every now an then v powder itwith ha ds and finallty after all d water has been evaporated itz gri ded to a fine powder and sieved again!!!!)…i even took step by step pics of d procedure ..
Wen i made it ur way , d Brown skin of raagi was not removed and it was kinda grainy too in d porridge…Is it ok ? Or did i do it wrong?
Please reply soon
But since i w
Hi aswathy
Even my mom and grandma used to prepare the same way you mentioned when we were babies .but nowadays no one got so much time and patience like our mommas or grannies generation…..coming to your doubt, Ragi with skins are very hard to digest by our little ones tummy.sprouting the Ragi make it easier for our little ones to digest ,also the nutritional value will be increased when sprouted . hope this will help you .make sure your little one is more than 7 or 8 months old to start with Ragi porridge .
Made this ragi powder but when making kanji it not getting thick plz help
Hi I made this ragi flour but when making kanji it is not thick it is watery I use very little water even though it i s not the hick plz help me
Hi lalitha,
Don’t know how after reducing the water level also you are not getting it in right consistency .if your little one is more than one year old try with milk instead of water .hope that will help you…let me know how it turns out
Loved ur site… Its so very helpful… My baby is 7 1/2 months old.. I was having little problem as to what to give, how to give and all…but ur blog is so very helpful…thanks a ton…I have one query too… My mom prepared banana powder at home for baby…I have refrigerated it….I dint put it in an air right container 🙁 it’s tied in a ploybag… Can I now put it in container and store it and use…?? I hope it’s good to use 🙁 she made it when baby was 3 months old.. I live in Mumbai so had stored it since then..
Teena, make a porridge out of 1 tablespoon of powder and see how it tastes like. If its good in taste, feel free to give. Hope this helps.
Heĺlo jaya
Can you please tell me what is ragi called in marathi or gujrati. I want to gove it to my 8m Lo.
Thanks
Nandita
Nandita, ragi is known as nachni in marathi.
Hello hi. I’m so hapay to check this website n prepare food for my lovely boy baby. Plsssss post more poridges so that my baby can enjoy the diff taste.u ppl are dng very gud job which is more helpful for all mothers. Gud keep gng.
hi ma’m, thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe. I am giving it to my son since 2 months. He is now 8 month old. Shall I give this porridge in evening? As I am working mom and only find quality time with baby after evening. Also suggest me dinner recipes for this age.
Yes you shall give it in the evening if he shows no allergies to this food.
hi labdhi
happy to know your feedback.please click the link below for dinner ideas
https://bumpsnbaby.com/food-chart-for-eight-month-old-baby/
Hai Jayalakshmi I am sudha my daughter has started her 10 th month I am giving her idlis fr breakfast apart frm that pls suggest me what to give even fr lunch snacks nd dinner I am in dilemma what to give pls help me out I am in a nuclear family
Hi Sudha
No worries .just click this link https://bumpsnbaby.com/food-chart-10-month-old-baby/
Happy parenting
U guys r jst rocking with this website. It is very helpful n recepies are too good. I wanted to u ask u tht is it ok to give full fat buffalow milk to 13 months old baby.
Hi Nikita
Thank u and happy to know Bnb blog is helpful for u!!!Buffalo milk is rich in all essential nutrients than the cow’s milk. As your little one is above 1 year old you can slowly start give your baby buffalo milk.start with a small amount by adding in to prepare porridge,kheer etc .before feeding your LO boil it well ,cool it and remove the layer of cream .do the four day wait rule to check for any allergies.you can also consult a paediatrician before starting your baby with buffalo milk .
buffalo milk no where can be compared with cows milk. Justify especially when giving suggestion for babies food.
Hello Swetha,
May I know what you want to know ? This article is all about sprouted ragi and not buffalo milk .
And thank you so much for your info and dropping by here .
Dear Jeya, can’t we cook sprouted Ragi as such (without powdering) and eat/drink as kanji? Or can’t we make upma with sprouted Ragi as such? I am Keralite so not so familiar with Ragi. However, had different dishes with Ragi powder and liked all during my travels. Rgds.,
Hi manu
Very sorry for the late reply .Yes of course you can use sprouted ragi to prepare kanji…Here are some few recipes you can try with ragi.Check out this link
https://bumpsnbaby.com/ragi-recipes-babies-toddlers/
Regards
Jayalekshmy
Hi,
Can we give home made ceralac for 7 months plus old baby or it may cause any problems in digestion. ……
Homemade cerelac has nuts which is not suitable for babies below 10 months. So its ok if you can make the homemade cerelac without nuts and start at the end of 8 months.
Hello Jaya,
Your write up has really helped both my mother and me. we had read about sprouted ragi causing indigestion for babies hence were in dilemma on how to go about the process. Though we were done with the 4 steps of soaking, sprouting, drying and roasting the ragi. we got stuck at next step on how to remove the sprouts. Thanks a lot….
regards
Ranjitha
Hi Ranjitha
Sorry for the late reply .i am happy to know this article helped you and your mom in ragi powder making process .as of my knowledge sprouted ragi powder is digested faster than the unsprouted one by the tiny tummies.if you don’t want sprouted one just skip the sprouting step (overnight) and continue the process .happy parenting
Good food for babies.. Thanks for sharing..
Gayatri
Welcome and happy parenting
Hi Jaya,
Your space is amazing with these DIY homemade cerelac recipes. Its a great inspiration for FTMs.
Can this raggi cerelac be prepared and given to my 5 month old babies?
Should i proceed according to your recipe or any processes to skip?
Pearl, it would be great if you wait till 7-8 months to introduce ragi. Start with vegetable purees and gradually turn into porridges and mashes.
Hi pearl
Sorry for the late reply
Thank you so much for your good words which keeps me writing more for FTMs.as Sangeetha suggested wait till 7 months to introduce ragi to your LO.happy parenting
Hi,
I boil water add jaggery, and in meantime mix ragi flour in
Cold milk, which later I add to boiling water…
These days my baby isn’t that fond of ragi porridge.
Kindly suggest some other variations too
Baby is 13 months
Hi Sonia
Soon in our blog we will be posting different recipes prepared using ragi flour for kids .stay tuned !
Jaya, Thanks for making this process very simple. I made this Ragi Powder today and I feel so happy doing this all by myself for my darling son Aiden. I am full of enthusiasm to make all home made food for my son, post visiting this website. You guys are doing a Great Job and these blogs are really very very helpful for FTMs like me staying in Nuclear families. THANKS AGAIN.
Hi Anju,
I really felt sooooooo happy after going through your message.Our “BNB TEAM” love & hugs to your darling Aiden. Happy parenting !!!
Hi Mary Praveena Narayana,
happy to know you are feeding your baby manna mix….yeah its a healthy pack of all the the main variety grains, pulses …..
Hi ladies,
I started giving my Happy baby home made manna mix that is all grains powder. Brown rice, ragi, wheat, green gram, almond, peanut, corn and some more grains…
Dear sharmilee,
Of course you can add sprouted green gram dal and moongdal powder along with Ragi powder… A very healthy mix
Hi Jaya,
Wonderful recipe.
can I add sprouted green gram/moong dal with ragi in equal quantity?
Thanks
Hi Anjana,
Here also now rithvik rarely take ragi porridge….now just trying other versions with ragi 😉
Hi Vishalakshi
Happy that u prepared it. wow that’s a great idea to add rice flour and mix it.
Hi, I prepared it, I made some changes by adding rice in small amount, I soaked rice for 4 hours and dried them paralally. while grinding I mixed both rice and sprouted ragi.
Hi Jaya,
I usually got it directly from the flour mill nearby our place and the man gave me quite fresh flour. Thank God!!
Jianna loved the Ragi porridge when she was young but after crossing 1 and half, her taste buds changed. Ragi porridge really kept her full and its full of nutrition, infact it was Jianna’s first food 🙂 🙂
Hi Sathiya,
You can feed twice or thrice a day . giving ragi for dinner is a very good option as it will be very filling and your baby sleeps for long hours. as your baby is 8 months old don’t prepare using cow’s milk, use water or formula milk (if your baby on formula) by adding jaggery or karipatti
Hi Geetu,
Thanks da. While grinding take care of your mixie…don’t do more than 30 sec at a stretch …
now a days rarely rithvik takes ragi porridge 🙂
Hi,
Hw many times can I feed my baby this porridge? He is 8 months old n can I give this for dinner?
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Hello jaya:)
very beautifully expalined..
normally I use the store bought ones..
will definitely try grinding ragi at home. .
you made the process so simple by explaining each step..:)