Top Millet-Based Snacks For Toddlers

8 min read

Written by Smita Srivastava

Smita Srivastava

MA (Mass Comm), BA (Mass Comm)

With a background in Mass media and journalism, Smita comes with rich and vast experience in content creation, curation, and editing. As a mom of a baby girl, she is an excellent candidate for writing and editing parenting and pregnancy content. The content she writes and edits is influenced by her own journey through pregnancy and motherhood.

When not writing-
She can be found curled up with a book. Or, bingeing on Netflix.

Millet-based snacks for toddlers

Millets are tiny seeds used as a staple food in Asian and African countries. It is considered a powerhouse of nutrients. It is rich in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. That is why it is essential to incorporate millet into our diet. Millets are not only healthy options for adults, but also beneficial for toddlers and young kids. In fact, gluten-free, high-fiber millet-based snacks for toddlers can be a good alternative to junk food which seem to be everywhere these days.

Toddlers require additional nutrients for their rapid growth and development. In addition, you should incorporate healthy eating habits into your toddlers from early childhood. It ensures positive outcomes in their later life. So, let’s find out more about the goodness of millets and explore some tasty and healthy millet-based snacks for toddlers.

In This Article

Healthy And Tasty Millet-based Snack Ideas For Toddlers
Benefits of Choosing Millet-based Snacks Over Processed Alternatives
Simple Recipes For Millet-Based Cookies, Bars, And Finger Foods
Finger Millet (Ragi) Recipes For Kids
Tips For Encouraging Toddlers to Enjoy and Embrace Millet Snacks
Can Millets Cause Allergy in Toddlers?
FAQ’s

Healthy And Tasty Millet-based Snack Ideas For Toddlers

Millets are superfoods for toddlers (1). It promotes growth and development in early childhood. Millets, though healthy, may not appeal to your toddler that much because they may not find it that attractive. But, if prepared and served well, the same millets may soon become your toddler’s favorite food! Here are some millet-based snack ideas for toddlers which are healthy and tasty both-

Millet and peanut bar
Millet-strawberry pancake
Millet upma
Millet spring roll
Millet-yogurt pudding
Millet cakes
Millet-berry smoothie
Millet bars
Millet chips or crisps

Benefits of Choosing Millet-based Snacks Over Processed Alternatives

Millets are powerhouse of nutrition

Millet-based snacks have multiple health benefits for your toddler. Some of the specific benefits of giving millets to your little one are-

1. Aids Growth And Development in Kids

Millets are superfoods that aid in the growth and development of kids. A study showed that replacing millets with rice in diet can boost the growth in kids from 26-39% (2).

2. Rich in Fiber

Millets are rich in fiber, which is essential for maintaining good gut health. A high-fiber diet promotes digestion and reduces constipation among toddlers. The presence of prebiotics in millets ensures positive gut health and eliminates the incidence of stomach aches (3).

3. Full of Essential Nutrients

Millets are rich in essential nutrients like magnesium, iron, calcium, and manganese. Hence, millet helps in bone and teeth development in toddlers. Additionally, it is rich in protein and B-complex vitamins that are important for growth and development (4). Furthermore, the antioxidants present in millets protect the body against damage from free radicals.

4. Naturally Gluten-free

Toddlers with celiac disease or gluten intolerance can incorporate millet into their diet as it is free from gluten and helps digestion. It can replace the wheat flour in their diet.

5. Easy to Digest

Millet is easy to digest. It also makes one feel full for a longer time as they are slowly absorbed by the body. So, your toddler will keep full for a longer time after eating millets. Millets also provide energy which is good for your toddler who is always busy running around and exploring the world around them.

Simple Recipes For Millet-based Cookies, Bars, And Finger Foods

Millet is a versatile ingredient which can be used in a variety of dishes, including cakes, muffins, breads etc. There are multiple recipes available for millet-based snacks. Here are some easy recipes that are time-saving and which your toddler will enjoy-

Ragi Cookies

Ragi cookies

It is a healthy recipe and an appropriate alternative to refined, unhealthy cookies for toddlers.

Ingredients

Ragi flour
Jaggery
Dry fruits
Cinnamon and cardamom powder
Butter
Almond milk
Baking powder

Method

At the initial stage, soak the jaggery in water. Then, cut the dry fruits into small pieces and soak them in almond milk for half an hour. In the next step, add the baking powder, cinnamon, and cardamom powder with the ragi flour. Then, add the jaggery to the flour and use almond milk for perfect consistency. Now, bake it in different shapes at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Nutritive Value

Ragi Cookies are rich in calcium, protein, iron and magnesium and offer a generous amount of energy.

Millet Muffins

Millet muffins

It is an interesting recipe that will amaze your toddler.

Ingredients

Millet flour
Yogurt
Orange juice (fresh)
Pinch of cinnamon powder

Method

Add millet flour, yogurt, a pinch of cinnamon powder and orange juice in a large bowl. You can add jaggery for sweetness. Now mix all the ingredients and make a good consistency for baking muffins. After that, preheat the oven and pour the batter into small muffin molds for baking. Once it’s ready, these muffins will make for a yummy snack for your toddler.

Nutritive Value

Millet muffins are rich in calcium, iron, protein, carbohydrate, fat and dietary fiber.

Millet Bars

Millet bars

These bars can be a good alternative to chocolates.

Ingredients

Millet flakes
Oats
Dry fruits
Peanut
Honey

Method

Just mix all the ingredients together. Then, spread the mixture on a baking tray and freeze it for at least 1 hour. Then, cut it down into small pieces and give it to your baby as a healthy snack.

Nutritive Value

Millet bars can offer your toddlers generous amounts of calcium, phosphorus, protein and energy.

Millet Popsicle

Millet popsicle

These popsicles are easy to make and a great alternative to ice creams.

Ingredients

Millet flour
Strawberries or blueberries
Yogurt

Method

First, cut the berries and mix them with flour and yogurt. Then, place the paste into popsicle molds and refrigerate. Therefore, your toddlers will be delighted after getting a frozen treat. You can make the recipe in summer.

Nutritive Value

Millet popsicles contain vitamins, minerals, calories, protein and fiber.

Millet Balls

Millet balls

These millet balls will make for a great tasty snack for your toddler.

Ingredients

Millet flour
Dry fruits
Peanut butter
Honey

Method

Just mix all the ingredients and add a little water for kneading. Then, make small balls from the dough and give them to your toddlers as snacks.

Nutritive Value

Millet balls contain huge amounts of calcium, protein, calcium and potassium.

Finger Millet (Ragi) Recipes For Kids

Finger millet or ragi is very nutritious. It has the highest amount of calcium and potassium among all the other millets available.

Ragi Pancakes

Ragi pancakes

These can be a really good alternative to the regular pancakes which use maida or refined flour.

Ingredients

Ragi flour
Warm milk
Ripe banana
Egg

Method

Mash the ripe banana and then mix it with ragi flour. Then, break a whole egg in a bowl and whisk it properly. After that, add the egg to the millet-banana mixture. Then, add some warm milk to make a smooth batter. The batter consistency should not be too thick or thin. Now, grease a pan with butter and start making pancakes. You can serve it to your toddler with their favorite toppings.

Nutritive Value

Ragi pancakes offer calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and iron to your toddler.

Ragi Porridge

Ragi porridge

It is a nutritious recipe for toddlers that can be given as breakfast or evening snack.

Ingredients

Sprouted ragi flour or normal ragi flour
Water
Jaggery

Method

Take water in a bowl and mix ragi flour in it. Mix well to avoid lumps formation. Now place the bowl on the flame and cook on a medium flame for 10 minutes. Then, add jaggery to the mixture and stir continuously. Cook till you get your preferred consistency. Now, your baby’s ragi porridge is ready.

Nutritive Value

Ragi porridge can offer more calcium, phosphorus, and other essential nutrients than milk.

Ragi Uthappam

Ragi uthappam

This recipe allows you to also add some vegetables of your toddler’s choice to the uthappam. This is an instant recipe which will take no time to cook.

Ingredient

Ragi flour
Semolina or suji
Yogurt
Salt to taste
Vegetables like onion, capsicum, carrots etc.

Method

Mix ragi flour, suji, yogurt and some water in a bowl. Keep it aside for 5-10 minutes. Add salt to taste and some finely chopped vegetables. Now make the batter of desired consistency- it should be neither too thick nor too thin. Heat a tawa or pan and put some oil or ghee on it. Now scoop some of this mixture and make uthappams. Cook well on both sides and serve with chutney.

Nutritive Value

Ragi uthappam is rich in minerals, vitamins, fiber and protein. It is good for your toddler’s growth and development.

Tips For Encouraging Toddlers to Enjoy And Embrace Millet Snacks

A toddler eating

Toddlers learn everything from their surroundings. Furthermore, a toddler follows the eating habits of their own family. If a family prefers healthy foods, toddlers are automatically used to healthy eating habits. A few tips can be tried to encourage them to eat millets like-

Gradually introduce millet-based snacks to your toddlers. Initially, start with breakfast and incorporate millets into their everyday diet. When they become comfortable with millets, then introduce more millets options
Talk to them about the health benefits of millets and in particular about the dish they are served
Try to create variety in menus to avoid monotonousness. During food preparation, consider their preferences. You can use their favorite fruits or vegetables in the recipe. In addition, the inclusion of their favorite toppings can attract them towards the food
Involve your toddlers in the making process. Allow them to decorate the snacks as per their choices
It is observed that toddlers prefer to eat whatever the rest of the family has. So, try to eat together with your toddlers. It will encourage them to eat healthily.
Food presentation is essential for attracting toddlers towards their meals. You can use molds of different shapes for baking or making the pancakes. It will increase the palatability of the food.

Can Millets Cause Allergy in Toddlers?

A toddler playing

Millets are a great option for your toddler. It is an immunity booster and rich in essential nutrients. It ensures your toddler gets enough nutrients for physical and cognitive development. But, parents often suffer from anxiety whenever introducing any new food to their little ones, as there may be a risk of an allergic reaction. Fortunately, millet has a very low risk of causing any allergic reactions (5). It is rare. So, you can introduce millet to your toddlers without any worries.

Millet is a superfood. Our elders knew it but somewhere down the line, millets got sidelined by other grains and fast food culture. Now people are slowly waking up to this miracle grain and accepting it as part of their diet. Millet-based snacks for toddlers are a great way to inculcate healthy eating habits in them. There are so many different recipes that can be made from millets that you can easily keep your toddlers away from junk food and refined flour etc. Introduce millets slowly to your toddler and make the dish attractive. Done right, it could be very beneficial for your toddler!

FAQ’s

1. Are There Any Specific Millet Varieties That Are More Suitable For Making Snacks For Toddlers?

All millet varieties can be used for making snacks for toddlers. However, ragi or finger millet is comparatively common and available in the market. They are also gluten-free and highly nutritious. You can choose only ragi if you are not getting any other millet options.

2. Can I Incorporate Millet Flour Into Baking Recipes For Toddler-friendly Snacks?

Yes definitely. You can use millet for baking recipes. Substituting the refined flour used in baking with healthy millet is a good idea. Using millet, you can make cookies, bread, muffins, and cakes for your moppet.

References