Paneer recipes for babies
How to give paneer to baby?
Can I give paneer/ cottage cheese to infants?
What kind of cheese can be given to babies?
When can I start giving paneer to baby?
What kind of cheese can be given to babies?
What is Paneer?
Paneer is a homemade milk curd cheese commonly used in Indian, South Asian and some middle eastern cooking.
When can I start giving paneer, curd or cheese to baby?
One of the things which experts recommend to avoid for babies before they turn 1 year old is cow’s milk or any milk other than breastmilk or formula milk. But you can introduce homemade curd and paneer to baby when he/ she is around 8-9 months old.
Why is cow’s milk to be avoided while curd and cheese, paneer etc. can be given?
Even though cow’s milk is difficult in getting digested by baby’s developing digestive system, curd or cheese and paneer are structurally different.
In case of curd and paneer, the prominent sugar which is lactose is broken down into simpler sugars and the protein chains are broken down making it easier to digest.
What are the benefits of paneer?
- Paneer is one of the healthiest and nutritious sources of protein.
- Paneer is also rich in calcium and phosphorus, thus help is healthy development of bones and teeth.
- Paneer is low in lactose, so it is easily digestible by baby’s developing digestive system.
- Paneer is also a rich source of fat for babies thus helping in weight gain and maintenance.
How can I make paneer at home?
Making paneer is very simple. All you need is fresh full cream milk and lemon juice. Do not use toned or slim milk for making paneer. You can also use vinegar, whey or citric acid if you do not have fresh lemon juice.
- Boil 1 litre of milk. Turn off the heat once it comes to boil.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and stir. You may also use whey or vinegar for this.
- Keep stirring till the milk separates and you can see the milk solids and whey.
- Strain the solids from whey using a muslin/ cotton cloth or cheese cloth.
- Now wash the paneer in fresh water to remove all sourness of the lemon juice.
- Hang the strained paneer in some place so that all the liquid gets strained.
- Now you can either keep the paneer under a heavy weight to make paneer or use this chhena to make different things.
How much paneer or cheese can be given to baby?
You can start with giving 2-3 tiny cubes and then follow baby’s cue while increasing the quantity.
How to give paneer to babies?
There are many simple ways in which paneer can be given to babies. Here we are sharing 5 simple recipes in which you can give paneer to babies
5 Paneer recipes for babies
Plain sauteed / fried paneer ( 8+ months)/Â Paneer recipes for babies
This is how I started my daughter on paneer and she still loves this.
Ingredients
Fresh homemade paneer
Ghee
How to
- You can either make the paneer block by keeping fresh chhena under a heavy object or take the required amount and use your hands and palm to knead it and make it smooth. Knead it for at least five to ten minutes to get a smooth ball. We have shown this in the video too.
- Cut the paneer into small bite sized pieces.
- Heat ghee in a pan.
- Lightly fry paneer pieces on all sides. Do not brown too much.
- Serve these as finger foods.
- You can give these healthy paneer bites to toddlers and older children too.
Paneer paratha/ roti (Â Paneer recipes for babies)
Ingredients
Fresh homemade paneer
Atta
Water
How to
- Take fresh homemade paneer and atta in the ratio of 1:2 and make a smooth dough.
- Now use this dough to make roti, paratha etc.
- Cut the paratha into bite-sized pieces and give as finger food.
Apple and paneer puree ( Paneer recipes for babies)
Ingredients
Steamed or boiled apple puree
Fresh homemade paneer
How to
- Blend both apple puree and paneer till you get a smooth mixture.
- Apple and paneer puree is ready.
Paneer and Pear Puree ( Paneer recipes for babies)
Ingredients
Steamed or apple puree
Fresh homemade paneer
How to
- Blend both apple puree and paneer till you get a smooth mixture.
- Apple and paneer puree is ready.
Paneer Sticks ( Paneer recipes for toddlers)
Paneer sticks are perfect as finger food for toddlers.
Ingredients
100 grams paneer block
2 teaspoons curd
1/4 tsp Turmeric
Salt and Pepper
Ghee/Oil – 1 tbsp
Recipe
- Cut paneer into fingers, about 1/2 cm thick and 3 cm long.
- Marinate paneer fingers in curd, turmeric, salt and pepper.
- Rub the pieces well with marinade and leave for 60 minutes.
- In a flat frying pan, heat a little ghee or oil.
- Lightly saute the paneer sticks in oil for about 1 minute on medium heat.
- Serve these paneer sticks as finger food to toddlers and older kids.
We hope these recipes will help you by answering your questions regarding introducing paneer to your baby.
Hi, Very useful tips. Thanks for sharing.
Very useful information about paneer fir babies. Very clearly explained. Thank you very much.