Image: ShutterStock
Mothers of toddlers and young kids are always on the hunt for healthy, interesting, and delicious recipes for their children. Beetroot is one such healthy food that is a favorite of all mothers. We bring you some interesting beetroot recipes for toddlers. While children always prefer their snacks, it may help mothers know some interesting recipes to sneak in vegetables and other nutrients in their child’s food. Delve into this post to find a delicious beetroot recipe that may suit your child’s preferences.
Key Pointers
- Beetroot is a highly nutritious root vegetable known to impart an attractive pink color to dishes.
- It is rich in vitamins and minerals, including iron, potassium, and vitamin C.
- This diverse vegetable can be incorporated into juices, soups, stews, and salads.
- Beetroot can also be baked, boiled, or roasted and served as a side dish or prepared as a snack to toddlers.
- It is suitable for toddlers and can be pureed for easy digestion.
Top 11 Beetroot Recipes For Toddlers
Here is our selection of ten easy and delicious recipes for your toddler including finger foods, smoothies, and stir-fries that feature beetroot. You can add these to your list of vegetable-based meals for your baby.
1. Beet And Carrot Latkes:
Image: Shutterstock
You Will Need:
- 2 cups grated and peeled beetroot.
- 2 cups grated and peeled carrots.
- 1 small grated onion.
- 1 egg
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- ¼th cup oil
- ¼th cup all-purpose flour.
How To:
- Mix egg, onion, salt, pepper, and flour in a bowl. Add carrots and beetroot and mix.
- Heat the oil and drop some of the mix in the oil to make small latkes.
- Fry till it is properly cooked on both sides.
- Serve with yogurt or cheese dip.
Prep time:
20 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Point to consider2. Beetroot Soup:
Image: Shutterstock
You Will Need:
- 3 beetroots peeled and cut into small pieces.
- 1 potato peeled and cut into small pieces.
- 1 chopped onion
- 2 cups homemade vegetable broth or pureed vegetables.
- ¼th cup yogurt
How To:
- Place all ingredients in a pan and let it boil.
- Let it simmer for about 30 minutes till the vegetables turn soft.
- Put in a blender and puree.
- Add the yogurt and serve. This is a simple yet yummy beetroot recipe for a toddler that you can try.
Prep time:
10 mins
Cook time: 35 mins
3. Cheesy Beetroot Bites:
Image: Shutterstock
You Will Need:
- 1 bread slice
- Sliced and cooked beetroot
- Sliced cheese
How To:
- Toast the bread on one side.
- Turn it and place the slice of cheese and the cooked slices of beet on top.
- Grill till the cheese melts.
- Cut into bite sized pieces and serve.
Shab, a mother and a food blogger, shares a beetroot pachadi (kind of a dip) recipe that is loved by her children, “Cook grated beetroot until it is done with little water. Blend coconut, ginger, and garlic with 1/3 cup water to a smooth paste. Whisk yogurt and mix with coconut paste. Combine with cooled beetroot. Reheat without boiling. Temper oil with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and dried chilies and add to the beetroot. Stir before serving. It is very simple to make and goes as a side dish with plain boiled rice (i).”
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
4. Beetroot And Chickpea Dip:
Image: Shutterstock
You Will Need:
- ½ cup cooked chickpeas
- 1 peeled and cooked beetroot.
- 2 tbsp yogurt
- Salt and pepper
How To:
- Put all the ingredients in the blender.
- Make it into a smooth dip.
Prep time:
25 mins
Cook time: 5-10 mins
Quick tip5. Beetroot Milkshake:
Image: Shutterstock
You Will Need:
- 1 grated beetroot
- 300 ml milk
- 4 tsp sugar
- A pinch of cardamom powder.
- Whipped cream optional
- Ice cream optional
- 2 cups water
How To:
- Cook the beetroot in water till it turns tender and set aside to cool.
- Blend in a food processor.
- Add the sugar, milk, cardamom powder and cream and blend again.
- Serve cold and with the ice cream in case you are using it.
Prep time:
10 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
6. Beetroot And Black Bean Patties:
Image: Shutterstock
You Will Need:
- ½ cup grated beetroot
- ½ lb. black beans soaked overnight.
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- 1 cup oats
- Handful cilantro finely chopped.
- 1 tsp cumin powder.
- Salt and pepper as per taste
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- Crushed ginger
- ¼th cup grated onion
- 2 tsp salsa
- Oil for frying
How To:
- Cook the black beans in a pressure cooker till tender.
- Add the oats and breadcrumbs in a food processor and grind well.
- Add onion, beetroot, garlic, ginger, beans and cilantro and blend. Make sure the beans do not get completely mashed.
- Mix the salt, pepper and cumin powder.
- Place the mix in a bowl and add the salsa.
- Make the mix into patties and fry in the oil.
- Serve with ketchup or homemade dip.
Prep time:
20 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
7. Beetroot Rice Casserole:
You Will Need:
- 2 cups sliced cooked beetroot
- 3 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 diced and sautéed onion
- 1 cup cooked and shredded chicken
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 3 egg yolks
- ¼th cup whole milk yogurt
- Salt and pepper as per taste
How To:
- Mix the beets, onion, rice and chicken in a bowl.
- Add yogurt and egg yolks.
- Spray a casserole and place the mix evenly.
- Bake for an hour at 350 degrees or till the rice is set. Set aside for five minutes.
Prep time:
20 mins
Cook time: 60 mins
8. Mashed Beetroot And Turnips:
You Will Need:
- 4 beetroots chopped
- 1 turnip chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste .
- Water to boil
- Butter
How To:
- Put the beetroots and turnips in a pan along with water and let it boil. Remove once they turn tender.
- Once cool, mash and add a dash of butter and salt and pepper as per taste.
Prep time:
10 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
9. Baked Beetroot Shapes:
Image: Shutterstock
You Will Need:
- 5 thinly sliced beetroots .
- Olive oil
How To:
- Make interesting shapes out of the beetroot slices using cookie cutters.
- Brush a baking sheet lightly with the oil.
- Bake for about 10 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees till they turn tender. This is one of the simple and easy to make beet recipes for toddlers.
Prep time:
15 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
10. Beetroot And Carrot Soup:
Image: Shutterstock
You Will Need:
- ¼th cup peeled and chopped beetroot.
- ½ cup peeled and chopped carrots
- Water
- Salt as per taste
How To:
- Add the vegetables in water and cook in a pressure cooker till they turn tender.
- Blend the same in a blender to make it smooth.
- Strain the mix and boil it in a pan. Add salt as per taste.
Prep time:
10 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
11. Beetroot Chocolate Cake:
Image: Shutterstock
You Will Need:
- 300g raw beetroot
- 100g dark cooking chocolate, chopped
- 3 eggs
- 250g caster sugar
- 250 ml vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 200g all-purpose flour (200 gms)
- 30g cocoa powder
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- For the ganache frosting
- 100g dark cooking chocolate, chopped
- 80 ml cream
- 2tbsp caster sugar
How To:
- Cook beetroots until tender, either in a pressure cooker or by boiling until easily pierced with a knife.
- Cool, peel, and puree in a blender. Refrigerate if not to be used immediately.
- Melt chocolate and set aside. Grease a 9-inch cake tin and preheat the oven to 175°C.
- Whisk together eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Add melted chocolate, then fold in beetroot puree.
- Sift in flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Mix gently until combined.
- Pour into the prepared tin and bake for approximately 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool overnight at room temperature.
- For the ganache, melt chocolate with hot cream and sugar. Spread over the cake once cooled.
- Let the ganache set for 10 minutes, then slice and enjoy!
Prep time:
25 mins
Cook time: 60 mins
Quick tipBeetroot is a very healthy food for your toddler, it is rich in all B vitamins, folic acid, iron, manganese, copper, magnesium, potassium, vitamins C, K, and E, so make sure you include it in different vegetable recipes for toddlers.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Does beetroot cause constipation in babies?
No. On the contrary, beets are high in fiber, providing enough roughage for waste to move through the intestines, thereby relieving constipation (1).
2. How do I boil beetroot for babies?
To boil beetroot, place a steamer in a pot filled with water. Place the peeled beetroot in the steamer and cover the pan. Then, cook until the beetroot can be mashed with a fork. Alternatively, place a washed beetroot in the steamer and remove the peel after it’s cooked well.
3. What are the side effects of consuming beetroot?
100ml of beetroot juice contains around 800–1000 mg of oxalic acid. Excessive oxalate is responsible for the occurrence of kidney stones. Moreover, beetroots have high sugar levels (70–110g/liter) (2). Hence, feed beetroot in moderation to your baby.
4. Do beets cause gas?
Although moderate consumption of beetroots may not cause undesirable reactions, drinking large quantities of concentrated beetroot juice may cause gastrointestinal discomfort and nausea (6).
5. Can beetroot cause red stool in toddlers?
Eating beets or other red foods may cause reddish-colored stools. However, it is ideal for getting your toddler evaluated by a healthcare professional if you notice any change in their poop (7).
6. How can I introduce beetroot to my toddler?
Start by mixing beetroot with foods your toddler likes to gradually introduce them to the flavor. You can add small amounts of cooked or pureed beetroot to mashed potatoes, pasta, or yogurt. Begin with mild-tasting recipes to make the transition easier, and ensure the beetroot is cooked well for easy digestion.
7. How can I store cooked beetroot?
Cooked or pureed beetroot can be safely stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days or frozen for one to two months if properly sealed in freezer-safe containers or bags. However, it is best to serve them as fresh as possible to children.
8. Are there any allergic reactions to beetroot?
Beetroot allergies are rare but possible. Some may experience mild symptoms like hives or throat tightness, while others could have more severe reactions, such as breathing difficulties. Furthermore, some people may develop nose and eye irritation (rhinoconjunctivitis) from just inhaling beetroot cooked vapors (8).
Moms, do share some of your innovative beetroot recipes that your toddler loves.
Infographic: Flavorful Beetroot Snacks For Toddlers
Ensuring a healthy diet for children takes significant work and time. One approach to achieve this is to provide toddlers with fun and attractive meals. And what better way to accomplish that than by sneaking in healthy foods like beetroot? Scroll down to find colorful beetroot recipes to tickle your little one’s taste buds. Illustration: Momjunction Design Team
Illustration: Delicious Beetroot Recipes For Toddlers
Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team
Learn the easiest way create delectable beetroot juice that kids will love! Follow this effortless recipe and bring joy to your children with this nutritious beverage.
Personal Experience: Source
MomJunction articles include first-hand experiences to provide you with better insights through real-life narratives. Here are the sources of personal accounts referenced in this article.
i. A little ‘news’ with a simple recipe.https://shabscuisine.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-little-news-with-simple-recipe.html
References
- 10 Healthy Reasons to Brighten Your Meals with Beets
https://foodrevolution.org/blog/benefits-of-beets/ - Sugar and Oxalate Free Beetroot Juice: Production and Assessment of its Human Health Benefits
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/625738/reporting - Beets.
https://healthysd.gov/beet-lesson-plan/ - Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans).
https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/food-features/chickpeas-garbanzo-beans/ - 5 Health Benefits of Beets.
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/the-health-benefits-of-beets/ - Diego dos S. Baião et al., (2020); Beetroot, A Remarkable Vegetable: Its Nitrate and Phytochemical Contents Can be Adjusted in Novel Formulations to Benefit Health and Support Cardiovascular Disease Therapies.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7600128/ - Black or tarry stools.
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003130.htm - Lucila Camargo Lopes de Oliveira et al. (2011); Anaphylaxis to Beetroot (Beta vulgaris): A Case Report.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3354182/#:~:text
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