Which Dal Is Best for Babies? 6 to 12 Months and Daal Ka Pani
“Start with daal ka pani,” says almost every elder, and it’s the one piece of daal advice worth changing. Which dal is best for babies? Dhuli moong or dhuli masoor, cooked soft and mashed thick, from 6 months and not a day before. The watery top of the pot is mostly water; the good part is the daal itself. Here’s how to move from smooth to lumpy to finger food, month by month.
Before you start
- Under 6 months: breast milk or formula only. No daal, daal ka pani, water, ghutti or gripe water.
- 6 to 12 months: daal is one of the best early foods, thick and mashed, with nothing added.
- 1 to 3 years: family daal, taken out before salt and chilli go in.
- 3 to 6 and over 6: ordinary family daal, still easy on salt.
- Nothing added under 1 year: no salt, sugar, ghee, gur or honey.
Prefer to listen? This post as a 4 min video · Video page with transcript
Why daal ka pani alone is too thin for a baby
A baby’s stomach is tiny. Think of their own fist. Fill it with watery daal ka pani and there’s no room left for the food that actually carries protein, iron and energy, all of which sit in the cooked lentil, not the liquid above it. The pani has a little flavour and a few dissolved minerals. That’s about it.
So the thin-soup habit, while well meant, can leave a baby full but underfed, and it is one quiet reason some babies’ weight gain slows after 6 months. The fix is simple: blend or mash the whole cooked daal, then thin it with some of its own cooking water, or with breast milk or formula, just enough for the spoon.
Give the daal, not just its water.
Under 6 months, even daal ka pani is too early. Breast milk or formula covers everything a baby needs, and extra liquids only take the place of milk.
Which dal is best for babies, and in what order
Start with the split, skinned daals. They cook fast, mash smoothly and are gentle on the gut. Did you know a full-term baby is born with a store of iron that starts running low at around 6 months, which is exactly when solid food begins, and one big reason iron-carrying foods like daal, egg and meat matter so much in the first year?
- Dhuli moong (yellow moong dal): the classic first daal. Mild, soft, least gassy.
- Dhuli masoor (red lentil): cooks in minutes, turns creamy by itself. A good second daal.
- Arhar or toor dal: from about 7 months, once the first two go down well.
- Chana dal: firmer and more gassy. Soak it and cook it very soft, from around 8 months.
- Whole pulses (sabut moong, kala chana, rajma, kabuli): later, around 9 to 12 months, always cooked until very soft and mashed or blended. Never whole, and see the choking note below.
Give one new daal at a time and wait 2 to 3 days before the next. That way, if a rash or tummy upset turns up, you’ll know which food caused it.
Moong dal for babies at 6 months: the basic method
- Wash 2 tablespoons of dhuli moong dal three times until the water runs clear.
- Soak for 30 minutes, then drain.
- Cook with half a cup (about 120 ml) of water: 3 whistles in a pressure cooker, then let the pressure drop by itself, or 20 to 25 minutes in a covered pot until the daal falls apart.
- Add a pinch of haldi if you like, but no salt, sugar, ghee, gur or honey under 1 year.
- Blend or mash until smooth, then loosen with cooking water, breast milk or formula to a thick, spoonable paste that doesn’t run off the spoon.
- Start with 1 to 2 teaspoons once a day, after or between milk feeds, and let your baby’s appetite guide the increase.
- Store leftovers in the fridge and use within 24 hours; reheat only the portion you need, until steaming, then cool.
An easy iron boost
Plant iron in daal is absorbed better with vitamin C in the same meal. Stir a spoon of mashed cooked tomato into masoor dal, or follow the daal with a little soft mashed fruit such as papaya or ripe guava pulp without seeds.
Texture by age, 6 to 12 months
Babies learn to chew by meeting new textures, even before many teeth arrive, because hard gums can squash a soft lump of daal perfectly well, and a baby kept on smooth purée for too long often gags and refuses lumps later. Move on. Gently, but move on.
| Age | Daal texture | How much, roughly |
|---|---|---|
| 6 to 7 months | Smooth, thick paste | 1 to 2 tsp, rising to 2 to 3 tbsp |
| 7 to 8 months | Mashed with a fork, small soft lumps | 2 to 4 tbsp, with rice or suji |
| 9 to 10 months | Lumpy daal-khichdi, soft whole pulses mashed | Quarter to half katori |
| 10 to 12 months | Soft family daal (unsalted portion), soft finger food | Half katori, meals plus snacks |
These amounts are a starting point, not a target. Babies eat more one day and less the next, and milk is still the main food until 12 months. For how daal fits alongside rice, dalia, vegetables and fruit, follow our 6 to 12 month desi weaning plan and the first foods at 6 months guide.
Choking, gas and allergy: the safety bits
Whole pulses are round and firm, a similar size to a baby’s airway. Kala chana, kabuli chana, rajma and whole moong should always be mashed or blended for babies, and whole chana should not be given as a finger food under 5 years. Seat your baby upright, stay with them while they eat, and never feed in a moving car or while they’re lying down.
Gas is common in the first weeks of daal, and it rarely means anything is wrong. Soaking, cooking until very soft, and a small pinch of hing or jeera in the cooking water (not a tarka in ghee under 1) help. A little fuss is normal. Constant crying with a hard, swollen tummy is not.
Pulse allergy is uncommon. It happens, though, and babies already allergic to peanut, which is a legume and a cousin of daal rather than a true nut, are somewhat more likely to react to chickpea, lentil or other pulses, so introduce each new daal on a morning when you can watch your baby for the next couple of hours. Look for hives. Vomiting. Swelling.
Go to emergency care now for swelling of the lips, face or tongue, noisy or difficult breathing, repeated vomiting, or a baby who turns pale and floppy after eating. See a doctor today for signs of dehydration: fewer than about 4 wet nappies a day, no urine for 6 to 8 hours, a dry mouth, no tears, sunken eyes or a sunken soft spot. With loose motions, keep breastfeeding and give ORS as advised (our ORS recipe guide has the WHO mix). Also get checked for blood in the stool, a fever in a baby under 3 months, or a fever of 39 °C or more.
Daal for baby weight gain
Daal helps a growing baby because it brings protein and some energy, but a baby who isn’t gaining weight needs a doctor’s check before any home plan. Weight worries usually come down to how often and how much a baby eats overall, whether milk intake has dropped, and whether an illness is draining them. Thick daal instead of daal ka pani, three meals a day by 9 to 12 months, and daal mixed with rice or suji all help. Under 1 year, don’t reach for ghee, sugar or gur to add calories; after the first birthday, a little ghee in family daal is normal.
Many homes started with daal ka pani and a drop of ghee, and many babies did fine, mostly because thicker daal and khichdi followed soon after. Keep the love and the moong; move to the thick version sooner and leave the ghee until after 1.
For more on pulses, from buying to cooking times, see Grains, Daals & Pulses.
Daal and babies: questions parents ask
Which dal is best for babies?
Dhuli moong dal is the usual first choice because it’s light, soft and least gassy. Dhuli masoor is a good second, then arhar. Whole pulses come later, always mashed.
Can I give moong dal to my 6 month baby?
Yes, once your baby has turned 6 months and shows readiness signs like sitting with support and interest in food. Start with 1 to 2 teaspoons of thick, smooth, unsalted moong dal once a day.
Is dal ka pani good for babies?
It’s not harmful after 6 months, but it’s too thin to feed a baby well. Most of the nutrition stays in the cooked daal, so blend the whole thing to a thick paste instead.
Can I give dal ka pani to a 4 month baby?
No. Under 6 months, babies need only breast milk or formula. Daal water, plain water and ghutti all take the place of milk and can upset a young gut.
Can I add salt or ghee to baby’s dal?
Not under 1 year. A baby’s kidneys can’t handle added salt, and weaning food under 1 should have no salt, sugar, ghee, gur or honey. Haldi, jeera or a pinch of hing for flavour is fine.
Is masoor dal good for babies?
Yes. Dhuli masoor cooks fast, turns creamy and carries iron and protein. Pair it with a little mashed tomato or fruit to help the iron absorb.
Does dal cause gas in babies?
Some babies get a bit gassy when daal is new. Soak it, cook it very soft and start small. If your baby cries constantly with a hard, swollen tummy, or stops passing stool, see a doctor.
When can babies eat whole chana or rajma?
From around 9 to 12 months, cooked until very soft and mashed or blended. Never give whole chana as a finger food under 5 years, because round firm pieces can block a small airway.
How many times a day can a baby eat dal?
Once a day at 6 to 8 months is plenty, alongside milk. By 9 to 12 months, daal can appear in one or two of the three meals, rotated with other proteins and grains.
Can I give toor dal to my 7 month baby?
Yes, once moong and masoor have gone down well. Cook it soft, mash it and skip the salt and tarka.
How long can I store cooked dal for my baby?
Up to 24 hours in the fridge in a clean, covered container. Reheat only what you’ll use until steaming, cool it, and throw away anything your baby’s spoon has touched.
What are signs of a dal allergy in babies?
Hives, redness around the mouth that spreads, vomiting or swelling of the lips or face after a new daal. Swelling or breathing trouble means emergency care straight away.