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Can Babies Eat Horse Gram? How to Cook and Serve

Horse gram, known as kulthi or kollu, is a very hard, iron rich pulse usually eaten as a soup or rasam. Its one demand is long cooking: soak it well and boil until truly soft, then mash for younger babies, and it becomes a warming, protein rich food.

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When to introduce: 6 months+
Common allergen?: Not a common allergen
Texture: Cooked until very soft, mashed or as a thin soup
Key nutrients: Plant protein, iron, calcium, B vitamins

Horse gram is a small, flat, tough bean grown mostly in southern India, often simmered into a thin soup, rasam, or ground into a spiced dish. It is one of the higher protein and higher iron pulses, which is exactly what a weaning baby can use. The thing to know is that it is genuinely hard and slow to soften, so it needs a good soak and a long cook before it is right for a baby.

Prep School: how to prepare horse gram for baby-led weaning (BLW) and purées

6 to 9 monthsSoak several hours, then pressure cook or simmer until the beans are very soft. Mash into a smooth paste, or offer the strained soup, kollu rasam style, from a spoon or open cup.

9 to 12 monthsServe soft whole cooked beans lightly crushed for pincer practice, or fold the mashed beans into rice or vegetables your baby can scoop.

12 months+Offer as a soft horse gram soup or a mild spiced mash with rice, kept low salt, with any firm bits broken down.

Is horse gram safe? Choking & prep

Horse gram is safe for babies once it is cooked all the way to soft, and it is not a common allergen, though you should still offer a small amount the first time and watch, as any legume can occasionally cause a reaction.² Because the beans are so firm, undercooked horse gram is both a choking risk and hard to digest, so soak it and simmer until a bean crushes easily before mashing it for your baby.¹ Serve it without added salt and mild on spice.²

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Nutrition

Horse gram is high in protein, with red seeded types reaching around a quarter protein by weight, and it is an especially good source of iron along with calcium, phosphorus, and B vitamins.³ The iron is plant iron, so pairing horse gram with a vitamin C food helps your baby absorb more of it. As with all pulses, start small to let your baby's digestion adjust to the fiber.

Goes well with

Rice · Tomato · Carrot · Cumin (a pinch) · Ghee (a little)

Storage & freezing

Dried horse gram keeps for many months in a sealed jar in a cool, dark cupboard. Once cooked, store it in the fridge and use within three to four days, or freeze the soup or mash in small portions and reheat until steaming, then cool to warm.

More proteins to explore

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Hot dogs12 months at the earliest, and an occasional food

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HummusAround 9 months

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Hyacinth bean6 months+

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Jackfruit seedsAround 9 months

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Kala chana6 months+

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Kalua porkAround 9 months, in small portions

Common questions

Why does horse gram take so long to cook?

The seeds are dense and hard, more so than most pulses. A long soak and a pressure cooker are the easiest ways to get them soft enough for a baby.

Can I give my baby just the horse gram soup?

Yes. The strained soup, like a mild kollu rasam, is a gentle way to introduce the flavor and some iron, offered warm from a spoon or open cup and kept unsalted.

Is horse gram too heavy for babies?

It is high in fiber and protein, so start with a small amount and increase slowly. Cooking it thoroughly and mashing it well makes it much easier to digest.

Sources

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Last updated July 2026. Next review January 2027. How we write these: grounded in widely published pediatric guidance (the AAP, WHO, the NIAID 2017 allergen guidelines, and the LEAP study), and pending independent review by a pediatric professional. See our editorial and medical policy for how we research, source, and update these.

This is general information, not medical advice, and has not been individually reviewed for your baby. Always talk to your pediatrician about your baby's diet, introducing allergens, and any reaction. In an emergency, contact emergency services.

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