Made with a nutrient-packed ingredient list, these tender Baby Muffins are a perfect first muffin. They are easier to chew than a regular muffin, have three kinds of produce, are added sugar free, and they boast a solid dose of healthy fats—exactly what the littles need!
Baby Muffins
I am a super fan of muffins for kids since they are so convenient and endlessly versatile. And they can be a helpful way to offer foods the kids aren’t always interested in eating straight up. But when making muffins for babies, there are a few specific considerations I like to keep in mind. Here’s what makes these special:
- These have healthy fats from eggs.
- The tender muffins are easier to chew than traditional ones as they are moister. (Bready textures can be tricky for some kids)
- The flavor and sweetness comes from fresh bananas, apples, and carrot.
- These are made without added sugars, which is recommended for babies.
- They freeze well, so you can store half of the batch for a future week—yay for easy meals
TIP: I am usually very straight forward in the way I name recipes, but I did think “ABC” was fitting here and it’s a helpful way to remember what’s in the muffins (Apples, Bananas, and Carrots…see? Fun!)
Sugar Free Toddler Muffins
You can, of course, totally serve these muffins to a toddler and they are great for one year olds I’ve been making them for my two younger kids and we top them with a little jam to add some sweetness (which is just their preference, you can try them plain first if you want!).
Ingredients in Baby Muffins
Here’s a look at what you need to make these muffins.
- mashed very ripe banana (about 2 small bananas)
- shredded apple (about 1 small apple)
- shredded carrot (about 1 small carrot)
- milk (dairy or nondairy)
- egg
- melted butter, slightly cooled
- pure vanilla extract
- whole wheat flour
- rolled oats
- cinnamon
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
TIP: To make these dairy-free, use melted coconut oil. To make them gluten-free, use cup for cup gluten-free flour.
How to Make Baby Muffins Step-by-Step
Here’s a look at the process involved in making this recipe. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full information.
- Preheat the oven and grease a mini muffin tin. Mash the banana and shred the apple and carrot on a box grater.
- Stir together the ingredients until uniformly smooth.
- Divide among the prepared muffin tin.
- Bake!
TIP: Serve diced to babies 9+ months. You can also serve a whole muffin to a BLW baby for them to munch on.
What’s the texture of these muffins like?
These are deliberately very moist (and moister than regular muffins) to ensure they are easy for baby to chew and swallow. They will be moist and very tender when fully cooked, so know that is on purpose! (My middle kiddo didn’t master bready foods easily until she was well over 1 year old, so I am mindful that this texture is trickier for some kiddos and did my best to make these very appropriate for little eaters.)
TIP: For veggie muffins for older kiddos who are fine with a variety of textures, you can also check out my Zucchini Carrot Muffins!
Finger Foods for Babies
I love having easy prep-ahead recipes that I can use for baby meals and these muffins work well for breakfast, lunch, or snack time. You can pair them with diced fruit, applesauce, scrambled eggs, shredded cheese, or any other favorite finger food or puree.
TIP: Find my Master List of the Best Early Finger Foods for Babies for more ideas.
Can I freeze these muffins?
You sure can! Freeze, once fully cooled, in a freezer bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temperature. You can also store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
TIP: You can serve these chilled, at room temperature, or slightly warmed. Diced up, they make a great baby snack!
Tips for Making the Best Baby Muffins
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Serve chilled, at room temperature, or slightly warmed.
- Freeze, once fully cooled, in a freezer bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temperature.
- To make these dairy-free, use melted coconut oil.
- To make an egg-free version, see this similar Sugar-Free Banana Muffin.
- Be sure to use a very ripe banana for the best natural sweetness—there are no added sugars in this muffins, so you need those natural sugars.
- You can serve topped with butter, applesauce, apple butter, or jam (especially for older kids!) to add more sweetness.
- If you want to make these sweeter, you can add ¼ cup sugar to the batter.
- Serve baby as much muffin as they want according to their appetite.
- For veggie muffins for older kiddos who are fine with a variety of textures, you can also check out my Zucchini Carrot Muffins!
I’d love to hear your feedback on this recipe, so please rate and review it below in the comment field!
ABC Baby Muffins (Apple, Banana and Carrot!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed very ripe banana (about 2-3 small bananas)
- ½ cup shredded apple (about 1 small apple)
- ¼ cup shredded carrot (about 1 small carrot)
- ¾ cup milk
- ¼ cup melted unsalted butter (slightly cooled)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degree F and grease a 24 cup mini muffin pan with nonstick spray.
- Place the banana, apple, carrot, milk, butter, egg, and vanilla into a medium bowl. Stir together.
- Gently, but thoroughly, stir in the flour, oats, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Divide batter among the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup to the edge. (You'll use about 2 tablespoons batter in each mini muffin cup).
- Bake for 16-20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly. (I do 18 minutes in my oven.)
- Let cool for a few minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool fully. Dice up to serve to a baby eating finger foods or offer one whole to a baby eating baby led weaning-style foods.
Video
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Serve chilled, at room temperature, or slightly warmed.
- Freeze, once fully cooled, in a freezer bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temperature.
- Dairy-free: Use melted coconut oil instead of butter and nondairy milk.
- Egg-free: Omit the egg. Increase the baking soda to 1 teaspoon. Proceed with the recipe.
- These taste best when the banana is very ripe, so the outside should have a lot of brown spots (which indicate sweetness).
- I use a box grater to shred the apple and carrot.
- To make with all-purpose flour, make as directed but use ¼ cup milk only.
- To make without oats, replace the oats with the same amount of all-purpose flour.
- You can serve topped with butter, applesauce, apple butter, or jam (especially for older kids!) to add more sweetness.
- If you'd like to make them sweeter for older kiddos, add ¼ cup sugar to the batter.
These are so unbelievably good! Whole family loved them.
These muffins turned out great, my 7m old, 3yr old, husband, and I loved them! I didn’t have enough banana on hand, but I did have steamed purple sweet potato. I did about 1 part mashed banana to 3 parts mashed purple sweet potato and they turned out great!
Hello,
How can I make this for my 10 month old without milk? I’m not sure what non dairy options there are. Do you mean like formula?
You can use regular milk if that’s what you have. In larger quantities, dairy milk can be hard for babies to digest which is why I recommend nondairy milk, but in the amount they’d likely eat in a muffin, it’s small and should be fine.
This recipe was an instant hit in my house! I followed the recipe exactly, all with things I already had at home, and added a couple tablespoons of hemp seeds just for that extra nutrition boost and man.. So yummy! Perfect texture and such a naturally sweet flavor. I am making a double batch this weekend to freeze.
Hi Amy! Love your recipes and have baked a couple of them before.
This one specifically, if I grated one full apple or carrot, it came out to be over the stated measurements. Should I use it all or just measure what is needed? (ie. 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup for apple and carrot, respectively) Thanks.
Tried this recipe for my 15 month old. He loves them! Very tasty. Thank you for this recipe!
Just baked these this morning. I thought I had oats but I didn’t and I already start the recipe so I just replaced with flour and they still turned out really good. My 17 month old is currently devouring them so I called that a win 🙂
I’m so glad to hear that!
These were excellent! Soft and delicious. I don’t have a mini muffin tin so I used a regular sized 12 muffin tin and baked for 25 min and they came out perfect!
Thanks for the receipe!
Finally something my particular 2-year-old will eat – AND loves!!!!! Thank you! This is a delicious, simple, and healthy breakfast!
Is there a recommended substitution for the oats? My daughter has an FPIES reaction to pats so have been trying to figure out how to make muffins for her since most baby muffin recipes have oats! Thank you!!
I would use whole wheat flour in its place and check for doneness at the shorter end of the baking time.
What am I doing wrong? I follow the recipe exactly, same cupcake tray, oven the right temperature, and 45 minutes in the oven and they are still raw in the middle?!
Maybe check that your baking powder and baking soda are fresh? If they aren’t working right, that would be the most likely explanation. I’m sorry that happened!
This recipe is delicious!! So moist and yummy. I’ve added sugar and not, we still love them either way. Today I made them with unsweetened applesauce because my apples had gone bad, and it still turned out wonderfully! These are just simply perfect.
I’m trying to look for baby muffins I can take on our 11 hour plane journey to periodically feed her in addition to breastfeeding. These look great but would you recommend I freeze them and then put the frozen muffins in our backpack when we leave so that they’ll be thawed by the time we’re on the plane? Or still de thaw in the fridge overnight? Just worried about them being okay at room temperature for that long while we’re on the plane? What do you think??
Hi, they are fine at room temperature in a container for a few days, so either of the options you mention here would be totally fine. Safe travels!
I made these for my 9 month old and assumed they would be bland. False. Even without added sweetener these were bomb. My 3 & 6 year old loved them and I probably ate 8 in one sitting. Going to make these weekly. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Is it fine to use regular muffin size baking sheet? I don’t have mini muffin pan. Thanks!
That should be fine, you’ll just want to bake them longer until the centers are baked through.