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.
Would this work/hold up as a small cake (smash cake)??
I bet it would if the layers were on the smaller side!
I do not enjoy cooking or baking and get very anxious in the kitchen but I’m trying to feed my 1 year old healthy foods. Nothing I attempt comes out satisfactory but these muffins came out surprisingly delicious!!!! Thank you so much for making it so easy to follow. Baby girl loves them!
So glad to hear that!
I do not enjoy cooking or baking and get very anxious in the kitchen but I’m trying to feed my 1 year old healthy foods. Nothing I attempt comes out satisfactory but these muffins came out surprisingly delicious!!!! Thank you so much for making it so easy to follow. Baby girl loves them!
Could these be made in a bread loaf pan? If so, what would you recommend for cook time & temp? My toddler would love this blend of flavors but hates mini muffins for whatever reason – obsessed with anything in bread or loaf form though!
I don’t know that it would cook through in the middle in a 9×5 loaf pan, but I think it would work okay in an 8×8 inch pan if that’s an option.
My son absolutely loves these muffins! They were super easy to make. I used my food processor to shred the apple and carrot super quick. Thanks for the great recipe!
Can the carrot be substituted with zucchini?
Sure, just squeeze it dry first.
Delicious. My 13-month-old loves them. So do I! Very moist, flavorful, not overly sweet. They are perfect on the go. I brought them to the airport in a ziplock bag and they were a perfect snack there too! I make these weekly and usually use unsweetened applesauce to save some time.
Made these egg-free, didn’t need any substitution but did accidentally use a cup of oats instead of 1/2 (whoops). Still came out great. These needed to go the full 20 mins for me. These were a hit and will be a new weekly staple!
Huge hit with 2 year old and 10 month old!!
Made these for my 8 month old. He loved the taste! So yum.
I’m so glad!
These are absolutely delicious. Moist, flavorful, and sweet without any added sugar. I make a double batch every time. Amy, every recipe of yours I make is a huge hit with our family. Thank you so much for your healthy recipes!
I’m planning to make this. May i ask how long should i bake if i use the normal muffin tin to bake? Is it still good?
They bake through best as mini muffins, but they can work as standard size muffins using 1/4 batter in each muffin cup and baking for about 4 minutes longer, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly.
These were DELICIOUS! I have probably tried a half dozen different baby friendly (no added sugar, low/no salt) muffin recipes for my 16mo and these might be my favorite. I like that these are on the moister side because they are less crumbly/messy than a slightly drier muffin, and I found them flavorful as is without needing to modify for an adult palate. I also love that I can send these as a snack to places that are peanut/nut free. I ended up just using a few grinds of sea salt and not measuring out 1/8th teaspoon, so it was probably a bit less than called for but it didn’t negatively affect the recipe at all. I will absolutely make these muffins again!
I might try adding some ground flax seed, chia seed, or hemp seed next time to help boost iron and protein content.
So glad to hear that!
I some how missed the milk and left it out. Was a little hesitant to use baking soda in a recipe for a 10 month old. I just used 1 teaspoon of baking powder. It is very Moist. Didn’t stick to the tooth pick though. Hard to tell if they’re cooked but I know they are. Cooked for 27 minutes in regular size tin. I also left out the butter and did pumpkin purée instead as well as used pumpkin purée instead of the banana. Bet the banana would be better.
Do you think the texture would be that compromised due to not using baking soda? Can you tell me more about the level of moisture ?
Hi- baking soda is stronger than baking powder and helps balance the moisture in these muffins, so that would for sure make a difference in how they cook through. (Maybe consider the baking soda amount in each muffin is actually tiny.) I hope that helps.
So good! My 15 month daughter loves these. I think she really enjoys the mini muffin size because one fits in her hand better. I did add the extra sugar because my bananas weren’t very ripe. I also used liners, which I learned that they peel off better when the muffins were cold (next day out of the refrigerator).