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.
thank you so much for this recipe! Would I be able to defrost from frozen in microwave? Thank you.
Sure, I recommend 15 second increments as they will heat through fast.
Just wondering if I don’t have a mini muffin pan what the time / baking adjustments would be for full sized muffins? Thanks!
Likely it will be in the 20-24 minute range for full size muffins. Enjoy!
These are DELICIOUS! My 1 year old loves them and they freeze so well. The texture is perfect. I brought them over to Nana’s house and she even requested I make some for her too! We all eat them, so I always make a double batch for the adults. I also played around with sizing– I usually make mini muffins, but tried a few normal size muffins and they were perfect too! Just had to increase the baking time. This recipe is so versatile. Thank you!!
I’m so glad!
Hi Amy! I baked the ABC muffins as snacks for a plane ride to Tokyo but I accidentally left out the baking soda (I didn’t forget the baking powder though). I’m worried they will turn out wrong. They’re in the oven now and I’m scared! Thanks
Hi- Hopefully you saw my response in your DMs, but I think cover with foil at the end of the baking time and bake a little more. Fingers crossed!
Made these, added an extra banana hoping for the muffins to be softer or mushier for my 9 month old who has no teeth, they turned out perfect. I’m wondering though, will almond milk work with this recipe?
Also my 10 year old and husband loved them, they both asked me for me to make them again.
Great! And yes, almond milk is fine.
Can you sub baby cereal for the oats?
I’m wanting to add iron to them.
If you do that, the muffins are likely to turn out mushy due to the consistency of the cereal.
Can we just make it with oat flour only?
They may not bake through exactly the same, which is why I use a combination of oats and flour, but let me know if you try it that way.
Can you use almond flour instead of reg. Flour?
Thank you!
Almond flour is not a good direct sub for wheat flour and if you use it here they will be mushy since it doesn’t absorb liquids in the same way. I do have a great almond flour muffin recipe though https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/almond-flour-muffins/
Loved them fresh! When we froze and took out of freezer I am getting a chemical taste. What could this be from?
If you aren’t using aluminum-free baking powder, maybe try using that. It’s the only thing I can think of.
So good! We pretty much finished the whole batch in one sitting! They’re so addicting! Will definitely make again! Thanks for a delicious, healthy recipe!
Delicious! My bananas were not super ripe, so I did half unsweetened applesauce and half banana, and added 2 tbsp Maple syrup just in case. Turned out great!
My 10 month old loves these! Also, they make me want carrot cake! Thanks, Amy!
My favorite baby/toddler recipe! I used it for smash cake. I just made a double batch w some minced spinach that I am calling ABCs muffins. Thank you SO much for this recipe. I love it so much and it makes me feel like I am a mother who can competently feed my kid good food! ☺️
I’ve made these twice now and my baby LOVES them. They turn out great every time! I don’t usually have whole carrots so shredding baby carrots is a bit of a task, haha, but these are worth it. They freeze well, I just pop one in the microwave for 20-30 seconds, let it cool and my baby loses her mind over them. A favorite!
Hi. How much do we have to substitute the coconut oil with milk ? Will the muffins taste good with coconut oil as it is quite strong. My son is yet to turn 1yr hence haven’t started any dairy. Thank you in advance
I would use nondairy milk, not oil, if you want to make them dairy-free.
We have made them with coconut oil and lieu of melted butter, and they turn out great. I just use equal parts, coconut oil as it is called for melted butter. And same with equal parts coconut milk to dairy milk.