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.
- 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 were so delicious and my daughter ate them right up! We’ve been working on increasing textures with her and this went so well. I followed your tip of dipping the little pieces in apple sauce and that really helped. Thanks so much!
Just tried these and love them! Thanks for the great recipe. I added chopped raisins and chocolate chips to half since I was making them for my baby and toddler and wanted to make sure my toddler liked them. Definitely a success. Also only had all purpose flour and didn’t see your note about the milk till after I added it. Still turned out great just cooked for a bit longer. I loved them, would totally eat for breakfast since they aren’t too sweet. Thank you!
Just tried these and love them! Thanks for the great recipe. I added chopped raisins and chocolate chips to half since I was making them for my baby and toddler and wanted to make sure my toddler liked them. Definitely a success. Thank you!
These are great! I subbed with an applesauce-strawberry pouch, I used half coconut oil and half unsalted butter, added 1 tablespoon of coconut sugar, and used only 1/2 cup of whole milk. I used less milk as I figured using applesauce instead of grated apples would add more liquid. I also added about 1 tablespoon of flax-chia seed mix. I baked for right under 17 minutes in a silicone mini muffin pan. Baby is a picky so I don’t know what he thinks yet, but I had one and thought it was good! Thanks for the recipe.
Finally got the ingredients to try this one and it’s yummy! My picky eater tot approves and this momma (who doesnt eat her veggies) too!
Hi
Do you think you could use fortified oat baby cereal in place of the rolled oats?
I haven’t tried that and I’m not sure whether the final consistency would be the same or not. Let me know if you try it!
Hi- I can’t say for sure since I haven’t made them this way, but you could try eliminating the milk and see if that helps! You could do that and add 2 tbsp additional flour if the batter still seems very runny.
Hi Amy! I am new to baking, I tried making these twice and the outside cooked very fast and the inside wasn’t cooked enough. When I tried it a second time I lowered the heat on the oven, but was still having a similar issue. Are the insides suppose to feel wet? Or does that mean they aren’t cooked enough. I have an electric oven so I’ve been having a harder time baking things. Thank you!
Hi- They are very moist but should be cooked through. If they are having a hard time in your oven, you could reduce the milk by 1/4 cup and see if that helps!
Excited to try these. Could I use a regular muffin tray instead of mini? If so, how does that affect baking time?
Thanks! Karlee
They work best as mini muffins because they are incredibly moist and will take a long time to bake through as full size. To bake them as full size, it might take in the 26-28 minute range. I’d also probably let them cool in the muffin tin for about 10 minutes to help ensure they’re cooked through in the middles. Let me know if you try them!
Just tried these and love them! Thanks for the great recipe. I added chopped raisins and chocolate chips to half since I was making them for my baby and toddler and wanted to make sure my toddler liked them. Definitely a success. Thank you!
Quick question: can you use chia or flex egg???
Thanks!
I don’t know that it will work since these are very moist. I link to a sugar-free banana muffin that has a good egg-free option right above the recipe.
Could we mix this in a blender?
I haven’t done it that way but I supposed you could mix the wet ingredients in a blender and then stir in the dry.
I made these today and they were delicious! I used white whole wheat flour, applesauce instead of apples, and added a scant 1/4 cup of maple syrup. I made full size muffins. They are so moist and sweet, I would even decrease the maple syrup next time. Letting them cool before removing from the pan is important, they’re so moist they fall apart if you take them out too early.
I’m so glad to hear that and thanks for sharing the changes you made!
Delicious for our whole family! We added the 1/4 c of sugar and baked the entire batch in one regular sized 12 muffin tin. Baked for 25 minutes. Perfect!
These are really good. We do 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 white flour. Very tasty!
Hi! Can I use something in place of the oats? My babes belly doesn’t handle oats well. Could I also add some flaxseed?
Hi- I haven’t tried it, but I think it would work if you used additional whole wheat flour in place of the oats. And you could add maybe 1-2 tbsp of flaxseed? I’m not sure I’d add more as they may turn out dense…let me know how it goes!
I only have white flour so I used that but my muffins turned out super wet! How much white flour can I use instead of the whole wheat?
I will try to test this for you today or tomorrow! It might need 2 tbsp to 1/4 cup more to absorb the same way.
I made these today with all purpose flour and they turned out great! I didn’t have a full half cup of apples so I stuck with 1 cup of flour and added maybe a tablespoon of milled flaxseed. I also added a splash of pure maple syrup but not enough to sweeten them up. My household really likes them regardless!
I’m so glad that worked for you!
Hi again. I finally got these right (sorry it took so long, I did it once and then had to wait for my bananas to ripen for a second try!). To make them with all purpose flour, make as directed but use 1/4 cup milk only. That works well!
I did them with all purpose flour – and they were very wet; currently in the oven. Did not see this comment before. Should I increase the baking time? Thanks
That flour change will change the consistency of the batter. Hopefully they worked out.