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.
The muffins are delicious!!! My husband, 4 year old, 2 year old and I LOVE THESE!
So easy and tasty!
Excuse me. How are these so delicious??? There’s no added sugar and they taste incredible. My toddler ate 6 in one sitting. My baby had 3. My husband and I almost finished off the rest of them. I’ll be making these again—- I’ll have the recipe memorized in no time.
How long do these need in the oven for regular muffin size (I don’t have a mini muffin pan) and would the temp need to be adjusted?
About 16-18 minutes at the same temp
My 15 month old refuses to eat apples so I wanted to try this and he DEVOURED them! As a bonus, my 3.5 year old loved them as well! I will surely be making these again 😋❤️
I’m so glad!
Hello there! What’s your recommendation for replacing the honey/maple syrup with regular sugar/brown sugar instead? Thanks!
Should work fine!
Great muffins that my infant loves! I also think they’re delicious. I’ve made this 3 times already and plan to keep using this recipe into the future.
Do you have to store in fridge? Left out overnight in ziplock bag.
Totally fine!
Sooo tasty! But I’ve had a hard time getting the inside to cook / not be gooey. I kept in for close to 30 minutes and made sure to use fresh box of baking soda. I did bake them in a mini silicone muffin tin so I’m not sure if that impacted it? I tried to keep them in long but the bottoms started to burn. The internal temp was 200 deg +.
It’s very possible it’s the silicone muffin tin since it conducts heat differently than a regular muffin tin. I don’t use them regularly so I can’t say for sure, but that’s my best guess.
Hi can I use a regular muffin pan? Or will the middle bit cook through? Thank you! Excited to try this recipe
They are best in a mini muffin pan but will work in a standard one too. Enjoy
How long do these need in the oven for regular muffin size (I don’t have a mini muffin pan) and would the temp need to be adjusted?
About 16-18 minutes at the same temp
Really good!! Both my toddler and 9mo devoured these (and mama too!)
I made these for my granddaughter 21 months old. I used a combination of organic white and wholemeal flours I didn’t add oats. We loved these moist healthy food muffins, the ratio of flour to wet ingredients is perfect. this recipe is a keeper!
She liked to dip her muffin in fresh cream.
My toddler and myself actually love these muffins but they always seem to take ages to cook – is that just me? 18 mins and still gooey in the middle, after 30 mins they are quite hard on top but still very soft in the middle – is this because of the oats? I get scared to just do 18 mins. My oven cooks really well with everything else but these.
If they are taking forever to cook on the inside, I’d try a new container of baking soda. Enjoy!
I love this recipe. We make these muffins all the time, as I’m always looking for tasty foods for my toddler that don’t have too much added sugar or salt. I also wanted to thank you for offering so many ingredient substitution options for all of your recipes. We usually just make them as written because we don’t have any food allergies or dietary restrictions, but its nice to have options when hosting friends who do need to limit certain foods. Recently I tried the egg-free version of this recipe because our grocery store was all out of “ethical” eggs (and the generic ones were $9/dozen), so that was a nice bonus too!
I’m so glad!
Love this ABC muffins.
Can i add boiled beetroot instead of bananas?
I am not sure that will taste as good since it has such a different flavor.
Loving this receipe,would try for my grand son.
But one query, if i dont want to use milk and butter how much coconut oil should i use?
And for egg free i need to add more bakung soda?
I am not sure if you should replace the milk and butter with oil as it may make the muffins oily. And if you don’t use milk, I am not sure the baking soda option to make them egg-free will work the same way.
But in your recipe notes above mentions the options for egg free and dairy free