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 great! Little one and I both love them.
I added some finely chopped dates to add a little extra sweetness and turned out great!
These and your yogurt muffins 👌❤️
I have made this several times now. My whole family loves it. Strangely enough, my baby (who I made them for in the first place) doesn’t go for them as much as my husband or 6yo. These are by far the best zero-sugar/honey/maple syrup baked good I’ve tried. I use coconut oil instead of butter. Just good to make sure the milk isn’t too cold or it turns the oil to clumps. Otherwise, works well.
Hi Amy, do you think the butter could be replaced with yogurt 1:1 or something else? Thanks.
Hi-
You might be able to do that, though I haven’t tried it and can’t say for sure if it would impact the moisture level. You could do melted coconut milk or probably a nut or seed butter though (both of those firm up at room temp in a way that yogurt doesn’t so they’re more similar to butter)
Can I use apple sauce instead shredded apple?
It may add more moisture than the muffins can handle and since I haven’t tested them that way, I can’t say whether they’d work or not.
I used apple sauce instead of shredded apple as I didnt realize I was out of apples until I had already started the recipe haha. Muffins turned out perfectly! Moist but definitely cooked through and easy for my 8 month old to chow down.
1/4 cup if using all purpose flour seems like a big change from the 1 cup of whole wheat flour – is that right?
It’s 1/4 cup milk if using all-purpose flour, down from 3/4 cup milk if using whole wheat flour. Hope that helps!
Hi,
My baby is under 1… what are some examples of non-dairy milk we can use in this recipe?
Unsweetened plain almond milk, soy milk, plant milk (Silk or Ripple brand), rice milk, oat milk…
How could I make these without oat? We have a little one with an allergy.
Looks great and hope to be able to try soon.
You could use quinoa flakes if you see them or I think all whole wheat flour would work. Just check for doneness on the lower end of the baking range.
Easy, moist, and tasty 🙂
I wanted to let you know, I make this recipe vegan by using a chia egg (1Tbsp chia seeds + 3 Tbsp water) , dairy-free milk, and Earth Balance butter, it works great. My daughter loves these muffins. Thanks so much.
I’m so glad to hear that!
I wish there would have been a cooking time listed for normal sized muffins. I baked them for 20 mins and they were cooked on the outside but raw inside. Then I noticed you mentioned to someone they might need 26-28 mins in a regular tin. I had already tossed them by then. Maybe I’ll try again, they smelled amazing while they were cooking.
I find that this recipe works best made as mini muffins due to the moisture, which is why it’s written that way. I am sorry you had that experience though!
I made these for my 2 and 4 year old girls who enjoyed them. I love your recipes, thank you for sharing!
I’m so glad to hear that and you’re so welcome!
So delicious! The first time I made this was a total hit, and the second time, I substituted shredded zucchini for the carrots and made ABZ muffins! Also a great hit!! Highly recommend!
I’m so glad to hear that and I love the idea of zucchini!
I made these muffins, and my daughter and I loved them! Thank you. Now, I’m thinking of making this for my daughter’s first birthday smash cake. How might I alter the recipe and/or bake time and temp to make this in a 9″ springform?
Hi- I think to do them in a 9 inch pan I would reduce the milk to 1/2 cup and then bake as one layer cake for 20-24 minutes. I would line the pan with parchment to ensure it comes out cleanly and keep an eye on the center for doneness as that will be the last part of it to set. I haven’t done this batter that way so I can’t say what the timing would be for sure. If the edges start to darken before the middle is set, you can cover it with foil too. I’d love to hear how it goes if you try it!
I accidentally made these without the milk and they still came out perfect. So for anyone feeling their muffins are too moist, apparently the milk is optional. My 7 month old loved these!
Thanks for letting me know that and glad the little likes them!
I made these, but after more than 25 minutes they’re still too moist and wet in the middle, how are they meant to be? On the spongy side like a typical muffin or more wet? My toddler is becoming so impatient to eat them and he’s waiting by the oven! They look delicious but I’ve opened one to check and it’s still wet. The toothpick I’m using to check comes out clean but a tiny bit sticky. I have a fan oven set at 170 degrees which is the equivalent to the 375 F. I’ve followed the recipe religiously and haven’t made any swaps. Any tips?
They are meant to be moister than a typical muffin but should not be like raw batter. Hopefully they worked out when they had time to cool? Fingers crossed!
Did you have it on 170 fan? I use 190 no fan, and this recipe works well for me.