With a dose of butternut squash and apple butter, these Butternut Squash Muffins pack a lot of flavor, moisture, and wholesomeness in one easy to eat, delicious package. They’re a yummy muffin to serve at any time of the day.
Cozy spices pair with butternut squash puree in these easy muffins. They’re just sweet enough to be enticing and have whole grains in the mix, too.
Quick Look: Butternut Squash Muffins
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Serving: 12
- Flavor Profile: Cozy cinnamon with naturally sweet squash and apple
- Difficulty: Easy, perfect for everyday toddler meals and sides
- Why to Make: It’s a yummy way to turn butternut squash into a kid-friendly food
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Table of Contents
I love making these muffins for kids since they are great for breakfast, snack, or as an easy side dish for kids. They have a fruit and a veggie and are yummy plain or topped with a little butter, jam, or apple butter.
Why this Recipe Works
With an easy method, ample flavor from produce, and a flavor that works as well as a breakfast as it does an easy side dish, these butternut squash muffins are a favorite way to serve up veggies to kids.
We also love them as a side with soup or chili, such as Vegetarian Bean Chili, White Turkey Chili, or Macaroni Soup.
(You may also like my Veggie Muffins, Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, and Sweet Potato Waffles.)
Ingredients You Need
Here’s what you’ll need to make these butternut squash muffins so you know what to have on hand and ready to go.
- Quick oats (or rolled oats ground briefly in the blender or food processor)
- Whole wheat flour: I like to use this whole grain flour to add nutrients, including fiber, and B vitamins.
- butternut squash puree: You can use puree or Mashed Butternut Squash.
- Applesauce: You can use store-bought or Instant Pot Applesauce (or apple butter) for this recipe.
- Maple syrup: I typically make this muffin recipe with maple syrup as the sweetener but it will also work to use honey.
Featured Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Loved how fluffy these turned out!! Will definitely be making again for an easy breakfast on the go!” —Laurie
How to Make Butternut Squash Muffins
Here’s a look at the easy process involved in making this Butternut Squash Muffin recipe. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full information.
Step 1. Stir together the wet ingredients in a medium bowl.
Step 2. Add the dry ingredients and stir to make a thick batter.
Step 3. Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin cups.
Step 4. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly.
TIP: You can bake these ahead of time and warm for 10 seconds in the microwave and serve whenever you’d like!
Butternut Squash Muffins FAQs
You can use any mashed butternut squash puree—either a mashed butternut squash, butternut squash baby food puree, or canned butternut squash.
I sometimes mix together ¼ cup powdered sugar with 1-2 teaspoons milk and drizzle it over the top for an extra bit of fun.
These healthy muffins are good on their own, topped with a little cream cheese, or smeared with nut butter. (You’d also be well-served serving them warm topped with a little butter!)
How to Store
Once cooled, store for 3-5 days in the fridge in an airtight container or in the freezer for up to 3 months in a zip top bag. Thaw in the fridge or briefly in 15 second increments in the microwave.
Best Tips for Success
- Use leftover mashed butternut squash or canned or baby food squash puree.
- Top with apple butter, cream cheese, nut or seed butter, or regular butter as desired.
- Gluten-free: Use 1:1 style gluten-free flour blend.
- Dairy-free: Use melted coconut oil or canola oil in place of the butter.
- Apple butter and applesauce work the same in this recipe. I prefer unsweetened versions of either.
- You could also make these with an equal amount of canned pumpkin puree.
- You may also like Fluffy Sweet Potato Muffins, Healthy Pumpkin Muffins, Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins, and my Spinach Banana Muffins.
More Muffins for Kids
I’d love to hear your feedback on this recipe if you try it out in your home, so please comment below!
Butternut Squash Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup quick oats (or rolled oats ground briefly in the blender or food processor)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup butternut squash puree
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/3 cup apple butter or applesauce
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled (or canola oil)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease 10 cups of a standard muffin tin.
- Stir together all ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin cups, using about ¼ cup batter in each one.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly. Let rest in the pan for a few minutes, then remove from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- Store for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge or in a zip top freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Use leftover mashed butternut squash or canned or baby food squash puree.
- Top with apple butter, cream cheese, nut or seed butter, or regular butter as desired.
- You can use pumpkin puree instead of butternut squash if desired.
- Apple butter and applesauce work the same in this recipe.
- Dairy-free: Use nondairy milk and neutral oil.
- Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 style cup for cup gluten-free flour and certified gluten-free oats to make these gluten-free.
Nutrition
This post was first published November 2018.
I made this exactly as the recipe stated, but with mini muffins. It took about 17 minutes to come out clean. They have a great flavor and texture, sweet but not overly sweet. Thank you.
Loved how fluffy these turned out!! Will definitely be making again for an easy breakfast on the go!
Made these with a little less syrup (1/4 cup). It is so good!! Sharing with other toddler parents!
My son loved these!! He devoured them. Can’t wait to try these with different veggies like sweet potatoes or carrots. We substituted coconut milk for the milk and oat flour for the oats, but it worked perfectly!
I want to make tbis as a cake but NO oats and NO wheat flour. Will that still work with white flour? How much time for a sheet pan cake? 45 min?
Thanks for your help. We have diabetics and dieters!
Hi- I haven’t made it with all of those changes so I can’t say for sure. I would sub all purpose flour for the flour and oats, and double the recipe to make a 9×11-inch cake. (Or any size larger than 8×8.) I would guess 26-28 minutes, but you’ll need to check the middle with a cake tester.
Excited for my babe to have these but ran into some issues making them just now. Took them out after about 25 minutes and the batter was still gooey on the inside. I ended up having to bake them another 10-15 min or so and now of course the outside is nearly burnt and hard, but the insides are just barely done. Any idea what went wrong? I followed the recipe exactly.
I ended up being that person and realizing that I didn’t have all of the ingredients halfway through the recipe, ha! However, subbing an overripe banana for my (moldy) applesauce worked out well. Great recipe!
Oh good!
Did you sub applesauce for applebutter?
Somehow put my comment against the wrong recipe, please disregard
Which recipe was it for? If you have trouble with muffing baking through, try replacing your baking soda. Hope that helps!
So tasty and perfectly moist. Awesome recipe for the whole family. Plus low calorie.
These are very good and light. Easy using frozen butternut squash. I also made them with applesauce I made with carrots and butternut squash, so there’s even more squash in there. (:
These came out similar to the sweet potato muffins and I’m not sure if me or my son like them more! Came out super fluffy and they smelled amazing while in the oven lol
How long do we bake for mini muffins?
Probably about 16 minutes
I added grated carrots, white chocolate chips and unsweetned coconut. Baked for 20 mins at 375 and came out great.
This was very tasty, I used homemade versions of the puree and the applesauce and the muffins turned great. Thank you so much for the recipe. It’s a keeper!
Hi there. Just wondering about the cooking time if there were done as mini muffins. Thanks!
Wondering if this recipe works with any non dairy milks? Like oat or almond ?
Thanks
Sure thing, either work!
Hi! Just wondering since I I can’t really eat apple sauce if I could use Greek yogurt instead?!
Hi- I haven’t tried it that way so I can’t say for sure, but it may work okay!
Can you make these with almond flour?
No, it’s not a good substitute for wheat flour. A 1:1 style gf flour blend would work though!
Can I use bananas instead of maple syrup?
I haven’t tried that so I can’t say for sure. It might make them moister. Report back if you try it!
Have you ever made these egg free/with a flax egg? Egg allergy over here!
I haven’t, but I’ve had a lot of success with using 1/4 cup milk for each egg and adding 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Let me know if you try that!
These were delicious! My son has an egg allergy so I tried your suggestion above with the addition milk and baking soda and they came out great!
I’m so glad!
I ran out of honey and do not have rice syrup or applesauce on hand (time to get to the grocery store!) Would maple syrup work as a sub for honey?
Yes, it should be fine!
Hi can I use agave nectar instead of maple syrup, or homemade treacle?
Yes, either of those should work okay!
Hi – I want to try this recipe but not sure if I should use the applesauce I have or buy apple butter. I know you said either can be used, but would one change the consistency over the other since apple butter is thicker?
Since it’s a small amount, the using one or the other doesn’t change the consistency in any noticeable way.
I used applesauce (’cause that’s what I had) and my 2 year old loves them!
Hooray! I’m glad to hear that on both accounts.
hi, you mentioned dates as an ingredient in the post but it’s not listed in the recipe…?
Ah, that was from an earlier version—I simplified things and forgot to adjust that sentence. Sorry for any confusion!
I’m so curious about the muffin-pan link…. I’ve never noticed before that cupcake pans and muffin pans are different? I have one (presumable a cupcake pan) that I use for both. What’s the difference??
Thanks!
As far ask I know they are the same–I put the link in there since I often get questions about which one I use. And I use it for both cupcakes and muffins;)
Yum! Could I use applesauce instead of apple butter? Don’t have that on hand. Thanks!
Yes, that should work just fine!