Serve up veggies in a kid-friendly form with these SO-good Veggie Muffins. They have broccoli, carrots, protein, and kid-approved flavor!
Veggie Muffins
With broccoli, carrots, and cheese, these savory muffins are like a corn muffin with a load of extra flavor. They’re a fun way to change up the usual muffins you make for the kids and have a nicely balanced mix of nutrients, too—with protein, fiber, calcium, and vitamin C. We love to have these for simple lunches and breakfasts, with sides like fruit and hard-cooked eggs, or to pair them with soup.
These are a great baby muffin since they’re made without added sugar. And are a nice way to vary the flavor profile of a muffin and add veggies.
I like to make these with fresh, raw veggies, so read on to learn how to make and enjoy these healthy muffins for kids.
Table of Contents
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Ingredients You Need
To make this recipe you’ll to have the following ingredients on hand and ready to go.
- Grated carrot: I prefer to grate my carrot on a box grater or to use a handheld grater to ensure the pieces are small enough to soften in the batter.
- Finely chopped broccoli: You’ll want to use just the top parts of each broccoli floret and avoid using any of the harder stems. This will help ensure a fluffy overall texture to the muffins. You can chop the tops of the broccoli florets or cut that part off with a pair of kitchen shears.
- Shredded cheese: Cheddar cheese is a great option here, but feel free to use Monterrey Jack or another shredded cheese if you prefer.
- Egg: I use large eggs in my baking, so that’s what I call for here.
- Butter: I typically bake with unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt.
- Milk: We keep whole milk in our fridge, and that’s what I use most for baking and cooking. If you prefer another fat percentage, that is also fine. Or you can use a plain, unsweetened nondairy milk.
- Cornmeal: This adds a nice texture to the muffins. Look for finely ground cornmeal.
- Whole wheat flour: Using whole wheat flour adds fiber to the muffins, so I use it here. It’s balanced out by the milk, eggs, and cheese.
- Baking soda and powder: A combination of the two of these ensures the muffins rise and bake through evenly.
Step-by-Step Instructions
These muffins are so easy to make once you have the veggies prepped. Here’s a look at what to expect. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.
- Stir the ingredients together.
- Divide among 12 muffin cups.
- Bake!
- Let cool slightly on a wire rack.
TIP: These are a great make-ahead meal. To store, place cooled muffins into an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat for 15-30 seconds and serve warm. You can also freeze them.
Can I make these Veggie Muffins vegan?
I don’t have a dairy- and egg-free option for this recipe, but check out some of my other veggie muffins: Carrot Cake Muffins, Flourless Chocolate Protein Muffins (with Hidden Veggies), Corn Muffins with Squash, and Butternut Squash Muffins.
How to Store
To store, place cooled muffins into an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat for 15-30 seconds and serve warm. Or freeze for up 3 months in the freezer in a zip-top storage bag with as much air removed as possible. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature and warm to serve.
Best Tips for Success
- Use just the top parts of each broccoli floret and avoid using any of the harder stems. This will help ensure a fluffy overall texture to the muffins. You can chop the tops of the broccoli florets or cut that part off with a pair of kitchen shears.
- Use gluten-free cup-for-cup flour blend in place of the whole wheat flour to make these gluten-free.
- These pair nicely with soup and salad, or are a nice lunch or breakfast main dish with simple sides such as fruit, eggs, or additional veggies.
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I’d love to hear your feedback on these muffins if you try them, so please comment below to share!
Easy Veggie Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup grated carrot
- 1 cup finely chopped broccoli (top parts of the florets only, no stems)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1½ cups milk
- ¼ cup melted butter (or neutral oil like canola)
- 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease a standard muffin tin with nonstick spray.
- Place all ingredients into a medium bowl and stir together gently to combine. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin tin, filling each about ¾ full.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven, let cool in the pan for a minute or two, then transfer to a wire rack to cool at least slightly.
- Serve warm or store.
Video
Notes
- Use just the top parts of each broccoli floret and avoid using any of the harder stems. This will help ensure a fluffy overall texture to the muffins. You can chop the tops of the broccoli florets or cut that part off with a pair of kitchen shears.
- Use a box grater to grate the carrot. You’ll need about 1-2 medium or large carrots.
- Use gluten-free cup-for-cup flour blend in place of the whole wheat flour to make these gluten-free.
- To store, place cooled muffins into an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat for 15-30 seconds and serve warm. Or freeze for up 3 months in the freezer in a zip-top storage bag with as much air removed as possible. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature and warm to serve.
- These pair nicely with soup and salad, or are a nice lunch or breakfast main dish with simple sides such as fruit, eggs, or additional veggies.
Nutrition
This post was first published March 2020.
My 16 month old absolutely loved these! I was out of broccoli so I used a yellow squash instead and they turned out perfect!
I have made these several times. I like that they have no added sugar. Give these a try!
These turned out perfect and taste amazing!!!
Hello, what can i use as an option to corn meal please?
A whole wheat flour should work similarly
I could only find course cornmeal, will this still work ok?
I think so, though the final texture may not be quite as fluffy
Yummy!! Loved these muffins- easy to make and a great on portable/easy access snack. My little guy loves them and I think they’re delicious too! Thank you for the recipe 😊
Can I substitute the eggs for anything else? my toddler is allergic to eggs and milk
I would omit the eggs, increase the baking soda to 1 teaspoon and add 1/2 cup additional nondairy milk. Or you can use a store bought egg replacer, use nondairy milk, and leave the rest of the ingredients the same.
Would a dairy free cheese be acceptable?! Is cheese absolutely needed or is there another replacement?
Thank you!
They taste better with cheese than without, so I would add a dairy-free one if you can.
I made these and my toddler wouldn’t eat them due to flecks of green bits.
Do you think Cauliflower would be ok?
Sure
The short of it- my one year old eats them great! They freeze well! Fantastic for that single purpose.
The long of it- These muffins are really truly disgusting, they were, unfortunately, exactly what I was expecting. *They are a baby food*, and I can feed them to my 1 year old easily, muffins are always a great way for him to get nutrients.
Unfortunately my 3 year old is wise enough to know that these are absolutely terrible & won’t eat them. I couldn’t even finish my bite, I spit it out. I would ONLY make these for a very young infant/toddler.
Wow, I’m sorry that you had that experience. It’s interesting because I happily eat them and am not sure what could be truly disgusting with veggies and cheese. I value your feedback.
Your disgusting comment is uncalled for. I thought these were yummy and my whole family including my 2 year old toddler loved them. Maybe you cooked them incorrectly otherwise you should keep your rude comments to yourself.
Thank you, the muffins came out perfect, very fluffy!
I added some cauliflower and green onion, but kept the amount of veggies to 2 cups. Also added onion and garlic powder.
Big question, Please help: how to diminish the aftertaste of soda?
Hi- I would make sure to stir the dry ingredients together well before adding to the wet. That usually takes care of it. If no, you could try lowering the amount a smidge.
I don’t think they are disgusting at all. I made them for my toddler but my whole family loved them! I even made extra to take to my mom so she can have as a snack!
Do you cook the carrots and broccoli first?
No, they go in raw and soften during baking.
These were delicious and do easy to make! I used steamed broccoli and used a food processor to cut them up (including the stems). I also used a food processor for the carrots. I love spice, so I added fresh diced Serranos and jalapeños to half the batter. Topped them off with a jalapeño coin to make sure I could tell them apart lol
What a great idea. I am going to add peppers to my next batch!
Great recipe! I made this gluten free by using 1/2c almond flour and 1/2c oat flour instead of the wheat flour. Also added some chopped up summer sausage for an additional savory taste. Thanks for sharing this!
My son is allergic to corn so what could we use instead of the cornmeal?
I think you could likely use whole wheat flour instead.
I used Semolina flour where the cornmeal was used. I used 1 1/4 cups versus the 1 cup of corn meal and the muffins came out perfect!
How long will it bake using mini muffin tin?
About 12-14 minutes for mini muffins.
I don’t own a muffin pan (yet). If I want to make these in a brownie pan how long do I bake them?
I would guess 22-26 minutes. I haven’t made them that way but it should work fine. You’ll just want to make sure that the center is fully baked through before calling them done. Let me know how it goes!
I made them in a 8×8 brownie pan and cooked it for 30 minutes and it was perfect!