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.
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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.
Can these be made as mini muffins? If so, what oven temp and baking time?
Yes. The baking temp is the same and I think 14-16 minutes is likely the right timing for minis.
My son loved these and the recipe is so easy to follow! Thank you!
Love your recipes! Is there any chance you could add grams as well? I do not use cup measurements and unfortunately sometimes my results are not very good…
Yes, it’s in the works and I hope it’s up and running soon!
This recipe is so good, the addition of cornmeal is a game-changer. My 13 months old and I really enjoyed it. My husband who was very skeptical ate 3 in 1 sitting.
Yes! I love passing the husband test!
Hi Amy,
I am loving all the recipes, but my 3yr old is very has a thing with texture where if she can see chunks, she won’t even try. Would I be able to use a food processor for the veggies in this muffin or most of your recipes? Thank you!
Hi. I think for this if you blend up the wet ingredients, then stir in the flour it should work okay. (I haven’t tried it but my best guess is that it will be fine.)
Can I use frozen broccoli?
Yes, though I would still recommend using as much of the top of the florets and less of the stems as possible to avoid tough stems in the muffins.
HI Amy, This looks so yummy!!! I have a question though, would it be okay to use just the whole wheate flour?
I think that should work just fine!
My 1-year old loves these! They are super easy to make and freeze well. Thanks so much!
These came out awesome! Perfect for my picky 2 year old. I used all purpose flour in place of whole wheat flour and almond flour in place of corn meal because that’s what I had on hand. It worked out perfectly. I may have used more than a cup of carrots as well. My recipe made 17 muffins, no complains about extras! Have you frozen them and then reheated in the microwave? That’s what I plan to do but I was wondering if it works out well.
I’m so glad! Yes, they do freeze and reheat well. I’d heat for 1 minute from frozen, then in 15-30 second increments so they don’t get too hot. It may vary based on your microwave.
Hi Amy…looking forward to making these today! Though I don’t have cornmeal on hand…I’ve read that ground flax can work as a substitute – do you think 1:1?
Would also like to do as minis as well – can you recommend baking time?
Thank you!
Another win! I used the pre-shredded broccoli carrot mix from Trader Joes which was super helpful. I also crumbled some aged cheddar cheese that wasn’t grater friendly and it worked quite well! The only thing I would say is to add some seasonings (maybe a herb mix with oregano and sage) to the veggies to flavor them and complement the cheese. Otherwise, I love!
Would this recipe be ok for a 10 month old, even with the cow’s milk used in the recipe?
You could use unsweetened nondairy milk if you prefer.
These are delicious – I made them into mini muffins and my daughter ate 4 ‘for dessert’ after her dinner.
I’m so glad to hear that!
I made these today, followed the recipe as is with the addition of adding “Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute” and they were delicious. Oh and I made them into mini muffins. Thank you so much for the recipe!
I bet that seasoning is great!
This recipe was easy and a great way to incorporate veggies into our lunch/dinner routine! My family found them a little bland as prepared (Cajun influence ?), but I think a simple addition of extra spices would, to steal a phrase, kick it up a notch! I also ended up finely dicing baby carrots instead of grating and it turned out well.
I bet they would be good with extra spice!