Super moist and healthy Baby Banana Muffins made with oatmeal and no added sugar! Perfect for baby led weaning and a good source of iron. Toddler and parent approved! Gluten, dairy, egg, and nut free.
Baby muffins! Muffins for tiny baby hands! Itty bitty mini muffins that actually taste splendid enough for grown up taste buds, too. Hip hip hooray!
I'm having a ball creating egg-free baby and toddler recipes (like these sweet potato pancakes) because pancakes and muffins are 100% his favorite food.
Just like my baby zucchini muffins, he gobbles up these banana oatmeal muffins every time and they come together in 5 minutes. Praise be.
Ingredients
- Banana: You can use a less ripe banana for less sweet muffins or an overripe banana for sweeter muffins. It should be large enough to make half a cup of mashed banana.
- Tahini: I use sesame seed butter for an easy nut free option. You could use whatever drippy natural nut butter you like. Sunflower seed butter will also work but it will turn the muffins green.
- Baby oatmeal cereal: I always had this on hand when Max was under 1 since it's a great source of iron and iron needs skyrocket at 6 months of age. You can easily use oat flour instead if you don't have this on hand.
- Old fashioned oats: A great source of whole grains. Quick cooking oats would also work. Use certified gluten free oats if needed.
- Chia seeds: A great source of healthy omega-3 fats, chia seeds are super nutrient-rich! They also help bind these muffins. You could also add an egg for extra protein if your child tolerates egg.
- Cinnamon: Fort lovely sweetness and flavor. Exposure to different spices is great for baby!
Why you'll love these baby muffins
Made with 6 simple ingredients, these healthy nut-free muffins for baby with no added sugar come together in no time!
When it comes to baby or toddler food, we're really making sure that they're safe for swallowing (and of course delish).
As a Dietitian, making healthy baby recipes is extra fun! These...
- are nice and moist for easy and safe swallowing. And small! The texture is more dense versus fluffy.
- are low in sugar (American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting added sugar until age 2)
- are low in salt since babies' kidneys can;'t process salt like adults can
- contain no honey since babies under 1 cannot have honey due to potential botulism spores
How to serve
Your little one can enjoy these muffins at 6 months of age or after. (My son took longer to sit up and didn't really start eating until closer to 7 months.)
Baby led weaning takes practice and patience.
- For 6-9 month olds, you can serve mini muffins whole so baby can pick it up with the palmer grasp.
- Once baby develops the pincer grasp around 9 months, you can break the muffin up into smaller pieces.
Storage tips
Store these cute little muffins in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate them for up to a week.
Can you freeze muffins?
Yes, I freeze these all the time for meal prep. Simply freeze cooled muffins in an even layer on a baking sheet.
Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer baggie and squeeze all the air out. They'll keep for 3 months.
Pretty please let me know how this recipe turns out for you by leaving a star rating and/or comment! I hope you adore it as much as I do. Enjoy, little ones!
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Baby Banana Oat Muffins (Nut Free + Iron-Rich!)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 mini muffins 1x
- Category: Baby & Toddler
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Super moist Baby Banana Oat Muffins with no added sugar! Perfect for baby led weaning and a great source of iron for little ones. Gluten, dairy, egg, and nut free. Note that the texture of these is more dense versus fluffy, making them easier to eat for babies.
Ingredients
- 1 large ripe banana
- ¼ cup tahini (can sub peanut butter if nuts aren't an issue)
- ⅓ cup oatmeal baby cereal (or sub oat flour)
- ⅓ cup old fashioned oats
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a mini muffin tin. (A regular muffin tin will work too).
- Place banana in a medium mixing bowl. Mash with a fork. Add tahini and stir until smooth.
- Add oatmeal baby cereal, oats, cinnamon and chia seeds. Stir with a fork until combined. This is a thick batter.
- Spoon batter evenly into mini muffin cups. I like to use a cookie scoop, which makes scooping super easy. If using a regular muffin tin, be sure to only use enough batter to form 12 muffins (they won't be full).
- Bake for 10 minutes. Allow muffins to cool and then serve!
Notes
Use certified gluten free oat cereal and oats to make these gluten free. You could also add an egg for extra protein if your child tolerates egg!
Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate.
Heidi says
Very yummy! Great snack for my little guy and easy to prepare.
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Wonderful, thank you!
Mariah Ferguson says
Made these for my 10 month old today and he devoured them! I left out chia seeds because I didn't have any and I added an egg for the extra protein/calories. I also used peanut butter instead of the tahini. Great healthy little snack/breakfast to have on hand.
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
So perfect yay!
Kat says
These were absolutely terrible. Too gooey to even be called a muffin
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Gooey?? That’s very strange; I’ve never heard that feedback. Did you change the recipe at all?
Kayla says
Mine were gooey as well. Probably because I added applesauce. 🤭 My bad.
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Ya if you add more wet ingredients that’ll change the texture.
Whitney Long says
Was there a certain baby cereal you liked? I saw that gerber has a plain unflavored baby oatmeal!
I was curious if you used a peanut butter with just peanuts or one with peanuts and salt since they are not supposed to have added salt but also understand that it is hard to completely eliminate it. My babe is 5 months so trying to do some planning prior to next month!
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Hey! The Happy Baby oatmeal cereal I link to in the recipe card is what I used (I found it at the grocery store). That Gerber one sounds great! Yes I do use peanut butter with salt...I really don't worry about salt too much with my second kiddo TBH. No salt pb would be ideal but I never have that in the house because we love salt LOL. I'd focus more on limiting added sugar vs salt, but in the beginning they're mostly eating whole foods anyway so find it harder to avoid when they're over 1. Having an older sibling makes it hard too cuz they want what big bro is eating!
Whitney Long says
That’s helpful! Thank you so much!
Maha says
So excited to make these! Was wondering if I could use just rice cereal instead of oats too for added iron?
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Hi there! I have only made them as written. But if it’s for the baby, I’m sure they won’t mind 🙂 I would recommend fortified oat cereal over rice cereal for health purposes, though (rice has arsenic so oat is safer for babies).
Samantha A says
My 8 month old and his friend devoured these! I've loved following you for many years now and it's fun to now make your recipes for my baby as a new mom 🙂 thank you!
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Awww yay! It's really come full circle 🙂 Thanks so much, Samantha!
T says
Incredible recipe to introduce a potential allergen such as sesame to my 7 month old. She wanted more after eating one! Super easy to make and really quick in the oven. We have a freezer stash now, which makes for quicker prep. Thanks!
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Heck yes, thanks so much for the feedback! Thrilled your little one gobbled these up 🙂
Lana says
Perfect for our little one who has an egg and wheat allergy. Add an extra half banana, and some baking powder and they turned out like little muffins --- a few mini chocolate chips on top on just a few for the adults for that easy little bite with a coffee when getting everyone ready. These would also be great for a new mom or breastfeeding mom - store them in the freezer for a quick snack. Packed with nutrients
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Love that, thank you so much Lana!
Bree says
Hi! Do you have to cook these longer when you add egg? Thanks so much in advance!
Alexis Joseph says
Nope! Enjoy!
Sarah says
I made these for my daughters first birthday as her "cake" and topped it with yogurt mixed with peanut butter. My daughter absolutely loved it! The remaining muffins were eaten over the week and she loved every bite of them. Thanks for the great sugar free recipe! Also love all the notes you give with each recipe as well as the ingredients and substitution notes. So helpful!
Alexis Joseph says
That is sooo sweet! Love the pb frosting idea 🙂 happy birthday to your cutie!
Sonia says
Hi there
Can I add something else instead of the peanut butter or tahini?
Alexis Joseph says
Any nut or seed butter should work! I’ve only made the recipe with those.
Sonia says
Thank you
Dom says
I want to make these now but I'm out of bananas and can't get to the store. Could I substitute the banana with a different fruit like avocado? I also feel like I give my daughter banana too often and all the recipes I see call for banana.
Alexis Joseph says
Hmmm I’ve only tried these with banana so I can’t say for sure, but I think roasted sweet potato would work well! Keep in mind they’ll taste less sweet without banana since there’s no other sweetener (they would have no sweetness if you used avocado).
Jessica says
I didn't have any bananas on hand. I had some stewed apples so I just subbed banana with apple.
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
OH YUM!
Avery says
Hi there! Is it possible to make this into a loaf instead of muffins? Do you know how the oven temp and cook time would need to be adjusted? My toaster oven won't fit a muffin pan 🙁
Alexis Joseph says
Hi there! I'm not sure this would work as a loaf, I fear it would be too dense so I'm hesitant to make suggestions! But my guess would be bake it until a knife comes out clean at 350F, it'll take 10-20 min longer than muffins I'd guess! Let me know if you try it.
Chameleon says
We’ve tried a handful of baby muffins and this was the first recipe to feel a little more bread like and not quite to mushy. A great texture for a slightly older infant (9 mo plus) or even a toddler. The batter tasted amazing! So if the little one doesn’t eat them, I have no doubt mommy and daddy will 😁
Alexis Joseph says
Love that parents can enjoy them too! So glad you all enjoyed them 🙂
Selina says
Thanks for this recipe. I found them a little dense so I grated apple into a second batch and this made them a bit softer and moister even.
Alexis Joseph says
Hey Selina! Grated apple sounds great. I note in the post copy regarding texture that these are more dense versus fluffy (no baking powder) to make them easier for babies to eat. Feel free to try my other muffins if you're looking for more traditional fluff!
Selina says
Thanks so much Alexis. I'll definitely try your other muffin recipes, too. This was a great recipe already, thank you for sharing it!
Alexis Joseph says
Amazing, thanks Selina!
Heather says
I just tried this recipe but my muffins are so tiny. Tinier than mini muffins Haha. I'm wondering how you were able to get larger sizes than me? I followed all the measurements accurately.
Alexis Joseph says
They're definitely small and more dense than traditional fluffy muffins. Perhaps the photos make them look larger? I can't think of what would make them smaller (they're always the same size when I make them). Hope baby likes them regardless!
Fati says
Have these in the oven! I added egg along with the chia- did I misunderstand that it should be subbed instead of both used? They may need a couple extra minutes in the oven I think.
Thanks they smell great!
Alexis Joseph says
That's great! You got it--they may just need a couple more minutes in the oven. I hope your family loves them!
Hope says
My 1 year old likes these muffins. One of his favorite muffins so far. I added the egg and used peanut butter instead of tahini. These are dense muffins! Making again and doubling the recipe. They thaw great from the freezer.
Alexis Joseph says
So glad you little one liked these, Hope!
Nikki says
So easy and delish!!!
Alexis Joseph says
Thank you, Nikki!! So easy to make, right?!
Alixandra says
So easy to make and my 9 month old loved it! I also gave it to my 5.5 year old (didn't tell her they were baby muffins) and she liked it too. I stored half in the freezer for a quick breakfast or snack option. Will be making more!
Alexis Joseph says
Awwww how fun! Thanks so much girl
Kori Daniel says
So easy & fun to make! I used oat flour & pb. I doubled the recipe & made 12 small bites. Can’t wait to give one to my nephew to try!
Jessica says
My 9 month old son loves these! They are so easy to make and I love knowing he is getting really healthy, whole foods. Sometimes we add hemp hearts for extra protein!
Alexis Joseph says
Mmmmm, love the hemp seed addition!
Shelby says
My 8 month old loved these muffins! Super easy to make!
Alexis Joseph says
Yayyyy thank you so much, Shelby!!
Kori Daniel says
I look forward to trying these for us! Now that I have a thermometer for our oven, I hope I don't ruin more baked goods. To create 12 muffins, would I need to double the recipe? Thank you!
Alexis Joseph says
I doubled them today! I made 24. You could probably make 12 in a regular muffin tin, they'd just need to cook longer! I used salted peanut butter and they were delish. You could also add 1/2 tsp salt if using unsalted nut butter or tahini. Enjoy, Kori!
Chelsea says
So good! Doubled the batch and froze some, did half tahini and half PB for exposure purposes.
Alexis Joseph says
Perfection! I made them today with peanut butter...so yummy.
Hillary says
We dealt with eczema with our first son around Max's age. It's super common in kids and definitely worse in the winter. We managed it with steroid cream as needed because I didn't want to cut out foods and nutrition, potentially leading to food allergies developing. Don't be afraid to use creams if needed! Sometimes we want to fix everything with our food, as you well know, but often it's not the best option. I will also add that our son is 2 1/2 and the eczema is way less severe this winter. It most likely will improve with age. Good luck!
Alexis Joseph says
We definitely used our fair share of every cream known to man, including steroid creams. His eczema got super bad with eggs and dairy early on and we didn’t want to have him constantly slathered in cortisone, so steering clear of triggers was our best defense early on. Luckily his mama knows how to get balanced nutrition sans those foods 😉 Good news is that it’s gotten WAYYY better and is almost gone now! I was so hoping that it would go away with age. Hooray!
Hillary says
I'm so glad that his eczema improved! Navigating health stuff with kids is so hard. We just got to experience giving an enema to our 2 1/2-year-old (not fun), hooray constipation issues, and am dealing with an almost 6-month-old who seems to have a super sensitive gut and is not the wonderful night sleeper that his older brother was. Keep on being the awesome mom you are and trust yourself 🙂
Alexis Joseph says
Oh man, I'm so sorry. This stuff is so tough! We've had poo problems lately too where Max now cries because he can't get it out. And he still goes 4x a day! It's wild, no idea why suddenly it's so hard. Good luck mama!