Super moist and healthy Baby Banana Muffins with 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!
It's been quite a journey trying to pinpoint what in my son Max's diet worsened his eczema. Avoiding egg, dairy and soy as potentially triggers limits a lot of foods. We also didn't want to fully avoid allergens as that can actually increase his risk of developing an allergy.
While we're still not quite sure, I've been having a ball creating egg-free pancakes (like these sweet potato pancakes!) and muffins because pancakes and muffins are 100% his favorite food. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree! He gobbles up these banana oatmeal muffins every time and they come together in literally 5 minutes. Praise be.
These are also easily nut free, which is super helpful for daycare.
How to make baby muffins
When it comes to baby or toddler food, we're really just making sure that they:
- are nice and moist for easy and safe swallowing. And small!
- 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
Recipe ingredients and substitutions
Made with just 6 simple ingredients, these healthy muffins for baby with no added sugar come together in no time!
- 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!
How to serve
Your little one can enjoy these muffins at 6 months of age or after. 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.
Can you freeze muffins?
You know it! 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.
More healthy baby and toddler recipes
- Healthy Sweet Potato Muffins
- Banana Zucchini Oatmeal Cups (omit maple syrup)
- Sweet Potato Pancakes
- Banana Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Chocolate Banana Muffins (1 year and up due to cocoa)
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!
PrintBaby Banana Oatmeal Muffins Recipe
- 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.
Ingredients
- 1 large ripe banana
- ¼ cup tahini (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.
Keywords: baby banana muffins, healthy baby muffins
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!
Jay says
I made a double batch with peanut butter and my daughter and I both love them. So easy, too. Thanks!
★★★★★
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!