Healthy Banana Carrot Muffins (Baby, Toddler, Kids)
Healthy banana carrot muffins – naturally sweetened with carrots and banana, enriched with oatmeal and with a soft, moist texture. These healthy baby muffins are freezer friendly and a great breakfast or snack for babies (6 months+), toddlers and older kids.
Banana Carrot Muffins For Babies / Toddlers /Kids
To make this delicious and nutritious banana carrot muffin recipe is very easy, you don’t need special equipment, just a fork and one bowl. It’s pretty simple, just like my other banana muffins or baby blueberry muffins.
Are These Muffins Suitable For Babies Or Toddlers?
Since these mini banana carrot muffins are so soft, they’re perfect for little hands and babies with no teeth that are just trying to learn how to chew, or doing baby led weaning.
- For 6 months old babies and toddlers, you can skip the sugar and salt. Just make sure before serving these carrot banana muffins, your baby has been introduced to carrot baby food or banana by itself, whether it’s carrot puree or baby led weaning.
- For older kids they are great as they are, serve the carrot muffins as breakfast or snack for their lunch box. You can also try these healthy oat carrot cookies as an alternative.
These baby carrot muffins are just great if you’re struggling with a picky eating toddler. The carrots are there but you can’t even feel them!
Related: Banana Oat Pancakes For Baby
Related: Carrot Salad With Beet And Egg (Baby, Kid Friendly)
Ingredients Needed
- Carrot – the finer you grate the carrots the better. You don’t need to squeeze out the moisture, just add them as they are.
- Banana – mashed bananas provide moisture, sweetness and flavor.
- Flour – I’m using a 50/50 mix of all purpose flour and oat flour. You can also use a white whole wheat flour, it has the same nutritional content as whole wheat flour but is milder tasting and creates a lighter muffin. To make oat flour, I’m using the blender to ground the organic rolled oats that I usually use for making oatmeal.
- Butter – fat helps with moisture and flavor. Use oil or vegan butter if you want the baby muffins without dairy.
- Egg – just one egg is enough as the binding agent.
- Seasonings: cinnamon, nutmeg, salt – for more flavor.
- Baking soda + acid – acts as the leavening agent, substituting the baking powder.
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How To Make Banana And Carrot Muffins
1. Prepare the ingredients:
- Grate the carrot (use the smaller holes from a box grater);
- Grind the rolled oats into flour: place the oats in the blender or food processor and blend until they form a fine flour;
- Measure the rest of ingredients
- In a large bowl mash the bananas.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine wet ingredients:
- To the mashed the bananas, add the melted butter and egg, mix with a fork until combined.
3. Add dry ingredients:
- To the same bowl, add the grated carrots, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg salt (except baking soda) and mix until combined.
- At the end add the baking soda and lemon juice and give the muffin dough a gentle final mix (don’t overmix, it will disperse the bubbles).
1. Bake the carrot banana muffins:
- Transfer the muffin dough to the mini muffin pan (3/4 of the way full) using 1 to 1.5 tsp at a time. Bake for 24-27 minutes at 350F until golden brown.
- You don’t need to grease the pan or use muffin cups if you’re using a ceramic coated muffin pan. They will not stick and will release easily.
- Once baked, don’t attempt to take them out immediately from the muffin pan. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. They will easily detach themselves.
Enjoy the carrot and banana muffins warm or freeze for later.
Related: Banana Bread For Babies, Toddlers, Kids
Make the baby muffins gluten and dairy free:
If you want the banana carrot muffins gluten free, substitute the regular flour with a gluten free blend. You can use a homemade gluten free mix without gums and less starches, or your favorite store-bought one. As for the oats, use certified gluten free rolled oats or omit them entirely by adding more flour.
As butter substitute use oil or vegan butter.
Optional Muffin Add-ins
- Nuts (crushed or grated walnuts, pecans, almonds etc), provided there is no allergy.
- Seeds (flax, chia, hemp) for calcium and omega-3.
- Dried fruits or purees.
Related: Banana Pancakes (GF, DF Egg Free Option)
How To Store The Banana Carrot Muffins
- Store leftovers for 3-5 days at room temperature.
- Freeze up to 3 months in an airtight container.
- Thaw / reheat – just pop them out of the freezer and place them back in the muffin tin (or a cookies sheet). Cover with foil and reheat at 170C /350F until heated through (about 15 minutes).
Related: Healthy Oat Carrot Cookies With Applesauce
More Breakfast & Muffin Recipes
Have you tried this baby banana carrot muffin recipe? Your feedback is really helpful, please rate and leave a comment below recipe card!
Healthy Banana Carrot Muffins For Babies, Toddlers, Kids
Ingredients
- 2 medium bananas (about 3/4 cup mashed)
- 1 large carrot, grated (about 1 cup)
- 3-4 tbsp butter (melted, / use vegan butter or oil if you want them dairy free)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour (to make them gluten free, use your favorite mix)
- 1/3 cup oat flour (ground rolled oats (use GF if needed))
- 1/4 cup maple sugar (or coconut sugar – reduce or omit entirely if you want less sugar)
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar)
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients:
- Grate the carrot (use the smalle holes from a box grater), make the oat flour (ground oats), measure the ingredients and mash the bananas. Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine Wet Ingredients:
- To the mashed the bananas, add the melted butter and egg, mix with a fork until combined.
Add The Dry Ingredients:
- Add the grated carrots, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg salt (except baking soda) and mix until combined.
- At the end add the baking soda and lemon juice and give the muffin dough a gentle final mix (don’t overmix, it will disperse the bubbles).
Bake The Muffins
- Transfer the muffin dough to the mini muffin pan (3/4 of the way full) using 1 to 1.5 tsp at a time. Bake for 24-27 minutes at 350F until golden brown.
- You don't need to grease the pan or use muffin cups if you're using a ceramic coated muffin pan. They will not stick and will release easily.
- Once baked, don’t attempt to take them out immediately from the muffin pan. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. They will easily detach themselves. Enjoy warm or freeze for later.
Nutrition
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Wish the title explicitly said Mini Muffins. They were OK but not worth the effort for a single batch – maybe if doubled.
Tried another recipe that was a major fail. This was great. I only used cinnamon as that’s all i had and I subbed a quarter cup of flour for oats and used the remaining cup of flour the recipe called for as only oat flour and it was a hit with two one year olds.
Thank you, I’m happy it worked for you!
Can I make this recipe without the salt? I know babies under one are not supposed to reduce sodium.
Absolutely you can make them without salt too.