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Made with just a few simple ingredients, these Healthy Baby Oat Muffins are a perfect first muffin to give to your baby or toddler. They’re made mini, with just a few ingredients and they are perfect for little hands.
Baby’s 1st Muffins!
These muffins, made primarily from oat flour (or oats) are the perfect first muffin to give to a baby or toddler. They’re made with just a few simple ingredients, and it’s very easy to customize the muffins by adding in some flavors, such as fruit or fruit purees. Little hands will find these mini muffins easy to hold and have fun eating!
They’re also free from refined sugar (and contain only a total of 1 tablespoon of maple syrup), dairy-free and optionally egg-free too!
Ingredients Needed
- Oat Flour
- Apple Sauce (or Fruit/Veggie Puree Pouches or Yogurt)
- Oat Milk (or Milk-of-chouce)
- Egg
- Maple Syrup
- Avocado Oil (or Coconut Oil or Butter)
- Baking powder
- Pinch salt
- Optional Add-Ins
How to Customize It
This main recipe itself here is very plain. It’s just a minimal oat flour muffin recipe. But what makes this great is that you can add in some fruit, or a puree to it and turn it into something special for your little one. These muffins already call for applesauce or another baby puree in the base recipe, but it also leaves room to add in about 1/4 cup of another flavored add-in, such as chopped fruit or veggies. Here are some examples of what you could add to this muffin recipe:
- frozen wild blueberries
- shredded peeled apple
- shredded carrot
- 1/2 smashed banana
- pumpkin puree
- any baby food puree (think pouches!)
- diced strawberries
- diced peaches
- diced cherries
In addition, you can also add a few nutrient dense ingredients to the top of the muffin, for some added taste and texture for your little one:
- whole oats
- flaxseed
- sesame seeds
- hemp hearts
What Kind of Oat Flour to Use?
You can buy pre-made oat flour (which is our top choice for all of our oat flour recipes), or you can make your own oat flour, or you can make this recipe using just oats that are blended up with the wet ingredients in a blender until smooth. See notes in the recipe for how to do this.
How to Store these Mini Oat Muffins
These muffins will keep at room temperature for two days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, depending on the type of fruit that you use. If you are adding in something very moist, like fresh strawberries or peaches, store in the refrigerator right away.
These muffins also freeze well, depending on the type of add-in. An add-in with a higher moisture content, like strawberries, won’t freeze quite as well. So if you are planning to make them for freezing, stick with the plain oat muffin, or an add-in that doesn’t have too much moisture.
More Muffin Recipes
We have a ton more muffin recipes, that would be great for babies, too. Here are some of our favorites:
- Gluten Free Apple Muffins
- Paleo Lemon Blueberry Muffins
- Healthy Carrot Muffins (Gluten-Free and Nut-Free)
- Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffin (Nut-Free & Gluten-Free)
Healthy Baby Oat Muffins
Ingredients
- ¼ cup smooth unsweetened apple sauce see note for other options
- 1/4 cup oat milk
- 1 egg see note for egg free option
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoons avocado oil or melted coconut oil or butter
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (75 grams) oat flour
- 1 –1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch salt
- ¼ cup add-ins: grated carrot grated apple, ½ smashed banana, blueberries, etc
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a 12 cup mini muffin tin with silicone or parchment paper liners. Then spray the liners with a cooking spray, such as this avocado spray.
- In a large bowl add apple sauce, milk, egg, maple syrup and avocado oil and whisk together.
- Add oat flour, baking powder and salt and mix with a spatula until smooth.
- If you are using add-ins, fold them in now.
- Fill each muffin cup about ¾ full.
- Bake in the middle rack for 18-20 minutes, or until the muffins spring back when touched
Love this recipe it’s easy and quick and very tasty especially with banana!
I haven’t tried the recipe yet however I am definitely wanting to! What is the purpose of the maple syrup? Is it needed? If it is needed what are some alternatives?
it just adds a little sweetness, but it’s not necessary – you can swap for an alternative sweetener you prefer.
Brooks approved! So great (added a little collagen for extra protein), but our 11 month old is a fan.
These are amazing! I have made them about 5 times now with varied ingredients, and my almost one year old loves them. The only problem is getting my husband to stop eating them lol. Thank you for a yummy and versatile recipe!
Hi! I am trying to triple the recipe but its not allowing me to change the scale button for some reason. Any tips? not much of a baker here!
The scale button is having an issue. What are you trying to adjust?
Any thoughts on what to do if you dont have a mini muffin tin? What if I just REALLY under filled a regular size cup?
Do it!
Hi! These were yummy but I just made these and added shredded apples (I squeezed excess juice out) and mashed banana as 1/4 cup add in’s and they were pretty mushy/moist in the middle even after baking for 30 minutes! Is it from the banana do you think? Just want to make sure they’re safe for my baby to eat and not undercooked. Thanks!
Hi!! So this sounds like a measuring issue!!
Your recipe is wonderful – thank you! I have a question though – the baking powder amount confuses me the way it’s written as 1– 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. Does this mean use just one 1/2 tsp?
Totally get that! 1 and 1/2 teaspoons. That way they are light and fluffy and not dense 🙂
I’m now making these muffins for the 3rd time and my son absolutely loves these! This mama appreciates being able to make this entire recipe with rolled oats straight in the blender and triple it at the same time. I’ve been making extra to freeze and then warm up in the toaster for an easy morning.
For the record, baby oatmeal cereal does NOT work (it was just mush and never cooked through).
I’m now making these muffins for the 3rd time and my son absolutely loves these! I love how you included the option to double and triple the recipe so I’ve been making extra to freeze and then warm up in the toaster for an easy morning. This mama appreciates being able to make this entire recipe with rolled oats straight in the blender!
For the record, baby oatmeal cereal does NOT work (it was just mush and never cooked through).
Hi! Can I sub in organic baby oatmeal cereal for the oat flour? It’s iron fortified so something I’d like to keep in baby’s diet as she moves towards finger foods.
Hi Jill. I’m not familiar with this product, so I am not able to advise if it will work or not. If you give it a try, let us know how it goes!
I’ve made these twice now and they’re great. Super easy and delicious. The first time I didn’t have oat flour so I used whole wheat flour and for add-ins I did chopped banana and blueberry. They were okay, not very sweet but my 11 month old daughter loved them … but tonight I used oat flour and I mashed the banana and kept the blueberries whole and they’re so good! The mashed banana makes them sweeter and the blueberries exploded and give a great flavour. Will be making these again and again!
These are great! Really simple to make and quick to put together; not overly sweet at all. I attempted to make the pumpkin ones and wasn’t sure if I did it correctly— does the pumpkin count as the 1/4 “add-in” at the end, or does it replace the 1/4 applesauce in the beginning? I did the former and they were still a bit moist after 20 min.