These apple carrot and banana baby muffins are the perfect baby-led weaning muffins. They are soft and spongy, easy to make and contain no sugar or salt.
These muffins are known as ABC muffins, the name is pretty simple really it comes from the Apple, Banana and Carrot.
Why This Recipe Works
- No added sugar or salt
- Soft non-crumbly texture
- Dairy free and can be easily modified to be gluten-free
- Freeze well, so you can have a quick easy baby snack on hand!
- Great a baby led weaning muffins
Ingredients you will need
To make my healthy baby muffins you will need Apple, Carrot, Banana, eggs, flour, oil/butter, vanilla essence and baking powder.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutes
- Oil: be sure to choose a mild flavoured oil such as light olive oil, rice bran oil or coconut oil. This recipe will also work with melted butter. This recipe is successful without the butter/oil, but you getter a softer muffin with it, and they remain softer for longer with the added butter or oil
- Flour: This recipe will work with a gluten free baking flour.
- Eggs: I have not personally tested this recipe with out the eggs but i have had feedback fro readers that the recipe does work with an egg replacer.
How to make soft baby led weaning muffins
Below are illustrated step-by-step instructions to make my ABC baby muffins if you prefer just the written instructions then head straight to the printable recipe card below, or check out the quick recipe video if that is more your style.
Prep: Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit)or Peel and grate carrot, place apple and carrot in a pot with a little water, pop a lid on and simmer until apple soft. Usually 5-6 mins
Step one: While apple and carrot cooking, place banana in a large bowl, mash with a fork. Add the egg and vanilla essence.
Step two: Puree the cooked apple and carrot, I use a stick blender
Step three: Add apple and carrot to the other wet ingredients.
Step four: Beat these wet ingredients together with a hand-held beater, should become smooth, yellow and a little frothy
Step five: Add the flour and baking powder
Beat for a further 30-60 seconds to make a well-mixed batter
Step six: Portion into an oiled muffin tin (I use a non-stick silicone tray sprayed with oil) Mix makes 12 standard-sized muffins or 30 mini muffins.
Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 mins (350 Fahrenheit) 15 min cook time is based on making mini muffins, the mix makes approx 30 mini muffins. If you are using a standard muffin tray and making approx 12 muffins the cook time will be longer, approx 25-30 mins
Cool and serve!
Recipe Notes
Here is how you can make these baby-led weaning muffins perfectly every time!
- As you read this baby muffin recipe you might think, hey hang on, I thought the rule of thumb was to never over mix a muffin. You are totally right, a traditional muffin should not be overmixed, these baby-led weaning muffins, however, are a slightly different style of muffin, they are almost like little sponge drops. It is this soft muffin texture that makes them perfect first finger foods for babies
- These baby weaning muffins are actually made using a beater. I use a small handheld electric beater, but you could use an old school egg beater or a whisk as well. You will just need to whisk vigorously.
- Apple Banana and Carrot sweeten these easy baby muffins so there is no need for any added sugar or sweetener for palatability.
- You can either make these muffins in baby mini muffin tins or in a standard muffin tin.
- The mix makes 30 mini baby muffins or 12 standard-sized muffins. I could imagine with a little bit of healthy frosting these guys would also make gorgeous cupcakes for a baby party.
- When preparing the carrot for this recipe, I actually grate it before I cook it, this is so that it will have a more similar cooking time to the apple and therefore I can cook it all in one go in the same pot.
- My baby led weaning muffins are not just baby muffins, and they are not just for people doing baby-led weaning.
- They are a really simple finger food for any baby 6 months or older. Toddlers love them and my kids who are now 2, 3.5 and 4.5 still love them!
FAQs
Store these baby muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
These muffins freeze well for up to 4 months in an airtight container.
This baby muffin is suitable from 6 months of age if the child is following the baby-led weaning method. These baby muffins are also suitable for traditional baby weaning once the baby has progressed to the finger food stage.
Other muffins suitable babies and young chilren
- Mini Banana Blueberry Muffins - suitable for BLW and kids
- Carrot muffins - suitable for BLW and kids
- Toddler spinach muffins- suitable for toddlers and kids
- Applesauce muffins - suitable for BLW and kids
- Sweet potato and banana muffins
muffin Low sugar and Healthy muffin recipes have become so popular with my readers that I've now collected 22 of my best recipes and you can find them all in one place Healthy Muffins For Kids
Baby Led Weaning Muffins Apple Banana and Carrot
Ingredients
- 150 g Apple peeled cored and diced, (medium eating apple)
- 100 g carrot 1 small-medium
- 100 g Banana equiv of small bobby banana
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 50 g melted butter or oil optional
- 160 g plain flour 1 ¼ cup
- 1.5 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Watch the quick recipe video before you get started, scroll up a little to find it
- Check the notes at the bottom of the recipe for little bits of extra info and help
- Peel and grate carrot, place apple and carrot in a pot with a little water, pop a lid on and simmer until apple soft. Usually 5-6 mins
- While apple and carrot cooking, place banana in a large bowl, mash with a fork
- Add eggs, vanilla, and butter/oil
- Puree the cooked apple and carrot, I use a stick blender
- Add apple and carrot to the other wet ingredients
- Beat these wet ingredients together with a hand-held beater, should become smooth, yellow and a little frothy
- Add the flour and baking powder
- Beat for a further 30-60 seconds to make a well-mixed batter
- Portion into an oiled muffin tin (I use a non-stick silicon tray sprayed with oil) Mix makes 12 standard sized muffins or 30 mini muffins
- Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 mins (350 Fahrenheit) 15 min cook time is based on making mini muffins, the mix makes approx 30 mini muffins. If you are using a standard muffin tray and making approx 12 muffins the cook time will be longer, approx 25-30 mins
- Cool
- Serve
- These muffins can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days, or they can be frozen.
Video
Notes
- Store these baby muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- These muffins freeze well for up to 4 months in an airtight container.
- This baby muffin is suitable from 6 months of age if the child is following the baby-led weaning method. These baby muffins are also suitable for traditional baby weaning once the baby has progressed to the finger food stage.
- You can either make these muffins in baby mini muffin tins or in a standard muffin tin.
- The mix makes 30 mini baby muffins or 12 standard-sized muffins.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Oil: be sure to choose a mild flavoured oil such as light olive oil, rice bran oil or coconut oil. This recipe will also work with melted butter. This recipe is successful without the butter/oil, but you getter a softer muffin with it, and they remain softer for longer with the added butter or oil
- Flour: This recipe will work with a gluten free baking flour.
- Eggs: I have not personally tested this recipe with out the eggs but i have had feedback fro readers that the recipe does work with an egg replacer
- This recipe is successful without the butter/oil, but you getter a softer muffin with it, and they remain softer for longer with the added butter or oil
- To make the recipe dairy free, substitute the melted butter for a mild tasting vegetable oil.
- 15 min cook time is based on making mini muffins, the mix makes approx 30 mini muffins. If you are using a standard muffin tray and making approx 12 muffins the cook time will be longer, approx 25-30 mins
Felicity says
Thank you for this lovely recipe, can i replace normal eggs with flax eggs for this recipe?
My Kids Lick The Bowl says
I haven't tested this recipe as egg free, but it should work. Another alternative would be to increase the banana.
Michelle says
This recipe did not work for me. Being cooked at such a low temperature made them still raw by the time I took them out. Turning up the temperature now. Hopefully they will solidify.
My Kids Lick The Bowl says
Hey, the temperature is in celsuis.
Emma says
Hi there 🙂
I don't have any carrots - could another vege work well instead? Perhaps parsnip or kumara (I have these in the fridge!)
Thanks
My Kids Lick The Bowl says
Yes, definitely kumara or sweet potato, parsnip will work too, although it is quite strongly flavoured, pumpkin would work too
Fiona says
Hey there.. I followed
The recipe to a 't'but muffins still ended up being raw on the inside? I even cooked them longer when I did them the second time.. but they only just got more burnt on the top ? What am I doing wrong?
My Kids Lick The Bowl says
Oh goodness,I'm not sure why, are you working in celsius or fahrenheit?
I've made them as both mini muffins and standard size and they have been fine.
My Kids Lick The Bowl says
I work at 180 degrees celsius, which is approximately 360 Fahrenheit.
Milena says
Hi mum! My baby boy is 7,5 mths. Are those muffins suitable for my little one? I'm confused about baking powder.
Regards, Milena
My Kids Lick The Bowl says
Yes they are
Milena says
Hi mum! This recipe is amazing! But are those muffins suitable for my 7,5 mths little boy? I'm confused about baking powder. ..
My Kids Lick The Bowl says
Yes, they would be suitable if you are offering finger foods.
Tins says
I don't have vanilla can I leave it out or use pure maple syrup instead?
My Kids Lick The Bowl says
You can totally leave ie out
Didi says
Just made these using food processor. Amazing result. Thank you for this recipe!
Nick says
Thanks, this recipe worked for me and they came out great. The timing was spot on for me. The flavour was mild but I think that was because my banana wasn't brown enough.
One technical issue: the video had a lot of problems on my phone. It wouldn't let me pause it or go back and just restarted from the beginning each time. When in full screen mode the play/pause/track buttons were not displayed so unusable. YouTube may be a better way to host videos.
My Kids Lick The Bowl says
Thanks for the feedback