Healthy Zucchini Muffins for Babies or Toddlers

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the full disclosure here.

Delicious Zucchini Mini Muffins are the perfect size for babies and toddlers.   Filled with zucchini, bananas, and your favorite fruit, these no sugar added muffins are perfect for young children.

This recipe was originally published in August 2018.

Now that Baby J is getting older he has decided he’s over purees.   He will eat them in order to get real food but he isn’t a big fan of them anymore.   He also likes to feed himself so I’ve been trying to make foods that he can eat by himself.

Currently he loves eating any soft fruit, avocados, bread, pasta, rice, cheese, and yogurt.   He will eat other things, including chicken nuggets, but for the most part I have difficulty getting him to eat enough meat and veggies because he can’t eat them whole.   I’ve been looking for more ways to get either of these into his diet and these muffins are one of my favorite ways.

What are some good ways to hide vegetables in foods for kids?

• Bake vegetables into muffins or scones.
• Add spinach or kale to a fruit smoothie.
• Puree zucchini, carrots, broccoli, or cauliflower and add them to pasta sauce.
• Mince mushrooms, peppers, or onions and add them to stir fry, sauces, and more.

I have made several muffins and other snacks which have hidden veggies in them.  Kumquat Carrot Muffins have a sweet and tart flavor with plenty of carrot in them.  Blueberry Zucchini Muffins are a good one because my son loves blueberries.  For kids that like pasta my Pasta with Black Bean Sauce is a popular choice.

Healthy Zucchini Muffins are perfect for babies and toddlers because it gives them fruit, vegetables, and grains in one serving.  You can give the child the mini muffin whole because it’s the perfect size for little hands.  You can also cut them into several pieces.

My son loves these muffins and I love that they don’t have any added sugar in them.  They contain zucchini, applesauce, bananas, and your choice of fruit.  You can use a combination of fruits or just use a single fruit.

What fruit can I use in Mini Muffins?

Our favorite fruit to use in these muffins are blueberries because I can just throw them into the batter.   Peaches and plums are also great but make sure to peel them before dicing them and putting them into the batter.  You could also add diced strawberries or cherries to these muffins.

Ingredients:

• all purpose flour (or you can use whole wheat if you prefer)
• quick oats or baby oatmeal (do not make the oatmeal, use it dry)
• baking soda
• salt (this is optional but I think adds flavor)
• cinnamon
• eggs
• zucchini
• unsalted butter
• applesauce
• bananas
• choice of fruit

To make these muffins preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray.  Set aside.

In a large bowl mix together the flour, oats, baking soda, salt (if using), and cinnamon.  In a small bowl beat the eggs.  Add the eggs, zucchini, butter, applesauce, and bananas to the dry mixture and mix until combined.  It will look pretty wet but that is fine.

Fold in the fruit.   Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling the cups almost to the top.  Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

These muffins are super easy to make and can be customized to your child.   Use your child’s favorite fruits so that they are excited to eat them.

For babies under 1 year you can cut them up and feed it to them, for toddlers they are great as a snack because they are full of vitamins and nutrients and easy for little ones to hold.  You can even add in a spoonful or two of honey for toddlers over the age of 1 to add some additional sweetness.

How do you store mini zucchini muffins?

Store them in an air tight container for up to 1 week.   If stacking in a container I like to lay a paper towel in between the layers to absorb any extra moisture that can occur as the muffins sit.

Can you freeze Healthy Zucchini Muffins?

You can freeze these!   I like to make a double batch and freeze half of them.  Simply place the muffins on a small baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes.   Then remove from freezer and place them in freezer bags.  I like to put 3 or 4 in a small freezer bag and then put all of the bags into a large freezer bag.  Then when we want a muffin I simply pull out one of the smaller bags and defrost the muffins on the counter.

Baby J really enjoyed these muffins.   He kept picking up the pieces and chowing down on them.  I’ve made them a staple in our house and just rotate in different fruits and spices to make them taste different.  You can also add in squash instead of zucchini as well.

Baby Food Friday: Healthy Zucchini Muffins for Babies or Toddlers

Healthy Zucchini Muffins are a great way to get babies or toddlers to eat fruits and vegetables without all the added sugar.

3.89 from 17 votes

Print Pin

1x2x3x

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes minutes

Total Time: 33 minutes minutes

Servings: 24 mini muffins

Author: Hezzi-D

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 c. flour
• 1/2 c. baby oatmeal or oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt optional
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1 c. zucchini grated
• 1/4 c. butter melted (or vegetable oil)
• 1/2 c. applesauce
• 2 bananas mashed
• 1/2 c. chopped fruit strawberries, peaches, blueberries, or plums work well

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
• In a large bowl combine the flour, oatmeal, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix well and set aside.
• In a small bowl beat the eggs.
• Add the eggs, zucchini, butter, applesauce, and bananas to the dry mixture and mix until combined.
• Fold in the fruit.
• Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups filling almost to the top of the cups.
• Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes

Recipe adapted from The Busy Baker

**If freezing wrap the muffins in plastic wrap then place in a zip top freezer bag. Thaw on the counter 20 minutes before serving. Can be frozen for up to 3 months**