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Made entirely with healthy ingredients, like beans, peanut butter, and no added sugar, these beet muffins can be enjoyed as breakfast, snack, or added to lunchboxes!
Moist Beet Muffins
Beets are one of those vegetables that I learned to appreciate in my late 20s. My 6 and 2 year olds learned to enjoy them over the years while my 40-year-old husband continues to be on team “they taste like dirt.”
No matter where you are in your learning to appreciate beets journey, these beetroot muffins are sure to be a hit! When I offered one to my hubby, I conveniently left out the part that there were beets in there.
And guess what?! The man actually really enjoyed it! When I told him, he said, “ah now I can taste it. But hey! I will happily eat these.” Enough said.
Have extra beets? You should totally try these beet pancakes, pink hummus, and beetroot pesto pasta sauce.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
The inspiration for these muffins came from one of our favorite dips, which contains beets, peanut butter, and chickpeas. I simply added some banana for extra sweetness and oats for texture, flavor, and extra fiber!
If you’ve never baked with beets before, I hope this recipe inspires you to do so! The beets add both sweetness and moisture, and of course nutrition!
Here’s how to to cook:
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Add oats into the food processor or blender and pulse until flour-like consistency.
- Place the rest of the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth.
- Spoon batter evenly into a muffin pan, about 1/2 full.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until inserted toothpick in the middle comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. See storage tips in the notes section below
Substitutions
- No chickpeas? can use other white beans, like cannellini
- No peanut butter? Can use other nut or seed butter
Tips for Success
- Use over ripe banana as it is the only sweetener. It will also make the muffins moister.
- Depending on your oven, you may need to cook more than the suggested time. Insert a toothpick in the middle. If it comes out clean, you are done! The cakes will be soft but will firm up as they cool.
- Just like these healthy blueberry yogurt muffins and spinach cakes, these muffins will not rise much. And the texture is quite soft and moist, making them perfect for babies from 6 months and up!
Is your baby 6 months old and up?
Learn all the secrets to starting solids safely while optimizing nutrition!
Equipment
I’ve had my blender for over 7 years and use it for everything as I don’t own a food processor. It is well worth the investment.
I use it to make all my blender muffins, dips/sauces, smoothies, veggie nuggets, pancakes..It’s so fantastic, I can’t recommend it enough!
I also love using this silicone muffin tin because nothing sticks!! There’s no need to grease or use muffin liners.
Storage Suggestions
- On the counter: in an airtight container for up to 1-2 days
- In the refrigerator: Store in an airtight container up 3-4 days
- In the freezer – freeze for up to 3 months. To defrost, leave out on the counter for 30 minutes or so or thaw in the fridge overnight. There’s no need to reheat
Step-by-Step Guide on How to Store and Freeze Muffins
More Muffins for Babies and Toddlers
Did you make this recipe? Leave a rating below and let me know how you liked the recipe! Your feedback means so much to me!
Healthy Beet Muffins for Babies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (50g) rolled oats
- 3 small or 1 to 1 1/2 medium (170g) cooked beetroot
- 3/4 cup (120g) no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup (125g) smooth peanut butter,, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 medium (170g) ripe banana
- 1 teaspoons baking powder, aluminum-free
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add oats into the food processor/blender and pulse until flour-like consistency.
- Place the rest of the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth.
- Spoon batter evenly into a muffin pan, about 1/2 full.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. See storage tips in the notes section below
Notes
- On the counter: in an airtight container for up to 1-2 days
- In the refrigerator: Store in an airtight container up 3-4 days
- In the freezer – I like to use the flash freeze method and freeze for up to 3 months. To defrost, leave out on the counter for 1-2 hours or thaw in the fridge overnight. There’s no need to reheat. If you choose to do so, reheat for no more than 30 seconds in the microwave or toaster oven.
Hi Min. I’m excited to try this recipe and use up some beets we have at home. We actually have the Love Beets. Would each little ball be considered 1 “medium beetroot” you used in your recipe? I’ve seen larger beetroots than these Love Beets so I wasn’t sure. Thank you.
Hi! I would weight them if you have a scale. If not, 3-4 of the not so large ones. It doesn’t have to be super exact though so don’t worry too much ;). Hope you guys enjoy!
Any suggestions for banana substitutions? I have applesauce on the shelf so I was thinking that plus a little sweetener.
That should work or even canned pumpkin or mashed sweet potatoes. Let me know how they turn out!!
I used 150g applesauce and about 2T regular sugar instead and baked for 25 minutes. They were a little underdone in the middle and slightly less sweet than I like but overall taste is good and I think my 3yo is a fan- so I’ll keep playing with it (or save a banana when we buy them next time)
Revising my previous statement – these were a great texture and the right amount of sweetness once they chilled overnight!
This recipe was very easy and my kids (8 mo old and 3 yr old) loved it! Thank you!
Yay! So glad these muffins were a hit! Thanks for sharing 😉
Should we boil the chikpeas? I have dry chikpeas so asking.
Yes if you’re working with dried beans then def need to cook first
Hello, I tried the recipe today and had to add liquid (milk) as my blender was stuck… Also, took me for some reason more time in the oven than stated in the recipe…. However, the taste is very good.
Hi! I’m thinking the extra liquid may have affected the cooking time..every oven is slightly different too so always good to do a toothpick test ;). So glad you liked the taste!
Hi 🙂 what substitutes are there for the peanut butter?
Can we leave it out entirely?
*peanut allergy
Thank you !
Def need some sort of nut butter. Can you do tree nuts? If so try almond butter. If not, sunflower butter will work here as well!
These are amazing!! My toddler just loves them!! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Woohoo!!! I’m so glad!!
Hi! My son has a chickpea allergy, what do you recommend as a substitute? Or can I leave out the beans?
Is he ok with other white beans like cannellini or Great northern?
Hi! I have the Trader Joe’s Frozen beet chunks. Could I substitute these for fresh? If so, how many would you suggest using? And do I cook them beforehand? Thanks in advance! 🙂
Hi! I want to say it will work but can’t say for certain as I haven’t tried it myself. I’m assuming they’re already pre-cooked in which case no need to cook. Since frozen veggies tend to release out of moisture upon thawing, I would maybe thaw for 5 minutes or so before adding to the blender. Do you have a food scale? I’ve provided the weight in grams. Let me know if you give it a go and how the muffins turn out! I’m curious to know too!
Hi again! Thank you for the tips. I just made the muffins using the frozen beets and they turned out great! My son loved them! I didn’t have a food scale, so I just guessed on the amount of chunks to add. Thank you for another great recipe. My son also loves your lentil carrot bars and sweet potato muffins!
Yay!! Sooo glad to hear they turned out well!! Thanks for letting me know and for trying out my recipes 😉
I don’t have any fresh beets but I do have canned. Any idea how much I should use or if it will work?
I haven’t tried but two concerns: the other ingredients, excess liquid. What other ingredients are in the can? If it’s just beets, think it will work. Perhaps you can try to rinse and drain really well. Then blot out the moisture as much as possible. I would add less than suggested..just afraid the muffins will turn out too wet…All this to say, I really don’t know and I’d be hesitant to give it a try during this time when every ingredient is so precious. I would actually try it with other ingredients like applesauce, pumpkin/sweet potato puree.
This looks great! Was looking for something to do with the rest of my beets! Would it be okay to sub almond butter for peanut butter?
Absolutely! Hope you and your family enjoy this recipe 😉