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.
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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 ½ 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 blueberry 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
- ½ cup (50g) rolled oats
- 3 small or 1 to 1 ½ medium (170g) cooked beetroot
- ¾ cup (120g) no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup (125g) smooth peanut butter, at room temperature
- 1 ½ medium (170g) ripe banana
- 1 teaspoons baking powder, aluminum-free
- ½ 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 ½ 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.
Jenny says
These are so good! My son isn't yet a fan of straight beets so this is a nice way to ensure he still gets the nutritional goodness. The beet flavor of these lightly sweetened muffins is mild (and I weigh my ingredients to ensure exact proportions). My 16 month old LOVES them. On his first bite he smiled and flapped his arms - he does this when he really enjoys his food 😀 - and looked for more. I am freezing the extras and considering making another batch with the beets I still have left over.
Min says
Aww! Wish I could see him flapping his arms happily too! How adorable!
Leanna says
I love this recipe. It reminded me of a soft peanut butter muffin. I couldn’t taste the beets at all. Great way to add extra nutrients.
Min says
It really is! Thanks for sharing!
Carly says
Soon delicious and both my kids love them which is a win considering I have to selective eaters
Carly says
Sorry for my auto corrects, I meant soooo* delicious and that I have two* picky / selective eaters.
Min says
Makes me so happy to hear! Thank you for sharing!!
AD says
For anyone else wondering, I didn’t have any beans on hand so I subbed in 3/4 cups of milk and 1/4 cup of flour. I also added a tsp of maple syrup since my 1 banana wasn’t overly ripe. Every other ingredient was kept the same. It turned out great!
Min says
I'm so glad you shared this! Thank you!
Lora says
Can you use canned beets?
Min says
I haven't tried but if that's all you have pat dry as the extra liquid will make the already soft muffins too moist
RK says
My one year old loves them. This is the first recipe of yours that I tried and it was an instant hit. She is a good eater in general, but she is absolutely crazy about these muffins, starts whining if she sees them on the counter and I don't give them to her at that exact moment 😀 I like that they are made of healthy ingredients and are so yummy and moist. Great recipe, will try more of your muffins for sure.
Min says
This makes my heart sing! And I'm so glad you are here :).
Liz says
Hi! Hoping to try this recipe soon, but we have to avoid bananas for our little one. What would you recommend as a substitute? Love the look of this recipe and hoping there's a way we can still enjoy it. Thanks so much!
Min says
Hi! I haven't tried but I believe applesauce will work!
a says
if I skip the peanut butter its okay or I need to add any butter ?
Min says
I would add other nut or seed butter!
Andres says
I have made these muffins several times, and my son loves them. This last time I only had black beans in the cabinet so I made them with black beans, sunflower butter (so he can take to but free daycare), and added 1/2tsp of maple syrup due to the bananas not being extremely ripe and the addition of black beans. He loves them! The ingredients that I substituted I use the exact measurement of what you have listed on your recipe. They turned out perfect.
Min says
Ooh! Glad to know that this recipe works with black beans too! Thank you so much for taking the time to share. I'm so glad these muffins are well loved by your family ;).
Jeanie says
Been making these muffins regularly for over a year for my toddler and now for lunchboxes. I've used a variety of nut/seed butters, as well as a variety of beans (white, black, chickpea), and all turn out great. I usually bake for 30 minutes.
I also love that the recipe is pretty flexible. I've tweaked the ingredients amounts (e.g. 2 bananas instead of 1.5, and 1 cup beans instead of 3/4 cup) and all batches get devoured!
Min says
I ALWAYS have these in my freezer too! So glad you guys are enjoying them as well!
Jessica says
I just made these.... so good! I used frozen bananas and was worried about the consistency and it was fine, I drained off some of the water from them once thawed. I also used all natural chunky pb and left in the blender a bit longer and it was also fine 🙂 I subbed the chickpeas for white beans as well as that's what I have on hand, I love them as they leave no bean flavour.
Thank you!
Min says
Ooh! Good to know that it works with frozen bananas! And you're right! can't taste the beans at all! You should try my pumpkin banana muffins too ;). Of course I snuck in some beans there as well haha
Chris says
My 1 year old grandson loved this but should I be concerned about them containing baking powder and bicarbonate of soda? I’m not a dietician but read up about it on-line and it states babies under 1 should not consume it as it’s high in sodium.
Min says
Hi! Unfortunately they are necessary in baked goods. Otherwise they won't rise properly and be quite dense. They do contain sodium BUT remember it's for the entire recipe and your baby is only eating a small portion at a time.
Megan says
My one year old loves them 😊
Min says
I'm so glad!!
Charlotte says
I don't have chickpeas or any other suggested substitute on hand but I do have some homemade hummus in the freezer - would this work?
Min says
hi! No, you definitely want to use chickpeas or white beans.
Courtney says
These are delicious!! The flavour combinations work so well and I’m surprised!! I made them for my 11 month old twins and I can’t stop eating them myself haha.
My one question is… in your photo they turned out more peanut butter colour. Mine turned out beetroot colour. Any idea why?? I do like the colour, as it looks like red velvet cake so I’m going to use this as the base for their smash cake and put cream cheese icing!!
Min says
I'm so glad! The muffins turn darker over time and I took the photos several hours after baking (my baby woke up from her nap earlier..of course). Did yours turn red the whole time?
Candace says
My toddler loves these. He’ll ask for more. I tried serving him beets in stews or as is but he spits it out. So happy I found something he’ll actually eat. always good to sneak in those veggies. For beets, I used the LoveBeets precooked beets then I just weighed it according to the recipe.
Min says
Thank you for sharing, Candace! Even my beet hating husband likes these too hehe