Delicious and healthy flourless oat vegetable muffins for babies, toddlers, and kids! These savoury muffins are the perfect grab-and-go breakfast/snack packed with vegetables, whole grains, as well as protein and fat to keep them fuller for longer!
The most popular requests I receive from you guys are for quick and easy, nutritious breakfast and snack recipes. And that is why I have a huge silly grin on my face as I’m typing this. Oh you guys are going to LOVE these oat muffins!
I had so much fun developing, testing, re-testing this recipe. If you purchased my first e-cookbook, you know that I use old-fashioned (or rolled) oats a lot in baking, but this is the first time trying my hand at it with steel cut oats.
I normally cook a big batch for my family to enjoy as oatmeal with various toppings in the mornings, but I also know that magical things happen when food enters an oven. And thus, my experimentation began. Since there's so much confusion surrounding all the different oats, out there, hope this post Oats 101 that I shared on my Instagram is helpful!
If you don't want to bother cooking your oats, then most definitely check out these baby-friendly sweet and savory overnight oats! You'll find step by step instructions as well as different flavor combinations for every day of the week!
I made these savory rather than sweet because that’s how my mind works when it comes to recipe development, and because I have one of the most delectable ingredients in my arsenal. Hello, Cabot cheese!
I was first introduced to Cabot 4 years ago, and I never looked at cheese the same way again. Cabot Creamery is a co-operative owned by farm families throughout New England and New York and 100% of profits go back to the farmers! And for 100 years they’ve banded together to provide for their families, give back to their communities, and to produce some of the best cheese in the world. Take one bite and you’ll taste the difference. Their cheese is also 100% lactose-free.
Cheese for babies and toddlers
From a nutrition standpoint, cheese (and other dairy products) offers many health benefits for your baby/toddler:
- an excellent source of calcium, a mineral necessary for the healthy development of teeth, bones, heart, nerves, and muscles. Babies get their calcium from breastmilk or formula. As your child grows older, his/her needs increase to support growing bones.
- also a great source of protein, fat (I want to emphasize that it shouldn't be restricted for children under the age of 2), and vitamin D
- although more research is needed for dairy, early introduction of top allergenic foods (e.g. peanuts, eggs) has been found to minimize or even prevent the development of food allergies later in life
Savory muffins for babies
These muffins are great for kids of all ages, including babies who are just starting their self-feeding journey. They’re easy to grab, soft-textured, and packed with essential, top-priority nutrients, like iron as well as vitamin C to help with its absorption and as just mentioned, calcium.
For us moms, these are wonderful because they are freezer-friendly, portable (perfect for lunchboxes), and a great way to boost our kid’s nutritional intake. Now, I know it’s in our nature to save all the good stuff for our little ones, but don’t forget to enjoy some for yourself too! Promise me?
Other Baby-Friendly Muffins to Try:
- Beetroot Muffins
- Pumpkin Bean Muffins
- Spinach Sweet Potato Blender Muffins
- Vegan Apple Cinnamon Muffins
- Baby Led Weaning Beginner Bites - My first ecookbook contains 30 finger-friendly recipes suitable for 6 months and up.
And if you like this recipe, I'd love it if you would pin it! I'm trying to grow my Pinterest and your support would mean so so much to this mama! Thank you!!
Kid Friendly Southwestern Oat Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup steel cut oats , see note!
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup finely chopped broccoli
- 1 cup finely chopped red peppers
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 2 eggs whisked
- 1 cup no-salt-added black beans , drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons finely ground walnuts
- 1 cup cheese divided
Instructions
- to cook the oats: Pour water into a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the oats. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes, uncovered, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan. Cook ahead and refrigerate for AT LEAST AN HOUR
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Heat lightly oiled skillet over medium heat. Add the vegetables and cook until moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and seasonings and stir to incorporate, about a minute. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Transfer to a large bowl and combine with oats and the rest of the ingredients (reserve ½ cup of cheese)
- Spoon the mixture into the greased/lined (or silicone) 12 cup muffin pan (about 2 spoonfuls), flatten with the back of a spoon, and sprinkle rest of cheese on top.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Give the muffins a couple minutes to cool off a little and then transfer to a cooling rack.
Annette says
Hello, Min, and thank you for this great recipe! Pinned!
I made these last week and it turned out perfect, my kids loved these oat muffins very much! I'm going to cook these again and wanted to ask you: Can these be frozen?
Min says
OH I'm soo GLAD to hear this! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave me this awesome comment ;). YES! I've got some in my freezer right now actually hehe
Sherstin Sutherland says
What does research say about using butter to grease pans when cooking for babies? It is negligible? My son is 8 months old and he’s only had fats from nuts, chia seeds, fish, cheese, yogurt and avocado. I haven’t used evoo, coconut oil, avacado oil, butter, etc. Can you help educate me? ☺️
Min says
Babies most definitely need dietary fats and so butter and all those oils you mentioned are great to cook with!
kayleigh says
Are you cooking 1 cup of oats, or do you need 1 cup of cooked oats?
Min says
cooking 1 cup of oats!
Mary Cuizon says
Can this be eaten by 11 months baby? Thanks❤
Min says
absolutely! Hope you guys enjoy!! 😉
Kiran says
Can i use rolled oats instead?
Min says
You can but the muffins won't be as firm. Definitely give steel cut oats a try if you've never tried before! 😉
Zee says
Hi, would I be able to use quick oats instead of the steel cut oats. And would the process of cooking then cooling them in the fridge be the same? Thanks
Min says
I actually wouldn't recommend quick oats but you can try with rolled oats. Yes, you want to still cool them in the fridge so that the oats firm up a bit
Laura says
Hi! These look great! I’m always looking for new ideas for my kids and I’m sure they will love these! Was wondering....can I omit the walnuts or are they used for something specific like binding? My son’s preschool is nut free and I would love to send these with him for a snack. Thanks!
Min says
Hi! Thanks so much! Absolutely! I added it for extra protein and fat but you can certainly leave out or add ground seeds (like flax, sunflower, pumpkin, etc.). Hope y'all enjoy these!!
Sheeba says
That looks delicious and super healthy!
Min says
Thank you so much! Hope you give this recipe a try!
Kristi says
Wondering about soaking the oats overnight instead of cooking and then cooling...thoughts?
Min says
So are you thinking about using old-fashioned oats? Might work but I haven't tried so not certain. If you're asking about steel cut oats, then I honestly don't think it'd work. Def needs to be cooked.