These healthy blender spinach muffins are gluten-free, packed with nutrients, and contains no added sugar. They are light and moist and are perfect for babies and kids of all ages! These are sure to become your next favorite grab-and-go breakfast or snack!
Spinach Muffins for Babies and Toddlers
Whoever came up with this ingenious idea of blender muffins, this exhausted mama bows to you. Throw all the ingredients into a blender, give it a whirl, bake, and done! Finito! Mind blown.
I can get that done even if my toddler only takes a 10-minute nap. But hey! I'll take anything at this point. They get extra extra EXTRA points for making cleanup a breeze.
Now the problem I'm facing is that there are just too many ingredients and flavor combinations I want to try, and you betcha, this list-maker has started one just for blender muffins.
I hope to bring these ideas to light and share with you all kinds of delicious blender muffin concoctions in the near future (updated: like these blueberry blender muffins and pineapple coconut muffins!). Because we can all use them in our crazy busy lives, no?
Today I’m sharing with you these spinach sweet potato muffins. Whenever I develop recipes, I always keep in mind the nutritional needs and eating skills of babies and toddlers in mind. But these are not just for the little one(s)!
If you’ve tried any of my recipes, you might be nodding your head up and down at this - While you might’ve made it thinking it would all be for your little one, before you know it, a lot has made its way into your belly.
And that delights me because creating wholesome baby and toddler-friendly meals that the ENTIRE family can enjoy truly is my passion!
Baby and Toddler Muffins ALL in one place!
Ingredients
Baking Tips
- IF you’re looking for a bread-y type of muffins, this is not it. These muffins are super light and moist and the texture resembles that of a firm set custard/flan. It’s seriously the PERFECT texture for babies (6 months +) Having said that, my toddler goes crazy over these green muffins – “cholok saek (green in Korean) muppin” is what he calls them.
- Be sure to squeeze out as much liquid from the sweet potato as possible. Otherwise, you'll end up with mushy muffins.
- As soon as the batter looks smooth and combined, stop blending. you don’t want to overmix it!
- You MUST let these cool completely before removing them from the muffin pan. They WILL stick if you try to remove them before they have cooled.
- I highly recommend using a silicone muffin pan! It makes it SO much easier to remove the muffins from the pan and makes cleanup EASY. If using paper liners, be sure to spray with oil. Otherwise these will stick!
- These muffins are more savory than sweet. You won't taste the spinach but the yogurt flavor is quite pronounced. You can always spread on top some fruit purees, mashed banana, etc. But do serve it plain at first.
- Which yogurt to use? I like to use whole fat plain Greek yogurt or Lifeway Kefir cups. Do NOT use regular yogurt (the muffins will turn out too wet). Yes, the probiotics in these two will be killed from the heat so it's best to consume raw to get those benefits. Interesting to note: there's research showing that different strains, including lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria, are able to produce beneficial effects in their heat-inactivated form. More is needed, though. However, yogurt does act great texture and flavor to baked goods, and it will be a great way to amp up the protein and fat content.
- Don't do dairy? You can substitute with plant-based Greek-style alternatives. Try to find those without any added sugar.
- Don't do eggs? Use flax eggs! I tested it out, and it totally worked. I highly recommend adding chopped walnuts and grated sweet potatoes as it not only boosts nutrition but adds a great textural contrast. You can also add carrots instead. For babies, be sure to finely ground them.
- I like to use my coffee grinder to grind my nuts and seeds.
- Enjoy as is or with nut butter, mashed fruits, more yogurt, etc.
Storage Tips
Most definitely keep in the fridge. The muffins will become firmer too. These will stay good in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. When freezing baked goods, I like to use the flash freeze method.
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Spinach Muffins with Sweet Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 ripe medium banana, overripe if you want them to be sweeter
- 6 ounces (or ¾ cup) plain Greek yogurt, or plant-based alternative
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 large handfuls of spinach, see note
- 1 large egg or flax egg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder, aluminum-free
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅓ cup finely chopped walnuts (finely ground for babies)
- ½ cup raw grated sweet potatoes (can use carrots, if you wish), see note
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.
- In the food processor/blender add the oats first and then the rest of the ingredients (minus the walnuts and sweet potatoes) into the blender and blend until smooth.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool completely (WAIT at least 10 minutes) before taking them out of the pan. This is very important! Otherwise, they WILL stick
- Once cooled, store in the refrigerator. If your muffins are on the wetter side (most likely due to the extra moisture from the vegetables. Remember, be sure to squeeze out as much liquid out), they will firm up a bit more in the fridge.
Notes
- Be sure to squeeze out as much water out of the sweet potatoes as possible! Otherwise, the muffins will be very wet. You can also leave out completely.
- Spinach - You don't need to be super exact with the measurements. Frozen ones will not work here
- Make sure your baking powder and soda are fresh. Here's how you can check.
- I HIGHLY recommend using a silicon muffin pan. If using other pans or liners, be sure to grease! Otherwise the muffins will stick.
- You MUST let these cool completely before removing them from the muffin pan. They WILL stick if you try to remove them before they have cooled.
- Which yogurt to use? I like to use whole fat plain Greek yogurt or Lifeway Kefir cups. Yes, the probiotics in these two will be killed from the heat so it's best to consume raw to get those benefits. Interesting to note: there's research showing that different strains, including lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria, are able to produce beneficial effects in their heat-inactivated form. More is needed, though. However, yogurt does act great texture and flavor to baked goods, and it will be a great way to amp up the protein and fat content.
- Don't do dairy? You can substitute with plant-based alternatives, like coconut and cashew yogurt. Try to find those without any added sugar.
- Don't do eggs? Use flax eggs! I tested it out, and it totally worked.
- I highly recommend adding chopped walnuts and grated sweet potatoes as it not only boosts nutrition but adds a great textural contrast. You can also add carrots instead. For babies, be sure to finely ground them. I like to use my coffee grinder to grind my nuts and seeds.
- Enjoy as is or with nut butter, mashed fruits, more yogurt, etc.
- How to store? Most definitly keep in the fridge. The muffins will become firmer too. These will stay good in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. When freezing baked goods, I like to use the flash freeze method.
- To see a cooking demo, head on over to my Instagram page and search for "baking" in the story highlights!
Alison says
My 13 mo daughter loves these and so do I! I forgot to drain the excess moisture from the grated carrots so the consistency is a little off, but they still taste great and I will definitely make these again. Thank you for this recipe!
Izzy says
Hi! Can you make these without almonds? Do I have to add anything in place of it?
Min says
you can leave out completely or add any ground nuts or seeds of choice to boost nutrition
Melinda says
Good for babies, but not for toddlers. Sadly just not sweet enough. 🙁 Maybe a second banana needed? Or super overripe? I'm not sure, but we now have 15 muffins, and only my baby will be eating them - not her older sister or the parents.
Thanks anyway, though! I will check out your other recipes!
Katie M says
My 14 month old LOVES these muffins! He has egg, dairy, and nut allergies so we substituted with flax egg, coconut milk yogurt, and ground pumpkin seeds and they turned out great. We had to bake for a little bit longer so perhaps I didn’t squeeze the sweet potato enough. But they were so easy and delicious!
Min says
SO happy to hear!! Thanks for sharing! Will need to try with pumpkin seeds next time. Thanks for the inspiration!
Joanna says
These are a staple in our freezer! My two year old has loved these for the last 8-10 months or so. Makes me feel a little better knowing she is getting some veggies in on those tougher eating days when she isn’t wanting much!
Min says
Yay!
Valerie Birkey says
This is the perfect recipe for baby’s, toddlers or Adults too! Feels good knowing you are serving whole foods within a muffin!
Alice says
Perfect for babies and toddlers!
Ambre Thomson says
These are my little ones fave muffins! I switch out the spinach for kale and they turn out great. They are a constant in my freezer. Thanks for another great recipe!
Min says
Kale! Love it!
Jennifer says
My son loves this recipe and I always have a stock of these muffins on hand in my freezer!
Yunyoung says
I make these muffins as often as I can as my little just loves them. So easy to make and store. I always flash freeze them and pull a couple from the freezer when I need them.
Min says
So happy to hear!
Veronica Madore says
This is one of the first recipes I tried from Min's selection - my grandson LOVES them - and so do I - super tasty, nutritious and easy to make! Min's recipes are my ONLY go to source since discovering her site and recipes!
Min says
HI Veronica! You are so sweet! Thank you so much for your support!
Jane Hong says
These were a hit with my baby and it's so easy to freeze/pack when you need to feed the baby outside the house. It's very moist and doesn't crumble and make too much mess. It has all the nutrition for the meal(protein,iron,fat, vitamins, minerals) that you can literally just pack this to go if you wanted to! Thank you Min for making my life convenient 🙂
Min says
This is so encouraging, Jane! Thank you so so much for trying out my recipes and for your support!
Jenn says
My baby loves these and I love that she is getting spinach and other healthy ingredients.
Min says
I'm so glad!! Thank you for sharing!
Emma says
This is a go to for me and my 2 yo twin boys! Thank you for sharing recipes! On another note, I am on the path to becoming an RD (second career!) I really appreciate your perspective!
Min says
Twin boys!! You are a super mama and yay!! This is my second career too and the best decision I've made! Perhaps we will meet at FNCE some day!!
Kate says
Can never make it the same consistency because maybe I’m not squeezing enough liquid out of the sweet potatoes? Would love a tip about that. But the taste is great. My kid thinks she’s eating cake for breakfast! I’ve snuck in some peanut butter and it tastes good too.
Min says
That would be my best guess and perhaps you may want to try experimenting with baking temperature as every oven is different. Or leave out the sweet potatoes completely! I've been doing that a lot more recently because I don't have time to grate sweet potatoes haha
Mariam says
Thank you very much
My 20 month baby loved it
Min says
yay!!!! So happy to hear!
Stephanie says
Do you serve the leftovers cold straight from fridge? Or do you heat them up again?
Min says
I either bring it to room temperature (so take out about 20 minutes or so before serving) or reheat very briefly (no more than 30 seconds. Otherwise will get too soft). Hope this is helpful!
Jenn says
there a see note comment for the spinach, but there is no note?
Min says
Just added! Thanks so much for the reminder!
Li Ling Cheah says
Hi, if I freeze this what is the best way to reheat them? Thanks!
Min says
I would thaw in the fridge overnight and serve cold or at room temperature. If you do want to reheat do so very briefly (no more than 30 sec in the microwave). otherwise will get too soft
Rosa says
Could you use a sweet potato purée or would that make the mixture too wet?
Min says
I wouldn't!
Stephanie says
My 16 month old just ate 4 of these in one sitting. Thank you! All of your recipes are a hit!
Min says
SOO happy to hear! Thanks for being here and for trying out my recipes!
Jessica says
So you said see notes about carrots but there isn’t one?
Min says
Hi the note was for sweet potatoes or carrots and basically you want to squeeze out as much liquid as possible before adding 🙂
Diana Carr says
Any suggestions for a substitute for the applesauce, as we have an allergy to apples and pears. Thanks
Min says
Try banana!
Neesha says
Hi,
Can I grind flax seeds and add them instead of walnuts?
You are doing great with the tips and substitutes making our life easier!
Thank you
Min says
you bet!
Eileen says
My 20 month old loves these! But mine don’t puff up as much. Any tips? I do leave out the walnuts for allergy reasons. Should I substitute so the muffins are firmer?
Min says
So glad to hear! They do deflate a bit once they come out of the oven. That's normal but shouldn't shrink too much. You can add some seeds for extra boost of healthy fat
Jen says
My baby LOVES these. I was wondering if the batter can be stored in freezer to bake on a later day. I usually have leftover & do not want to waste! My baby has been loving them since 11 months!
Min says
Hi mama! I'm SO glad to hear this! I honestly haven't tried so am interested to hear how they turn out, if you decide to try. I personally would bake it first and freeze using the flash freeze method I talk about in my post - how to store leftovers.
Anna says
Any substitute for rolled oats? My baby and I are both allergic
Min says
I know some have tried with regular flour and spelt flour and said they turned out fine. Might not be as moist though.
Wai Yan says
What would be plant based alternative for Greek yoghurt? My baby is allergic to dairy.
Min says
Any plant-based Greek yogurt will work
Sierra says
I have a 9 month old who LOVES these! He can seriously pack them away, haha! I love being able to have a stash of these in the freezer that I can pull out whenever he needs a quick bite - and it’s so nice to know that they’re full of stuff that’s good for him. I did do the carrot substitution, since he loves to eat sweet potatoes on their own, but is not a fan of carrots - I figured it was a way to get more of a variety of vegetables in his belly. Worked perfectly - will definitely be making these all the time!
Min says
Aww!! So so happy to hear this! Thanks for sharing ;). I'm also in the process of developing a carrot blender muffin so stay tuned!!
Sherry says
Hi. I don’t have any greek yogurt. Can I use regular yogurt like Activia or another substitute?
Thanks
Sherry
Min says
Many readers have told me that regular yogurt worked just fine. Plain, unsweetened will be best!
Dian says
Do you have a recommendation what to use to substitute for banana? My baby unfortunately has banana allergy.
Min says
I haven't tried so I hesitate in suggesting but you could try adding more applesauce. You can run into the problem of making the mixture too wet though so, in that case, I would try adding more flour and/or egg. Sorry that I can't give you a definitive answer!