These ABC muffins also known as Apple Banana Carrot muffins are perfect for your baby and baby led weaning from 6 months. They are made in a mini muffin pan so they are perfect for little hands to feed themselves.
They are free from added sugar, only natural sweetness from the fruit and vegetables. So they are very healthy and great for babies, younger children and even adults. I even find myself tucking into them now and again!
Reasons To Love These Apple Banana Carrot Muffins
- Quick and easy to make. If your kids love baking then young children could get involved.
- Tasty, soft and easy to eat
- Healthy with no added sugar or salt
- They contain three types of fruit and vegetable.
- Freezer friendly
- Great for toddlers, kids and adults
- Great as baby led weaning muffins at 6 months
- Fab for kids lunchboxes
- Perfect for a quick snack on the go or part of a meal when you are short on time.
- Can be made gluten and dairy free, so adaptable for those with allergies.
ABC Muffin Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make these healthy baby muffins.
- Apple – I used a red eating apple as these are slightly sweeter than a green apple.
- Banana – To get some natural sweetness use a ripe banana so one that is getting brown spots. It will be soft and easy to mash with a fork.
- Carrot – Use a medium size one about 15cm in length
- Eggs – Use medium to large eggs
- Flour – I used white self raising flour but you could use plain and add some more baking powder to help with the rise.
- Olive oil – Use a light olive oil so that it doesnt give a strong flavour.
- Yoghurt – Plain unsweetened yoghurt
How To Make
These baby abc muffins are simple to make but here are the steps to follow.
Step 1 Preheat oven to 180c. Grate the carrot and apple. Peel the carrot first before grating into medium pieces. You can use the fine grater is you want less noticeable pieces, Do not peel the apple but include the skin when you grate this.
Step 2. Peel and mash the banana with the back of a fork until it becomes very loose and mushy. Add this to the bowl of carrot and apple.
Step 3. Crack the eggs into a bowl and briefly beat with a fork.
Step 4. Measure out the yogurt and oil and add to the beaten egg. Add all these wet ingredients to the fruit and vegetable.
Step 5. Weigh the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda or powder and cinnamon (optional). Add these to the wet mixture and give it all a really good mix.
Step 6. Grease each hole of the muffin tray with a little oil. Spoon a tablespoon into each mini muffin hole. Or 1 – 2 tablespoons if making larger muffins.
Step 7. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes for mini muffins or 20 – 25 for larger muffins. Ensure they are well risen and golden brown.
Leave in the tray to cool a little before sliding a knife around each and lifting them onto a wire cooling rack.
Variations
You can easily make variations to these ABC muffins. Here are three easy ways.
- Flour – If you want it gluten free then you can use gluten free flour instead of self raising.
You could also use wholewheat self raising flour to add some more fibre.
- Oil – If you don’t have olive oil you could use an alternative oil like rapeseed oil, vegetable oil or coconut oil. Just make sure its a mild flavour one. If you prefer butter then melted butter would work too.
- Egg – If you want to make it egg free than substituting the egg with an egg replacer would work too.
Recipe FAQs
Which apples are best for this recipe?
Sweeter varieties will work best for their natural sweetness. I would recommend gala, fuji or the red delicious varieties. Other apples will work but maybe not as sweet.
Are shredded carrots a choking hazard?
When carrots are raw they are a choking hazard to babies. If they are shredded and cooked to become soft then they should be fine.
Are there other fruit and/or vegetables I could add?
There are lots of options! You could try a courgette grated instead of the carrot. Or some cauliflower grated. I would recommend squeezing out as much water from the grated vegetables to ensure you don’t end up with soggy muffins.
At what age can babies have muffins?
Usually around 6 months of age depending what ingredients are in them. This recipe is perfect as baby led weaning muffins at 6 months.
How do I store?
They are quite moist so it is best to store them in an air tight container when they are cold. They will keep like this for a few days or put in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Can I freeze these muffins?
Yes you can certainly freeze them. It is worth making a batch and freezing them so you have some to hand when you are looking for a quick snack. They will keep well in the freezer for 6 months.
What do I serve them with?
You can serve them chilled, at room temperature or slightly warmed.
For a baby they are perfect as a snack on their own or you can add some protein like cheese or yoghurt to dip with some extra fruit or vegetable pieces.
For a toddler onwards they may want an extra bit of sweetness so you could add a bit of fruit jam on top or chopped up fruit.
What’s the texture of these muffins like?
These are moist, soft and springy so they are easy to eat!. I love the fluffy texture with no bits or lumps. So if you have a young child who doesn’t like bits in things then I am sure they will love these. Also if your child is not keen on bread-like texture then these are perfect as they are more moist and tender than bread.
Baby Led Weaning ABC Muffins
They make perfect finger foods as they are easy to pick up with the pincer grip or using the whole of the hands. They are soft and easy to chew so make it great finger food to get your baby used to new tastes and textures.
You can serve them whole as mini muffins or break each one into smaller pieces (around 4).
Baby Muffin Add Ons
If you are wanting to make these for older kids and adults in lunchboxes for example then you can add different things into the mixture to add more texture and/or sweetness. Here are a list of suggestions:
- Chocolate chips
- Chopped nuts such as walnuts and almonds
- Blueberries
- Seeds like pumpkin or sunflower
- Flaxseed
- Dried fruits like raisins and apricots
- Mix through some jam
Other Muffins Suitable For Babies And Young Children
Here are some other recipes you may like:
- Sugar Free Toddler Muffins
- Blueberry Avocado Mini Muffins
- Easy peasy tomato
- Spinach Muffins
- Baby muffins (no sugar)
ABC Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 medium apple
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 medium banana ripe – very ripe
- 1 medium – large eggs
- 150 grams self raising flour
- 2 tbsp olive oil light
- 60 grams plain yoghurt unsweetned
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp sweet cinnamon optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180℃
- Peel and grate the carrot with a medium or fine grater.
- Grate the apple (including the skin)
- Mash the banana until sloppy and runny
- Beat two eggs and add to the fruit and vegetable mix. Along with the oil and yoghurt.
- Weigh the flour and add to the mix along with the baking powder and cinnamon (optional). Mix it all together really well.
- Grease a mini muffin pan or large muffin tray with some oil.
- Spoon a tablespoon of mix into the mini muffin holes or 1 -2 tablespoons for the larger ones.
- Bake at 180c for 12 minutes (16 mini muffins) or 20 – 25 minutes for 8 – 10 large muffins.
- Take out when golden brown and well risen. Leave to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from tray.
Video
Notes
- Ensure they are completely cold before putting them into an airtight container with a lid and storing in the fridge for 3 – 5 days.
- For freezing – ensure they are cold and put into a zip seal bag or similar, remove the air and freeze for up to 6 months. Take them out of the freezer as you need them and leave to come up to room temperature. Alternatively you can defrost in the microwave.
- Banana needs to be very ripe so that means with lots of brown spots. This will ensure a sweeter muffin.
- Egg free – in place of the eggs use an egg replacer such as chia egg. To make a chia egg use 1 tbsp chia seeds with 3 tbsp water mixed and left to form a gel. You will need two of these.
- Dairy free – Replace the plain yoghurt with a dairy free alternative yoghurt.
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