ABC Muffins {Apple Banana Carrot}

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These delicious ABC muffins are made with apples, bananas, and carrots, so they’re naturally sweetened, tender, and full of filling fibre to support your little ones’ digestive system! They’re the perfect first muffin for baby and a healthy snack for everyone else!

A bowl of abc muffins with a bite taken out of one of the muffins.

Homemade Apple Banana Carrot Muffins

In our house, we love keeping a stash of muffins on hand, and these ABC muffins are a fun and tasty option that are always a hit!

They’re perfect for a quick breakfast, to add to your kids’ lunch boxes, or to enjoy as a healthy snack between meals.

These no sugar added muffins are one of our family favorites because they’re naturally sweet, have a moist, fluffy texture, and taste amazing!

For more fruit and veggie-loaded recipes, you’ll also want to try out these Hidden Veggie Cookies and Green Monster Muffins !

Healthy Date Muffins

ABC MUffins

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Why We Love This ABC Muffins Recipe

Quick & Easy: Mix the wet and dry ingredients separately, then quickly combine them to fill your muffin cups and start baking a batch of these muffins! It’s that simple.
No added sugar: The CDC, AHA and AAP recommend that added sugar be avoided before the age of two. Not to worry though! These naturally sweetened muffins are perfectly sweet thanks to ripe bananas, applesauce, and carrot.
Perfect for baby-led weaning: These BLW muffins are absolutely perfect for babies! They’re made from healthy, wholesome ingredients that will support their growth and development. Due to their soft texture, they’re also easy to eat and can be cut into different sizes depending on your baby’s grip.

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients required for abc muffins recipe.

Mashed banana: Ripe bananas add sweetness and a moist texture that makes these mini muffins so tender and flavorful!
Unsweetened applesauce: Applesauce serves a similar purpose as the banana, but it mellows out the flavor.
Shredded carrot: Add some finely shredded carrot for a little texture and flavor in these baby led weaning muffins.
Plain Greek yogurt: The best muffins are made with either yogurt or sour cream, which gives them a deliciously tender crumb and added protein too!
Canola oil: If you don’t have canola oil, you can melt coconut oil and use that instead.
Egg: Let your egg come to room temperature before assembling the batter for this ABC muffins recipe.
Vanilla extract: For a subtle aroma, add a splash of vanilla extract to these mini muffins for baby.
White whole wheat flour: Instead of regular all purpose flour, white whole wheat flour has extra fibre and nutrients to make the muffins more filling.
Cinnamon: Everything tastes better with cinnamon! It gives these muffins a tummy-grumbling scent.
Baking powder: Baking powder will help your muffin batter rise, making these healthy baby muffins light and fluffy.
Baking soda: A little baking soda will help the baking powder lift this heavy batter to get the perfect rise.
Salt: Salt is optional, but it will help activate the baking soda and draw out the flavors in these ABC muffins.

Step-by-Step Instructions

A wooden spoon mixing wet ingredients for abc muffins in a white bowl.

A wooden spoon mixing dry ingredients into wet ingredients for muffins in a white bowl.

Preheat oven to 375 degree F. Grease a 24 cup mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Place the banana, applesauce, carrot, yogurt, oil, egg, and vanilla into a medium bowl. Stir together until combined.
Stir in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Do not over mix.
Divide the muffin batter evenly among the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup to the edge. (Use about 2 tablespoons batter in each mini muffin cup).
Bake for 13-15 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs attached. (I do 14 minutes in my oven.)
Allow them to cool for a few minutes in the pan, before transferring them to a wire rack to fully cool. Serve or store for later.

Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!

RECIPE TIPS

These muffins are lightly sweetened with the applesauce, banana and carrots. If you prefer a little more sweetness, you can add 2-4 tablespoons of maple syrup. You may need to bake for a little bit longer to account for the extra moisture.
I like to grate the carrot using the smallest holes on my box grater so that they’re more finely shredded and get more evenly distributed throughout the muffins.
If you don’t have applesauce, you can sub in grated apple.
To make these into ABCD muffins, you can also add very finely chopped dates to the muffin batter, which will contribute extra sweetness as well.

A child's hand reaching for an abc muffin out of a bowl.

Recipe FAQs

Can 7 month old have muffins?

Absolutely! If your baby has already started eating solid foods, muffins are a great food for them to enjoy. These mini muffins are easy to hold with a palmar grasp, or you can cut them into bite-sized pieces for babies who have developed a pincer grasp. It can be helpful to teach older babies how to take bites out of the muffins while holding them in their hands. Learn more about how to cut foods for baby.

Are ABC muffins healthy?

These ones are! It all really depends on your muffin recipe. Since we’re using bananas and apple sauce to sweeten this muffin batter, there is no added sugar. There’s extra fibre coming from the whole wheat flour, fruits and veggies, and we add the necessary fats from the yogurt and oil to help them rise.

They aren’t really sufficient to stand as a complete meal, but they certainly are a healthy and enjoyable addition to a meal and a great way to help your kids eat more fruits and veggies every day!

What age can babies eat muffins?

The rule of thumb is that babies can start eating solid foods around 6 months old or whenever they start showing signs of readiness. It’s best to start with muffins and not cupcakes because muffins tend to be more filling and have less sugar.

I recommend using a recipe like this one for ABC muffins, which is loaded with fibre from the fruits, vegetables, and whole wheat flour. They can easily be baked into mini muffins, which are easy for babies to grip and hold, and are a great way to help them get more nutrients in a fun and tasty way.

Storage Guidelines

Store your leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 5-7 days. You can also store them in the fridge, but they’ll dry out faster.
For long-term storage, keep them in a freezer bag in the freezer for 1-3 months. Be sure to let the muffins thaw in the fridge for a few hours before serving.

Apple banana carrot muffins cut on a plate and served next to blueberries.

Serving Suggestions

These delicious ABC muffins can be enjoyed as a part of a healthy breakfast, as a school snack, or as an afternoon snack! To make them more filling, pair them with some protein, like a cheese stick or spread with some nut butter.

Try them with the following options:

Serve with yogurt (read here about the best yogurt for babies
Scrambled eggs
Fresh berries
Apple slices
Banana
Nut butter

Recipe Variations

Bake regular muffins: Instead of the mini muffins for babies, bake the batter in a regular muffin tray for 20-25 minutes.
Add nuts or dried fruits: For older kids and adults, this recipe would taste amazing with a handful of chopped walnuts, dried raisins, dates, cranberries, or even a little crystallized ginger!
Chocolate chip ABC muffins: If your little one loves chocolate, add some mini chocolate chips for a little melted chocolate in every bite!