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Easy Green Spinach Muffins for Baby and Toddler Recipe (Gluten-Free)

mini green spinach muffins stacked on a white napkin.
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These easy spinach muffins with banana are a healthy breakfast perfect for babies and toddlers (and great for baby led weaning!). They're naturally gluten-free with no strange ingredients (just oats!) and have no added sugar. Whip them up easily in the blender for breakfast, snacks, lunchboxes, or the freezer. (gluten-free, sugar free, dairy-free option)

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 cups rolled oats (certified gluten-free if needed)
  • 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
  • 1 1/2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 medium very ripe bananas
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 plain Greek yogurt (see notes for dairy-free)
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1.5 cups fresh baby spinach (lightly packed)

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 375°F. If not using a silicone muffin pan, line a muffin pan with silicone muffin liners or paper liners. If using paper liners, spray with oil spray/cooking spray to prevent sticking. You can use a mini muffin pan (makes about 36) or a regular sized muffin pan (makes about 10). 
  2. In a high speed blender, blend the dry ingredients (oats, flax, baking powder and soda, cinnamon) until a rough powder forms.
  3. Add the remaining ingredients (bananas, eggs, yogurt, vanilla, spinach) and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides with a spatula as needed. Try not to over-blend.
  4. Scoop or pour batter into prepared muffin pan, filling cups 2/3 of the way full. I like to use a 1 tbsp cookie scoop for mini muffins, or a 3 tbsp scoop for regular sized muffins.
  5. Bake 8-10 minutes for mini muffins, or 15-18 minutes for regular sized muffins. Muffins are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  6. Let muffins cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before removing.

Equipment

Notes

Preventing gummy muffins: Sometimes gluten-free oat based muffins have a tendency to get gummy and seem to never get done. My best tips for preventing this are:

  • Don't over-blend. I like to blend the oats into a powder first so that I don't have to blend too much once I add all the wet ingredients. Stop to scrape down the sides as needed to prevent over-blending, too.
  • Don't over-fill the muffin cups. For mini muffins, 1 tbsp of batter is perfect. For full-sized cups, don't exceed 2/3 of the way full. Overfilling could result in gummy centers that don't bake all the way.

Allergy swaps:

  • Gluten-free: They already are 🙂 Just make sure you're using certified gluten-free oats.
  • Dairy-free: Use plain coconut yogurt (Greek style) or another favorite non-dairy yogurt.
  • Eggs: Unfortunately, the eggs are needed for structure in gluten-free baked goods. I haven't tried a store-bought egg replacer. If you do, please let me know in the comments!
  • Bananas: I haven't tried this myself, but you should be able to swap the banana with plain applesauce. Use about a scant 1 cup.
  • Flaxseed, cinnamon, or vanilla can all be left out if needed.

Find it online: https://babyledbliss.com/spinach-muffins-baby-toddler/