Spinach Banana Muffins for Toddlers (No Added Sugar!)
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These Spinach Banana Muffins are naturally sweetened with applesauce and banana. They are nut and dairy-free making them perfect for school lunchboxes and a great snack or breakfast addition. These Spinach Muffins are also baby-led weaning!
*This post was originally published on March 17, 2022, and updated on March 16, 2023.
Spinach Muffins
So it turns out it’s harder to turn a muffin green without food dye than it looks when you don’t have a Vitamix. I’ve been working on these Spinach Banana Muffins as a St. Patrick’s Day treat for my toddler for a while now and after THREE batches of muffins, I finally got them to (kind of??) turn green!
Green or not, they taste really yummy and are packed with spinach! They are sweetened naturally with bananas and applesauce. They are also dairy-free and nut-free!
My toddler is obsessed with these muffins and I have even been able to give them to my 8-month-old to toothlessly gnaw on (update: now he’s a 20-month-old and he still loves them!).
Baby-Led Weaning Muffins
These muffins are perfect for baby-led weaning! They’re soft and fluffy, easy to hold, and contain no added sugar or salt. If your baby is under 12 months, you could try making mini muffins, though my 8-month-old did okay with a regular-sized muffin.
I found Solid Starts to be very helpful when it came to figuring out how to serve different foods for baby-led weaning!
My kids have also enjoyed these easy baby-led weaning recipes: Gluten-Free Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa Patties, Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Muffins, and Protein Pizza (Baby-Led Weaning Friendly!).
Banana Spinach Muffin Ingredients
Baby spinach
Unsweetened applesauce
Vanilla extract
Ripe bananas
Eggs
Flour: I like to use Organic Unbleached All-Purpose Flour from Trader Joe’s.
Baking powder
Baking soda
Cinnamon
How to Make Spinach Muffins for Toddlers
STEP 1 – Blend wet ingredients.
First, blend the spinach, applesauce, and vanilla in the blender until smooth. Then, add the bananas and eggs and blend again.
STEP 2 – Mix dry ingredients with blender ingredients.
Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Next, add the blender mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir to combine, careful not to overmix.
STEP 3 – Bake
Line a muffin tray with non-stick muffin cups. If you don’t have non-stick liners, be sure to spray the liners with vegetable oil spray so the muffins don’t stick. Scoop the muffin batter into each cup, filling them to the brim. Bake in the oven for 18 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spinach and Banana Muffins
We like eating ours while they’re still warm, but my kids are more than happy to eat them when they’re cold from being in the fridge. I like cutting mine in half and smearing some almond butter on top for some protein.
These muffins are not sweet like a typical muffin, rather they’re mildly sweet due to there being no added sugar. My family finds them sweet enough, but if you would prefer them sweeter, you can try adding 2-3 tablespoons of maple syrup when making them or adding some chocolate chips.
How to Store
How to Store: Store muffins in an air-tight container or Ziploc bag in the fridge for up to 5 days. I love warming my muffins up for about 20 seconds and slathering a little butter or nut butter on them!
How to Freeze: Allow muffins to cool completely before storing. Once cooled, transfer to a freezer-safe air-tight container or bag for up to 3 months. Thaw on the countertop at room temperature or heat in the microwave until heated through.
Vegan Spinach Muffins
I personally have not tried making these Spinach Muffins vegan yet. However, you can try to make them with chia or flax eggs instead of eggs.
Chia/Flax Eggs: To do this, mix 2 tablespoons chia seeds or flaxseed meal with 5 tablespoons water and let sit for about 5 minutes until it forms a gel-like texture. Add this to the dry ingredients when you pour the blender mixture in and stir to combine.
Delicious Add Ons
There are so many add-ons that would be delicious in these muffins! Here are a few ideas:
– Chia seeds
– Hemp hearts
– Blueberries
– Chocolate chips
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! I have tried making them with 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and it resulted in a good amount of sweetness. I would start with just 2 tablespoons and move up from there, as you may have to adjust the amount of flour when you start adding more than that.
Yes! Replace the regular flour with gluten-free baking flour at a 1:1 ratio. You can also try making them with gluten-free oat flour by grinding the oats in the blender prior to blending all of your wet ingredients. Transfer the ground oats from the blender to a large bowl and then move on to blending the wet ingredients.
If you have another muffin tin, you can cook the extra in there. If not, then you can store the leftover batter in the fridge for up to 2 days, making sure it’s sealed tightly or is in an air-tight sealed container.
I recommend doing it according to my instructions below, which require that you do it separately. I have found better results this way. Though, if you’re in a pinch, it should still work!
Ideally, I recommend using fresh spinach if you have it. However, you can try using frozen spinach if that’s all you have. To do this, thaw the spinach and squeeze it dry to remove the water. Only use about 1/3-1/2 cup of frozen spinach instead of the 3 cups the recipe calls for.
More Muffin Recipes!
Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Muffins
Healthy Sweet Potato Zucchini Muffins
Easy Vegan Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Spinach, Tomato, and Feta Egg Muffins
Spinach Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ripe bananas
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, (I like using Trader Joe’s Organic Unbleached Flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin tin with non-stick muffin liners. If you don’t have non-stick liners, be sure to spray the liners with a vegetable oil spray so the muffins don’t stick. Set aside.
- In a high-speed blender, blend the spinach, applesauce, and vanilla until smooth.
- Next, add the bananas and eggs and blend again until smooth.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
- Add the blender mixture to the dry ingredients and stir to combine, being careful not to overmix.
- Scoop the muffin batter into the muffin cups, filling each muffin liner to the brim.
- Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when pierced in the center of a muffin.
My taste buds are probably broken, but I can’t taste any natural sweetness. Either way, still tasty as a savory muffin! Any recommendations to sweeten the muffin naturally? Maple syrup? Thank you!
Hi Jorina! I’m sorry you weren’t able to taste any sweetness! They definitely are not meant to be a very sweet muffin (they’re great for baby-led weaning!), so your taste buds aren’t broken! 🙂 The muffins should have a subtle sweetness. Yes, you can absolutely sweeten the muffins naturally with maple syrup! That’s what I’d recommend. I’ve tried adding 2 tablespoons of maple syrup to these and they resulted in a decent amount of sweetness for me, but perhaps you’d like to add more – maybe 1/4 cup. If you use 1/4 cup of maple syrup, you may have to add a little more flour. I hope that helps!
I have tried quite a few recipes of muffins with no added sugar, and this is the only one that I have actually enjoyed eating!
Yay! I am so happy that you enjoyed these muffins!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review – I really appreciate that. 🙂