Delicious oat muffins with no added sugar or honey; sweetened naturally with banana, avocado and apple sauce! Great for baby led weaning and older kids too!
When I was weaning both my children I really struggled making sweet snacks that weren’t packed with either sugar or honey. My son in particular loved anything oaty – like flapjacks and muffins but most shop bought versions contain some kind of sugar, honey or artificial sweetener.
So I started to experiment with recipes that used only fruit as the sweetener. This Sugar Free Flapjack recipe was one of my first big hits with my little boy. He’s now three but I still try to make him as many sugar-free snacks as possible!
The base of these muffins is made from oats and flour and the sweetness and flavour comes from the banana, avocado and apple sauce. The avocado does turn the muffins a very slight subtle shade of green but babies and toddlers won’t even notice it!
I made 10 large muffins from this mixture but if you prefer them small you could make mini muffins instead. Just remember to reduce the baking time.
I tested these muffins using gluten free flour and non- dairy milk and they turned out just as good so feel free to make these substitutions if you need to.
Banana, Avocado & Apple Muffins
Prep Time: 6 mins- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 26 minutes
Yield: 10 1x
Category: Baby Foods & Weaning
Cuisine: European
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Pin RecipeDescription
Delicious oat muffins with no added sugar or honey; sweetened naturally with banana, avocado and apple sauce! Great for baby led weaning and older kids too!
Ingredients
- 150g / 1 cup plain or all purpose flour
- 100g / 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 medium banana
- 1 medium avocado
- 200g / 1 cup apple sauce
- 1 egg
- 60ml / 1/4 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180c / 350f and line a muffin tray with 10 paper cases.
- Add the flour, oats, baking powder and baking soda to a large bowl and mix with a spoon.
- In another bowl mash the banana and avocado together and then mix in the apple sauce. Add the egg and milk and mix well.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just enough until all the ingredients have combined.
- Divide the mixture between the paper cases and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
- Allow the muffins to cool completely before removing the paper cases. This helps to prevent them from sticking.
- Store in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze and leave to defrost for a few hours at room temperature.
Notes
I know I used paper cases in these photos but since then I have used silicone cases each time I have made them. They are totally non-stick and work much better than the paper cases!
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BANANA & ORANGE OAT BITES:
Hi, my son can’t eat rolled oats. Can I simply omit this ingredient or do I have to replace it with something like all-purpose flour? Thanks in advance
I know you probably insist on homemade, but where do you buy applesauce in England, and what name does it go by? Thanks
I made these today and my 16-month-old scarfed it down! I added a little butter to it and he was in heaven. I am having so much fun on your site and can’t wait to try so many of your recipes!
My muffins burned on the outside and never firmed on the inside. The recipe seems to call for too many wet ingredients. If you’re going to make this, I recommend adding more flour.
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What is a flax egg? I’m trying to limit dairy for my son due to his eczema he has a sensitivity
Its a mixture of flax seed and water. It makes a good consistency that’s similar to egg https://www.myfussyeater.com/make-flax-egg/
I bake a lot and tried this recipe last night without success.
I tried it again today and followed the instructions exactly.
After baking the muffins for 35 minutes they still haven’t hardened and simply taste bad.
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This is the second time I’ve tried making these and both times they have come out soggy on the inside. I’ve used all the correct ingredients and baking time and temperature. Any suggestions or thoughts on why this is happening?
Thanks!
Is your oven definitely the right temperature? If it varies even just a little it can have an effect on the cooking. Try turning the oven up and cook for a little longer. Also leave them to cool completely before eating as the heat of the muffins will naturally cook them a little more on the inside as they start to cool.
Did the recipe more than once, simaltaneously baked minis and a few large… even if left to cool, there will be a mushy/overly moist texture in the middle… I even baked them a little longer, but didn’t do it too much longer since they were already quite brown on top.
Also, they are very light in flavour, you just taste a hint of banana (and I used a very ripe banana as well as sweet apple sauce)
Disappointed because I was determined to get this right. Hoping after being in the fridge overnight they will firm up more.
However, the texture reminds me of when I make my daughter 3 ingredient banana/egg/oatmeal pancakes … they are super mushy and get slightly firmer after cooling but still mush.
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Hi Jenn, they are supposed to be for babies/toddlers hence why they are so soft and also maybe a little bland to the adult palate. Hope that makes sense!
At what age did you give these to your little one?
Silly question, but are the rolled oats 1 cup cooked or dry?
Dry!
Dry. 🙂
The easiest muffins I’ve ever made! These have been great as after school snacks this week and really portable too for when we have swimming straight after school.
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Recipe worked great for me. My son loved them. Have frozen the rest.
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Love this. I have never bake annything in my life and i tried this recipe yesterday while the husband watched our baby. It turn out great. Husband even eat 2 and took one for lunc at work today ????. I gave it as a snack for my 11 months old and she loved it.
Thank you
Like the others say, the inside is quite soggy. My little boy said it was like eating play doh. Having said that, my 1 year old wolfed them down!
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Thanks for the great recipes! My baby can’t eat oats (although gluten is fine) – do you know any good alternatives? You have so many lovely oaty recipes!
I like the ingredients and tried but I guess I’m failed, it’s still raw inside even I baked for 45 mins and no sweet taste at all. I’ve doubled checked all ingredients and portion and they should be correct, don’t know what’s wrong with it. Feel frustrated….
I came upon your website randomly and fell in love with it. I love all the recipes you have for toddlers. I made these muffins last week and thought I had just failed because I actually didn’t like the texture. However, my twins loved them. My 14-month-old twin boy ate two muffins at once as snacks. The disguised avocado in there definitely fooled him. 🙂 Thank you!
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Thanks so much Alice!
These are great! Enjoy s by mummy and baby 😉
I used a mix of gf flour and gram flour, water instead of milk, and I didn’t have any apple sauce so used 2 bananas instead- worked a treat!
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Can i use oat flour for the whole recipe instead??
I used oat flour and found they were really sticky and mushy on the inside even though apparently done on the outside. I baked them for 24+ minutes at 350, so everything should be “done”… I can only attribute the mushiness to the oat flour.
Hi, can I use ground oats such as Ready Brek by Weetabix instead of rolled oats ? I am after a very smooth consistency …. Thanks in advance xx
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Im not sure about ready brek or weetabix but you can definitely use ground oats. You can blitz rolled oats in a food processor to make them more like flour.
Looks amazing! Do you know if these freeze well?
Yes you can freeze them!
Can I use almond milk instead?
Yes they can be reheated!
Yes!
I thought these would be a hit with my daughter since she loves avocado and banana. She didn’t care for them much. I made large and mini muffins. I put the minis in the freezer and give her one right out of the freezer. She seems to like them better frozen.
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How long do you suggest I cook them if I make minis? Do you think minis would be ok for a 6 month old just starting BLW?
Hello,
How long should I be these if I wanted to make them in mini muffin tins?
Thanks!
Bake no be sorry!
Could I use self raising flour?
Yes, just leaving out the baking powder and soda!
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Hi there!
I love that these don’t have sugar as my daughter has many dietary restrictions. She cannot have egg … do you have any suggestions???
Thanks!
Try making a flax egg or chia egg instead!
Hi there .. I love these have no sugar but my daughter cannot have egg. Any suggestions???
Thanks!!
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This is the third muffin recipe I’ve tried for my baby, and the it’s one that failed. They have been in the oven for 35 min and are still raw. 🙁
That shouldn’t happen. Are you sure the temperature is correct?
My 22 month old LOVED these. She is really picky and I was skeptical that she would try them but she’s been gobbling them up! She even helped me bake them! Thanks for the recipe!
Awww that’s amazing!!!
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Do they come out soft? My 19 month old, only gas 2 teeth and gums everything
Yes they are quite soft
Obviously adjusting cooking times and what not, but would you say this is suitable to cook in the slow cooker?
My 15-month-old loves these! I’ve made a number of different muffin recipes but a lot of them call for a half a cup of honey or maple syrup. I love that she loves these despite the lack of sugar. Thank you!!
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Thanks Stacey!
amazing
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