Coconut Baby Banana Muffins (no added sugar and BLW friendly)
This is going to be your baby's favorite BLW muffin. It's a coconut banana baby muffin with multiple food sources of iron and fat--the nutrients that help babies thrive! These muffins are bound to be a hit with your little eater and better yet, it's freezer friendly which is a life saver when you're a busy parent.
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This post was written in paid partnership with Manitoba Egg Farmers. As always, all opinions are our own.
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"I have been baking these frequently since Nov 2020 for my now 17 month old. He loves to eat them, and so do I. I have taken them to work for my afternoon snack too. Thanks HHE!" - Gaj
Muffins can almost always be included on your mental list of "foods my baby will eat". Am I right? Right! We've created a few baby muffin recipes in our ebook, Whole Food Recipes for Your Baby, and they've been a hit for so many of you. So, we set off in our kitchens to create more recipes that you, your baby, and even your toddler can enjoy.
While we were scheming up the perfect baby banana muffin recipe, we wanted to achieve a few things:
First, to prepare a recipe that was going to be nutrient dense with iron and healthy fats.
Secondly, ensure it was yummy without the use of refined sugar since this isn't recommended for children under age 2..
Lastly, safety. We wanted this recipe to be safe for a little eater who is starting out at 6 months or even an 8 month old baby who is embarking on their transition to finger foods.
Mama nation…We. Did. It.
Welcome to a baby banana muffin that's:
- Designed to meet your growing baby's nutritional needs (nod to our dear friends, iron and fat)
- Crumbly and dissolvable so that it doesn't gum up in baby's mouth
- Loved by ALL ages! The adults and children in our families all adore this muffin!
- Great for when you're traveling, on a road-trip, camping or flying with your baby!
Why this recipe works
🍌 No added sugar, naturally sweet
🥣 Uses iron fortified baby cereal as a unique ingredient
🥥 Great texture thanks to shredded coconut for BLW
🙌 Freezer friendly
👶 Baby friendly from 6 months
SUMMARIZE AND SAVE THIS CONTENT ON:
Jump to:
- Why this recipe works
- Key ingredients
- Allergen information & substitutions
- Eggs contain a lot of nutrition
- Purchasing eggs means big time local love
- How to make this coconut banana BLW recipe
- How to serve THIS RECIPE at each baby & toddler stage
- Recipe FAQ
- Other recommended X recipes
- A few more noteworthy considerations about this baby banana muffin
- Coconut Baby Banana Muffins
Key ingredients
Eggs: this recipe uses 3 eggs, which is a part of the reason these muffins are perfectly airy and loaded with brain boosting nutrients.
All purpose flour: we're all purpose flour for this recipe. A gluten free flour would also work just great.
Iron fortified baby cereal: if you know us, we're fond of using iron fortified baby cereal as an ingredient to boost the iron content of meals. For this, we're using baby oat cereal.
Bananas: the quintessential baby food, banana! We're using this to help bring moisture to the muffin and offer a natural sweetness.
Canola oil: you can use any oil you'd like but we use canola oil because it's healthy, neutral tasting and Canadian!
Shredded coconut: the secret ingredient that offers additional fat, flavor and a crumbly texture making it safe for BLW. We're using unsweetened finely shredded coconut for this.
Oats: you can use either rolled or quick cooking oats.
Allergen information & substitutions
These banana coconut muffins contain two of the top priority allergens in Canada and the USA: wheat and eggs. You can substitute the wheat for a wheat free flour that works for your family. As for the eggs, that will be difficult since this recipe contains 3 however you may have an egg replacement that works for you! Finally, your baby cereal may contain a potential allergen depending on what you use.
For the most recent step-by-step recommendations for introducing food allergens to infants, visit our video lesson in Start Solids Confidently, your go-to resource for feeding babies.
Eggs contain a lot of nutrition
After multiple attempts and kitchen testing, we agreed that three eggs would be perfect - this allowed us to produce a muffin that offers loads of nutrition!
- Fat: required for your baby's rapid growth and development
- Protein: important for building and repairing muscles, organs and other body tissues. Protein is also a building block for hormones, enzymes, and antibodies
- Iron: a critical nutrient that helps carry oxygen to all your baby's cell; between 7 and 12 months, your baby's iron needs are especially high
- Choline: plays a vital role in cognitive development and processes that help your baby's body produce and repair DNA
- Vitamin B12: helps to keep the body's nerve and blood cells healthy
If eggs are your jam then you won't want to miss this silky smooth baby banana custard which is perfect for new eaters. Or, these BLW tahini oat bars--don't ask how, but we got 8 eggs into this recipe! And because we can't help but brag, we used the goodness of eggs when we dreamed up our apple mug cake recipe for babies and young toddlers!
Purchasing eggs means big time local love
If you live where we do, smack in the middle of Canada in a city affectionately known as Winterpeg aka Winnipeg, Manitoba, then it's soooooo important for you to know this: the eggs you typically purchase at your local grocery store are likely supplied by an egg farmer who isn't too far away. Eggs found on the shelves in Manitoba are produced in Manitoba. We definitely think that's special. After all, farmers feed the world!
Eggs are a staple food for many families, and certainly for families with a young baby, eggs are an economical way for you to offer your baby a host of nutrients!
How to make this coconut banana BLW recipe
The full recipe is below, but here are a few key steps to visualize the process.
- Combine the bananas, oil, eggs, and vanilla with a fork
2. In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, infant cereal, quick oats, coconut, baking soda, and cinnamon.
3. Combine wet and dry ingredients together.
4. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups, filling each cup about two-thirds full.
5. Bake muffins for 20 minutes (for mini muffins, longer for full size muffins), or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. .
6. Cool, and serve to your baby!
How to serve THIS RECIPE at each baby & toddler stage
6-9 months: offer the muffin as is if it's the mini size. Or, you can slice a larger muffin in half and offer it this way. Since this is a BLW recipe, your baby will self feeding. However, you can also crumble the muffin into a slotted spoon and then your baby can eat it this way!
9-12 months+ : By this stage, your baby should be tolerating soft finger foods. You can continue to offer the muffin whole, or sliced into bite sized pieces they can pick up with their pincer grasp.
For the rest of the family: Follow the recipe exactly as suggested! Parents and big kids love these muffins, especially when warm!
Recipe FAQ
Substituting flour for fortified infant cereal is a great way to boost the iron content of baking recipes for your baby. You'll notice this is included on our ingredient list. We're the type of Dietitians that are all over infant cereal. Moreover, we encourage you to use it in fun ways like baking, adding it as a thickener to soups or adding some to baby friendly smoothies (yes, that's a thing!).
First of all...we're sorry, allergies aren't fun! While we haven't tested an egg-free version of these muffins, you can trial one of these egg replacements to see if it works for you!
Since coconut contains the word "nut" it is often thought of being a top priority allergen. The good news? It's not! Technically, it's a fruit. However, some folks (though rare) are allergic to coconut.
Look for the unsweetened kind whenever possible--you'll typically find it in the baking section of your local grocery store.
If you tried this coconut banana muffin recipe or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
A few more noteworthy considerations about this baby banana muffin
We know…we get excited about our new recipes. But we just can't help but gush! It was really important for us to create a muffin recipe that was sweet tasting without the addition of refined sugar or other syrups. If you've been through our Start Solids Confidently e-course, you'll know that we discourage these sweets until your kiddo is closer to age two.
So, what's a mom to do? Rely on naturally sweet fruits and vegetables! In this case, we use the powerful properties of ripe bananas and cinnamon to enhance the sweetness.
Lastly, shredded coconut…make sure you don't skip out on this ingredient. The coconut not only enhances the fat content of the muffin but it also helps contribute to the exact texture we were after!
Thanks again to Manitoba Egg Farmers for partnering with us to bring you this recipe!
Coconut Baby Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup packed mashed ripe bananas about 3 bananas
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup white or whole wheat flour
- 1 cup iron fortified infant oat cereal
- ⅓ cup quick cooking oats
- ⅓ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius).
- Grease mini muffin tin or insert paper cups.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine the bananas, oil, eggs, and vanilla with a fork.
- In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, infant cereal, quick oats, coconut, baking soda, and cinnamon. Create a well with these ingredients.
- In the well, add in wet ingredients. Combine everything without over mixing.
- Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups, filling each cup about two-thirds full.
- Bake muffins for 20 minutes (for mini muffins, longer for full size muffins), or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. Err on the side of over baked as you want to ensure the crumb is crumbly, not gummy, for your baby.
- Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool.
- The muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. They keep well in the freezer in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
I made this recipe for my 7.5 month old and he loved them!! My husband and I also enjoyed them! Thank you Jess and Nita.
Yay! We're so happy baby AND the whole family loved them! We try really hard to make baby friendly recipes the whole family will love 🙂
making them today
Can you recommend a sub for the infant cereal in your recipes?
We haven't tried it without the infant cereal ourselves. We included it to give babies that important boost of iron! But you could try replacing it with whole wheat flour.
These were absolutely fantastic and a big hit with everyone in every family. Thank you for the fantastic recipe.
Yay! We always consider it a huge win if the whole family enjoys a recipe designed for baby!
I just made these last night! I noticed on the underrated coconut packaging that it contains sulphites and 5mg sodium per 2 tablespoons. Is this still safe to give to an 8 month old.?
Yes, that's a small amount of sodium 🙂 And sulphites are not in and of themselves harmful. They are a top priority allergen in Canada though so it's important to follow the current allergen introduction recommendations if you can!
I have been baking these frequently since Nov 2020 for my now 17 month old. He loves to eat them, and so do I. I have taken them to work for my afternoon snack too. Thanks HHE!
Awesome! We love making recipes that the whole family can enjoy!
Would it be ok to add natural peanut butter to these? My baby had a reaction to natural peanut butter (after being fine with it) doctor recommended trying it in a baked good that cooked for 20 min or longer - and I like the sound of this recipe
Yes, I think you could add some pb to the recipe!
Any recommendations on an egg substitute that will work for this recipe? We have an egg allergy.
This recipe is quite egg "heavy" so I'm not sure it would work but you could try a flax egg. We have a video here, showing how to make one!
My grocery store had only desiccated rather than shredded unsweetened coconut. Is this safe to use or a choking hazard for my 7 month old? Thank you!
Hi Samantha,
Desiccated coconut is another term for shredded coconut so it should be the same thing. When it gets baked into the muffins, it softens up and just integrates into the muffin (if that makes sense).
What is the nutritional content of the canola oil? Could it be substituted with another kind of oil or is it necessary for the structure of the muffin (the crumbly texture, that is)?
You could substitute with a liquid cooking oil of your choice, such as olive oil. We tested it with coconut oil and that one didn't work!
Could we use old fashioned oats instead of quick cooking?
Definitely!
Any substitute for canola oil?
Sure! You can use any liquid cooking oil you like: olive oil, avocado, etc. Just don't use something hard like coconut oil.
Great recipe, thank you! I keep seeing in resources about starting solids that you can give babies muffins but didn’t want to do that with all the added sugar in most.
And these are still quite naturally sweet with the infant cereal and bananas. Love your account, thanks again!!
Awesome! We love these muffins even as adults! Turns out we didn't need to much added sugar anyhow 🙂
I want to try this but I don’t like using infant cereal. Is that where the iron comes from? Is there a substitute for the infant cereal?
Thanks!
There's also iron in the eggs but yes, the reason we strategically used infant cereal is for the iron content. It's like an iron-boosted flour!
My little one is a picky eater, but she loves the muffins. Can I sneak in some green peas, even bits of shredded chicken just to see if I can trick her into eating it?
We caution against trying to "trick" kids into eating foods as that can erode the trust they have in you. But you can be transparent with her and say "hey, today there are peas in your muffins!"
We caution against trying to trick our kids into eating foods they don't feel safe around yet as that can erode the trust they have in you and further aggravate picky eating. What you can do though is put the peas in the muffins and then say "hey, today there are peas in your muffins!"
Hiii super interested to try this , can I sub canola oil with applesauce?
P.S baby custard and baby pancakes were a biiiiig hit, thanks for the great recipes
Glad your baby is enjoying the recipes! We haven't tried it ourselves but I think applesauce should work. Let us know how it turns out!
thanks for the recipe. they say babies shouldn't eat salt upto 1 year. however how baking soda and baking powder is ok to use ? the Google also says both are not recommended for babies. please clarify that for me please. can I omit the baking soda ?
Hi! Salt (more specifically the sodium in salt) is recommended to be limited in babies up to 12 months but their bodies/kidneys can handle a small amount. The little bit of sodium in the baking soda/baking powder is small enough we feel comfortable offering them to babies.
Absolutely love this recipe! Delicious for both adults and children. This is my second time making them.
Woo hoo! We love them at all ages in our families too! Thanks for sharing.
I just made these with my toddler and we all (baby too) enjoyed them, it's a keeper! the batter was a little bit thick but when baking with my little measurements aren't always perfect. I added a touch of water to loosen with no ill effect. plus some chopped frozen strawberries, yum.
No doubt - baking with littles can yield some interesting results! haha. The strawberries sound like the perfect addition!
A great muffin for the whole family—and I don't even like coconut. I used whole wheat flour which left them a little denser tasting; I'll probably stick with all-purpose next time. My baby gobbled them up and my 6yo had no complaints. I baked regular-sized muffins at 375° at 23 minutes and they were done.
Love your content (and the course). All the recipes have been great.
That's awesome when a coconut recipe converts even a non-coconut fan! Glad your family enjoys the muffins 🙂
These are our households favorite muffins! I love the fluffy texture the baby infant cereal does to them and the fact they have no sugar. We use melted coconut oil and they come out find. Thanks for an amazing recipe.
So happy to hear your household loves these muffins! That's interesting that the coconut oil worked for you - we tested it and it hardened before integrating completely. Do you allow your eggs to come to room temperature before using in the recipe?
Hoping to make these tomorrow but only have infant rice cereal on hand, will that work as well as oat cereal? Thank you!
Yes! Rice cereal would likely work too 🙂
What type of infant cereal do you recommend?
You could likely use any type but we typically use an oat-based for this recipe!
I’ve made these muffins many, many times for my now 3 year-old. Today I subbed out the whole wheat flour and infant cereal for equal parts Kodiak pancake mix. They’re light and delicious with extra protein. Five star recipe 😊
Thanks for sharing your substitution idea! Thrilled to hear that this recipe has become a family favourite!
My baby and I both enjoyed this recipe! Comes together quickly with ingredients I had on hand
We were surprised when we were recipe testing how much we enjoyed the recipe as adults!
Brought some from our freezer stash for a recent camping trip and my baby and I loved them so much I made another batch today with the blackberries we picked. I have made them with oat cereal as well as rice cereal and can’t say I noticed a difference between the two. I really like the texture of these, found they last a lot better than any other banana based muffins I’ve made in the past. Will definitely be making them again. Thanks so much for yet another tasty baby friendly recipe!
Ah! So glad to hear the recipe worked well for you, especially when out and about camping. Isn't everything better when you're in nature?! We hope this is a regular on your rotation!
These muffins turn out great every time, a reliable and tasty recipe! I find the mini muffins bake quickly and therefore can over bake easily, must set a timer. Enjoyed by both my 1 yr old and 3 yr old. I always make sure I have a batch in the freezer to access easily for snack time, the mini size thaw quickly, or take only 10 seconds to thaw in the microwave.
Thanks Sally. So glad to hear that you enjoyed the coconut baby banana muffins, which truly are not just a baby muffin but I muffin for anyone! We love that it doesn't have the added sugar but it's still delicious!
WOW. I followed this recipe exactly. I was skeptical of the three eggs but you definitely need it and it works perfectly. I have since made it in a 9x13 pan and served it to my baby in finger sizes and it was great.
Awesome, love the feedback about baking it in a pan as well! Thank you.
Such a staple in my house. Love that the infant cereal gives that extra iron boost!
LOVE THIS going to try it with my 7 month old!! We can’t wait to try Kiara’s Bhuas (aunt) recipes 💕
Enjoy the recipe!
My 7mo baby enjoys these very much, 10/10. I substituted the canola oil for avocado oil and the texture is still great!
We love it when it's a 10/10! Glad to hear that the avocado oil works well. Thank you!
So glad your baby enjoyed these muffins! It's such a great BLW texture.