Healthy Muffins for Kids

4.99 from 563 votes

These healthy muffins for kids are great for grab-and-go breakfast, lunchbox or snacks. They're filled w/ wholesome ingredients for a nutritious tasty treat

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These healthy muffins for kids can be made sweet or savory, and are so quick and easy to make. I make this toddler muffins recipe with organic and nutritious ingredients – but it’s not just the kids who love them! Easily made dairy-free and vegan, they’re great for a grab and go breakfast or lunch, or a fun weekend baking project with the kids.

Collage showing the sweet and savory kid friendly muffins

Many mornings, breakfast tends to be grab-and-go for my family. So I love having healthy options like my overnight oats recipe, egg nests or this simple muffin recipe for those hectic weekday mornings. It’s an easy breakfast for kids that you can tweak for your kids depending on their preferences.

Healthy Muffins For Kids

So I’ve been testing different healthy muffin for kids ideas, and this recipe is just perfect! It’s easy to make, uses everyday ingredients and has a simple taste that you can build on with any add-ins. They’re made with wholesome organic ingredients including milk, yogurt and eggs. So there’s plenty of protein and vitamin D to make them the perfect toddler muffins.

Two kids of toddler muffins on plates - savory and sweet kinds

How to make kid friendly muffins

  1. Measure all the dry ingredients in a bowl
  2. Whisk them together with a fork to combine.
  3. In another bowl, measure the wet ingredients.
  4. Whisk those wet ingredients together until they’re well combined.
  5. Now pour the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients.
  6. Stir them together until they’re well combined, but some lumps in the batter are ok!

Next, transfer the batter for these kid friendly muffins into a muffin tin lined with parchment paper cups or silicone cups. And add the toppings on top. I made two kinds in one muffin tin:

  • Savory muffins: shredded zucchini and shredded cheddar cheese
  • Sweet muffins: peanut butter and jelly
Process shots showing the wet ingredients, dry ingredients and then everything getting mixed together

And the end result is a moist, healthy, wholesome kid friendly muffins recipe that is absolutely perfect for breakfast or even snack boxes. I like packing my kids snacks for their after school extra curricular activities, and these are great to include in there! They keep them full, content and feeling satisfied.

Collage of snackbox with savory and sweet kid friendly muffins

Other Optional Add-Ins

For my add-ins I used peanut butter and jelly for a sweet variation and zucchini) and cheese for a savory variation. There are endless ideas though for these healthy muffins, so have your kids pick a combo they like, and here are some ideas to get you going! This is also a great way to use up pantry ingredients you have on hand.

  • Chocolate chips and raisins
  • Pecans and apples
  • Walnuts and cranberries
  • Blueberries and lemon zest
  • Spinach and corn
  • Broccoli and cheese
  • Carrots and raisins
Peanut butter and jelly easy muffin recipe

Tips to make these kid friendly muffins

  1. Don’t over-mix the batter. This is a great tip to keep in mind for this simple muffin recipe. It doesn’t require an electric hand mixer, and doesn’t require too much mixing by hand either. Some lumps in the batter are ok.
  2. Make them dairy-free by swapping the milk and yogurt for plant-based milk and yogurt varieties. You can also remove the yogurt completely and use 1 tablespoon of baking powder in its place.
  3. Switch to a mini muffin tin for toddlers. I love the smaller tins for these easy muffins because they’re more accessible for little hands. Just be sure to decrease the temperature time by 5-10 minutes since they will cook quicker in the mini tins.
  4. Customize with the toppings. The base healthy muffins for kids recipe on its own is very simple and neutral in taste, so I highly recommend adding toppings, ranging from dried fruit to nuts and vegetables.

Frequently asked questions

How do you know when the muffins are done?

The muffins will take around 20 minutes to bake, but start checking them a couple of minutes before the time is up as some ovens can run hotter. Insert a toothpick into the center of the muffin, if it comes out clean, your muffins are done!

How long do the muffins last?

Once the muffins have cooled to room temperature, transfer them to an airtight container and either keep them in the fridge or at room temperature, and they will keep for 5 days. You can also freeze the muffins and let the thaw at room temperature.

Why are these muffins healthy?

These muffins are made with organic ingredients, which means they are less processed with no GMOs. One muffin is around 150 calories and they are low in fat, so they are perfect for a quick and easy breakfast, as part of a lunch or as a mid afternoon snack.

Zucchini and cheese easy muffin recipe on a plate

Make a batch of these toddler muffins, and I promise you, your mornings will get that little bit easier! They are so quick and easy to make, and my kids adore them! It’s a healthy kid friendly muffin recipe that also packs well for snacks or even lunch!

For more kid friendly muffins:

If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Kid Friendly Muffins recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!

Healthy Muffins for Kids

These healthy muffins for kids are great for grab-and-go breakfast, lunchbox or snacks. They're filled w/ wholesome ingredients for a nutritious tasty treat
5 from 563 votes
Servings 12 servings
Calories 210
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 19 minutes
Total Time 34 minutes

Video

Ingredients
  

For the sweet muffins

For the savory muffins

  • grated zucchini 1 teaspoon per muffin
  • shredded cheddar cheese 1 teaspoon per muffin

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a muffin tin with 12 parchment paper liners (or greased paper liners)
  • In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients, including the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together; set aside.
  • In another large bowl, mix the wet ingredients, including the milk, yogurt, oil and egg.
  • Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to mix until just combined. Don’t over mix.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Add the optional mix-ins on top and use a knife, toothpick or small spoon to swirl them into the batter.
  • Bake the muffins in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the muffin liners.

Notes

Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container with a paper towel under them to absorb any moisture. They will last about 4-5 days in the fridge. You can also freeze the muffins for up to 3 months. 
Substitutes: For best results, follow the recipe as is. However here are some common substitutes that would work well in this recipe.
  • Instead of milk and yogurt, you can use any other plant-based milk and yogurt.
  • Instead of peanut butter, you can use any other nut butter or allergy-free butter, like sunflower butter
  • Instead of oil, you can use applesauce.
  • I tested this recipe with a whole wheat white flour, but it will work with any other all purpose flours.
  • To make this gluten-free, use an all-purpose gluten-free flour mix. Do not substitute only almond flour or only coconut flour.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin, Calories: 210kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 16mg, Sodium: 157mg, Potassium: 69mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 45IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 36mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

Cuisine American

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Comments

  1. Really disappointed that these turned out so poorly. Not really sure how these could taste good to anyone so am confused by the high rating. They taste like cardboard, no one in my family will eat them.

    1. So sorry to hear that the muffins didn’t turn out as expected. I’d love to help you troubleshoot! Did you add any mix-ins? The recipe is meant to be a bit of a blank canvas so you can suit them to your taste.

  2. Definitely a very “bland” muffin, BUT that’s the point. It makes it great to then modify for your add ins. Our favorites have been 1tsp lemon oil, zest of a lemon, and poppy seeds, or just straight up chocolate chips. I recently added a glob of strawberry jam and swirled it in.

    I made a few modifications to the base recipe. I added a smidge more sugar (1/4C is 50g and I did 60g), as well as skipping the yogurt and just doing a 1 1/4C “sour milk”, which is simply lemon juice added to the milk.

  3. I am really surprised that 410 people voted for these muffins. This is really bad recipe and I cannot say healthy. The number of people who voted tricked me to make these but I will not make them ever again. I followed the recipe to the smallest detail bit no no no. Really bad.

    1. Hmm, I am sorry to hear that you did not like the muffins. Is there something specific that stood out to you that you felt made them bad?

    1. So sorry to hear that the muffins didn’t turn out as expected. I’d love to help you troubleshoot!

    1. Hi Georgia, great question! I do – but you do not have to make the savory ones with the sugar. Hope your kiddos enjoy!

  4. I have some sour cream leftover from another recipe, would that be an okay substitute for the yogurt? Also if not, baking soda sub for not having yogurt handy, would you do 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon or all together 1 tablespoon?

  5. Hmmm. It has potential but needs more flavor. They turned out tasting and feeling more like a biscuit. I will try the peanut butter ones again and mix the peanut butter in the batter and add more jam at the end. I found it difficult and tedious trying to mix everything in the muffin cups. The zucchini ones had no flavor. They could use some herbs, and at least twice the amount of zucchini and cheese and again I would mix it all together before putting in the muffin cups.

    1. Thank you for your feedback! I tried to keep it as simple as possible for the kids, but it’ll definitely come down to preference, so you can add more flavor accordingly!

      1. I made them for my 2 and 4 year old but sadly they both decided they didn’t like them after one bite 🙁

      2. I have just made these muffins and they turned out perfectly fine. I added about 1/4c of applesauce and did the jam version and we all like them. They’re not overly sweet but we like them like that. While the muffins were in the oven I read the comments so assumed I had just wasted a whole pile of ingredients but, no, they’re yummy.

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