Carrot & Apple Muffin For Baby-led Weaning (dairy-free)

Why I Love This Carrot & Apple Muffin for Baby-led Weaning 

These apple and carrot muffins for baby are very simple to make and packed with tons of flavor. 

The natural sweetness from the apple and carrots makes it a great muffin for baby-led weaning.

The best part is that these baby muffins are dairy-free, made with no sugar, and very simple ingredients.

Muffins have been my go-to for lunch since I started my second child on solids. As a mom of a very active toddler and an infant, it’s very hard for me to find time to make complicated recipes.

Whenever I need to feed my kids, I’ll create a new muffin combination with some of the fruits and veggies I have lying around.

Today I had a bunch of carrots and apples in my fridge so that’s the muffin I made.

What Age Baby Is this Carrot & Apple Muffin For?

This apple & carrot muffin can be made for babies as young as 6 months old. 

Toddlers can also enjoy this meal as well. My toddler is currently 2 and he loves these muffins.

Looking for other baby-led weaning lunch recipes? Try these!

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Important Recipe Notes

To make this apple & carrot muffin, I used half whole wheat flour and half white flour. 

I find that using a combination like that helps the ingredients to stick together better.

You can choose to use all whole wheat flour to make this. It may be more crumbly than usual because whole wheat flour tends to not stick together as much. 

If you don’t like whole wheat flour, then use white flour for the recipe. It’ll turn out just fine. 

I only use whole wheat because it’s been proven to have more health benefits for babies and toddlers.

Why Carrots Are Good for Babies and Toddlers

Carrots are great to add to meals for babies and toddlers because they have a lot of good health benefits.

They contain vitamin A and Beta-carotene which are essential for the proper functioning of the eyes. 

So you can rest assured that your child is getting a lot of nutrients with these apple and carrot muffins.

Are Apples Good for Babies and Toddlers?

Apples have many benefits for babies and toddlers. They contain vitamin C which helps build the immune system. 

They also contain antioxidants that help remove cancer-causing toxins from the body. Besides that, apples have a lot of fiber which will help children move their bowels (source).

How to prepare Carrots and Apples for baby-led weaning

There are many ways to make carrots and apples for your baby. Here are some of the ways I’ve used them in the past.

Boil or steam them for baby

You don’t need to do anything special to get your baby to enjoy some carrots and apples. You can simply boil or steam them and offer them directly to your baby. 

My 6 months old loves eating boiled apples. The natural sugar really comes out once it’s been cooked. I also serve him steamed carrots as spares as well.

Bake them into other things 

Baking carrots and apples are one of the best ways to feed them to babies. 

You can bake them into muffins, make a no-sugar cake with them, or even make fritters with them.

The possibilities are endless.

Incorporate them into pancakes 

My favorite way to introduce new things to my youngest who’s going through baby-led weaning is to make pancakes with them.

I’ve incorporated carrots and apples into pancakes in the past, and he absolutely loved them. 

Ingredients for Baby-led Weaning Carrot & Apple Muffins

Makes 9 muffins 

• 2 cups flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp of cinnamon
• 1 cup of oil (vegetable oil)
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups of carrots (grated)
• 1 apple (peeled and grated)

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Whole wheat flour 

Cooking Directions For Carrot & Apple Muffins For Baby

• Set the oven to 375°
• Combine wet ingredients (In a bowl, combine the eggs, oil, grated carrots, and grated apple together)
• Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl (mixed together the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon)
• Combine both wet and dry ingredients together and mix thoroughly (do not overmix)
• Grease your muffin pan (I use Baker’s Joy which is made with flour and oil to prevent your food from ever sticking to the pan)
• Pour the mixture into the muffin pan (don’t overfill it because it will rise)
• Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

Combine all the dry ingredients together

Combine the wet ingredients together

Combine both the wet and dry ingredients together

Scoop mixture into a greased muffin pan

FAQs about carrots & apples for babies and toddlers

How do I prepare apples for my baby?

There are many ways to prepare apples for your baby. You can grate them and feed them directly to your baby. 

You can also boil them until they’re soft enough to feed to your baby. 

Other options for feeding apples to your baby include baking them into muffins, pancakes, and fritters.

What apples are good for 6 months old?

There are many types of apples that are good to feed a baby. My favorites are red delicious, Gala, and Honeycrisps. These are sweeter than most other types, so your baby will be most happy to eat them.

Do apples give babies energy?

Apples give babies lots of energy because they contain carbohydrates and naturally occurring sugars. If you’re looking to boost your baby’s energy level, then giving them apples may help you achieve that.

Can I give raw apples to my baby?

How old your baby is will determine how you feed them apples. Babies between 6-9 months old can have raw apples that are finely grated with a cheese grater. The grated pieces should be soft enough for you to squish between your fingers.

Raw apples pose a choking hazard to younger babies who haven’t developed the ability to chew food effectively. So make sure you don’t serve raw whole apples.

Raw apples can easily break and cause choking in a baby. So to avoid that, it’s best to incorporate apples into other foods like muffins, pancakes, etc. 

You can also offer babies between 6-9 months cooked apples cut in half. Cooked apples are soft enough for a baby to eat without choking.

At around 9 – 12 months old, you can begin offering very thin slices of raw apples cut in a semi-circle shape if you think your child is ready to eat them. You can also continue to offer whole-cooked apples if you’re not comfortable yet.

At 12-18 months, you can start offering raw whole apples for your baby to practice biting and chewing. Always stay nearby to supervise in case something goes wrong. 

Should you peel apples for babies?

Babies who are just beginning baby-led weaning should be given peeled apples. This is because the skin is very tough to chew and could discourage them from attempting to eat it. 

When they get old enough (around 12-18 months old, you can offer them whole apples with the skin still on). They’ll be better able to chew then.

How to serve carrot & apple muffins to babies ages 6 – 9 months old

To serve this carrot and apple muffin for 6-9 months olds, cut it in half and offer it that way. Cutting it in half will allow your baby to easily pick it up and feed themselves. 

How to serve carrots & apple muffins to babies ages 10 – 12 months

You can cut the apple and carrot muffin into small chunks for your baby around 10-12 months old. At this age, they’ll be able to pick up small pieces of food independently.

You may also like – 3-Ingredient Healthy Apple Fritters For Babies (Dairy-Free)

Storage Tips for Apple & Carrots Muffins

This apple and carrot muffin can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them for later use. To defrost, leave them in the fridge overnight until they’re completely defrosted, then heat them back up in the oven for about 10 mins at 375 degrees.

Did you make this baby-led weaning recipe? 

Let me know in the comments how it turned out!