Healthy Muffins for Kids

4.98 from 732 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

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.
  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!

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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 732 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. I make these almost every week for my kids and they love them! I love the ingredients and how simple it is to throw together. I use coconut oil and cut the amount in half. I often make half the recipe and bake it in a mini muffin pan. I use a combination of white, whole wheat and sorghum flour, and do use a bit less flour, and end up adding more milk at the end when I mix it altogether and it does seem quite dry. I’ve even omitted the egg and the muffins still come out with the perfect texture. Thank you!

  2. I’m not sure how this recipe got more than 1 star. It’s absolutely impossible to mix in peanut butter and jelly into the batter after they’re in the muffin tin! I had to scoop it all back upturn into the bowl and mix. Plus it needs much more liquid. I would never make again.

    1. Hi Mandy, so sorry these didn’t work out as expected. I appreciate your feedback and am retesting this as we speak to address your concerns.

  3. Tried making this recipe (plain muffins) but was a little let down. I ended up with bread dough instead of batter and decided to make a bread loaf instead of muffins (would have been too painful to scoop everything out and try to spread it in muffin cups). To somewhat salvage the dough, I added an extra splash of milk and mashed in a ripe banana at the end. The loaf took a while to bake but it thankfully turned out alright, though a bit on the blander side (should be nice with some jam). I don’t know – perhaps you could post the ingredients by weight? Perhaps the cup measurements are different? The consistency of the batter was clearly off.

  4. These came out like full on dough, not batter???? Followed the recipe exactly except I made the recommended substitution of baking powder for yogurt (don’t do it)

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