Why You’ll Love Them
They are easy to make. Just toss the ingredients into a blender, and blend until the batter looks smooth. You can pour it from the blender pitcher directly into a greased muffin pan, so there is no extra bowl to clean! They taste amazing. These muffins are lightly sweetened with honey, so they have a sweet flavor without tasting like spinach. You can add in a few mini chocolate chips to make them a more appealing snack, if you like! They are allergy friendly. Instead of using flour, these muffins are made with whole grain oats, which are naturally gluten-free. (Make sure you buy certified gluten-free oats, if you need this recipe to be gluten-free, though, to avoid any cross-contamination during processing.) This recipe is also dairy-free and oil-free. They are easy to customize. If you want to use a different nut butter, like almond butter or even sunflower seed butter, feel free! You can also make these vegan using the substitution tips below. They are great for kids. When you call these “hulk muffins” or “Ninja Turtle Muffins” these green colored muffins become a fun treat, especially for toddlers. My son always felt like he got “turtle power” every time he ate one, so the color green never was off-putting. Safety Note: If you are using these muffins for baby-led weaning, and your child is under 1 year old, you might want to use maple syrup as the sweetener, since honey is not recommended for children under 1 year old.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Using fresh baby spinach will give you the best neutral flavor, as frozen spinach is often cooked prior to freezing and tastes more concentrated. (If you need to use frozen, use less than this recipe calls for.) You can boost the natural sweetness of these muffins by using a ripe banana, with lots of brown spots on its skin. If you don’t have bananas on hand, you can use unsweetened applesauce, instead.
How to Make Sweet Spinach Muffins
- Blend. In a high-speed blender, combine the eggs, peanut butter, banana, spinach, rolled oats, honey, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Blend until the mixture is very smooth, with no large pieces of spinach remaining. Stop and scrape down the sides of the blender, as needed, to keep everything blending smoothly.
- Bake. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin tin with coconut oil or olive oil, or line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin liners. Pour the batter into the muffin cups, and add any toppings you like, such as chocolate chips. Bake the muffins in an oven preheated to 350ºF for 20 to 25 minutes. (Mini muffins should be done in 20 minutes; larger muffins will need 25 minutes.)
- Enjoy!
Once the muffins feel firm to the touch in the center, remove them from the oven and let them cool in the pan. If you didn’t line the pan, run a knife around the edges of each muffin to help loosen them from the pan, then lift them out.
Serve these spinach banana muffins at room temperature once they are cool, or store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also store them in the freezer for up to 3 months, if you’d like to store them longer.
Looking for more kid-friendly snacks? Try Frozen Banana Bites, chewy homemade Granola Bars, or Banana Snack Cake, for a treat with no added sugar.
If you try this spinach muffin recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it!
