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Soft Spinach Banana Oat Mini Muffins 🌱🍌
Soft green mini muffins made with ripe banana, spinach and blended oats. Naturally sweet from banana and easy to hold as a little snack.
Overripe bananas provide the sweetness, while blending the oats and spinach creates a smooth batter and soft muffin texture.
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups old-fashioned rolled oats (About 100g)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon (about 1.3 g)
- 1 tsp baking powder (about 4 g)
- ¼ tsp baking soda (about 1.2 g)
- ¼ tsp salt, optional (about 1.5 g fine table salt)
- 1 packed cup spinach (About 30g)
- 2 large overripe bananas
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup milk (60ml)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract (2.5 mL)
- 2 tbsp mild-tasting oil (30ml)
Metric conversions may vary slightly depending on the brand.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Blend the rolled oats until they form a fine oat flour.
- Transfer the oat flour to a bowl and combine it with the cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and optional salt.
- Add the milk, spinach, vanilla extract, oil, egg and overripe bananas to a blender.
- Blend until the mixture is smooth and the spinach is fully incorporated.
- Pour the spinach mixture over the dry ingredients.
- Stir until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Divide the batter between the cups of a mini muffin pan.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Baby Serving Guide
9 months+: Serve the mini muffin soft and fully cooled to a safe temperature.
Check that it is moist and easy to squash between your fingers before offering it.
Offer a whole mini muffin if your baby comfortably manages soft finger foods, or break it into manageable pieces according to their self-feeding skills.
Baby-Friendly Tips
- Salt: Salt is part of the original recipe but the source specifically states that it is optional and may be omitted. For babies, you may leave it out.
- Bananas: Use very ripe bananas with plenty of brown spots for natural sweetness.
- Texture: Blend the spinach mixture thoroughly so there are no large spinach pieces in the finished muffin.
- Egg: Egg is a common allergen.
- Milk: Dairy milk is a common allergen if dairy milk is used.
- Oats: If gluten avoidance is required, use certified gluten-free rolled oats.
- Always serve baby seated upright and under close adult supervision.
Recipe Tips
- A blender is important so the spinach can be fully incorporated into a smooth batter.
- Use very ripe bananas for the sweetest natural flavor.
- If using a regular mini muffin pan instead of silicone, grease it before adding the batter.
- For full-size muffins, bake for approximately 20–25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Storage
- Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
- Fridge: Store for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Microwave for 20–30 seconds or until warmed through, then allow to cool to a baby-safe temperature.
Nutrition Information
View estimated nutritional values
Estimated for the entire recipe (all 24 mini muffins combined, excluding optional salt and extra pan-greasing oil)
Calories: ~1,000 kcal | Carbohydrates: ~135 g | Protein: ~29 g | Fat: ~42 g | Fiber: ~19 g | Sugar: ~38 g | Vitamin A: ~260 µg RAE | Vitamin C: ~32 mg* | Calcium: ~290 mg** | Iron: ~7 mg
These estimates are for the entire batch of 24 mini muffins, not for one individual muffin.
The calculation assumes 1¼ cups old-fashioned rolled oats (about 100g), 1 packed cup spinach (about 30g), 2 large peeled bananas (approximately 272g in total), 1 large egg, ¼ cup (60ml) whole dairy milk, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp vanilla extract, and 2 tbsp (30ml) mild-tasting oil.
The original ¼ tsp salt is optional and is excluded from these estimates. If included, it substantially increases sodium without meaningfully changing the nutrients listed above. Omitting added salt is preferable for babies.
The two bananas are measured by count in the original recipe. Their weight is assumed only for nutrition estimation. Banana size, milk type, oat brand and oil choice may change the final values.
Any additional oil used to grease a muffin tin is excluded, because its amount is unspecified. The listed 2 tbsp of oil in the batter are included.
The sugar estimate includes naturally occurring sugars from bananas and milk. No sugar is separately added.
*Vitamin C is estimated from uncooked ingredients and may decrease during baking. Vitamin A is expressed as micrograms of retinol activity equivalents (RAE). **Calcium varies with milk type and baking powder formulation.
These are approximate ingredient-based estimates, not laboratory measurements.