These BLW Iron Sweet Potato Muffins are perfect for Toddlers & Infants! These muffins are packed with iron and protein, have no added sugar, and are nut-free, making them perfect for growing kids.
It’s out with fresh berries and in with some fall favourites including sweet potatoes and apples in this house. Baby E usually has me making a double batch of our go-to BLW Cherry Peanut Butter muffins every week, but as the seasons changed, I thought I too would switch things up. These BLW Iron Sweet Potato Apple Baby Muffin are perfect for toddlers & infants who are just learning to eat because they’re SUPER moist, packed with iron and naturally sweet with no added sugar!
Table of contents
Why This Recipe Works
Trust me when I say your little ones will love these sweet potato muffins! They’re so many reasons to make these!
- They’re easy to make.
- Packed with healthy goodness.
- The perfect size for little toddler hands.
- Rich in iron.
- Packed with vitamin A.
- Uses up leftover ingredients like sweet potatoes hanging in the pantry.
Key Ingredients
Iron fortified ancient grains baby cereal — You’re not going to want to skip this ingredient as it’s full of iron and B vitamins. It’s easy to digest and perfect for toddlers!
Mashed sweet potatoes — Sweet potatoes are packed with fibre, minerals, and vitamins. Another healthy ingredient for our sweet potato muffins.
Ground flaxseed – Ground flaxseeds are packed with heart-healthy omega 3s, protein and fibre. Along with the hemp hearts that also adds extra omega 3s, these muffins are packed with goodness.
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine the sweet potato, banana, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter in one bowl.
Step 2: To another bowl, combine the flour, baby cereal, apple, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, flax, and hemp hearts.
Step 3: Add the wet to the dry and mix well.
Step 4: Then transfer to a few mini muffin tins, filling them almost to the top. Sprinkle with additional hemp hearts then bake for 10-13 minutes until firm on top. Allow cooling fully before serving.
Expert Tips
If you don’t have sweet potatoes already cooked (it’s a meal prep staple in my house), you can throw them into the microwave for about 10 minutes until super tender when pricked with a fork.
If you’re going to be making these often, silicone muffin trays are amazing as it makes getting the muffins out so easily.
Recipe FAQs
Simply add the batter into full-sized muffin trays. Just adjust the baking time to about 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Sure! Just use melted plant-based butter instead of butter and you’re good to go!
Yep! Go with gluten-free flour instead of whole wheat flour and make sure the infant cereal you’re using is gluten-free (try rice!).
I use infant baby cereal which is fortified with iron, so it’s a great way to sneak some extra iron in there if your kid isn’t a huge fan of meat or other animal proteins!
Definitely. If you’ve been following my baby led weaning meal plan, and have introduced some of the common allergens like dairy, eggs and wheat, you can absolutely offer these muffins. They’re very soft, and easy to self-feed so they’re the perfect healthy snack for little hands and new eaters.
Yes! Unlike my other baby muffin recipe which has nut butter (which I love for allergy prevention and healthy fats), this one is totally nut-free so you can absolutely send it with your kids to school or daycare!
More Recipes You Might Like
Want more BLW recipes like my sweet potato muffins? Try these ones:
- Lentil Meatloaf Muffins
- Spinach Chicken Muffins
- Broccoli and Cheese Egg Muffins
- Peanut Butter Banana Mini Muffins
Now tell me, what are some of your kiddo’s go-to snacks that are baby led weaning friendly and great for toddlers?
Sweet Potato Muffins with Apple (High Iron BLW recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups mashed sweet potato
- 1 cup mashed ripe banana
- 3 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup iron fortified ancient grains baby cereal
- 1 3/4 cups minced peeled apple
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- One generous pinch salt
- 3 tbsp ground flax
- 3 tbsp hemp hearts plus more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Combine the sweet potato, banana, eggs, vanilla and melted butter in one bowl.
- To another bowl, combine the flour, baby cereal, apple, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, flax and hemp hearts. Add the wet to the dry then transfer to a few mini muffin tins, filling them almost to the top. Sprinkle with additional hemp hearts then bake for 10-13 minutes until firm on top. Allow to cool fully before serving.
Video
Notes
- If you don’t have sweet potatoes already cooked (it’s a meal prep staple in my house), you can throw them into the microwave for about 10 minutes until super tender when pricked with a fork.
- If you’re going to be making these often, silicone muffin trays are amazing as it makes getting the muffins out so easily.
Nutrition
Abbey Sharp is a Registered Dietitian (RD), regulated by the Ontario College of Dietitians. She is a mom, YouTuber, Blogger, award winning cookbook author, media coach specializing in food and nutrition influencers, and a frequent contributor to national publications like Healthline and on national broadcast TV shows.
Meg says
Made these for my 12mo daughter for an easy & healthy snack. Love that the recipe includes flax and hemp hearts. Only change I made from original recipe is that I grated the apple (food processor died) but everything still turned out great! Thanks for the awesome recipe, will be making again.
ALex says
are the hemp hearts and flax seeds essential for the recipe or can they be left out?
Abbey Sharp says
You can leave them out
Emily Hanifen says
Little one loves these!
Catharine says
If I am being incredibly lazy, do you suppose canned pumpkin purée would sub for sweet potato?
Abbey Sharp says
I have never tried it but it should work! Will obviously yield more of a pumpkin-like flavour.
Austin says
Can you substitute anything for the eggs? ACV, Baking soda and flax egg?
Abbey Sharp says
A flax egg should work!
Traci says
Hi! Is the serving size one mini muffin?
Thanks!
Abbey Sharp says
Yes
Darcy says
Can I use unsweetened apple sauce instead of minced apples? Would you change the quantity?
Abbey Sharp says
I wouldn’t recommend as it would change the texture of the muffins. I would usually add apple sauce to replace a liquid or fat in a recipe, but the apples are there to add some texture! I’d recommend adding in a different fruit instead 🙂 hope that helps.
Francine says
Hi
Thanks for the recipe they are delicious
Can I freeze those ?
Abbey Sharp says
Yes definitely!
Brittine says
When it says 1 1/2, does that mean one and a half cups or one half cup?
Abbey Sharp says
One and a half cups
Cindi says
I really wanted to love these muffins. Followed directions and subbed a flax egg and they would NOT bake though. Even for 45+ minutes they were still raw on the inside. Super disappointing. Just an fyi to anyone trying to make these chicken egg free.
Katherine says
Followed it exactly and they were delicious! I found I had to bake mine a little longer than the recipe called for, maybe I filled my mini muffin cups too much? I even used the silicone tray (way easier for clean up)
Abbey Sharp says
Thats awesome! So glad you enjoyed them Katherine. They are definitely a favourite 🙂
Michelle Wallace says
My baby is sensitive to banana so wondered if you could leave out or substitute with something else?
Abbey Sharp says
You can try substituting the banana with 1/2 cup apple sauce instead.
Somer Davis says
Love these for my 11 month year old. Needed something with more iron in it for breakfast. These were perfect with some eggs. How long do these usually stay good for? I put them in the refrigerator to keep theme from going bad quick.
N says
Two questions:
(i) What is the shelf life of these muffins?
(ii) Can I simply halve the portions if I want to reduce the quantity to 24 muffins?
Abbey Sharp says
1) they will be good in the fridge for 4-5 days but i keep them in the freezer for up to 4 months.
2) yes, that should be fine!
Cara says
How many mini muffins does this recipe make? 48?
Abbey Sharp says
Yep 🙂
Vicky says
Can you substitute the wheat flour for another flour like buckwheat? If so would it be the same measurements? Thanks
Abbey Sharp says
i havent tried it personally, but buckwheat is very high fibre so it may be more dry. You may need to add more egg.
Valerie Tait says
My baby loved these, thanks!
Abbey Sharp says
So glad! Thanks Valerie 🙂
April says
Could I substitute oats for the whole wheat flour? If so, what ratio would you recommend? And would you recommend increasing the baking powder?
Abbey Sharp says
You could make the oats into oat flour and use that! I would probably just keep the baking powder the same, they’re moist dense muffins so they’re easy for baby to eat, anyway.
Michelle Ellich says
Has anyone tried without the baby cereal?
Calvina says
Is it one tablespoon vanilla or just one teaspoon? Thanks!
Abbey Sharp says
One tablespoon
Lesley says
Can coconut oil replace the butter?
Abbey Sharp says
Yup!
Sara says
What would you use instead of baby cereal, for older kids? Kinda past the stage of buying baby cereal but these are a favourite in our house. Maybe ground oats, or almond flour?
Abbey Sharp says
Ground oats or almond flour can totally work!
laura says
can you suggest a substitute for the 1 cup iron fortified ancient grains baby cereal? thanks so much!
Abbey Sharp says
If you’re not looking for something high iron, you could blend oats (but I would add them to a food processor to make more of a flour texture).
Stephanie McKercher says
This is such a great idea for packing in more nutrients! I’d eat them as an adult, too!
Abbey Sharp says
Totally. Thanks love