These BLW Spinach Chicken Protein Muffins are perfect finger foods for toddlers & babies because they’re rich in protein and iron and easy to eat!
I get asked a lot in my mom and baby family feeding Facebook group – WHAT DO I DO IF MY KID DOESN’T LIKE MEAT? HOW WILL THEY GET ENOUGH IRON AND PROTEIN? I get it. There were days/weeks when E was still a baby where he said HELL to the NO to meat, poultry, or fish. Even though I knew he would easily make it up through his hummus consumption alone, I kinda freaked out. This is why I created this recipe for BLW spinach chicken muffins. Kids love muffins. They love all carbs! So these toddler and baby friendly spinach chicken muffins are a hit every time.
Table of contents
Why This Recipe Works
If you are struggling to serve your baby or toddler meat, but want to ensure they’re getting enough iron and protein, these protein muffins are perfect. They have lots of iron from chicken, spinach, iron-fortified baby cereal, and eggs! A few other reasons why I love these protein muffins is because:
- They are soft to chew
- They help baby practice grasping skills
- They help introduce vegetables in a fun way
- They are easy to prep in large batches
Key Ingredients
Spinach – Spinach is an excellent source of micronutrients including vitamin K, folate, and iron. I love sneaking in spinach to recipes like these protein muffins since it has a pretty neutral flavor while also adding in vital nutrients.
Chicken – Chicken is a great source of lean protein. 1 cup of chicken alone has roughly ~38 grams of protein.
Iron-Fortified Baby Cereal – Did you know that around the 6 month mark, babies’ iron stores are depleted? Which is why I always try to incorporated iron-fortified baby cereal whenever I can, specially baking!
Hemp Hearts – Hemp hearts (aka hemp seeds) are packed with plant-based protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Just like spinach, they have a pretty overall neutral flavor with a delicate crunch, making it easy to incorporate into recipes or use as a topping.
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: To a food processor, add 1 1/2 cups of corn and spinach and process until fairly smooth. Add to a bowl with the remaining corn kernels, butter, eggs, chicken, and 1 cup of cheese.
Step 2: To another bowl, mix the flour, baby cereal, baking powder, flax, hemp hearts, and a pinch of salt. Add the wet to the dry and mix until smooth.
Step 3: Fill the muffin tins with the mixture and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and a sprinkle with additional hemp hearts. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Expert Tips
I mix all the veggies, chicken and cheese together along with some flour, iron fortified baby cereal, and some flax and hemp hearts for healthy fats and bake them into mini muffins in order to make a larger batch. Making them into mini muffins also is easy for baby to grasp and eat.
I strongly suggest using a silicone mini muffin tin for easy removal. You can also totally do this as regular sized muffins but I prefer the minis for easy packing and snacking.
Recipe FAQs
If your little one can’t tolerate dairy and you need to make these dairy-free you could definitely use vegan butter and non-dairy cheese in place of the regular cheese. Otherwise, you can omit the cheese all together (but the protein muffins would be admittedly way less fun).
You can! Just make sure to use gluten-free flour and a gluten-free baby cereal if your infant or toddler can’t tolerate gluten.
You bet! This is so easy! These protein muffins freeze beautifully. I suggest popping them out of the muffin tin and letting them cool, then transferring them to a baking sheet to freeze for 30 minutes. Once frozen, then add them to a freezer bag so they don’t all stick together.
More Recipes You Might Like
Looking for more nutrient-packed BLW recipes? Check out these below:
- TODDLER MEATBALLS WITH HUMMUS (IRON RICH BLW RECIPE)
- SESAME PEANUT NOODLES | BLW ALLERGEN INTRODUCTION
- MINI EGG MUFFINS WITH CHEESE & BROCCOLI (BLW & TODDLER FRIENDLY)
- FRENCH TOAST STICKS FOR BLW (VEGAN)
- CHEESE OMELETTE WITH VEGGIES (TODDLER & BLW RECIPE)
I want to know what some of your strategies are for days when your kiddos aren’t getting a lot of protein! Leave me a comment below with your kids’ favorite high iron and high protein snacks!
BLW Protein Muffins with Chicken and Spinach
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups frozen thawed or fresh corn kernels, divided
- 150 g frozen spinach thawed
- 5 omega 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup iron fortified baby cereal
- 1 3/4 cups cooked chicken meat chopped finely
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups finely grated cheddar cheese divided
- 3 tbsp ground flax
- 3 tbsp hemp hearts plus more for topping
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F and grease 24 mini muffin tins.
- To a food processor, add 1 1/2 cups of corn and spinach and process until fairly smooth. Add to a bowl with the remaining corn kernels, butter, eggs, chicken and 1 cup of cheese.
- To another bowl, mix the flour, baby cereal, baking powder, flax, hemp hearts and a pinch of salt. Add the wet to the dry and mix until smooth.
- Fill the muffin tins with the mixture and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and a sprinkle with additional hemp hearts. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown on top.
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.
Alana says
Can I make these diary free and also without the iron fortified cereal? Thanks!
Abbey Sharp says
Hi Alana, you can make them dairy-free by using dairy-free cheese and butter, but I haven’t tested this recipe without the baby cereal.
Heather L says
Is the serving yield of 24 muffins correct for this recipe? I’ve made these several times and am always able to get 48 mini muffins with enough batter left over to make 3 full size muffins
Abbey Sharp says
It depends on the size of your muffin tin! Mine makes 24
Kira says
@Heather L seconding this, I made the recipe exactly as written and ended up with 48++ mini muffins. At least my baby likes them lol!
Melissa says
These are amazing! My 10 month old loves them! So easy to make a big batch then refrigerate and freeze for the busy week ahead! Thank you
Amanda says
Hi Abbey,
Could I make these without the iron fortified baby cereal? If so, do I need to replace it with something else? Add more flour?
Thanks!
Cate says
I am wondering the same question!
Ashley R Ingram says
Do you cook the chicken before you make these? I would like to use the chicken legs I have for my boy (cook them and pick it apart). Would I just half cook th3 meat then add it?
Abbey Sharp says
Yes the chicken should already be cooked.
Kaity D says
Can these be made as regular sized muffins for toddlers? What would the bake time be do you think?
Abbey Sharp says
Yes they can! You can keep the bake time the same but may need to cook them a little longer.
Marie-Therese Gummer says
Made these muffins this morning for my 1 year old – so good! Another super easy to prepare recipe that my daughter loved. Thanks for sharing this!