Veggie Muffins
Soft, cheesy veggie muffins packed with colourful vegetables—perfect for toddlers, lunchboxes, and baby led weaning.
Servings: 12 muffins
Calories: 179kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups plain flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt (omit if making for young children)
- ½ cup corn kernels (canned or frozen)
- 1 cup grated cheese (tasty cheddar is my favorite)
- ½ cup cauliflower rice
- ½ red capsicum (finely diced)
- 1 handful spinach leaves (finely chopped)
- ¾ cup milk
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 medium eggs
Instructions
- Prep your oven: Preheat to 180°C (350°F). Grease or line a 12-hole muffin tin.
- Mix the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the mix-ins: Stir in the grated cheese, corn, diced capsicum, cauliflower and spinach.
- Combine wet ingredients: In a separate bowl or jug, whisk together the eggs, milk, and oil.
- Combine and mix: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined. Don’t overmix.
- Spoon and bake: Divide into muffin tins and bake for 20–25 minutes or until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
- Cool and store: Let cool on a rack. Store in the fridge for 3–4 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Video
Notes
- Don’t overmix: Stir until just combined. Overmixing can make muffins tough.
- Customise: Swap in your child’s favourite veggies—grated carrot, zucchini, or peas all work well.
- Check doneness: Every oven is different—look for golden tops and a clean skewer.
- Freezer tip: Cool completely, then freeze individually. Reheat in the microwave or lunchbox.
- Plain flour: Standard all-purpose flour works well. You can swap half for wholemeal flour if you’d like a fibre boost. If you are using whole wheat or wholemeal flour you may find you need a little extra milk to get the right muffin batter consistency.
- Baking powder: Helps keep the muffins light and fluffy. You can use baking soda if you prefer, you will need much less, ¼ teaspoon baking soda is equivalent to 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
- Salt: Skip this if making for babies or young toddlers—cheese adds plenty of flavour on its own.
- Corn kernels: Use canned (drained), frozen, or fresh. If using for babies under 12 months, squash larger kernels to reduce choking risk.
- Cheese: Tasty cheddar is my favourite, but Colby or mozzarella also work. For dairy-free, try a vegan shredded cheese alternative.
- Cauliflower rice: A mild veggie addition—use fresh or frozen. If you don’t have any, swap for grated zucchini or carrot. You can either blitz your own cauliflower at home, or frozen cauliflower rice can be found at most supermarkets and is very handy!
- Red capsicum (bell pepper): Adds sweetness and colour. You could use grated carrot if preferred.
- Spinach: Finely chopped fresh spinach works well, or substitute with frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed dry).
- Milk: Use regular cow’s milk or a fortified plant-based milk for dairy-free.
- Olive oil: Can be swapped for melted butter or another neutral oil.
- Eggs: Bind the muffins together. For egg-free, you could experiment with a flax or chia “egg” (though I haven’t tested this).
Nutrition
Serving: 1Muffin | Calories: 179kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 264mg | Potassium: 117mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 556IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 136mg | Iron: 1mg