Muffins
Homemade, soft and sweetened with fruit. Easy to hold, easy to batch-bake.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat muffins from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve muffins by age
6 months+
Soft homemade muffin strips
Bake plain muffins at home with no sugar, honey or salt: mashed ripe banana or unsweetened applesauce adds sweetness. Bake them all the way through, let them cool, and cut them into strips. Trim off any crisp top or edges. Offer muffins once your baby has had egg, dairy (such as plain full-fat yogurt) and wheat on their own. Shop-bought muffins are high in sugar, so they wait until after age 4 (see below).
- Size
- Strips about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
- Check before serving
- Tear a strip open: there should be no wet batter inside. It should squash easily between your thumb and finger, with no crunchy edges.
US and UK advice differ here. The AAP suggests mashed food or soft pieces no larger than ½ inch; the NHS suggests soft finger-sized pieces your baby can hold in their fist. Both agree the food must squash easily.
9 months+
Small soft pieces or strips
Cut soft homemade muffins into small pieces for pincer-grasp practice, or keep serving strips. Add-ins need care: squash blueberries flat before baking, chop soaked dried fruit finely, and use only finely ground nuts or seeds, never pieces.
- Size
- Pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Each piece should be cooked through and squash easily between your thumb and finger, with no whole berries or hard bits inside.
12 months+
Homemade mini muffins, cut up
Keep baking muffins at home without sugar, honey or syrup: honey is safe from 12 months, but it's an added sugar, and US and UK advice is to avoid added sugar up to age 4. Mini muffins are handy, but cut them into strips or pieces rather than handing over a whole one. Shop-bought and bakery muffins still wait for the same reason.
- Size
- Narrow strips, or bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Check the middle is cooked through and any fruit inside is soft and squashed.
18 months+
Family muffins, made without sugar
Bake family muffins sweetened with fruit, such as banana, apple, pumpkin or squashed berries, and cut your toddler's into strips or pieces. Skip chocolate chips, sugar toppings and nut pieces. Have your toddler sit down to eat, not walk around with a muffin.
- Size
- Narrow strips, or bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Check for crisp tops, whole berries and nut pieces before serving.
Always have your child sit upright in a high chair or at the table, and stay with them the whole time they eat. Keep to the size and texture for their stage. Every baby develops on their own timeline.
How to prepare muffins
- 1
Mix flour, egg, milk, a little oil or melted butter and mashed ripe banana or unsweetened applesauce. Cows' milk is fine in cooking from around 6 months (see the US vs. UK note below). Leave out sugar, honey and salt, and use only as much baking powder as the recipe needs.
- 2
Squash any blueberries flat before you stir them in. Use finely ground nuts or seeds only, never pieces.
- 3
Bake until a muffin is set all the way through, with no wet batter in the middle: egg dishes should reach 160°F (71°C). Let them cool, then cut them into strips or pieces and trim crisp edges.
- 4
Offer muffins only once your baby has had egg, dairy (such as plain yogurt) and wheat on their own. First time? Pick a day your baby is well, at home, when you can watch them for a couple of hours afterward.
How much to offer
For the first taste, offer one or two strips. If there's no reaction, offer more next time. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Once egg, milk and wheat are in your baby's diet, keep offering them regularly.
Common mistakes
Giving shop-bought or bakery muffins
Plain shop-style muffins have about 27 g of sugars per 100 g, above the NHS 'high sugar' level of 22.5 g, and much of it is added sugar. The CDC names muffins among foods with added sugars that infants and young children should not have, and US and UK advice is to avoid added sugar for children aged 4 and under. Bake your own, sweetened with fruit.
Making muffins the first taste of egg, milk or wheat
Muffins contain three common allergens. Offer each on its own first, one at a time, so you know what caused any reaction: for milk, plain full-fat yogurt works well.
Whole blueberries, nut pieces or raisins
The CDC lists uncut berries, whole or chopped nuts and seeds, and uncooked dried fruit such as raisins as choking hazards for young children. Squash berries flat, chop soaked dried fruit finely, and use only finely ground nuts.
Honey or syrup in the batter
No honey, or foods made with it, before 12 months: honey can cause infant botulism, even when baked in (CDC). After that, honey and syrup are still added sugars. Check the label on any shop-bought muffin or mix too.
Where US and UK guidance differ on muffins
United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting
Bake muffins until set all the way through, with no wet batter: the CDC says egg dishes with no meat should reach 160°F (71°C), and it lists raw batter and undercooked egg as riskier choices for children under 5. The CDC says not to give cow's milk before 12 months. If you follow US advice, use breast milk or formula instead.
United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting
The NHS says hens' eggs with the British Lion stamp (a red lion) can be eaten lightly cooked; other eggs should be cooked until the white and yolk are solid. For babies, we suggest baking muffins until set all the way through, so they hold together as a soft strip. The NHS says cows' milk can be used in cooking or mixed with food from around 6 months, but shouldn't be given as a main drink until 1 year.
We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.
Questions parents ask
Can muffins be a choking hazard for babies?
Soft homemade muffins are easy to manage, but crisp tops, whole blueberries, nut pieces and dried fruit can be choking hazards, and the CDC advises avoiding small, sticky or hard foods that are difficult to chew and swallow. Trim crisp edges, squash berries flat, use only ground nuts, and cut muffins into strips or small pieces instead of giving a whole one. Have your child sit down to eat, and stay with your child during meals.
Can babies be allergic to muffins?
Muffins usually contain three common allergens: wheat (with gluten) in the flour, egg and cows' milk. Foods that can trigger allergy can be introduced from around 6 months. Introduce each one on its own first, one at a time and in small amounts, so you can spot a reaction. Most reactions start within a few minutes to 2 hours, but cows' milk allergy can take up to 3 days to show. Add-ins can bring other allergens, such as ground nuts, seeds or soy, so introduce those on their own first and check the label on any shop-bought muffin.
Are muffins healthy for babies?
Muffins provide carbohydrate for energy and a little protein. Shop-style plain muffins have about 27 g of sugars, 2.3 mg of iron and 358 mg of sodium (about 0.9 g of salt) per 100 g. FoodData Central gives total sugars, not added sugars. The CDC names muffins among foods that can have added sugars and says to check the Nutrition Facts label, which lists added sugars in the US.
When can babies eat muffins?
Homemade muffins with no sugar, honey or salt can be offered from around 6 months, once your baby has had egg, dairy (such as plain yogurt) and wheat on their own without a reaction. Cook them through and cut them into finger-sized strips.
Can toddlers eat shop-bought muffins?
It's best to wait until after age 4. Plain shop-style muffins have about 27 g of sugars per 100 g, and the US Dietary Guidelines and the NHS both say to avoid added sugar for children aged 4 and under. Homemade muffins sweetened with banana, apple or pumpkin are a good swap.
How do I sweeten baby muffins without sugar?
Use mashed ripe banana, unsweetened applesauce, cooked mashed pumpkin or squashed soft fruit. Eating fruit is fine. It's added sugar, including honey and syrup, that US and UK advice says to avoid up to age 4.
Can I freeze homemade muffins?
Yes. Muffins made with egg can be frozen for 2 to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge and use them within 24 hours of thawing. If you warm them, reheat only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let them cool and check they're still soft before serving.
If your baby refuses muffins
- Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
- Try a different fruit in the batter, such as banana, apple or pumpkin.
- Try another shape: strips, small pieces or mini muffins cut up.
- Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.
Never force or pressure your baby to eat. Some days they'll eat more, some days less, and that's normal.
Buying and storing muffins
- Cooled homemade muffins keep for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge.
- Muffins made with egg can be frozen for 2 to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge and use them within 24 hours of thawing. If you warm them, reheat only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let them cool before serving.
- Throw away any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F / 32°C).
When to talk to your doctor
Contact your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if:
- Your baby has had any reaction to egg, milk or wheat, even a mild one. Stop offering muffins until you've talked to your pediatrician.
- Your baby vomits a few hours after eating a food made with milk, such as muffins. This can be FPIES, a delayed type of food allergy that milk can trigger. If they vomited once or twice and seem alert and like themselves, call your pediatrician or GP. If they vomit again and again, or are pale, floppy, very sleepy or hard to wake, call your emergency number.
- You notice mild signs of an allergic reaction after eating, such as a few hives or a little vomiting. See signs of a reaction.
- You're worried about how much your baby eats, their growth, or they refuse most solid food for weeks.
Call 911999your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) now if your baby has trouble breathing, wheezing, can't cough or cry, has lips, mouth, tongue or throat that suddenly swell, or becomes pale, bluish, floppy or unresponsive. Also call if hives come with repeated vomiting.
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Recipes with muffins
Helpful guides
Sources
- NHS: Food allergies in babies and young children
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- NHS: Your baby's first solid foods
- NHS: Food labels
- HHS: Fact sheet on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030
- CDC: Foods and drinks to avoid or limit
- CDC: Choking hazards
- CDC: Botulism prevention
- CDC: Cow's milk and milk alternatives
- CDC: Safer food choices for children under 5
- ACAAI: Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES)
- USDA FoodData Central: Muffin, plain
- NHS Best Start in Life: Storing and reheating food
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
More first foods
Free printable: The First 100 Foods checklist
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