You may have noticed on the blog that pumpkin has been playing such a strong role in all my recipes lately and who can blame me? We are in the midst of prime pumpkin picking season, meaning we have a lot of extra pumpkin puree on our hands after all the carving we have been doing. With it being half term as well, and having both kids at home, I needed to create some healthy weaning muffins, that the four year old could help me with in the kitchen and thus these baby led weaning pumpkin muffins were born!
These yummy, scrummy pumpkin muffins for babies and kids are simple to create – your toddler can do most of the legwork and best of all, they taste great. Your kids won’t be able to get enough of them. They are super moist for weaning babies and can be batch made and stored for up to five days!
Pumpkin for babies
Why offer pumpkin to your baby? You may have enjoyed the delights of pumpkin over the last few years at your local coffee shop, since pumpkin spice lattes became all the rage. But, what are the benefits of offering pumpkin to your baby?
Technically a fruit, pumpkins are planted between May and July and are ready to harvest in October – hence why they are very much associated with Halloween and harvest.
The health benefits of pumpkins are plentiful:
- Rich in antioxidants which enhances the immune system – very much needed during the cold autumn and winter months!
- Contains calcium and magnesium which help build strong teeth and bones
- Rich in phosphorus which is great for digestion and brain health
- Pumpkins contain tryptophan that helps the body produce serotonin. This amino acid helps induce calmness and drowsiness which could help your baby sleep better! (A huge reason to feed pumpkin errrryday!)
When can babies eat pumpkin?
Babies can eat pumpkin from six months onwards as part of their baby led or traditional weaning journey. As with all food you offer for the first time, you should keep a close eye on your baby to ensure they don’t develop signs of an allergy.
A pumpkin allergy is rare, but be aware of signs such as a rash, gas, swollen eyes or itchiness.
Our favourite baby led weaning products
- Easy to disassemble and carry along.
- Safety belt included.Recommended for indoor use
- MUNCHKIN SPOON SET: This essential baby feeding set of 6 spoons combines a smart baby weaning spoon design with flexible tips and long handles. Suitable for 4 months and over
- VERSATILE BABY PLASTIC SPOONS: Coming in six vibrant colours, the soft tips of the baby and toddler spoons are flexible yet strong. Featuring ergonomically designed easy-grip handles
- EASY CARE BABY FOOD SPOONS: These durable toddler and baby feeding spoons are top rack dishwasher safe and BPA-free. Great for boys or girls, for picnics, lunchboxes, at home or on the go
- THE PERFECT SIZE FOR LITTLE MOUTHS: The shallow spoon bowl is comfortable for babies and young children, and the soft tips are gentle on gums. Long handles are great for easier high chair feeding
- PART OF THE MUNCHKIN WEANING RANGE: Complete your baby weaning set with the Munchkin infant feeding and dinnerware range for babies and toddlers. Discover our matching plates, bowls and sippy cups
- Eco-Friendly Material: Baby weaning set is made from sustainable bamboo, ensuring a safe and environmentally friendly option for feeding babies and toddlers.
- Suction Base: Each bowl and plate in the set features a strong silicone suction base, preventing spills and making mealtime easier for both babies and parents.
- Complete Kit: This weaning set includes bowls, plates, and spoons, providing everything needed for a baby’s first eating experiences, whether for a boy or girl.
- Safe and Gentle: The bamboo and silicone materials are gentle on a baby’s gums and teeth, making it perfect for those crucial first months of weaning and feeding.
- Perfect Gift: The bamboo weaning set comes in a beautifully designed bundle, making it an ideal gift for new parents and a great addition to any baby shower.
- COVERALL BIBS FOR BABY WITH ADJUSTABLE SLEEVES – Our adjustable toddler bib fits any highchair perfectly, with or without trays. Simply attach your silicone feel bib to any highchair, pram or table to keep even the messiest of tots clean and dry.
- PERFECTLY SIZED FOR TODDLERS AND BABIES – Our one-size-fits-all baby bibs for eating come with adjustable sleeves for utmost comfort. With a breathable neck design, this short-sleeved bib fits children aged 6 months to 3 years and is a great long-use alternative to silicone bibs.
- EASY-WIPE & WASHABLE TODDLER BIBS – Spend more time having fun with your toddler and less time cleaning their BIBADO bibs. Just wipe off any food from the easy-wipe fabric using a clean, dry cloth or load them in your washer at 40 degrees for a thorough clean.
- HELPS TODDLER DEVELOPMENT AND BABY LED WEANING – Our coverall feeding bibs are also compatible with our BIBaDO Clip-On Handi Cutlery. They come with ‘no drop’ straps, so you won’t have to pick up spoons & forks from the floor while your little one learns how to use them. (Handi Cutlery are sold separately or as a bundle).
- MULTIPLE DESIGNS AVAILABLE – Offering lots of different designs to make eating more fun for your babies as they explore the animals and characters on our bibs
How do you make pumpkin puree?
This baby led weaning pumpkin muffin recipe uses pumpkin puree to create deliciously moist muffins. But, how do you make pumpkin puree?
Pumpkin can be used in a multitude of baby led weaning recipes and creating the puree is so simple.
One pumpkin yielded enough pumpkin puree to create every single pumpkin based baby recipe on my blog, I created muffins, soup, gnocchi, pasta sauce, pancakes, waffles and cheesy star crackers. talk about value for money!
Read the full post on creating pumpkin puree here.
More Pumpkin Recipes for Babies
Are these pumpkin muffins suitable for babies?
Absolutely! This recipe doesn’t use any sugar, honey or whole nuts so these pumpkin muffins are absolutely suitable for babies!
I have always been a strong advocate of introducing your baby to as many herbs and spices as possible, but you may find that the added ginger and cinnamon are too strong tasting for your baby – especially if they have only just started weaning. You can of course remove these spices and the pumpkin muffins will still taste delicious!
For Mum and Dad, the pumpkin muffins may taste a little bland. You can always whizz up an extra batch of batter and add a cup of light brown sugar to sweeten yours up!
What did Felix and Dexter think of these baby led weaning pumpkin muffins?
These pumpkin muffins for babies went down an absolute treat – both for the baby and for Dexter!
Dexter is a huge fan of getting in the kitchen and helping to bake and he loved pouring the flour, cracking the eggs and mixing the batter. Even more, he loved eating his own creations!
The baby has always been a big fan of muffins. One of the first foods he managed to eat and swallow were my famous raspberry baby weaning muffins.
How long will these pumpkin muffins for babies keep for?
You can store these baby led weaning pumpkin muffins in an airtight container for up to five days. I doubt you will need to keep than any longer than that as our batch was eaten within the first day of them being cooked!
More baby led weaning muffin recipes
Baby Led Weaning Pumpkin Muffins
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
Description
Delicious and healthy baby led weaning pumpkin muffins using pumpkin puree to create moist and tasty pumpkin muffins for your baby!
Ingredients
- 2 cups self raising flour
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C and line a muffin tin with paper or silicone cases.
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Your toddler or preschooler can help with this.
- Pour the batter into the muffins cases in equal amounts using a large spoon.
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
- Leave to cool fully before removing from their cases and serving to baby.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 177
- Sugar: 1
- Sodium: 261
- Fat: 10
- Saturated Fat: 1
- Unsaturated Fat: 9
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 17
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 3
- Cholesterol: 31
Author: Nicola Hughes
Nicola has weaned both of her boys using the baby led weaning method. She loves nothing better than creating simple recipes that anyone can recreate, using as few ingredients as possible. All of her recipes have been tried and tested by both Dexter and Felix and have their seal of approval!
Abby
Thursday 12th of September 2024
What other flours could I sub if I don’t have self rising? Could you use oat flour for this?
Mary
Saturday 27th of May 2023
What vanilla was used? Extract has alcohol - does this cook off?
Nicola | Mummy to Dex
Sunday 28th of May 2023
You can use vanilla flavouring which does not contain alcohol, or if using extract, a few drops will not harm baby as the alcohol will be cooked off.
Sunday 2nd of April 2023
This recipe made the mix too solid in my opinion, added probably 1/4c water and made mini muffins.
Sarah
Saturday 29th of October 2022
Can you freeze these muffins? TIA
Ali
Thursday 20th of October 2022
Made these! Didn’t have self-rising powder, so used 2 cups regular, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp baking soda. Felt the muffin mix were too solid, so added 1/2 cup water. Used mini muffin tins, which made 35 muffins. Cooked for 12-13 minutes one tray at a time. Result was a little bit too much like a biscuit personally (and tasted like it; as it obviously is not sweet, but the baking soda/powder was likely the more dominate taste). Baby liked it though! Served it with water.