Light and fluffy, naturally sweetened, and packed with juicy strawberries, these Healthy Strawberry Muffins take just a few minutes of prep to make. They’re freezer-friendly and perfect for busy mornings or school lunches.

Graphic for post – strawberry muffins, healthy, easy to make, family favorite. Image is of a blue muffin tin full of strawberry muffins someone with a strawberry cream cheese, drizzle with a side of strawberries and a pink napkin.

Medically reviewed and cowritten by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).

Homemade Strawberry Muffins

Fresh, ripe strawberries have got to be one of my favorite fruits. When they’re in season during the summer months, I love to stock up, as they’re readily available and more affordable.

But I’ll admit, sometimes I get carried away and buy a few too many cartons of strawberries that start to ripen too quickly. Although I love a good strawberry smoothie, I was looking for another way to use this versatile fruit. And that’s what we’ve got today – say hello to strawberry muffins!

These homemade strawberry muffins are the perfect way to use up strawberries that are just slightly past their peak. They’re naturally sweetened, making them a healthy choice for toddlers and kids. And they’re freezer friendly, so you can make up a batch and enjoy them all week long for breakfast, lunch or snacks.

If you are looking for more easy and healthy muffin recipes for kids and toddlers, then be sure to check out our Blueberry Avocado Mini Muffins, these reader-favorite Spinach Muffins, Peach Muffins, or these delicious Applesauce Muffins. You can also find more recipes and information in my best-selling cookbook, Little Foodies: Recipes for Babies and Toddlers with Taste.

Strawberry Muffin Video

Watch this video to see how easy these strawberry muffins are to make.

A hand holding a strawberry muffin with cream cheese, strawberry dressing over a pink kids plate, full of strawberry muffins on a white countertop.

Reasons to Love Strawberry Muffins

  • toddler, kid and adult-friendly
  • easy to make
  • great for school or packed lunches
  • healthy
  • freezer-friendly
  • great for breakfasts on the go
  • can be made gluten and dairy-free
  • naturally nut-free and naturally sweetened

Strawberry Muffins Health Benefits: These muffins hide tons of nutrients inside their fluffy goodness, including vitamin C, fiber, antioxidants, and a whole lot less preservatives than store-bought muffins.

spread of ingredients for strawberry muffins on a white countertop with labels saying what each food item is.

Ingredients

Make sure to read the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions!

  • Flour: you can use all-purpose, white whole wheat flour, a mixture of 50/50 white and whole wheat flour, or gluten-free one-for-one flour. 
  • Strawberries: chopped – fresh, or frozen and thawed will work.
  • Maple Syrup: a good quality maple syrup to bring out the natural sweetness of carrots. You can also use honey (for babies 1 year and up) or agave nectar.
  • Oil/Butter: to make the muffins nice and moist. You can use coconut, avocado, vegetable, olive oil, or melted butter.
  • Yogurt: adds a little boost of protein and helps make these muffins moist.
  • Milk
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Cinnamon
  • Baking Soda
  • Salt

Allergy Tips: to make these muffins gluten-free, you can use any one-for-one gluten-free flour blend. If you are looking for a dairy-free muffin option, you can use any plant-based milk you prefer such as almond, soy, hemp, oat, etc.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Clear glass mixing bowl with dry ingredients sitting on a white countertop.
Mix all of the dry ingredients together.
A clear mixing bowl with a wet ingredients for strawberry muffins on a white countertop.
In a separate bowl, whisk all of the wet ingredients together.
Clear bowl sitting on the white counter with muffin batter mix together.
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until they are just combined.
A clear bowl sitting on a white toner with strawberry muffin batter.
Gently stir in the strawberries.
A blue muffin tin full with strawberry muffin batter against a white background.
Spoon into a muffin tin and put into the oven.
Cooked strawberry muffins in a blue muffin tin on a white background.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Small white bowl, full of cream cheese, strawberry icing on a white countertop.
If using, whisk together the drizzle ingredients.
A blue muffin tin on a white background with cooked a strawberry muffins with the cream cheese strawberry drizzle.
Drizzle the strawberry cream cheese glaze on some or all of the muffins
  1. Prep: Preheat the oven and prep the muffin tin.
  2. Whisk: In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
  3. Stir: In a large bowl, stir together the wet ingredients.
  4. Combine: pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not overmix.
  5. Strawberries: add the strawberries into the muffin batter and gently fold them in.
  6. Fill Muffin Tin: Scoop the batter into the muffin tin 3/4 of the way full.
  7. Bake: Place the muffin tin into the oven, and bake for 18-20 minutes or until just golden brown.
  8. Icing (optional): Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, milk, vanilla extract, and crushed freeze-dried strawberries.
  9. Eat: Let cool to the touch, drizzle on the strawberry icing, and serve.

Tools Needed

How to Store & Freeze

Once the muffins have cooled completely, store them in an airtight container. They will keep on the counter for up to 4 days and in the fridge for up to a week.

To freeze the muffins, place the muffins into a freezer zip-lock baggie or stasher bag and place in the freezer. They will keep for up to 3 months frozen.

Thaw frozen strawberry muffins overnight in the fridge or gently warm them in the microwave.

A pink kids play with three sections, one is with a strawberry muffin cut into thirds, one of them cut cucumbers, and another is of a yogurt in it with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top. On the side is a pink wooden spoon and a pink napkin.

Muffins for Toddlers & Kids

These quick and easy muffins are great for toddlers and kids. You can serve them as is, or with a smear of cream cheese, butter or peanut butter for breakfast, snack or packed into a school lunch.

Kids in the Kitchen

Muffins are a great recipe for kids to build their skills in the kitchen. There are many different ways both toddlers and older kids can help out.

TODDLERS

  • Toddlers can help count out the muffin liners and place into the muffin tins.
  • They can help measure and place ingredients into the bowl.
  • Toddlers can help mix the ingredients together.
  • They can help scoop the batter into the muffin tins. (I find it’s easiest to give them their own smaller bowl and spoon to use.)
  • If using the drizzle, toddlers will love to drizzle on the glaze with a fork.

KIDS

  • Older kids can pick out and measure all of the ingredients. 
  • They can help chop the strawberries using a butter knife, as strawberries will be soft enough to use a dull knife to cut (but continue to use adult supervision).
  • Kids can help mix the ingredients together.
  • They can help pour the batter into the muffin tins.
  • Depending on your child’s age and skill level, they can carefully put the muffin tin into the oven (with adult supervision) and remove once baked. 
A blue muffin tin full of strawberry muffins with a cream cheese, strawberry, drizzle with a side of strawberries, a pink napkin, and a white background.

Expert Tips

  • Do No Overmix: I can’t stress this point enough – do not over mix the muffin batter, if you do they won’t rise in the oven and will become dense and hard. The dry ingredients should be just combined with the wet ingredients.
  • Preheat Oven: Ensure the oven is fully preheated so the muffins cook through evenly.
  • Let Cool: let the muffins cool for about 10 minutes before enjoying them and let them cool completely before storing.
  • No Sticking: make sure you generously grease the mini muffin molds or use mini muffin liners so that the muffins don’t stick to the pan.
  • Dice, don’t slice: Chopping up the strawberries into smaller pieces helps distribute them evenly throughout the batter. This ensures a more consistent texture in the muffin and can help with any kiddos who might be a little pickier about what’s in their muffins.
  • Use room temperature ingredients (if possible). Eggs, milk (and butter, if you are using instead of oil) at room temp will create lighter, fluffier baked goods.
A kids, pink plate full of healthy strawberry muffins, some with a strawberry cream cheese, drizzle, and a side of strawberries, with a pink napkin on a white countertop.

Get the recipe: Healthy Moist Strawberry Muffins (made in 25 minutes)

5 stars (5 ratings)
Light and fluffy, naturally sweetened, and packed with juicy strawberries, these Healthy Strawberry Muffins take just a few minutes of prep to make. They're freezer friendly and perfect for busy mornings or school lunches.
Yield: 12 muffins
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Author: Michele Olivier
Course: Breakfast
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients 

Strawberry Muffins

  • 1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour, (see notes)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup, honey (babies over 1) or agave nectar
  • 1/3 cup melted butter or oil such as olive oil, avocado oil, vegetable oil or coconut oil
  • 1/3 cup milk, regular or plain plant-based
  • 1/3 cup plain whole milk yogurt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup strawberries, chopped

Strawberry Cream Cheese Drizzle

  • 1/4 cup full-fat cream cheese
  • 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 3 tbsp milk, regular or plant-based
  • 3 tbsp freeze-dried strawberries, crushed

Instructions 

  • Prep: Preheat the oven to 375° F. Spray or line a muffin tin.
  • Whisk: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
    Clear glass mixing bowl with dry ingredients sitting on a white countertop.
  • Stir: In a large mixing bowl, add in the maple syrup, butter/oil, eggs, milk, yogurt ,and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
    A clear mixing bowl with a wet ingredients for strawberry muffins on a white countertop.
  • Combine: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not overmix.
    Clear bowl sitting on the white counter with muffin batter mix together.
  • Add Strawberries: Gently add the strawberries to the muffin batter and then fold them into the batter.
    A clear bowl sitting on a white toner with strawberry muffin batter.
  • Fill Muffin Tin: Scoop the batter into the muffin tin 3/4 of the way full.
    A blue muffin tin full with strawberry muffin batter against a white background.
  • Bake: Place the muffin tin into the oven, and bake for 18-20 minutes or until just golden brown.
    Cooked strawberry muffins in a blue muffin tin on a white background.
  • Make Drizzle: Meanwhile, if using the cream cheese drizzle, place the cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave for 20-30 seconds until just warm. Add in the maple syrup and milk and whisk until creamy and smooth. Add in the crushed freeze-fried strawberries, and stir. Set aside.
    Small white bowl, full of cream cheese, strawberry icing on a white countertop.
  • Eat: Let cool to the touch, then drizzle with the cream cheese drizzle (optional). If the cream cheese drizzle is too thick, you can heat it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Serve and enjoy!
    A hand holding a strawberry muffin with cream cheese, strawberry dressing over a pink kids plate, full of strawberry muffins on a white countertop.

Notes

Age: 9-12+ months – use all maple syrup and omit the sugar. 
Mini or Regular Size: you can make these muffins into mini or regular-size muffins, the only difference is the baking time. For mini muffins, bake for 10-12 minutes, for regular muffins, bake for 18-20 minutes. 
Storage: store in an air-tight container on the counter or fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. 
Note on Flours: you can use all-purpose, white whole wheat flour, a mixture of 50/50 white and whole wheat flour, or gluten-free one-for-one flour. 
Oil/Butter: to make the muffins nice and moist. You can use coconut, avocado, vegetable, olive, or melted butter.

Equipment

dark gray 12 count muffin pan
Muffin Pan
Silicone Muffin Cups
Stackable Glass Bowl Set
Measuring Cups

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