My toddlers, Orson and Nova, absolutely OBSESS over these. They’re toddler-approved, easy enough to throw together that your littles can help make them, and a SUPER HEALTHY toddler snack! They’re also GLUTEN-FREE! You can even easily make these VEGAN-FRIENDLY, too, If you substitute maple syrup for the honey!
If you’ve wanted to find a truly HEALTHY toddler snack that’s delicious and satisfying and that you can feel good about giving your babies, look no further. Mamas and Papas will love munching on these too. These are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, omega-3s, healthy fats, protein, and fiber. They’re good for growing brains and healthy hearts! This HEALTHY toddler snack will absolutely be a crowd pleaser in your home.
My Search for a HEALTHY Toddler Snack
On the quest for recipes of healthy, homemade toddler-snacks, I happened upon “Toddler Bites” from a box of organic baby food I had won (thank you again, Amara!). The recipe was simple and straightforward and called for reconstituting some of the Amara banana baby food. I started there. Those were well-received enough that I let inspiration take over and began to experiment.
The next few times I made them, I’d use plain bananas, use cacao instead of chocolate chips for the chocolatey taste AND added health benefits, and began to add different flavors like ginger (good for the tummy!) and cinnamon (good for the heart!).
Since then, this recipe has evolved into something entirely different and exciting, and everyone in the house loves them! I use ingredients with the intention of maximizing health benefits (links included with further info), while also ensuring the best taste:
The Benefits are Endless
Pumpkin
I chose to use pumpkin instead of bananas, since bananas can easily cause constipation in littles. My toddlers already start every morning with a whole banana a piece while they’re waiting on breakfast.
The list of health benefits associated with pumpkin is endless (immunity-boosting antioxidants, tons of vitamins, etc.), but it’s also lower in sugar and high in both soluble AND insoluble fiber…meaning that it’s good for constipation OR diarrhea…or just keeping you regular in general. It also just feels nice giving a veggie-based snack vs. a fruit-based snack.
Oats
Using a combination of quick and old-fashioned is really just for a well-rounded texture. You don’t have to use both. Oats are packed with vitamins and minerals and are a great source of fiber, including immune-boosting, blood-sugar regulating beta-glucan.
Almond Flour
Apart from the vitamins, minerals, proteins, and healthy fats of which almond flour is full, it helps the bite hold more of a cookie-type of consistency after baking that we really enjoy.
All-Natural Peanut Butter
Since we want to nix all the added sugar and weird oils heavily processed PBs like JIF contain, we only use all-natural peanut butters made just with peanuts and salt. Natural peanut butter is an awesome source of healthy fats and protein. Besides that, it’s delicious.
Cacao
Tastes like dark chocolate. What’s not to love? Oh, and it’s also considered a “superfood”, chock-full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
Local Honey
Good for the immune system. Additionally, it’s good for the taste buds. Yum!
Brown Sugar
Paired with the honey, it just brings really nice sweetness and flavor, but sorry, really no health benefits here. It’s sugar. We definitely prefer the deep richness of dark brown sugar to light.
Chia Seeds
More antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals here, and lots of omega-3 fatty acids! Besides that, these help with feelings of satiety, meaning they’re more satisfying and make you feel less hungry.
Cinnamon and Ginger
Good for your heart and tummy, among many other benefits…and they complement the pumpkin well!
A Sweet, Healthy Staple
When I make “Pumpkin Bites” now, I always make this bulk recipe. These are awesome go-to snacks that I love to keep stocked, since my toddlers frequently ask for them by name. It’s an easy enough recipe to make that they even enjoy assisting me in the kitchen when I throw these together. More than anything, it’s just portioning out the bites themselves that takes time but believe me when I say that it’s always worth it.
Pumpkin Bites
Equipment
- 1 Stand mixer optional (to save time)
- 2 11×17 Cookie Sheets
- Parchment Paper
- Half-tablespoon
Ingredients
- 1-29oz Can Pure Pumpkin Puree
- 3 Cups Old-Fashioned Oats
- 3 Cups Quick Oats
- 1 Cup Almond Flour
- 1⅓ Cup All-Natural Peanut Butter
- ½ Cup Cacao
- ½ Cup Local Honey DO NOT USE IF UNDER 12 MONTHS OF AGE
- ¼ Cup Brown Sugar
- 3 Tbsp Chia Seeds
- 1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
- ½ Tbsp Ground Ginger
- ½ Tbsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Cinnamon Sugar for dusting, optional
Instructions
- If you own a stand mixer, simply combine all ingredients in the mixing bowl. Use a paddle attachment to mix on low-medium speed until all ingredients are well-incorporated. Without a stand mixer, you can combine your ingredients in a large mixing bowl. When using this method, I typically mix the pumpkin, oats, almond flour, and peanut butter until well-combined, and gradually add in my other ingredients. It requires some elbow grease at this point, and I mix using my hands.
- Once well-mixed, I like to cover the bowl with cling wrap and chill it in the fridge for at least half an hour. It makes it slightly less sticky when portioning it out. Totally optional.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- I portion out heaping/rounded half-tablespoons of the mix, roll it between my hands into a ball, then lightly squash it onto a parchment-paper lined cookie sheet. These don't spread during baking, so feel free to place them close together to fit more per sheet.
- Sprinkle cinnamon sugar before baking if desired.
- Bake 12-14 minutes. During this time, you can prep your next cookie sheet with bites.
- Remove bites and place on a cooling rack once out of the oven. Enjoy some once cool or store them in the fridge for later!