These simple Spinach Cake Muffins have the perfect amount of sweetness and an appealing bright green color, but no intense spinach flavor. Kids (and adults) love them! They’re versatile and make the perfect quick breakfast, after school snack or post dinner treat!
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Years ago, a mom sent me a recipe for Spinach Cake Muffins—made with applesauce, spinach, and a boxed cake mix. Intrigued but hesitant, I decided to create a healthier, homemade version without the mix. After plenty of trial and error, I was shocked at how delicious they turned out—naturally sweet, vibrantly green, and kid-approved with no overpowering spinach taste. My kids loved them, and to this day, it’s one of my most popular recipes!
Why I Love This Recipe
- Hidden Veggies, Happy Kids: Getting kids to eat greens is tough, but Spinach Cake Muffins sneak in nutrients while tasting like a treat. It’s a win-win for everyone! Want more recipes with “hidden” veggies? Try Spinach Ricotta Bites, Roast Vegetable Pasta Sauce and Veggie Filled Frittata!
- Healthier Sweetness: Made with applesauce and less sugar, these muffins are a better-for-you option packed with fiber and essential nutrients.
- Perfect Anytime Snack: Great for a quick breakfast, school lunch, or on-the-go snack, plus they freeze well for busy days.
- Fun for Kids to Make: Even my little one, Gemma, got so excited making these that she started snacking on raw spinach! It just goes to show—when kids help in the kitchen, they’re more likely to enjoy their greens in fun, delicious ways. Here’s more Easy Recipes to Make with Your Kids!
The Ingredients
- Unsweetened Applesauce: A natural sweetener that keeps the muffins moist while reducing the need for extra sugar. Make your own Homemade Applesauce if you want!
- Large Egg: Helps bind the ingredients together for a fluffy texture.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor with a warm, sweet aroma.
- Fresh Spinach: The star ingredient! Packed with vitamins and antioxidants, it gives the muffins their vibrant green color without overpowering the taste.
- Sugar: Just enough to balance flavors and add a touch of sweetness.
- Oil: Keeps the muffins soft and tender while adding a slight richness. Use olive, avocado, vegetable or any oil you have on hand.
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides structure to the muffins, making them light yet sturdy.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Work together to give the muffins a perfect rise and fluffy texture.
*See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements*
How to Make Spinach Cake Muffins
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease mini or regular muffin tin. You can also use muffins liners. Place the apple sauce, egg, vanilla extract, spinach, sugar and oil in a food processor and puree. Pour the spinach puree in a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: Place the remaining dry ingredients in a separate bowl and combine.
Step 3: Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet until combined.
Step 4: Scoop batter into a greased mini or regular muffin tin, filling each cup 2/3 of the way.
Step 5: Bake for 18-20 minutes (12 minutes for mini muffins) or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t Overmix – This goes for all muffins. Stir just until combined to keep the muffins light and fluffy. Overmixing can make them dense.
- Make Them Mini – For bite-sized snacks, use a mini muffin tin and reduce baking time to 12 minutes.
- Boost the Nutrition – Add a tablespoon of ground flaxseed or chia seeds for extra fiber and omega-3s.
- Sweeten Naturally – Swap sugar for honey or maple syrup for a more natural sweetener option. The texture will be slightly different, but still delicious.
More Hidden Veggie Recipes Kids Love
These spinach muffins are a game-changer—packed with hidden veggies but still a delicious treat! Whether for breakfast, a snack, or lunchboxes, they’re an easy way to add extra nutrients without the fuss!
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Spinach Cake Muffins
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup fresh spinach, packed
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons olive, avocado, vegetable or canola oil
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Place the first 6 ingredients in a food processor and puree.
- Place the remaining dry ingredients in a separate bowl and combine.
- Pour the spinach puree in a large mixing bowl.
- Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet until combined.
- Scoop batter into a greased mini or regular muffin tin, filling each cup 2/3 of the way.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes for regular-sized muffins or 12 minutes for mini muffins.
Notes
- Don’t Overmix – This goes for all muffins. Stir just until combined to keep the muffins light and fluffy. Overmixing can make them dense.
- Make Them Mini – For bite-sized snacks, use a mini muffin tin and reduce baking time to 12 minutes.
- Boost the Nutrition – Add a tablespoon of ground flaxseed or chia seeds for extra fiber and omega-3s.
- Sweeten Naturally – Swap sugar for honey or maple syrup for a more natural sweetener option. The texture will be slightly different, but still delicious.
You could try using a flax egg! 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons water.
Hi. My 14 month old has dairy, egg and nut allergies. Any substitution you can recommend for the egg in this recipe? Thank you!
Great substitutions! Glad these were a hit!
So Delicious! I sub’d the sugar for a little less than a 1/4 cup of maple syrup, packed in an extra 1/2 cup of spinach (next time i’ll try an extra full cup), and a medium very ripe banana. My very picky eater helped me make them and loved his “hulk smash” muffins. TY!
So cool!
My daughter and I love these muffins so much. I am going to suggest making them in her classes cooking lesson today 😀
These are six year old children, and they use ingredients from the kitchen garden. Fresh eggs from the chickens, spinach, apples… will be great seeing them collect them and add to the ingredients 🙂 plus they taste pretty awesome..
A little dry and not sweet enough for my toddlers. But I was surprised that the spinach wasn’t overwhelming. So will try and tweak to fit my children’s muffin preferences!
Hello,
Tried making these last night but I thought it was missing moisture. They came out pretty well but the inside seemed pretty dry and I guess not enough sweet to impress my toddler.
Yes! Freeze on a baking sheet for about 30 minutes, then transfer to a ziploc bag and keep frozen for up to 3 months!
Hi could you tell me if these are freezable please. Tia Hayley x
I just made these and while the texture turned out quite I found the muffins to be very bland and lacked flavor. Was especially surprised because there is 1/3 cup of sugar and applesauce in the recipe. They were not sweet at all. What could I do to intensify the flavor?
I took out the oil and added more applesauce as well as reducing the sugar to 1/4 cup
while i was making this, i was wondering how come there are no liquids. i added a tiny bit of orange juice. the muffins came out a little dry. i added more juice to the leftover batter. the muffins came out much better. yours didn’t come out dry?
Hi! I really love these muffins but today I made some adjustments because I can never leave a recipe alone 😉 So just thought I’d share my substitutions. I was out of fresh spinach, I wanted to try sugar free, gluten free and add some extra low carb fiber!! Also I used a vitamix. Here it is-
1 cup frozen spinach for fresh
3 dates soaked in 1/4c warm water plus 2 tbsp raw honey for the sugar
1c gluten free all purpose flour
1/2c organic golden ground flaxmeal
They turned out great! My LO loves these spread with cream cheese!!
Thanks!
I make these all the time! My husband and 12 month old loves them!
Hmmm you could try using dates! Take a few medjool dates, soak them in warm water for 10 minutes, then blend in the food processor or blender to make a puree. Use the same amount as the applesauce called for, although the dates might be sweeter than the applesauce.