Quick and Easy 4 Ingredient Oatmeal Baby Puffs
Homemade Oatmeal Baby Puffs: The Best Easy BLW Snack for On-The-Go Families
These quick and easy oatmeal baby puffs are not only super simple to make, but they’re also easily customizable—you can simply add any fruits or veggies you like! These homemade baby snacks aren’t quite as melt-in-your-mouth as the store-bought ones, but they’re still soft, chewy, and make the absolute perfect baby snacks for 8 month olds plus.
But if you’re looking for a true melt-in-the-mouth texture just like the store bought ones, then check out my classic and simple Banana Finger Puff Recipe or my super easy No Cheese “Cheese” Baby and Toddler Puffs Recipe.
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it’s travel-friendly and shelf-stable, lasting about 5 days at room temperature—perfect for tossing into your purse or diaper bag. Whether you need a quick bribe, a distraction, or just something to tide your little one over until the next meal, these no sugar baby snacks are a lifesaver.
Honestly the hardest part of this recipe is probably reading through all of this, if you are in fact doing that and not just skipping to the recipe! Here is a look at just how quick, easy and varied this recipe is.
Table of Contents
How to make oatmeal baby puffs in 10 min!
Yes, these oatmeal baby and toddler puffs come together in under 10 minutes and bake in just 15. Snack time for the week? Sorted in under 30 minutes! But the real beauty of this recipe is how easily customizable it is to whatever your toddlers prefer or simply whatever it is that you have on hand. I love this recipe because it lets me use up all those little leftover bits and pieces of fruits, veggies and even pouches, making it the perfect easy baby snack thats also perfect for blw snacks on the go!
All you need for this snack time favorite is 4 simple ingredients you probably already have on hand:
3 tsp coconut oil
½ cup oatmeal
1 tsp baking powder
½ cup fruit or veggie puree of your choice
That’s it! No additives or preservatives—just 4 wholesome ingredients for a healthy baby food recipe you can feel good about. Mix everything in a food processor or bowl, spoon or pipe onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake for 15–18 minutes. You’ll have some super quick, easy and healthy first finger foods for baby that are chewy, tasty, and mom-approved.
Smart Swaps: Healthy Ingredient Substitutions for Homemade Baby Puffs
For me what makes a great baby or toddler recipe is one that can handle numerous substitutions to most or even all ingredients. Most of the time when I find myself having a moment – usually during nap time -to make some healthy baby snacks to fill up my stash, I just want to quickly whip up something with whatever I have on hand. And that is really what makes this baby puff recipe one of my all time favorite go-to’s. And as a mom with two under two this healthy snack is perfect for both a blw snack for my baby and a healthy snack for my toddler!
Here is a look at what other pantry staples you can use to substitute all the ingredients in this quick and easy baby puff recipe:
- Coconut Oil Substitutes
Softened butter is your best substitute for coconut oil in this baby puff recipe and will yield the same results, just with a slightly altered taste. Remember to stick to unsalted butter, especially for babies, as their little developing kidneys aren’t yet able to process large quantities of this mineral.
Other substitutes to consider are, any cooking oils, like sunflower, olive, canola, hemp, almond, etc, ghee or beef tallow. Basically any type of fat will work in this recipe!
- Oatmeal Substitutes
Substituting the ground up oatmeal in this recipe with another flour or grain is truly limitless and anything you have in your pantry will work! From chia seed flour, to almond flour, flax meal or even just plain old all-purpose flour truly whatever you have on hand will do the job.
- Baking Powder Substitutes
Substituting baking powder can be a bit more tricky, and honestly sometimes when I don’t have any on hand, I simply leave it out of this recipe. But bear in mind your baby puffs will be a lot less puffy and i do prefer it with the baking powder.
The easiest and most common baking powder substitute is baking soda. Either mix it with lemon juice, vinegar or cream of tartar. Whipping up two egg whites till stiff peaks form and gently folding it into the rest of your ingredients will also give you that added lift that you need in this recipe. But honestly you can just leave it out if you want and you will just have little flat pancake baby puffs!
- Fruit And Veggie Purees
Once agin the only limit here is the contents of your pantry and fridge – or allergies and picky eaters! I love this recipe as it lets me use up all those little odd bits and pieces of fruits and vegetables that always seem to accumulate throughout the week. Simply chuck them all in a blender and add it to your puffs. But if you are looking for some real flavor inspiration for you baby and toddler puff creations, then take a look below at some of my 10 month old’s favorite flavors.
From Apples to Zucchini: Some of My favorite flavor combinations
This is such a great blw snack because the flavor options are endless, and this baby puff recipe is ideal for the busy on the go parent that still wants to give their babies and toddlers healthy snacks, without having to spend an entire day in the kitchen! These puffs travel well, has a 5 day shelf life and the flavor combinations are truly endless! Here is a look at some of my 10month old’s favorite combinations to give you some flavor inspiration for your own easy homemade baby puffs!
- Banana and Freeze Dried Strawberries – 1/2cup banana puree / 2Tbs powdered freeze dried strawberries
- Green Puffs – 1/2cup apple sauce / handful spinach leaves finely chopped
- Pumpkin Pie – 1/2 cup cooked and pureed Butternut / 1tsp pumpkin pie spice
- Summer Puffs – 1/2 cup pureed peas / couple leaves chopped fresh mint
- Pina Colada Puffs – 1/4 cup pureed banana / 1/4 cup pureed pineapple / 2Tbs powdered freeze dried mango
- Cinnamon Swirl – 1/4c cup pureed pear / 1/4 cup applesauce / 1 tsp cinnamon.
- Mango Tango – sub 2Tbs oatmeal with unsweetened coconut/ 1/4 cup mango puree/ 1/4cup strawberry puree / 1 tsp fresh lime zest
- Carrot Cake – 1/4 cup cooked carrot puree / 1/4 cup apple puree / 1/2 tsp nutmeg / 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Peanut Butter Bliss – 1/2 cup pureed banana / 1Tbs peanut butter
When To Introduce Puffs to baby
As you are probably already sick of hearing, all babies are different and will develop at different rates. Most babies will be ready to be introduced to puffs as a snack around 8 to 12 months. But, once again, more important than age are the signs that they are ready. Here are a couple of signs to look out for to know that your baby might be ready for more complex solids like homemade baby puffs:
- Able to sit Independently: Being able to properly sit without support and having good head control is crucial in being able to handle more complex solids. Make sure your baby is well established in sitting and controlling their head and neck movements before introducing puffs.
- Shows chewing motion: Clearly demonstrates a chewing motion when eating food. This doesn’t mean that your baby has to have teeth, as long as they are moving their jaws up and down to mash food before swallowing, they will be ready for puffs.
- Developing the pincher grasp: Picking up food – or every single little piece of dust and debris on the floor- between their index finger and thumb is a great indication that baby is getting the skills necessary to self- feed.
- Good crawling skills: Well established crawling skills – with their belly off the floor- is a sign that your baby has developed good body control and stability. These skills also help to develop oral motor skills inside baby’s mouth that are needed to eat more complex solid foods.
Honestly you really cant go wrong with any flavor combinations with these puffs!
Why Moms Love These Oatmeal Baby Puffs
Whether you’re doing traditional spoon-feeding or full-on BLW, these oatmeal baby puffs are a healthy, travel-ready solution. They’re perfect BLW snacks, ideal no sugar baby snacks, and one of my go-to baby snacks for 8 month olds and up. Plus, they double as a great toddler snack, so older siblings can enjoy them too!
Have you tried these homemade oatmeal baby puffs? Leave me a comment! I would love to know what flavor combinations your babies and toddlers are ga-ga over and what some of your other favorite baby and toddler snacks are!
Oatmeal Baby Puffs
Description
These quick and easy oatmeal baby puffs are not only easy to make but they are easily customizable and you can add any fruits or veggies you like to them! These puffs are not as melt-in-your-mouthish as the store bought once and are a bit more chewy, but they are still the perfect on-the-go toddler and baby snack to always keep on hand! If you are looking for the perfect melt in your mouth baby puff just like the store bought ones, then head to my super easy Banana Finger Puff Recipe, or my No Cheese ” Cheese” Baby Puffs.
Ingredients
1/2cup oatmeal flour (simply place regular oatmeal in a blender or food processor and pulse until it resembles flour)
1tsp baking powder
1/2 cup fruit or veggie puree of your choice
3 tsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a food processor or blender pulse 1/2 cup of oatmeal until fine and it resembles flour. Alternatively you can use any other flour or grain that you like, but personally I like to use this oatmeal flour as I always have some on hand.
- In the same blender, food processor or bowl add in the rest of the ingredients and thoroughly combine.
- Pour the mixture into a piping bag or food saver bag with the tip cut of and pipe little dots about as big as your thumbnail onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Pop in the oven for about 15-18 minutes until browned and baked through. Remove from the oven, let cool, and hand out some snack happiness!
Notes
This recipe is great to use up all those little bits of leftover baby puree!
These will keep fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for about 5 days.
These are more of a chewy puff, if you are looking for the ultimate store bought-like melt in your mouth puff, take a look at my Banana Finger puff Recipe.
Warning: motherhood May Cause Insanity
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