My toddler loves muffins! These hidden veggie spinach goat cheese and sweet potato muffins were a bit hit even with my picky eater. One of her favorite cartoon character, Baby John, eats muffins every chance he gets and she loves to imitate him. The way you present food is so important when you are dealing with a picky eater. I knew that hiding vegetables in “cheese muffins” would give me an advantage. If I had chopped the muffin in little pieces, she probably wouldn’t have tried it.
These spinach goat cheese and sweet potato muffins are moist and crumbly. The little pockets of warm goat cheese will delight any cheese lover! They only use one bowl to make so cleanup quick and easy. You can make regular muffins or use a smaller muffin tin to make mini muffins for the little ones.
Ingredients in the spinach goat cheese and sweet potato muffins
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (2 1/2 cups)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1/2 cup 2% milk
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
- 1 1/2 cups spinach
- 1 cup goat cheese
- 1/2 cup cheddar shredded cheese
TIP: if your toddler is afraid of all green veggies, the spinach is this recipe might be too easy to spot. You can try chopping the spinach really small so there is no large chunk of spinach. You can also omit the spinach entirely or use a cup of finely grated yellow squash instead. The recipe will be different but if you can’t do green veggies it’s a good substitution. Just make sure you soak up all the moisture before adding in the squash.
How to Make these Spinach, Goat Cheese and Sweet Potato muffins step by step
- Heat oven to 400°F. Lay the small sweet potato cubes on a baking sheet in a single layer and spray with olive oil
- Bake for 25 minutes or until tender and stir mid cooking.
- Make sure the sweet potatoes are completely cooled.
- Spray 12 regular-size muffin cups with olive oil cooking spray.
- In large bowl, beat eggs, milk and melted butter until well blended. Add flour, baking powder and sea salt. Stir lightly and add in cooked sweet potatoes, spinach, goat cheese and cheddar cheese.
- Add batter to the muffin cups filling them up 3/4.
- Bake 18 to 24 minutes. Make sure you stick a toothpick in the center and check it comes out clean.
- Enjoy warm right out of the oven or let cool.
How to offer the Spinach Goat Cheese and Sweet Potato Muffins to a Picky Eater
If your little one is really picky but likes cheese, I would definitely refer to those muffins as “cheese muffins”. The cheddar and little pockets of goat cheese give them a buttery and cheesy flavor.
My little one prefers them warm a few minutes after they come out of the oven. She’s definitely picked out a bit of the spinach though so next time I will chop it smaller and use a little less for her.
If your little one is scared of green vegetables and refuses to even try them, I would omit the spinach altogether. You can replace the spinach with a cup of yellow squash finely grated. Make sure to drain most of the moisture though.
If you’re looking for more meal ideas for toddlers who hate vegetables, this post is full of hidden veggie recipes for picky toddlers.
Spinach Goat Cheese and Sweet Potato Muffins Suggested Adaptations
- You can make the muffins gluten free by subbing in 1 1/2 cups of gluten free flour blend.
- Make them as mini muffins. Just portion them out into a lined mini muffin tin and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (about 10-14 minutes).
- Bake it as a savory loaf. Mix as directed but bake in a loaf pan for 40-45 minutes at the same temperature or until a knife comes out clean.
- Use a food processor to finely chop your veggies. If your toddler is super picky, you can try chopping all the veggies to make them harder to detect.
How to Store the Spinach Goat Cheese and Sweet Potato Muffins
To store, place cooled muffins into an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can reheat them in the microwave for 15-30 seconds and serve warm.
You can also freeze the muffins for up 3 months in the freezer in a zip top storage bag with a much air removed as possible. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature and warm to serve.
