These homemade pumpkin spice baby puffs are the perfect healthy fall snack for babies and toddlers. Soft, easy to hold, and naturally sweetened perfect for baby-led weaning or toddler snack time.
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Why make them homemade?
Honestly, as a new mom making all my daughters food was something that brought me immense pride and joy. I always enjoyed cooking and baking, and while I am no chef, I get so much accomplishment out of feeling like I made my kids something healthy that they really love.
As a 2nd time mom (my kids are 3 and 18 months now) it’s still something that really just fills my cup….even though I have significantly less time.
In addition to it being fulfilling making your own is also great because you know exactly what’s going in them. Fewer fillers and preservatives, no artificial flavors, and you have control over the sweetness or added sugars. Store bought puffs are often loaded with unnecessary ingredients and with baby’s sensitive system, this not something I want to add to it.
If you don’t want to make your own, here are some great options with minimal additives (you can also get these at most grocery stores like Kroger, Meijer, Target)
- These are the best healthier option I have found and my kids love them, I suggest starting with a veggie flavor to avoid preference for the sweeter flavor.
- These are not as easy for on the go but are also a solid option
Can I make other flavors?
Yes! The beauty of this recipe is that you can sub the fruit/veggie for any combo you like. We often make these with veggies and fruit like spinach/apple, kale/banana, even broccoli. Introducing a lot of different flavors early helps your child’s pallet develop and can help steer them from being super picky.
This fall flavor is just a fun fall twist on a classic recipe. Try subbing half the pumpkin for banana if you want some added sweetness!
What makes this recipe so great?
- Pumpkin puree has vitamin A and fiber
- Oat flour has fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants
- Naturally sweetened with fruit, or maple syrup
- Cinnamon or pumpkin spice gives it a sweet added boost without any added sweetness.
Why puffs?
Puffs or finger “cookies” are my favorite form of baby and toddler snacks because not only are they easy, but relatively mess free.
You can cook other foods while you give your baby or toddler a handful of these. A few on the tray while you prepare their meals can be helpful, a small container full to take for snacks on the go is super convenient.
Involve your toddler
These are a VERY easy recipe to involve your toddler in. My daughter LOVES being my little helper in the kitchen. This recipe is essentially pancake batter so its easy to have them help add, pour, mix, and even remove from the parchment paper once its off the hot pan. This is the set we have that she loves. The only thing they probably can’t help with is piping them onto the tray, because you know, motor control.
One of the best things I have done as a mom of 2 is involving my toddler in everyday tasks for the baby (look for more on this in another post soon). She would get so much pride and joy from helping make his food and when he liked it the happiness on her face and the excitement was unmatched, and still is.
Plus, letting your toddlers help in the kitchen is so great for their development and a wonderful bonding activity for everyone.
Ingredients
- Oat flour: You can probably adjust for other types of flours but oat works best for us. Whole wheat flour often adds a harder texture that is going to stop these puffs from being the soft baby texture. Sprouted out flour is a great option for easier digestion.
- Fruit/veggie puree: You can really use whatever you have on hand and the fun of this recipe is you can experiment with different flavor combos and find what your baby/toddler likes! The fruit puree is what gives them the sweetness for babies so keep that in mind and most veggies will need to be cooked/steamed some first to be soft enough for these.
- Egg yolks: If you’d like an egg free option you can make flaxseed eggs by mixing 2 tbsp of flaxseed meal with 5 tbsp of water.
- Baking powder: for firmness
- Coconut oil: A great healthy oil/butter alternative, perfect for babies
- Bone broth, breast milk, or water (only if needed): This is just to make the consistency more pipeable. Depending on the fruit and veggie combo you may need the added fluid.
Optional:
- Maple syprup (or honey if baby is over 1): This ingredient is optional and I added it because I made these for my toddlers but I do not add the sweetness when making for babies.
- Vanilla extract: Also optional but adds another flavor component and I personally LOVE adding vanilla extract even when its not called for.
The recipe:
Baby/Toddler Pumpkin Spice puff snacks
Ingredients
- 1 cup Oat flour or sprouted oat flour
- 1 cup Pumpkin Puree
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 TBS coconut oil
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1-2 TBS maple syrup or honey Optional
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract optional
- 1-4 TBS water, breastmilk, or bone broth to adjust consistency
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix flour, baking powder, and spices in a big bowl.
- In another smaller bowl, whisk pumpkin puree, egg yolks, coconut oil, vanilla, and sweetener.
- Combine wet to dry ingredients. Add liquid as needed to make it a really thick pancake batter consistency, you want it just thick enough to hold the shape and not spread out thin.
- Transfer to a piping bag or icing pipe tool. Pipe dime-nickel sized dots onto your sheet (on parchment paper), or long strips for the finger shape.
- Bake 8 minutes, then reduce oven to 250°F and bake another 20–30 minutes until dry and light.
- They can be served warm but cool completely before storing.
Notes
Recipe notes:
Sweetness: These puffs are lightly sweetened with maple syrup for toddlers. If you want a sweeter snack (for older kids), you can add 1–2 extra teaspoons.
Texture: Bake until just crisp, they’ll continue to harden as they cool. Overbaking can make them too crunchy for little ones.
Pumpkin Purée: Be sure to use 100% pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling which has a lot of added sugars.
Storage: Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze in for up to 2 months (yes its freezer friendly so you can batch bake)
Spices: If your toddler isn’t a fan of strong spice, cut the pumpkin spice in half or use just cinnamon or none a all.
Mix-Ins: For toddlers who like variety, try adding a sprinkle of ground flaxseed or hemp hearts for a nutrient boost, or even a toddler friendly protein powder.
Other shapes: A tiny pipeable dot is perfect for babies who can eat finger foods but making them into these little grabbable sticks worked perfectly too.
Final notes:
This is one of my favorite puff combos we have tried. My kids seem to love them so much, it only took less than a day for my toddlers to finish them off. These are a perfect fall snack to take on a little nature walk, on the go, or just as a little playtime pick me up.
The best part about these is that they are budget friendly. The containers of premade puffs are convenient but if you buy a lot of them the price can add up quick, especially if you are buying the healthier versions!
Don’t forget to save it as a pin on Pinterest
Let me know what you think of this recipe and what flavor combos you have tried! So that you can come back to it later, or that someone else can find it to!
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