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These oatmeal bites for baby are sweetener free, and a great way to offer protein, healthy fats, and micronutrients, like iron, to your little ones.

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I make a batch of oatmeal bites or energy bites for my daughters (ages 3 and 5) each week.

However, I always use some sort of sweetener, like maple syrup, although I generally use much less than a recipe calls for.

Since my son is only 11 months, I don’t want to offer him any added sugars yet, so I needed to come up with an alternative: baby energy balls.

I decided to make these sugar-free oatmeal bites for babies that are delicious, require only 4 key ingredients (+ cinnamon), and have no sweetener whatsoever.

I will say that I don’t think he would have been ready for these before 10-11 months, since they can be sticky.

Honestly, you don’t even miss the sweetness, since pumpkin imparts a little sweetness and texture on its own.

Best of all, baby oatmeal bites are ready in minutes and easy to prep in advance if you have a busy week with a little one to feed.

We take these everywhere for my son to snack on – doctor’s office, sister’s soccer practice, school pick up, etc.

They are also a staple road trip snack for toddlers and hiking food for kids – of course, you can dress them up with other ingredients, like chocolate chips or m&m’s too.

Why We Love Oatmeal Bites for Babies and Toddlers

Just like muffins for babies, I love this oatmeal recipe for kids since it’s so versatile.

• Nutrient rich – Oatmeal bites for baby are such a great way to offer important nutrients.
• Sugar Free – There is no sugar whatsoever in this recipe (make sure to buy natural peanut butter without added sugars).
• No oven required – Since these baby oatmeal balls are no bake, they are ready quickly and a great meal prep option for baby food.
• Great for babies and toddlers – This is great for all little ones, and honestly, adults too! If you want to add some more sweetness for older kiddos, maple syrup, processed dates or honey all work. For babies, I like to stick to sugar-free, since their palates are still developing.

Honestly, once the novelty of baby led weaning wears off and he’s tried several different foods, we fall into our routine of serving him the same thing over and over.

These peanut butter pumpkin balls are something different to offer any time of day.

Ingredients Needed

chia seeds

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drippy peanut butter

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flax seeds

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oat flour

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Ingredients for Baby Oatmeal Bites

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe – only 5 key ingredients!

I like to call them pumpkin peanut butter balls since those are the mainstay ingredients, alongside the oats.

The best part is – each ingredient plays a purpose in contributing vital nutrition to babies and toddlers.

I do recommend introducing each of these ingredients separately a handful of times beforehand just to make sure you reduce any risk of allergenic reactions.

In other words, this wouldn’t be one of the first foods or recipes to offer to your baby.

• Oats – Oats are a great staple pantry product that are the bones of this recipe! This can also be substituted with baby cereal, or another flour, like chickpea flour.
• Ground flax – Flax is a great source of healthy fats for babies’ brains. I actually used a superseed blend of flax seeds, chia seeds and hemp seeds that I had on hand.
• Cinnamon – You can omit the cinnamon but it’s a great addition and way to serve spices to baby. You could also substitute with nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice.
• Nut butter or seed butter – healthy fats and a great way to introduce peanut butter to baby. These chocolate peanut butter coconut balls are another fun option for kids.
• Pumpkin puree – Make sure it is only pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie (which is very sweet). This can also be substituted with mashed sweetpotatoes or mashed bananas, for more sweetness.
• Food processor

The choice of nut butter in these bites is a great source of fats for baby.

It is important to form a plan for introducing peanut butter to baby early to reduce the risk of allergies later on.

Here are more peanut butter recipes for babies for more inspiration.

Note – you can add a bit of maple syrup to these to make them sweeter. After age one, you can also add honey as a sweetener to babies.

Honey is not recommended for babies under age 1 due to the risk of botulism, so I would avoid them in these baby energy balls.

How to Make Pumpkin Peanut Butter Balls

1. Grind oats into a flour using a food processor or high-speed blender, or use pre-ground oat flour.
2. Add all ingredients to a bowl and gently stir until the oat flour dissolves.
3. Let oats firm up and then roll into bite-sizes for babies.

I like to add chocolate chips and maple syrup/honey for my toddlers so they are a bit sweeter.

However, they are flavorful on their own without these sweeteners.

Tips for Success

Here are some tips for troubleshooting your peanut butter pumpkin balls to get the ideal texture for your baby.

• You may want to play around with the amount of peanut butter you add. If they’re too sticky for baby, add less, or add more oats to dry them out.
• If your baby energy balls are too dry, you can try adding water, a teaspoon at a time.

Nutrition For Babies

These oatmeal bites for babies are not only fun and easy to hold, but they are highly nutritious for babies.

They have a nice blend of all of the macronutrients: carbohydrates, protein and fats.

The healthy fats from the nut butter and flax seeds help to nourish their growing brains, as well as provide some satiety.

The oats provide some helpful complex carbohydrates, which help with energy and sustenance.

The pumpkin adds carbohydrates, as well as helpful antioxidants, as well as immune-friendly nutrients, like Vitamins A and C.

These oatmeal bites are also high in fiber and protein, thanks to the blend of ingredients.

FAQ

• Meatballs for baby led weaning
• Roasted carrots for baby
• Baby sweetpotato pancakes
• Baby led weaning egg muffins
• Chocolate pomegranate bites
• No bake carrot cake bites

Continue to Content

Yield: 12-15 bites

Oatmeal Bites for Baby

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

These oatmeal bites for baby are sweetener free, and a great way to offer protein, healthy fats, and micronutrients, like iron, to your little ones.

Print

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup oat flour
• 1/3 cup peanut butter or nut butter
• 2 tbsp ground flax seeds (or chia seeds)
• 1/3 cup mashed pumpkin
• ¼ tsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. Grind oats into a flour using a food processor or high speed blender, or use pre-ground oat flour (I like this one).

2. Add all ingredients to a bowl and gently stir until the oat flour is pretty much dissolved in/mixed with the other ingredients.

3. Put bowl in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to firm up.

4. Roll into bite size for baby and enjoy! Serve as a side for breakfast, or as a snack.

Notes

Optional add-in's may include dates, raisins, shredded zucchini, chocolate chips

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Spectrum Essentials Organic Ground Flaxseed, 24 Ounce (Pack of 1)
• 
  Nutiva Organic Premium Black Chia Seeds, 32 Ounce
• 
  Kirkland Organic Creamy Peanut Butter U.S. Valencia Peanuts 28 Ounce Each Jar 2 Pack
• 
  Bob's Red Mill Whole Grain Oat Flour, 18 Oz

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

15

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 92Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 40mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 3g

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