⚠️ Baby safety note: I’m a mom of three, not a doctor. This recipe is for babies 6 months and up who show signs of readiness for solid foods. Always serve these cookies to a seated, supervised baby. Talk to your pediatrician before introducing peanut, especially if your baby has severe eczema or an egg allergy. This post shares general information and is not medical advice.
Baby banana cookies are soft, round cookies made with one ripe banana, quick oats and a spoonful of smooth peanut butter, with no added sugar, baked 14 minutes at 350°F (175°C) for babies 6 months and up.
Later, they become healthy toddler cookies too. I first baked them when my youngest started solids and every store-bought biscuit was either too hard or too sweet.
These came out soft enough to squish between two fingers, and she held her first one with both hands. Unlike our soft banana pancakes for baby, these hold together in a tight little fist.
Why You’ll Love These Healthy Toddler Cookies
These cookies lived in my freezer from my youngest’s first bites of solid food right into her toddler years. Here’s why.
- No added sugar, no salt. US dietary guidelines recommend no added sugar before age 2. The ripe banana does all the sweetening.
- Three pantry ingredients. One banana, ½ cup of oats and 1 tablespoon of peanut butter. That’s the whole list.
- Sized for little hands. Each soft 2-inch (5 cm) cookie fits a small fist, and you can cut it into strips for the youngest eaters.
- Egg-free, dairy-free and vegan. These banana cookies for toddlers need no eggs at all, which helps while egg is still new at your table.
- They grow with your child. Strips at 6 months, tiny bites at 9 months, whole cookies at 12 months. One recipe, three stages.
Ingredients for Sugar-Free Baby Banana Cookies
You only need 3 ingredients, plus an optional pinch of cinnamon. Here, “sugar-free” means no added sugar: every bit of sweetness comes from the fruit. That’s why these banana oat cookies with no sugar still taste like a treat to a baby.
A spotty banana, quick oats and smooth peanut butter. That’s all.
The Base
Very ripe banana. Use 1 large banana, about 4.5 oz (130 g) once peeled. It should be heavily spotted, even brown. A riper banana mashes into a smoother purée and makes sweeter cookies.
Quick oats. Use ½ cup (40 g). Quick oats are thinner than rolled oats, so they soften faster and melt more easily between gums. If you only have rolled oats, pulse them 5 times in a blender first. Choose certified gluten-free oats if you need the cookies gluten-free.
The Flavor
Smooth peanut butter. Use 1 tablespoon (16 g) of natural creamy peanut butter, made with 100% peanuts and no added salt or sugar. Always smooth, never chunky. Save the rest of the jar for peanut butter banana bites for the bigger kids. They’re too firm for babies.
Ground cinnamon (optional). A small pinch is a gentle first taste of spice.
Baby Safety Rules
- No honey before 12 months. It can cause infant botulism. The banana is sweet enough.
- No whole nuts, chunky peanut butter or chocolate chips before 12 months. They’re choking hazards.
- Always seated and supervised. Your baby should sit upright, never lying back or moving around.
- Wait for readiness. Most babies are ready around 6 months, when they sit with little support, bring things to their mouth and no longer push food out with their tongue.
Introducing Peanut Safely
US guidelines (NIAID, endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics) encourage offering peanut early, because it can lower the risk of peanut allergy. Serve the first cookie at home, in the morning, and stay close for 2 hours. If your baby has severe eczema or an egg allergy, talk to your pediatrician before that first taste. Hives, vomiting, swelling or trouble breathing mean you call emergency services right away. Once peanut goes well, keep offering it regularly.
How to Make Baby Banana Cookies
This toddler cookie recipe needs one bowl and one fork. The only secret is a 5-minute rest, so the oats soften before baking.
Mix the Dough
- Heat the oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Mash the banana. Peel the banana into a medium bowl and mash it with a fork until it looks like a smooth, almost runny purée, with no big lumps.
- Stir in the peanut butter. Add the peanut butter and cinnamon. Stir until you can’t see any streaks of peanut butter left. Well-mixed peanut butter is safer for babies.
Mash until almost runny, then stir until no peanut butter streaks remain.
- Fold in the oats and rest. Add the quick oats and stir well. Let the dough sit for 5 minutes. The oats drink up the banana and turn soft.
Shape and Bake
- Shape the cookies. Scoop 1 level tablespoon of dough onto the sheet. Flatten it with the back of a wet spoon into a round about 2 inches (5 cm) wide and ½ inch (1 cm) thick. Space the cookies 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart.
Ten soft rounds, 2 inches (5 cm) wide and 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart, ready for the oven.
- Bake. Bake for 14 minutes, until the bottoms are lightly golden and the tops still look soft.
- Cool completely. Let them cool on the pan for 15 minutes. Check that the center is cool before serving.
What Size Should They Be for Each Age?
Babies and toddlers eat in very different ways, so the shape matters as much as the recipe. Here’s how I serve these cookies for toddlers and babies at every stage. For the youngest, cut each cooled cookie into 2 strips so a piece sticks out of the fist.
| Age | How they grab | Shape | Size | Bake time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6–9 months | Whole fist (palmar grasp) | Cookie cut into 2 strips | 2 × 1 in (5 × 2.5 cm) | 14 min |
| 9–12 months | Thumb and finger (pincer grasp) | Small bites | ½ in (1 cm), chickpea size | 10 min |
| 12 months+ | Confident bites | Whole round cookie | 2 in (5 cm) wide | 14 min |
Lily’s Tips for Soft, Baby-Safe Cookies
It took me three batches to get a cookie that stays whole in a fist but melts in a gummy mouth. These are the tips that made the difference.
- Don’t skip the 5-minute rest. Dry oats stay chewy. Soaked oats turn soft and tender, which is what a baby with no teeth needs.
- Pull them out while they still look soft. Overbaked cookies get firm edges. At 14 minutes, the tops should still look a little underdone.
- Chill them for teething days. A cookie straight from the fridge feels cool and soothing on sore gums. Never serve them frozen solid: frozen pieces are hard and can snap off.
- Trust the spottiest banana. Bananas are the world’s most popular fruit — over 100 billion eaten every year — and a soft, ripe one is often a baby’s very first finger food. “The riper your bananas, the less you’ll miss the sugar — nature does the sweetening for baby.”
How Soft Is Soft Enough?
Press a cooled cookie between your thumb and index finger. It should flatten easily, like a ripe banana. If it resists, bake the next batch 2 minutes less. Remember that gagging is normal while babies learn to eat: it’s noisy, with coughing and a red face. Choking is silent. If your baby can’t cough or breathe, call emergency services.
Baby Banana Cookie Variations
Once your baby knows the plain cookies, small swaps keep things interesting. Keep the same banana and oat base, and change only one thing at a time.
Peanut-Free Banana Apple Cookies
Replace the peanut butter with 1 tablespoon of unsweetened applesauce and add 1 extra tablespoon of oats. These no-egg banana cookies are also nut-free, so they’re safe for most daycares.
Berry Banana Cookies
Mash 1 tablespoon of fresh raspberries into the banana and add 1 extra tablespoon of oats. The berries add a gentle tartness.
Iron-Boost Cookies
Replace 2 tablespoons of the quick oats with 2 tablespoons of iron-fortified infant oat cereal. Babies need more iron from about 6 months, and this swap adds some to every bite.
Toddler Breakfast Cookies (12 Months+)
For toddler breakfast cookies, use rolled oats instead of quick oats for more chew. Stir in 1 tablespoon of hemp hearts, then flatten each scoop into a bigger 2½-inch (6 cm) round and bake for 15 minutes. When the whole family eats the same breakfast, I bake these banana breakfast cookies the whole family shares.
How to Store Baby Banana Cookies
No preservatives and lots of moist banana make these soft, but it also means the fridge and freezer are their best friends.
Counter: 1 day in a covered container. The moist banana and zero preservatives mean they spoil faster than regular cookies.
Fridge: Up to 4 days in an airtight container. Serve them cool for teething, or warm one for 10 seconds in the microwave and check the temperature before serving.
Freezer: Up to 2 months. Freeze the cookies on a tray for 1 hour, then move them to a freezer bag. Thaw them overnight in the fridge or for 20 minutes on the counter. Never serve them frozen solid.
Meal prep tip: On Sunday, I bake a double batch of 20 cookies and freeze them in bags of 2. While the oven is hot, I slide in a pan of banana baked oatmeal for the rest of us.
Baby Banana Cookies FAQ
These are the questions parents ask me most. The short answer always comes first.
Babies can eat these soft banana cookies from around 6 months, once they show signs of readiness. That means sitting with little support, bringing food to their mouth and no longer pushing it out with their tongue. For babies under 9 months, cut each cookie into 2 strips.
Yes. These cookies have no added sugar, no salt and no eggs. Each cookie has about 37 calories, 1 g of fiber and 2 g of natural sugar from the banana. That makes them one of the simplest healthy cookies for toddlers, with no sugar added at all.
Yes. Replace the peanut butter with 1 tablespoon of unsweetened applesauce and add 1 extra tablespoon of oats. The cookies become nut-free, which is useful for daycare.
These cookies carry a low risk when they’re soft, cut to your baby’s stage and served to a seated, supervised baby. Any food can cause choking, so always do the squish test, avoid chunky peanut butter and whole nuts, and stay at the table while your baby eats.
From My Oven to Your High Chair
Feeding a baby can feel like a lot. This recipe makes one small part of it simple and warm: one banana, one bowl, one snack you can trust. If you’re collecting healthy cookie recipes for toddlers, start here and grow with it.
Tag me on Instagram @eatwithmellow or leave a star rating below. I read every single one.
While baby works on her cookie, the big siblings can grab our no-bake banana energy balls or these frozen banana popsicles next!
Love, Lily 🍌
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Baby Banana Cookies
Equipment
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Silicone baking mat or parchment paper
- Medium mixing bowl
- Fork (for mashing)
- Measuring spoons and cupsv
- Freezer bags
Ingredients
WET INGREDIENTS
- 1 large 130g peeled very ripe banana, heavily spotted
- 1 tbsp 16g smooth natural peanut butter, 100% peanuts, no salt or sugar added
DRY INGREDIENTS
- ½ cup 40g quick oats, certified gluten-free if needed
- 1 small pinch ground cinnamon optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.
- Mash the banana with a fork into a smooth, almost runny purée.
- Stir in the peanut butter and cinnamon until no streaks remain.
- Fold in the quick oats and rest the dough for 5 minutes.
- Shape 1 level tablespoon of dough into a log 2 inches long and ¾ inch wide (5 × 2cm). Space the fingers 1 inch (2.5cm) apart.
- Bake for 14 minutes, until lightly golden underneath and still soft on top.
- Cool completely on the pan for 15 minutes. Check the center is cool before serving.
Notes
freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge or 20 minutes on the counter. Never serve frozen solid. Note 2 — Peanut-free : Replace the peanut butter with 1 tbsp unsweetened applesauce and add
1 extra tbsp oats. Note 3 — Safety : No honey, salt or added sugar before 12 months. Always serve seated and
supervised. First peanut exposure at home, in the morning; ask your pediatrician first if
your baby has severe eczema or an egg allergy. Note 4 — Size by age : 6–9 months, fingers 2 × ¾ in (14 min) · 9–12 months, ½-inch bites
(10 min) · 12 months+, 2-inch rounds (14 min).
Note 5 — Nutrition : Estimated per finger for 10 fingers, with natural unsalted peanut butter.
