Oatmeal Snacks For Toddlers – A Honey-Free Finger Food Recipe
Feeding a toddler can be a difficult task! Fickle little ones can refuse to eat most of the main food groups or decide they will only eat certain textures of one. If you are trying to keep a toddler nourished while keeping up with their ever-changing food opinions, you might need a new recipe to throw into the mix – especially a relatively healthy one!
Once we introduced finger foods to our now one year old daughter she became an independent and often picky eater. Unless the menu was pizza, pasta, cheerios, or cheese, getting her to eat was sometimes a stressful battle. I wanted to get some healthier options into her, but it was difficult to try to feed her any kind of oatmeal or cereal without her grabbing for the spoon or toppling the bowl, and getting her to eat protein of any kind was an even more difficult task.
To make all of our lives a little bit easier, I decided to get creative with a recipe to tie in some of the food items I wanted our toddler to eat more of. I came up with a toddler version of energy bites (toddler oatmeal bites) to allow our daughter to self feed the grains and protein that I was struggling to get her to eat.
These no-bake toddler oatmeal bites are only four simple ingredients and super easy to make! Our young toddler has been happily eating them for lunch the last couple of days. They aren’t extremely sweet or flavorful, but I tried a few myself and have to say they aren’t too bad. Including honey in the toddler oatmeal bites would sweeten them up, but I avoided it since our doctor said it was a taboo ingredient for children under the age of one and I wanted the recipe to suit early finger-feeders as well.
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No-Bake Toddler Oatmeal Bites – Here are the simple steps!
These oatmeal bites really do require only 4 easy ingredients that you probably already have on hand! For the oatmeal you can also use baby cereal instead – a great way to use it up if your little one has outgrown an appetite for it.
Toddler Oatmeal Bites Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cup oats
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1 single serving container of vanilla yogurt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
Here are the simple steps:
I blended 1 1/4 cups of oats for the toddler oatmeal bites in the blender until they were more of an oat flour consistency and dumped it into a bowl. (You can skip the blending if you are using baby oatmeal cereal.) After adding the oatmeal (or cereal) to the bowl, I added the peanut butter, yogurt, and cinnamon, and mixed!
To make the toddler oatmeal bites a little bit sweeter you could use flavored baby oatmeal (which as I mentioned would also eliminate the need to blend the oats), but to keep it cheap and simple I just used rolled oats that I had in the pantry and blended them.
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After mixing all of the ingredients together the consistency was a little bit stickier than I wanted to be able to roll the mixture into balls, so I blended a few more oats and dumped them on top until it was a roll-able thickness and didn’t stick to my fingers right away.
Next, all I did was roll the mixture into tiny toddler-sized balls to create toddler oatmeal bites! I tried to keep them about the size of a small grape (or a little bit bigger than a piece of KIX cereal).
UPDATE: A reader had a great idea in the comments to smash each of the toddler oatmeal bites after rolling to prevent a choking hazard. My little one never had any choking problem with these, but with the size and shape of this consumable for toddlers it can be an issue. To reduce any risk of choking, just smash each one after rolling or before serving to your toddler!
And that’s it! The oatmeal bites are ready to be enjoyed or thrown across the room (whichever activity your toddler enjoys more at meal time).
These toddler snacks need to be stored in the refrigerator due to the yogurt in them. I recommend keeping them no more than one week in the fridge. However, you can also freeze them and thaw them in batches as you need them! I wouldn’t freeze for more than three months at a time and again would keep them no more than one week thawed in the fridge due to the yogurt content.
When we first introduced these toddler oatmeal bites to our daughter she squished them between her fingers a few times before finally deciding to eat them, but they have been a helpful and relatively low mess addition to her lunch for the last few days now!
I hope these easy toddler oatmeal bites are also helpful to you in your attempt to keep your toddler well fed!
If your toddler loves these no-bake oatmeal bites, make sure you also check out my super simple hidden veggie toddler smoothie recipe.
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I love this recipe! My littler girl requests them all the time. We mix it with different things to change up the recipe, like chocolate chips or finely chopped dried fruit, only one has resulted in the needing of a area rug cleaning lol. Thanks for sharing, we love this recipe!
Hello such a great snack but I don’t know what I did wrong! I can’t roll it in small bites it get sticky to my fingers the spite amount of oats I add :/
Okay. So I thought these were gonna be weird tasting for myself not for my 10 month old. However I threw them in freezer and they were a little more firm gave her one she friggin devoured it.
So I’m like what the heck I’ll try it.
Omg I loved them. Haha. They were amazing because I love how they aren’t too sweet. However, I did add maybe a squeeze of maple syrup to contrast the bitter taste I get from yogurt. I just thought.my babe would love.them as a good girl snack. Now mom might have herself a new fave as well. I can’t wait till she is a year old so we can do honey instead of maple syrup.
These are great! We don’t do dairy in our house so I actually substituted two small bananas and some melted coconut oil for the yogurt and adjusted accordingly for the ingredients to get the right consistency and they turned out great!
We also don’t eat dairy , do you mind sharing the measurements?TiA
So, not all of us has single serving yogurt cups or know what that means in terms of amount… what’s the amount? Thanks
These worked out great! I halved the recipe and used plain Greek yogurt with a teaspoon of maple syrup. My 21 month old had fun smashing and playing with the “dough” on parchment paper while snacking. This worked out much better than marshmallow playdough for an activity for us (low sugar and less mess). My toddler did try to shove too many in her mouth, gagged and spit it out so I would say just keep an eye on your little one that they’re eating a little at a time.
Hi Can I replace Peanut Butter with Almond Butter??? My daughter Is a G6pd baby. I really wanna try this snack. Any Suggestions?? Thank You..
The only difference would be almonds, this would be a fine alternative.
Can you store these in the fridge for several days? Or can you freeze them so you can make batches of it? I make baby food and toddler food in big batches and freeze it a lot.
I thought females are only carriers of g6pd and that only men get it. My husband has it and if obsessed with peanut butter. My daughter is only a carrier and will pass it on to her son likely
If using all natural peanut butter and plain yogurt (which is all I had) then you need a sweetening agent. Maybe maple syrup.
Thanks for the recipe! I added a splash of vanilla and chia seeds to mine
Can you use Greek yogurt?
yes, you can!
I added some pumpkin for a seasonal variation and i’m thinking about making them into cookies like one of the other commenters mentioned!
Can you give an actual serving size of yogurt when I am using a large tub that would be much more helpful. Please give an actual measurement.
My 10 mo old gobbled them up while I was making them! I used a mix of vanilla yogurt and plain Greek yogurt and used baby oatmeal.
how many cups of baby cereal did you use?
I’m still curious on this question too
Perfect! I’ll probably make them the size of timbits and tell my 2 year old they are donuts 😆
I made these with banana yo baby yogurt instead of vanilla yogurt and with mini chocolate chips. They came out so good! My toddler devoured them and he’s a picky eater. #momwin
Can we use corn syrup or honey for an alternate of peanut butter? We have but allergies.
How about sunflower butter ?
Don’t give honey to children under two years old. It can cause botulism poisoning because until two years babies have an immature digestive system.
You’re not supposed to give it to children under the age of 1. Where did you hear of it being under the age of 2?
My daughter is allergic to peanut and we use Wow Butter. It’s soy butter and taste pretty much the same! It can be use in recipe too. I’ll try this one for sure!
my toddlers snack all the time. definitely going to try these!
It’s crazy how much my son loves peanut butter after only being introduced 2 months ago. It’s his favorite thing to eat along with yogurt so I know he will love these.
I added flax seed and chia seeds, my daughter does not seem to enjoy them, but my husband and I do, they are a nice healthy snack. I may have added mini chocolate chips for some fun!
Love the idea to add the seeds! (and if they were for ME I’d be adding chocolate chips too haha!)
Thanks can’t wait to make these. Thinking of Flattening the dough and then cutting into squares to make a quick and easy!
Yes, I’ve been meaning to do a batch myself this way so I can update about whether it works out well since it would be so much easier! Let me know if you have success with it!!
How do you store these since they have yogurt in the mix? Very excited to try this out
Store them in the refrigerator for no more than about a week because of the yogurt. (They can also be frozen!) Hope your little one enjoys them!
I made this one and it turned out great! I took the advice of making it flat. My toddler loved it. Thanks a lot!
So glad your little one liked it!! Thanks for commenting!
I was looking for a way to use up baby cereal, do this is perfect! Thanks for sharing! Btw love your website name 😍😊😊
aw thank you!!! And hope your little one enjoyed them!
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My babe Loved these! I have a ton of leftover baby cereal so after following recipe and being really happy I made a double batch and added choc. Chips, craisins, chopped walnuts and chia seeds (little extra yogurt and pb to compensate for extra mix ins) for my 4 year old and rolled larger for energy bites. She’s leery of that texture so I put them on a baking sheet and squashed to size/shape of a small cookie and baked 350 for 15 min and it worked great. They are a perfect to-go breakfast cookie and I’m so happy to have a purpose for all that baby cereal. Thanks for a great recipe!
What a yummy variation! Thanks so much for sharing!
Ooh I’ll be trying these for my picky eater son. I make similar bites for myself and my husband to snack on, but I don’t know why I never thought to try making tiny versions for my toddler – he is much more willing to try foods that are small and less intimidating. These are great for a packed lunch for daycare, too.
That’s exactly what made me think up the idea – because I love eating energy balls! I hope your son enjoys them!! They were a hit with my picky daughter.
I’d be concerned that these dense balls could block a toddler’s windpipe…
Yes, another reader had mentioned that concern as well. We never had a problem with it, but smashing each of the balls would help to alleviate any potential issue with this. Another option would be to press the whole mixture into a shallow pan and cut squares or bars of various sizes.
Did you use quick oats our old fashioned?
My babe Loved these! I have a ton of leftover baby cereal so after following recipe and being really happy I made a double batch and added choc. Chips, craisins, chopped walnuts and chia seeds (little extra yogurt and pb to compensate for extra mix ins) for my 4 year old and rolled larger for energy bites. She’s leery of that texture so I put them on a baking sheet and squashed to size/shape of a small cookie and baked 350 for 15 min and it worked great. They are a perfect to-go breakfast cookie and I’m so happy to have a purpose for all that baby cereal. Thanks for a great recipe!
My one year old loves these. I got tired of rolling the little balls though, so I put the mixture into a ziplock bag and cut off the corner and squeezed out portions. No rolling needed and they were already a little flattened. Also I used almond butter instead of peanut butter.
What a great idea – thanks so much for sharing!
is it alright if i just mix it with a spoon
Definitely, that’s how I do it!
Is there anything that can be subbed for the pb/nut butter? My guys just don’t like it but I can’t think of something that would help get the dough sticky enough so you can roll them. Thanks!
You can try dates maybe. It is healthy and can provide a stickiness like PB.
Yes this is a great idea! Or another type of nut butter if they would eat that…
I would try Nutella
How about sunflower seed butter?
I have not tested it, but I think it would work just fine!
I would try bananas smashed up.
sunflower butter is an awesome replacement!!!!
a banana maybe? Or the honey if old enough.
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
I wouldn’t keep them more than a week in the fridge due to the yogurt in them, but you can also freeze them and thaw batches as you need!
These look delicious! What a great breakfast meal prep for the little one!
Thanks so much for your comment! I hope your little one enjoys them!!
I was thinking my 8 year old would love these…I buy the Made Good chocolate chip bars & thought of putting mini chocolate chips in these as a treat…just a thought!
oooh yes, that would definitely make them a little bit more of a sweet treat! Great thought. For the younger ones it may be a little to much sugar, but definitely a great idea for some kiddos a little bit older!
These look so yummy for my little one. Had did you store them and about how long do they last? Thanks!
She posted in an earlier comment to store in the fridge for a week.
Awesome thank you!!
Yes, thank you! I give them about a week in the fridge since there is yogurt in them.
Hello, I found a Silk brand dairy-free yogurt in my local Safeway if you’d still want to include the yogurt but don’t want the dairy. Hope this helps.
Oh thank you that is so helpful! I want to amend the post to include some of the allergen replacement options, so I may include this. Thanks again!
I dont have a blender to blend the oats up. can i do it without blending the oats
If it’s for a child younger than two I would really recommend using blended oats. If you aren’t able to blend just regular oats, baby oatmeal cereal works great too and it’s already blended when you purchase it!
What a great recipe!!
I’m just looking up some food ideas for my now 1yr old and this one was the first I tapped on and so glad I did! What a perfect simple recipe to make for my daughter!
TSMFS!! 👍
Thanks so much for commenting! I hope your daughter enjoys them!!
Hi! These sound delicious and simple!!! How much coconut oil should be used to substitute for he yogurt?? Also, same question for maple syrup!! Can’t wait to make these!
I’m interested in this too! I would think 1:1 for coconut oil and I am not sure maple syrup would work because it’d be too sticky…
Yes, it is approximately 1:1! You can see more details in my comment below but I recommend using 3/4 cup coconut oil and flattening them into a square pan to refrigerate and cut into small squares since the consistency is different and doesn’t roll well. I agree that maple syrup would just be too sticky and liquid for the batter to keep a shape.
You can use 3/4 cup coconut oil instead of the yogurt. However, it does create a different consistency. When you use coconut oil the batter is a lot stickier and wetter so it does not roll well into balls. I flattened all of the mixed batter into an 8×8 baking pan and refrigerated for an hour or two. I was then able to cut it into small squares. You do also need to keep the squares refrigerated then if you want them not to get gooey and lose their shape.
I also used flavored baby oatmeal cereal and left out the cinnamon when making them with coconut oil. I have not yet tried maple syrup as a replacement, but I’m not sure it would create a solid enough consistency.
Hope that helps! (I will be amending the original post to add this information as well since it has been asked on multiple occasions.)
These are a hit with my 10 month old! I used baby oatmeal cereal and blueberry yogurt since that’s all I had. I rolled them into little balls and flattened them out. They taste like little peanut butter and jelly bites with the blueberry yogurt!
Thanks for commenting! So glad your little one enjoys them! I think my daughter was about 10 months when we first introduced them to her 🙂
My 1 year old loves these. Thank you for the recipe!
I just made some and are you able to store them in the fridge and if so how long??
I replaced the yogurt with maple syrup (it’s natural and you won’t worry about spoilage ) and omitted the cinnamon. 😊 My very picky granddaughter loved them !! We cut them in half at least just to make sure she could easily chew them. We have a hard time not eating them either !! Lol
yes, store them in the fridge since there is yogurt in them. I would say for about a week.
I made these with unsweetened greek yogurt, stevia and blueberries. They are excellent.
I love the idea of adding fruit! Thanks so much for the suggestion!
Can you tell me the exact size yogurt you used? Some single serving containers are 8 ounces, some are 12 etc. I can’t wait to try these with my 1 and 3 year olds! Thanks!!!
The one I used was close to 4 ounces I believe (just a regular single serve non-greek yogurt) – but you can use any variation of size, you may just have to adjust the amount of oats a little bit. ie. add more oats if the consistency still seems a little bit too runny. You can use greek yogurt too, I just didn’t in my original recipe but many have commented that Greek yogurt works great! Sometimes those containers are a little bit larger so you may just need to add a few more oats.
Nice. They are like mini energy balls. Great idea
Do you think it would work to roll the “dough” out and just cut it into little cubes ? Rolling it into balls sounds time consuming lol
I think you probably could press it out and cut! That’s a great idea – especially because as another reader pointed out using a shape other than round balls also avoids any choking hazard.
Quick oats or regular or don’t you think it matters? Thanks!
I believe I used quick oats, but I really don’t think it matters!
I really want to make these! BUT my son goes to a nut free day care.. has anyone substituted something in place of the peanut butter?? (Will be making these regardless for him to eat at home, but I’d really love to be able to include them in his school lunch too!!
Try sunbutter! We use it on our “PB&J” sandwiches in our nut free school. Its made if sunflower seeds, oil and sugar. Can be found at major super markets and target.
You could use wowbutter, made from soy. Sold almost anywhere PB is sold, and even comes with nut free stickers to use for labeling lunches so that they dont question it.
Too much soy disrupts hormones in growing bodies! I would keep away from all soy based products.
These look great, going to try them for my 1yo.
Can they be frozen? 🙂
I have not tried to freeze them, but I think it’s a great idea! I don’t see why they wouldn’t freeze well but I cannot say 100% until I test it out!
I made a big batch, wrapped into small packages of foil then froze them. I take out one pack at a time & thaw in fridge. They are still great after freezing and nice to have already made & on hand.
Thanks for sharing – that’s a great method!
Seeing as you are grinding the oats to almost a flour could I use baby oatmeal cereal? I have lots on hand that I’m trying to use up.
Yes, definitely! I was basically creating baby oatmeal cereal by grinding the oats up – so they are interchangeable. Flavored baby oatmeal cereal could also create some fun variations of the recipe.
Silly question but isn’t the oat flour raw or did you pre-bake the rolled oats? Is that okay to give kids under 2?
Not silly at all! The oat flour I used is just made from ground up rolled oats. Like most recipes for no-bake energy bites, I did not bake/cook the oats. My daughter was actually just under a year old when I first gave these to her. If you are worried about the oats for a younger child you can use baby oatmeal cereal to be sure that it is a good consistency for baby tummies, but my daughter didn’t have any problem at all under two years old.
Any idea for yogurt substitutions? My LO is allergic to milk and soy
My first thought is that applesauce might work well. I need to test it out though to see if the bites still maintain a solid enough consistency with applesauce being a little bit more liquid..
My little one is dairy free. I used Almond Milk yogurt ( soy free) in mine and it worked just fine
Thank you so much for chiming in! That sounds like a great dairy free alternative.
You could try coconut oil instead, I would melt it before adding it in order to ensure that it can be mixed well, and then I would also add a few drops of vanilla flavoring to add a touch of liquid and flavor.
So delicious has great coconut yogurt my baby loves because she can’t do dairy either
Thank you so much for the suggestion!
I replaced the yogurt with maple syrup and omitted the cinnamon — they taste great and we are trying to not eat them ourselves 😊
Hi, it sounds like our daughter’s are related with regards to their food preferences 😉 These sound like a great snack to have on hand but before I try them I was wondering how much yogurt is in a single serving container (we have a few different sizes here)? Thanks so much for sharing!
That is a great question! I am kicking myself that I did not include that since you are so right – I have so many different sizes of yogurt containers in my fridge! I believe it’s about a 5 oz. container, but I will whip up another batch as soon as I’m able and confirm for you.
And I hope these do the trick to help you steer your daughter a little bit further away from just cheese and pasta like mine haha 🙂
Most Greek style yogurts are 5.3oz but single serve yogurts are anywhere from 4-6oz. I think any in that range would work since she said she adds a few extra oats to make the correct consistency. If using 4oz maybe reserve a few oats until you mix it to be sure or if using 6oz maybe just have a few extra oats in hand if needed.
My granddaughter loves these. She is 14 months old. I added just a little local honey. Put them in the freezer and take them out for a snack once a week.
Thank you for sharing
I’m so glad she likes them!! Thank you for your comment!
So question with these, I’m going to try them for my granddaughter ~ but guessing they need to be refrigerated…how long do they stay good for?
Thank you!
yes, definitely need to keep them refrigerated with the yogurt in them. I believe I kept them about a week in the fridge before mixing up a new batch. Hope your granddaughter likes them!
If you are unable to refrigerate or say taking them on a road trip or camping you could try using coconut oil and a few drops of vanilla instead of the yogurt and then they would just need to be in a sealed baggie or container and could stand on the counter or shelf. No refrigeration needed.
Hi. Can I use extra virgin coconut oil?
I have not tested it out, but another reader had the suggestion to use coconut oil in place of the yogurt for allergies. I believe it would work well.
I replaced yogurt with maple syrup to avoid that issue. My Granddaughter loves them and she’s picky. Maple syrup is all natural and tastes great. I also omitted the cinnamon . I’m so glad I found her pin it was a great idea.
I just made these, and my daughter loves them. I added nutella for extra flavor. I did smash mine flat since round grape shape is a choking hazard under 5 years old.
Love the recipe. I made these for my toddler yesterday and he loved them. Not sure if anyone’s notified you yet but your pictures aren’t showing, the header photo is showing tho
Oh my, no I had no idea there is a problem with the pictures – thank you!!
And so glad your son liked them 🙂
I blended some cranberries and used the coconut oil instead of yogurt as well. I think the cranberry adds some sweetness and nutrition! My 19 month old loved it as did I! Thanks for sharing.
What a great idea! Thanks for your comment!
Can these be frozen? How long!
Yes, you definitely can! I would recommend no more than about 2 months though due to the yogurt content.