Naturally sweetened and made without refined sugar, these Healthy 1st Birthday Cupcakes are a fun, baby-friendly treat for celebrating your little one. Sweetened with bananas and completely dairy-free, they can be baked as a traditional smash cake or portioned into soft, toddler-friendly cupcakes.
"I absolutely love that you used all healthy natural ingredients in these scrumptious cupcakes! Such a wonderful way to celebrate such a momentous occasion." -Julianne
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ⏲️Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
- 👪Serves: 12 cupcakes
- 🍽 Calories and Protein: 141 kcals and 5 grams of protein
- 📋Main Ingredients: Ripe bananas, oat flour, almond and coconut flour, eggs and egg whites, coconut yogurt and dairy-free frosting.
- 📖 Dietary Notes: Dairy-free, gluten-free option, refined sugar-free,kid-friendly, vegetarian-friendly.
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: These dairy-free 1st birthday cupcakes are naturally sweetened, baby-friendly, and oh so perfect for celebrating!
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Turning one is a rite of passage for little ones, and with it usually comes an overwhelming amount of sugar. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Use those extra ripe bananas on your counter and skip the traditional sugary cake in favor of these naturally sweetened, dairy-free smash cupcakes made with simple, real-food ingredients, much like these healthy no-sugar carrot muffins.
These healthy 1st birthday cupcakes are simple to make and surprisingly delicious, my daughters all loved them. They offer a soft, baby-friendly smash cake option that feels special for the celebration while still keeping ingredients wholesome, similar to other kid-approved treats like this dairy-free birthday cake for when they're older.
Jump To
- A Quick Look At The Recipe
- 💭Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients and Substitutions
- Flavor Variations
- How To Make Dairy-Free 1st Birthday Cupcakes
- Expert Tips
- Natural Color For Frosting
- Making It Into A Smash Cake
- Storring
- 1st Birthday SMASH Cupcakes
- More Kid-Friendly, Healthy Recipes You'll Love
- Healthy First Birthday Smash Cupcakes- Dairy-Free & Sugar-Free
💭Why You'll Love This Recipe
Naturally sweetened: These healthy cupcakes use only bananas for sweetness, making them super healthy for babies.
Soft texture: Thanks to the yogurt plus bananas, the birthday cupcakes have a soft texture perfect for "gumming". They'r enot crazy fluffy but perfectly soft.
Versatile: The recipe can be made in first birthday cupcakes for a baby girl or a full-on cake.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Ripe bananas: The softer the bananas are, the better they will mix and the sweeter the first birthday cake will be. This is true for slow cooker banana bread, too.
- Dairy-free yogurt: Any non-dairy yogurt should work to keep the smash cake light. The exception to this is Greek yogurt. It would be too thick for the flour base and make the batter too dense.
- Coconut water: Just adding a little bit of extra hydration to the batter. Regular filtered water will work in a pinch.
- Almond flour: learn the difference between almond flour and almond meal. Almond flour will make the cake less chewy.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Flavor Variations
Maple flakes: Some people want a bit more sweetness if they're serving other guests. Maple flakes are a great way to do this, without adding a bunch of traditional sugar. Of course, you could also drizzle coconut caramel sauce on top.
Frosting: You can frost these no-sugar baby cupcakes with Whole30 whipped cream so long as you don't need them to sit out (it will melt/run in the warmth), which is light and fluffy for babes.
Chocolate: Make the dairy-free first birthday cupcakes chocolate in flavor by adding 1-2 tablespoons of raw cacao powder to the batter.
How To Make Dairy-Free 1st Birthday Cupcakes
Step 1: Mix the wet ingredients in a blender & process.
Step 2: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry flour.
Step 3: Bake the 1st birthday cupcakes.
Step 4: Whip together the cream cheese frosting.
Step 5: Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy.
Expert Tips
If using the non-dairy cream cheese frosting, substitute the honey with coconut syrup for the same texture since babies shouldn't have honey that young.
If using Whole30 whipped cream, know that it doesn't "pipe" as prettily but is super fluffy, which is great for babies and smash cupcakes. It will melt if left out, though.
I can't stress enough that these cupcakes are not sweet. They are almost like a muffin in flavor since they were designed for babies.
Know that the finer the oat flour you use, the better the texture of the cake.
Natural Color For Frosting
For these healthy smash cupcakes, I opted to use natural coloring options instead of dye. Thus, for these particular cupcakes, I used beet crystals for the pink and blueberries for the purple. Here are some other ideas:
- beet crystals (not beet powder)
- freeze-dried strawberries(pink and sweeter)
- dried blueberries powder (purple ish)
- spirulina (blue-green, use the rest to make spirulina energy balls)
Likewise, you can always color the frosting with traditional methods like dye (these natural food dyes are really great), or learn to make natural food dye.
Making It Into A Smash Cake
If you want to make this recipe into a full-on smash cake, note the FAQs and tips below.
The recipe will make enough for a single-layer cake. To make a fancy, first first birthday cake, you'll want to double it to make two layers (and frost in between). This will give you a more indulgent and traditional feel.
- Make sure to grease the pan. I use a springboard pan to make it easier to remove.
- You'll need to bake the cake longer (bake at 350 degrees for roughly 35-40 minutes). Once cooked, let cool in the pan fully (about forty-five minutes), before removing and adding frosting.
- Likewise, opt for the cream cheese frosting. The coconut whip doesn't "hold" between the cakes nicely.
Storring
The smash cupcakes are fairly light. However, once stored in the fridge, it will firm up a bit. Unfortunately, both of the icings need to be refrigerated somewhat.
So, you can either make the sugar-free cupcakes the day of and leave them out until it's time to frost and serve. Or, you can pop them in the fridge knowing they'll be a bit firmer.
Likewise, if using cream cheese frosting, let it settle to room temperature before serving. If using coconut whip cream, serve immediately from the fridge.
1st Birthday SMASH Cupcakes
A smash cake is typically used for a baby's first birthday. It is a cake that is made for the baby to dig into. Since babies are normally not graceful, they typically smash the cake before eating (and dig in with their hands). Hence the name "smash cake".
Instead of using a traditional cake based on sugar and butter, opt for dairy-free smash cupcakes. Sweeten the cake or cupcakes naturally with bananas or dates and eliminate the sugar.
The smash cake itself is fairly light. However, once stored in the fridge it will firm up a bit. Unfortunately, both of the icings need to be refrigerated somewhat.
So, you can either make the sugar-free cupcakes the day of and leave them out until it's time to frost and serve. Or, you can pop them in the fridge knowing they'll be a bit more firm.
More Kid-Friendly, Healthy Recipes You'll Love
If you tried this Dairy-Free 1st Birthday Cupcakes Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes!
Healthy First Birthday Smash Cupcakes- Dairy-Free & Sugar-Free
Video
Equipment
- Muffin tray
- Muffin liners
Ingredients
- 3 bananas large
- ¼ cup coconut yogurt
- ½ cup coconut water regular water is fine
- 2 eggs
- ¼ egg whites
- 1 cups oat flour very fine
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 tbs coconut flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 serving Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahernheit.
- In a powerful blender, combine the first five ingredients. Blend until smooth.
- In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients minus the maple flakes.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry and mix until no clumps remain.
- Line a muffin tray with paper muffin cups and portion out the batter.
- Use a silicone spatula to smooth down the tops.
- Sprinkle the top with maple flakes if using.
- Bake for 20 minutes, turn the pan and bake for another 8-10 minutes.
- Immediately remove the muffins from the tin to cool.
- Once full cooled, top with frosting of choice and enjoy!
- Cream Cheese Frosting: Use a handheld mixer to whip all ingredients until smooth. Pipe onto the cupcakes.
Notes
- The nutrition facts are based on just the cupcakes, not the frosting.
- You can use frozen blueberry, beet crystals, or strawberry to color the frosting. Or use these natural food dyes
- you can make these 1st birthday cupcakes into a smash cake (see notes in blog post)
- if refrigerated, the cupcakes will become denser
- If using cream cheese frosting, let them settle to room temperature before serving and replace the honey in the recipe with coconut syrup.
- If using coconut whip cream, serve immediately from the fridge.
Disclaimer:
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"
Nutrition
Sharina says
I made two batches of this recipe for my nephew's birthday, one smash cake and the other is cupcakes. They both turned out soooo good and delicious. My Sister was satisfied with her son's 1st birthday celeb! Everyone had fun!
fitasamamabear says
Oh my gosh you're amazing, and the sweetest aunt haha so happy to hear everyone loved them!
Gina says
Such a great recipe for a healthier alternative to typical kid celebration food! Love the natural sweetener and oat/almond flour mix. Plus, it tastes just as great!
fitasamamabear says
Thanks so much! I really wanted to keep it healthy.
Julianne says
I absolutely love that you used all healthy natural ingredients in these scrumptious cupcakes! Such a wonderful way to celebrate such a momentous occasion.
fitasamamabear says
I definitely tried! Thanks so much.
Janice says
I just made these Dairy-Free 1st Birthday Cupcakes, and they were fantastic! It's amazing how these cupcakes are both healthy and delicious at the same time. I would definitely whip up more over the weekend!
fitasamamabear says
I'm so happy they worked for you!
Jane says
I love these cupcakes! I've made them for my kids, and they are a hit. They're healthy, fun, and my kids love them.
fitasamamabear says
So happy to hear this!
Allyssa says
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It's really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
fitasamamabear says
Glad it was a hit!
Jennifer says
It's such an amazing milestone to celebrate! I made a firetruck cake for my son and wish I had a recipe like this because he ate so much cake and was wired for a while! This is so delicious!!
fitasamamabear says
Haha you are amazing if you can make a firetruck one! I am literally the worst decorator!
Scarlet says
These vegan cupcakes are so delicious. Thanks for the great recipe.
fitasamamabear says
Yay! Such a hit with kiddos.
Olivia says
I was searching and searching for something like this for my son’s first birthday. I hated the idea of giving him sugar. I am going to save this for his second birthday. The ingredients sound amazing and delicious!
fitasamamabear says
Oh yay! I'm so so happy to hear I'm not the only one who doesn't want to dose babes full of sugar on their birthdays! I hope he enjoys it- even my guests like it (though they preferred the cream cheese frosting!)
Laura says
The "1/4 egg whites" in your ingredients means 1/4 cup, right? So the whites from 2 large eggs equals about 1/4 cup. I watched your video and decided that was what you used. Thank you. Making this in a few days for my grandson's first birthday.
fitasamamabear says
I've always heard that one egg has two whites in it but for some reason I find fresh egg whites never work the same as the carton. So in theory it should be fine. I am SO excited for you though, one is a big turning point for kiddos! Happy birthday to your grandson!
Sara says
This recipe looks great and it is dairy free, which means I can eat it! I am so looking forward to making the frosting! Drooling already!! 😉
fitasamamabear says
Haha I'm dairy free also now so most of my recipes are! My girls loved the cupcakes. I prefer the coconut frosting but it can be hard to work with. The lactose free cream cheese is easy to work with but crazy decadent to me!