Say hello to Spinach Pancakes – the vibrant, green breakfast that’s both nutritious and delicious! If you’ve never experienced the magic that is Spinach Pancakes, you and your family are in for a treat. Imagine the taste of classic buttermilk pancakes, then add to that the powerful nutritional benefits and beautiful green color of spinach! Keep reading to make these perfect pancakes for yourself.
Why Make Spinach Pancakes?
- Nutritious Boost: I’m a little worried that you’re going to want to skip this recipe based on the name, but I beg you to give these pancakes a try! You really can’t taste the spinach and this vibrant green veggie is packed with vitamins and minerals making them a perfect way to get in extra veggies! Spinach is full of iron and adding it into recipes like these pancakes, smoothies, or even mac and cheese is a great way to get in a few extra servings of greens!
- Fun and Colorful: Green pancakes are just plain fun! These spinach pancakes are completely dye-free, and get their natural color from fresh baby spinach. They’re great for a fun themed breakfast for St. Patrick’s Day or maybe even Earth Day! Bring a smile to anyone’s face when you serve these Spinach Pancakes
- Versatile: I like to think of pancakes as a black canvas ready for your favorite toppings like maple syrup, fresh fruit and even greek yogurt. These spinach pancakes are no exception to that!
- Kid-Friendly: The fun bright color of these pancakes makes them an exciting switch up! They taste just like regular pancakes because fresh spinach has such a mild flavor. Once you blend it in with the milk, you get that gorgeous green color, and you don’t even know there’s a vegetable inside.
- Kids in the Kitchen: This is a great recipe to get the kids in on the cooking action, too. They love to toss ingredients into the blender and watch it whizz up before their eyes. Whisking together the dry ingredients is the perfect job for little hands, and then you can work together to mix the wet ingredients in with the dry.
How To Make Green Spinach Pancakes
It’s really easy to make this spinach pancakes recipe. Just whiz up the wet ingredients with the spinach, add the dry ingredients and you’re ready to go! More detailed instructions are below and in the recipe card!
The Ingredients:
- Fresh spinach: Packed with vitamins A, C, and K, as well as iron and calcium, fresh spinach adds a nutritional boost and vibrant color to these pancakes.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk adds a tangy flavor and tender texture to the pancakes while also providing a good source of protein and calcium.
- Large egg: Eggs provide structure and richness to the pancakes, as well as essential vitamins and minerals.
- Oil: Oil helps to keep the pancakes moist and prevents sticking to the pan during cooking.
- All purpose flour: The base of the pancake batter, all-purpose flour provides the necessary structure for fluffy pancakes.
- Sugar: Just a touch of sugar to add some sweetness and balance out the flavors.
- Baking powder: Helps the pancakes rise and become light and fluffy!
- Baking soda: Reacts with the acidic buttermilk to leaven the pancakes and create a tender crumb.
- Kosher salt: Salt enhances the flavor of the pancakes and balances the sweetness.
The Instructions:
1. Blend the Wet Ingredients: In a blender, combine the spinach, buttermilk, egg, and oil and blend until smooth.
2. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Make the Batter: Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
4. Cook Pancakes: Heat a large pan or griddle over medium heat and grease with butter or oil. Pour about 1 tablespoon of the pancake mixture onto the griddle, making as many pancakes as will fit and cook for 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook for one minute longer.
5. Serve: Serve warm with favorite toppings.
Recipe Tip
Make Spinach Waffles using the same batter! Just follow the waffle iron manufacturer’s directions for cook time.
Banana Spinach Pancakes
If you want to add an extra dose of sweetness and potassium to your already healthy spinach pancakes, add bananas into the recipe! All you do to make Banana Spinach Pancakes is mash ripe bananas and fold them into the pancake batter before cooking. The bananas not only add natural sweetness but also contribute to the moistness and flavor of the pancakes!
What to Serve with Spinach Pancakes
Green Spinach Pancakes are super versatile and can be served up in many ways with your favorite toppings so everyone’s taste preferences can be satisfied!
- Fresh Fruit: Top your spinach pancakes with sliced strawberries, fresh blueberries or sliced bananas for some extra sweetness.
- Nut Butter: Make a pancake sandwich and slather your favorite nut butter between two pancakes. You could even add some preserves and make a Pancake PB&J!
- Greek Yogurt: For some extra protein serve these pancakes alongside a dollop of Greek yogurt.
- Maple Syrup: Add this class pancake topping for a bit of extra sweetness.
- Whipped Cream: For an extra special treat top spinach pancakes with a touch of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
FAQs for Spinach Pancakes Recipe:
- Can I use frozen spinach for this recipe?
- Frozen spinach can be used for this recipe in a pinch. You’ll need to thaw the spinach and then squeeze out any excess liquid before blending with the other wet ingredients.
- What if I don’t have buttermilk?
- Make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to 1 cup of milk and let it sit for about 10 minutes. You could also replace the buttermilk with any milk you prefer whether it’s dairy milk, almond milk, soy milk, or oat milk.
- Can these pancakes be made without the egg?
- I usually make this Green Vegan Pancakes recipe when I want to make these pancakes without eggs. Otherwise, you can make eggless spinach pancakes by using a flax egg as a substitute for the egg. Mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoons of water and let it sit for a few minutes to thicken before adding it to the batter.
- Can I make these pancakes gluten free?
- Sure can! Replace the all purpose flour with your favorite cup for cup gluten free flour to enjoy gluten free spinach pancakes.
- Can I make the batter the night before?
- For sure! You can make the batter and refrigerate overnight. Just give the batter a good mix before you cook them. The texture will change slightly because the gluten will further develop as the batter sits, but they’ll still taste absolutely delicious. Alternately, you can blend the wet ingredients and combine the dry ingredients and store them separately in the refrigerator. Then make the batter right before you cook!
Storage/Freezing Instructions:
- To Store: Store leftover spinach pancakes in an airtight container or resealable bag in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: Place cooled pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- To Reheat: To reheat, simply warm the frozen pancakes in the toaster, microwave, or oven until heated through.
Serve Green Pancakes for Fun Food Themes!
Green pancakes are not only delicious, they’re super festive! Call them whatever you want so they fit your theme. Maybe, Leprechaun Pancakes for a St. Patrick’s Day breakfast! Perhaps your little one wants a Shrek or Incredible Hulk themed birthday party… Shrek or Hulk pancakes for the win! You could even call them Grinch Pancakes during the holidays to make breakfast extra fun. Serve a batch of Spinach Pancakes with these red beet pancakes for a super festive red and green Christmas breakfast! The possibilities for fun are endless with these green pancakes!
More Delicious Naturally Green Recipes
With this fun twist on traditional pancakes you can get in an extra veggie while making breakfast a little more fun! Plus, Spinach Pancakes are super tasty! Let me know in the comments if you have any questions and tag me on social media if you make these!
Spinach Pancakes
Equipment
- blender
- large sauté pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup packed fresh spinach
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the spinach, buttermilk, egg, and oil and blend until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- Heat a large pan or griddle over medium heat and grease with butter or oil. Pour about 1 tablespoon of the pancake mixture onto the griddle, making as many pancakes as will fit and cook for 2 minutes.
- Flip the pancakes and cook for one minute longer.
- Serve warm with favorite toppings.
Notes
- To Store: Store leftover spinach pancakes in an airtight container or resealable bag in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: Place cooled pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- To Reheat: To reheat, simply warm the frozen pancakes in the toaster, microwave, or oven until heated through.
- Make Spinach Waffles using the same batter! Just follow the waffle iron manufacturer’s directions for cook time.
- See more answers to FAQs in the post above!
- Tools for This Recipe (affiliate links): Blender
I have been making these for almost 8 years and they are a hit with my picky eaters. I often serve them for dinner with quiche. Since we eat these a lot I quadruple the recipe and freeze the leftovers. I find that I can use the 5 oz container of baby spinach and it comes out great – no need to measure the spinach and no leftover spinach. If you think your children will be skeptical introduce them on a green holiday such as St. Patrick’s Day or Earth Day when they might be more accepting of things green.
Thanks for sharing, Lisa! Our family loves these too 🙂
5 stars! This recipe is delicious and easy to make.
So so so good! They just taste like buttermilk pancakes and even my sister ate them!
I made this today for my one year old, who is a very good eater, and she threw it on the ground. I had a taste, and I didn’t blame her. This was VERY bland and all I could taste was the flour. I added shredded apple, flax meal, chia seeds, and rolled oats to thicken the batter and use in the waffle iron. After all that, I thought they were just “okay.” My daughter ate them up after the second round, but I wouldn’t make these again. However, I will be adding spinach to the recipe I use for healthier oat pancakes as I did learn that the spinach really does add a nice green color without changing the flavor at all. Good idea, but not to my taste.