These sweet Banana Spinach Pancakes are a favorite when you’re looking to boost nutrition in a favorite breakfast option. Or to have a little fun at the breakfast table by serving up a colorful meal.
Spinach Pancakes
I never thought that my older daughter would be such a fan of green pancakes, but just when you think you know your kiddo, they go and surprise you! It turns out that she’ll eat pretty much anything in pancake form. This (and Spinach Pesto and my Spinach Muffins) are by far her preferred ways to get her greens.
I love how these are both easy to make and they’re so easy for the kids to enjoy.
The beauty of this kids pancake recipe is that it comes together in the blender so you don’t have to dirty a sink full of dishes to make it happen.
And it includes two bananas and small pile of spinach, so everyone will get a nice amount of vitamins and minerals to start the day.
TIP: The flavor is sweet, so despite the color, they taste like healthy banana pancakes.
Table of Contents
Ingredients You Need
To make this simple pancake recipe you’ll need:
- Very ripe bananas: Those with brown spots will have the best flavor
- Eggs
- Buckwheat flour or whole wheat flour
- Milk: Dairy or nondairy
- Baby spinach: You can use fresh spinach or spinach that you’ve frozen
- Ground flaxseed
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla extract,
- Oil or butter for cooking
Ingredient Substitutions
Both whole wheat and buckwheat flour work well in this recipe, though the pancakes cook through more easily with buckwheat. Look for it in the natural flours section of your supermarket. It’s widely available and very nutritious. For tips on using whole wheat flour, see the Notes section at the bottom of the recipe as you’ll want to reduce the milk amount slightly.
Use an egg replacer like the one from Bob’s Red Mill to make these egg-free.
Use buckwheat flour to make these gluten-free.
Use nondairy milk to make these without dairy.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at how to make these healthy pancakes. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the full information.
- Add all ingredients to a blender except the flour.
- Blend, starting on low and working up to high. You want the spinach to be very well incorporated.
- Stir or pulse in the flour. Avoid over-blending but do make sure to get all of the flour blended in.
- Cook as you would any other pancakes and serve warm.
TIP: I like to cook these in a nonstick skillet or griddle since they are easiest to flip. Cast iron also works if well greased.
Gluten-Free Spinach Pancakes
Yes! Buckwheat flour is naturally gluten-free and it works well in this recipe.
Dairy-Free Spinach Pancakes
To make these dairy-free, simply use nondairy plain unsweetened milk instead of dairy milk and cook with neutral oil.
Easy Baby Pancakes
Due to the very soft texture of these pancakes, they tend to be much easier for babies to eat than traditional ones. And since they are packed with nutrients, this is a favorite pancake recipe to make for baby led weaning and once a baby is starting to eat finger foods.
TIP: Find my favorite early finger foods for babies here.
Serving Suggestions
Maple syrup and butter of course, or nut butter, yogurt, applesauce, chopped fruit, or jam are all good options. When my middle kiddo was a baby, she ate them plain!
TIP: We like to have ours with a fruit salad rainbow (without the pot of gold at the end, unfortunately!) for St. Patrick’s Day, but that part is of course optional.
How to Store
These store really well if you let any leftovers cool and store in an airtight container or zip top freezer bags. You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days or in a freezer safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Warm in 15 second increments in the microwave to serve.
Tips for Making the Best Spinach Pancakes
- You can store a bag of baby spinach in the freezer to use in smoothies and pancakes. Freezing it maintains the nutrients but it knocks out any “green” flavor which is handy! It’s also nice that you don’t have to worry about it going bad before you can use it up.
- Be sure to blend the batter very smooth to get the greens very well processed.
- You can sub in whole wheat flour for the buckwheat, but you’ll want to reduce the milk by ¼ cup.
- If the bottoms start to brown too much before they are set, lower the heat to medium-low.
- Look for buckwheat in the natural flours section of your supermarket. It’s widely available and very nutritious.
- If making for a baby who’s not yet consuming cow’s milk, you can use unsweetened nondairy milk.
- I prefer to use a nonstick skillet or griddle for this recipe, though cast iron works too.
- You may also like Spinach Banana Muffins, 2-Ingredient Pancakes, Banana Oatmeal Pancakes, and Yogurt Pancakes.
I’d love to hear what you think of this recipe so please comment below with feedback!
This post was first published March 2018.
Best Banana Spinach Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups lightly packed baby spinach
- 2 small very ripe bananas (about 1 cup tightly packed sliced bananas)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup buckwheat flour or whole wheat (See Notes at the bottom if using whole wheat)
- Coconut oil for cooking (or unsalted butter)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a blender except the flour.
- Blend on high until very well combined, about 20-30 seconds, or until you no longer see any noticeable flecks of spinach.
- Stir or pulse in the flour and thoroughly combine without over-mixing.
- Warm a nonstick or cast iron skillet or griddle over medium heat and coat with oil or butter. Pour small rounds of batter onto the hot surface—the batter should spread fairly thinly on its own—and let cook until bubbles form on the surface and the surface is mostly set, about 3-4 minutes.
- Flip and cook for an additional 3 minutes, or until fully cooked.
- Continue to prepare the rest of the batter, keeping the finished pancakes warm in a 275 degree oven if desired.
- Serve warm with fruit, maple syrup, or another favorite dip.
Video
Notes
- To store, let cool fully and keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Warm slightly before serving. Or, store in a zip top freezer bag for up to 3 months and warm through to serve.
- Whole-wheat flour: You can sub in whole wheat flour for the buckwheat. Just reduce the milk to ¾ cup.
- You can use baby kale in this recipe if you prefer.
- You can store a bag of baby spinach in the freezer to use in smoothies and pancakes. Freezing it maintains the nutrients but it knocks out any “green” flavor which is handy! It’s also nice that you don’t have to worry about it going bad before you can use it up.
- Be sure to blend the batter very smooth to get the greens very well processed.
- If the bottoms start to brown too much before they are set, lower the heat to medium-low.
- Look for buckwheat in the natural flours section of your supermarket. It’s widely available and very nutritious.
- If making for a baby who’s not yet consuming cow’s milk, you can use unsweetened nondairy milk.
- I prefer to use a nonstick skillet or griddle for this recipe, though cast iron works too.
Can you make these as a sheet pan pancake?
To make as a Sheet Pan Pancake: Increase the flour to 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons. Line a quarter or half sheet pan with parchment paper. Pour batter on top, spreading to about ½ inch thick. Top with sliced strawberries and white chocolate chips, if desired. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10-14 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool on the pan at least mostly before slicing. The pancake is tender, so be gentle.
These came out really tasty! I had lots of spinach and lots of ripe bananas so I was glad to use some up. I used chia because I don’t have flax. My one year old didn’t even try them, she just shook her head no- haha! But maybe next time. I loved them 🙂
I have a couple of questions: 1) How do you measure frozen spinach for this recipe? 2) Do 11g of sugar per serving really just come from the bananas and the milk?
There’s no added sugar, so the amount of sugar is naturally occurring from the ingredients listed. For frozen spinach, you can break off about 2 inches from a frozen block or thaw it and measure out 2-4 tbsp
Love these. Going to make them again to see if I can troubleshoot. My first half of the batch (made per the recipe as buckewheat) came out with a slight taste of baking powder. I added 1 TBSP maple syrup to the last part in the blender and that mellowed it a little. Any suggestions to troubleshoot welcome because the color is AMAZING and the texture is so good!
Maybe try aluminum-free baking powder and be sure it’s well blended in?
Hey there, You have done a fantastic job. I’ll definitely digg it and personally suggest to my friends. I’m sure they will be benefited from this web site.
My 13 month old devoured these! Super easy to make and I actually thought they tasted pretty good as well (maybe drizzled with some syrup for me). I did not have flaxseed this time and used the whole wheat flour. Also I prefer not to use oil in the pan when cooking pancakes.
Super!
THESE ARE AMAZING! THANK YOU!
You’re welcome!
Great recipe! I used two cups of frozen spinach. At first I was worried it would be too watery but it turned out fine. In the past recipe I believe the coconut oil was incorporated into the batter. I wasn’t sure how much to put on the pan for cooking but a small amount (maybe 1/2 tbs) worked just fine for me with a nonstick pan. Thank you.
My toddler loved these. I am celiac so we don’t have gluten in the house so I used chickpea flour and 1 1/2 tsp of xanthum gum instead. I put peanut butter on top and he gobbled them right up
If frozen, do you thaw in the fridge, and then once thawed warm in the microwave?
You can do that or warm directly from frozen in the microwave or in the toaster oven depending on how large they are
Can these be baked instead?
I think you could do them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper at 400 for about 10-12 minutes
This worked for me! I have to tear up for baby anyway, so this made cooking much less work! Thank you!
Love this recipe! And LOVED being able to bake them in the oven-temp and timing were perfect. Thank you!
Our two year old absolutely loves these! We make them with flax egg replacer and they are great! I love being able to get some veggies in her food in such an easy way! Thank you!
Is there something I can use to replace flaxseed? I can’t find any near me! I do have chia seeds!
You can use chia seeds or additional flour
I loved them! The 3YO loved them with syrup, the 18month old was so-so on them (she can be touchy with her grains though). The husband and thought they were delicious, they were so quick to make in the blender, pretty moist! Not sure if I put quite enough spinach in (never know how much spinach is exactly right when ‘loosely packing’ 🤣😂). Will be attempting to freeze the leftovers and thaw for quick breakfasts!
I’m so glad to hear it!
These are amazingly good and my toddler LOVES these. I added some mini chocolate chips on the top too. So happy to have found this recipe.