Name: The Best Spinach Pancakes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 3 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon sugar; 1 handful of spinach (about 1 cup chopped); 1 1/4 cups milk; 1 egg; 3 tablespoons butter (melted)

Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy here.

Fluffy green pancakes made with spinach that not only look epic but also taste delicious!

And because the spinach is mixed with the wet ingredients in a blender, there are no green specks left behind for kids to notice.

large stack of green spinach pancakes topped with kiwi and banana

Jump to:

Green Spinach Pancakes
Ingredients
Perfect Spinach Pancake Batter
How to Make Green Spinach Pancakes
Topping Your Spinach Pancakes
The Best Spinach Pancakes

Green Spinach Pancakes

Adding spinach to pancake batter to make green pancakes is something that many of us, parents, are willing to try to add more nutrition into our kids’ diet.

Heck, even if you just want to make green pancakes for St. Patricks’ day without using food coloring, with this recipe, you don’t have to worry about the kids picking out green specks from their pancakes.

Blending the spinach in a blender on high speed ensures that it’s well incorporated before you even mix it into the batter; and this way, these pancakes have more vitamins A, C, K, folic acid, iron, and calcium without tasting like leafy greens!

large stack of green pancakes with sliced fruit and syrup to one side

Ingredients

You’ll find the amounts to make these spinach pancakes in the recipe card. This list of ingredients has some important notes in case you need to make substitutions:

All-Purpose Flour: the base for these pancakes. You can make gluten-free pancakes using an all-purpose gluten-free 1:1 baking mix.
Baking Powder: an essential ingredient to help these green pancakes rise and have a nice texture.
Salt: to enhance the flavor of the other ingredients.
Sugar: just enough to make these pancakes lightly sweet and most importantly, balance out the flavor from the spinach.
Milk: regular milk or a dairy-free alternative will work with this recipe.
Egg: to bind the ingredients and help the pancakes hold together. You can use one of these egg substitutes for pancakes if needed.
Butter: a little to add some flavor and moisture to the batter. It also helps give pancakes nicely defined edges.
Spinach: a handful of spinach, up to 1 cup of chopped fresh spinach is all you need.

Perfect Spinach Pancake Batter

This pancake batter is nice and thick and holds up well with the addition of spinach. Using a blender to blend it into the wet ingredients also eliminates green specks, so make sure to blend well until it’s nice and smooth into the batter.

The spinach will give these pancakes a naturally green color, just like in the photos, without using artificial colors or additives letting you feel good about this pancake breakfast. You can also use my Matcha Pancakes recipe, which uses green tea powder to turn the batter green.

There are some common pancake mistakes that can happen, like over mixing the batter too much yielding chewy pancakes; so make sure to stop mixing when you don’t see any more lumps.

How to Make Green Spinach Pancakes

Ready to make these bright green spinach pancakes a winning breakfast at your house? Here are some helpful tips for each of the steps:

Measure the dry ingredients
Add the dry ingredients inside a large bowl and whisk to combine to distribute the baking powder evenly.
Blend the spinach
Add the wet ingredients and spinach inside your blender jar. Blend on high speed until there are no green specks, just a green liquid.
Mix the batter
Pour the green liquid into the bowl and combine until all the lumps are gone.
Cook the green pancakes
Start with a hot non-stick pan or griddle. Once hot, grease it and immediately pour the batter on the hot surface. Wait to flip the pancakes until the edges are defined and you see bubbles. Once cooked on both sides, transfer to a plate.
Stack them high
Serve warm topped with toppings and syrup.

Check out how these pancakes are made:

Do you need a non-stick pan for pancakes?

Yes, a non-stick pan or griddle is an essential tool for cooking all pancake recipes. But just because it’s non-stick doesn’t mean you can skip using oil, butter, or spray to ensure they don’t stick. You can also use a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet.

large stack of green pancakes topped with fruit and syrup

Achieving Fluffy Pancakes

Baking powder is what makes pancakes fluffy and gives them their spongy texture. You’ll notice that pancakes rise after you flip them, when you cook them on the second side. This is because the baking powder reacts with heat and that reaction is what gives your pancakes lift.

One important tip is to not press the pancakes down with a spatula after you flip them over. This pressure will push out any uncooked pancake batter through the sides and the pancakes will loose their texture and not be full cooked. Flip them and leave them alone.

Can you make this batter ahead?

You can make and freeze this pancake batter, without cooking, for up to 3 months or simply mix it the night before, keep the batter bowl covered in the fridge, and in the morning, let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes before cooking it. Cold pancake batter is very thick and won’t have the same texture. If needed, add a tablespoon or two of milk to thin it out.

Topping Your Spinach Pancakes

These spinach pancakes pair well with both sweet and savory pancake toppings. If you’d like to make them savory, consider adding ⅓ cup shredded Cheddar cheese to the batter, it’s a decision you won’t regret. Of course, they also go great with these:

The Best Spinach Pancakes

Servings: 12 pancakes

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 15

Fluffy green pancakes made with spinach that not only look epic but also taste delicious!

5 from 35 votes

Print Pin

Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 handful of spinach, about 1 cup chopped
1 ¼ cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions

Make the pancake batter:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
In a blender, pour the milk, egg, butter, and spinach. Blend on high speed until smooth.
Pour the green mixture into the flour bowl and with a whisk or fork, mix from the outside of the bowl in to combine, until all the visible lumps are gone.

Cook the pancakes:

Heat a non-stick griddle or large pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, grease it with oil or butter. Immediately pour or scoop ¼ cup of batter for each pancake. Cook the first side for about 2 minutes, until the edges look defined and bubbles have formed throughout. Flip the pancakes over and cook for one more minute. Remove from the pan onto a plate and repeat with the remaining batter.

Serve:

Stack them high and top with your favorite toppings and syrups.

Notes

Use the right baking powder: Since pancake batter naturally has a mild, neutral flavor, it’s important to use aluminum-free baking powder. The metallic flavor will ruin the taste, especially in fluffy pancake recipes that call for 2 or more teaspoons. Trust me on this one.