Easy Spinach Pancakes

Deliciously fluffy spinach pancakes are a smart way to sneak in extra veggies into your family’s favorite breakfast. No funny flavor or specs, they taste just like regular pancakes with a bright green color that’s fun for the kids.

I’m usually not one to add veggies to desserts and baked goods unless it’s my Carrot Zucchini Bars, but for these pancakes- it works! 

Spinach is an excellent source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals such as vitamin A, C, K, and folic acid, iron, and calcium. No wonder we are looking for more ways to add it to everyday recipes such as smoothies, pasta, and now, pancakes. 

Green Spinach Pancakes

Spinach and pancakes? Yes, this isn’t your typical breakfast recipe, but trust me, once you whip up a batch of these yummy, bright green pancakes, they will be a regular breakfast favorite.

Just like regular, homemade pancakes, these are light, fluffy, and taste nothing like leafy greens. Thanks to the blender, the spinach is blended into the batter and gives off no weird, suspicious flavors, just added nutrition.

Why These Spinach Pancakes are Perfect for Picky Eaters

The spinach adds extra nutrition and a bright green hue without the use of added food dye. I realize that most picky eaters aren’t too excited about green foods, but something about their favorite foods [enter pancakes] served in different colors is a different story. 

You can add more kid appeal to this pancake breakfast by serving them with a theme, like St. Patrick’s Day, Earth Day, or the Hulk.  

This is the perfect example of the types of tips I use in my picky eater’s program to help parents and kids try new foods in delicious and simple recipes parents can easily prepare. 

Getting our kids to try new foods is not easy but it is possible! Learn how many parents are helping their kids learn to try new foods.

Perfect Spinach Pancake Batter

To avoid specs of leafy greens in your pancakes, the spinach and wet ingredients are blended until smooth, then poured into the dry ingredients, and stirred until just combined. Pancake batter should be thick, without lumps, and even. 

Pancake batter that is too thin will yield flat pancakes without much fluff.

You can also prep the batter the night before and refrigerate. Since the baking powder will lose some of it’s “boosting power” overnight, when ready to make pancakes, whisk ¼-1/2 teaspoon of additional baking powder into the batter, before cooking.

How to Make Green Spinach Pancakes

Ready to make these hulk-green spinach pancakes a regular breakfast at your house? Let’s get to it! 

1. Sift
   In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. 
2. Add to the Blender
   To a high-speed blender, add milk, egg, butter, and spinach. Blend until smooth. 
3. Combine
   Pour the blended mixture into the flour and whisk to combine. 
4. Cook
   Heat a large non-stick pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Pour or scoop ¼ cup of batter for each pancake. Wait until bubbles begin to form to flip. Repeat with the remaining batter. 
5. Stack ’em High
   Serve the pancakes with butter, maple syrup, or your choice of yummy pancake toppings. 

For those of us that love to learn by watching, check out how these pancakes are made in this quick video:

While some people prefer to make pancakes on a pan, I really like the efficiency of a large non-stick griddle when it comes to making my pancakes. A large surface allows me to make more pancakes at once, which means I can serve them hot and please a crowd (or my kids).

I do feel, however, that a non-stick surface is necessary to make pancakes. And remember, just because your surface is non-stick, it does not mean you can skip using butter or spray. This is essential.

How to Make Fluffy Spinach Pancakes

Just because these are spinach pancakes doesn’t mean they can’t be fluffy! In my opinion, the fluffier the pancake the better and the secret is in fresh baking powder. While we all have baking powder in our pantries, it’s important to note that after nine months from opening, its “rising properties” begin to decline.

Meaning, its ability to provide your pancake batter with a fluffy “lift” and help them rise declines quickly or stops working. This is the culprit to pancakes not coming out as fluffy as they should with this recipe.

One simple trick is to mark the opening date with a pen in your baking powder bag or package, so you know it’s always fresh! If your baking powder is sealed but expired, it will also not provide optimal lift.

Can They Be Gluten-Free or Dairy-Free?

These healthy and yummy pancakes can easily be turned into a gluten and/or dairy-free recipe so the entire family can enjoy them. 

To make these pancakes gluten-free swap the all-purpose flour for equal parts 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour. 

My favorite one for this recipe is Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour. A lot of people have also claimed success with King Arthur’s Gluten-Free flour too.

Whether you ran out of regular milk or your household is dairy-free you can still make delicious pancakes by using non-dairy milk such as almond or soy. I recommend neutral-flavored non-dairy milk to keep the taste of the pancakes similar to the original recipe.

Topping Your Spinach Pancakes

These spinach pancakes can be served with savory or sweet flavors. If you’d like to make them savory, consider adding shredded Cheddar cheese to the batter, it’s a decision you won’t regret. Otherwise, since you can’t taste the spinach flavor you top them with all your usual toppings or a few new ideas: 

• Vanilla Greek yogurt
• Sliced fruit
• Whipped cream
• Maple Syrup
• Homemade Pancake Syrup
• Honey

Interested in more pancake topping ideas? Good, I have over 50+ ideas to top pancakes so you won’t get bored anytime soon. 

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