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.
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.
Is it 1 and 1/2 tsp of baking power or is it 1 measurement of 1/2 tsp?
1 and 1/2.
How about using oat flour??
I haven’t tested them that way so I can’t say for sure!
I love your recipes, my LO is 10 months old with a mild egg allergy, do you have any recipes without egg or any suggestions to substitute the eggs? He loves food but I’m struggling to make new things that don’t have egg.
Hi- All of my recipes that are egg-free or have an egg-free variation (which will be in the Notes section at the bottom) are listed under this page https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/category/recipes/egg-free/
My 22 month old loved these but mine were way darker than yours and also a lot more dense-looking…yours looks way fluffier! I wonder what could’ve caused that, do you have any ideas? The only thing I did different was using goat milk as that was all we had on hand. Maybe I overmixed it? Not sure why they were so dark either (almost black).
I am not sure–sometimes different baking pan materials can impact how dark muffins are (but black would be surprising—you can’t really overmix them). With the density, the most likely explanation is the freshness of the baking soda. That really is key to the texture. I hope that helps!
My 18 month old loves these and so do I! Such an easy and non-messy way to get him fruit, veggie, whole grains, and good fats!
Hi Amy! I’ve tried these pancakes a couple of times but can’t seem to ever get them to cook through….I’ve even tried cooking 9 mins each side on a lower heat and it’s still not cooked in the middle. Do you have any suggestions??
Which kind of flour are you using? You may need to reduce the milk a little if you’re using whole wheat.
We love this recipe! Just wondering, could you make the batter ahead of time and store in the fridge overnight?
Yes, though it may thicken a little so you’ll need to use a spoon to drop the batter onto the pan as it may not pour out of the blender the same way.
I tried a bunch of these baby pancake recipes and my kid was pretty indifferent to all of them. Then I tried yours and he just devours them! I’ve even tried these by replacing the spinach with other things like blueberries etc to give some variety. Loves them and makes mama feel better knowing that he’s getting his greens in.
I’m so glad!
Can I make these with all purpose flour?
Yes, though I would start with 1/2 cup milk to ensure that the batter cooks through well.
My 3 year old and I both loved these!
Can’t say enough good things about these pancakes!! They’re easy to make, nutritious, and delicious!! My one year old and I both loved them! Thank you for sharing!!
Fun recipe. I just used a wand to blend it- turned out delicious and everyone, including our one-year-old, loved it!
For a baby under 1, does nondairy milk need to be used? I know yogurt and cheese are fine but not sure about milk and we do BLW.
Cow’s milk can be very hard for babies to digest (which is different than cheese and yogurt) so it’s generally not recommended for under 1 years. It may be fine in small amounts, but the recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics is to avoid it so that’s my advice too.
Can you use frozen spinach? Same amount or reduce? I don’t normally have fresh on hand because it goes bad so quickly. Thanks!
I’d probably do 1/4 cup packed, thawed, and squeezed dry frozen spinach.
What kind of coconut oil should be used in this recipe? I’m not too familar with using it for cooking, but researched and read that unrefined is typically used for baking vs refined. I’ve seen both sold in jars. However, I’ve also seen a liquid form of coconut oil specifically for cooking, and was wondering if that would be ok to use in this recipe? Whether the liquid form or refined/unrefined, does that change the amount used in this recipe?
You can use any kind or butter—since it’s just used to grease the pan.
Omg, brilliant nutrition and super easy to make like all your recipes I’ve made so far. My little 21-month old son absolutely loved it. This is the first recipe from this site he loved, I’ve loved quite a few others too, and I will make again. Did I mention the nutrition? Spinach and bananans and eggs!!!