Home » Feeding Style » Baby Led Weaning » 15-Minute Fluffy Spinach Pancakes for Babies & Toddlers
by Michele Olivier on October 23, 2018 (updated Aug 31, 2024)
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4.78 stars (234 ratings)Made with fresh spinach, this recipe forspinach pancakes hasbecome an all-time reader favorite! The pancake batter isprepared inthe blender, and in 15 minutes the pancakes are done! Made with simpleingredients, the pancakes are fluffy, soft and perfect forbaby-ledweaning, hungrytoddlers, and older kids too. 6 months and up!
Reader Review
4.78 stars (234 ratings)
“I don’t think there’s any other recipe i’ve made as many times as this one. its always a hit with my toddler, who isn’t always (ok, never is) enthusiastic about eating his leafy greens. he always finishes his plate if it’s these pancakes! thank you for this!! ”-April
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Quick Spinach Pancakes
Are you looking for an easy way to serve spinach to your baby, toddler, or kids?
I’ve got you!
These Green Spinach Pancakes are easy to make and even easier to eat. Readers have given this recipe over a hundred 5-star reviews! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
My kids have been scarfing these spinach pancakes down for years. My youngest loves to add a sprinkle of cheddar cheese to her pancakes (savory girl for the win), while my oldest loves to add a little too many chocolate chips. I usually eat mine plain while I do the dishes and make school lunches (somehow at the same time), while the kids blast a Taylor Swift song on repeat and at a volume that is close to deafening. All the while, I am also trying to finish my first cup of cold coffee. Mom life, am I right?
Here are some more ways we love these pancakes:
- add in a pinch of cloves and chopped peaches – Yes!
- mixed with a spoonful of pumpkin pie spice mix and some chopped peacans – Of, course!
- add in some chopped strawberries – no brainer!
Made with only simple ingredients, these pancakes are still fluffy and soft and are perfect for babies doing baby-led weaning or in the finger food stage, toddlers, kids, and adults alike! These pancakes are great for breakfast, on-the-go park adventures, lunch, or dare I say… breakfast for dinner.
Spinach Pancakes Video
Watch this video to see how easy it is to make these green pancakes?
Ingredients
Make sure to read the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions!
- Oats/Flour: I’m going to give you two ways to make these pancakes. The first is the OG pancakes made with oats that you then blender until you have homemade oat flour. Or, the second way is that you can use all-purpose, white wheat flour, store-bought oat flour or a gluten-free one-for-one blend.
- Spinach: the star of the show – spinach! You will need a cup of fresh spinach for this recipe. Don’t pack in the spinach or your pancakes may become soggy in the middle. I have made this recipe with frozen spinach before (added it frozen to the blender), and while it works in a pinch, fresh spinach doesn’t have as strong of a spinach flavor and we preferred the taste of fresh spinach pancakes better.
- Banana: a medium banana with lots of brown spots works best for this recipe.
- Oil: you can use mild olive oil, coconut oil or melted butter in this recipe.
- Milk: you can use regular milk or a plant-based milk such as almond, hemp, soy, rice or oat milk.
- Egg: one large egg is needed to bind everything together.
- Spices, cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt: I love adding a pinch of cinnamon and vanilla extract to my spinach pancakes to really up the taste factor. But you can also omit these spices if you prefer. I also have a list below of other fun ingredients you can add to the pancakes if you are feeling fancy.
If you are looking for more easy and healthy pancakes for your little one, then be sure to check out my3-Ingredient Banana Pancakes,Pumpkin Pancakes for Baby, or these delicious Sweet Potato Pancakes. You can also find more recipes and information in my best-selling cookbookLittle Foodies: Recipes for Babies and Toddlers with Taste.
Let’s Get Cooking
There are a couple of ways you can make these delish pancakes!
Oat Spinach Blender Pancakes (the Original)
- Blend Oats: place the oats into the blender and blend into oat flour.
- Add Ingredients: add in the banana, spinach, egg, milk, oil, cinnamon and vanilla and blend on medium-high until completely smooth.
- Add Baking Powder: add in the baking powder and salt and blend on low.
- Cook: heat a medium skillet over medium heat, spray with cooking spray or add a little butter if needed. Drop 2-3 tablespoons of batter on the skillet and let cook for 3-4 minutes or until the sides are starting to become firm and the bottoms are golden brown. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.
- Serve:let cool slightly and serve.
Fluffy Spinach Pancakes
- Flour: in a medium bowl, add flour (all-purpose, white whole wheat, store-bought oat flour or a gluten-free one-for-one blend).
- Blend: in a blender, add in the banana, spinach, egg, milk, oil, cinnamon and vanilla, and blend on medium-high until completely smooth. Pour these ingredients into the bowl with flour and mix well.
- Cook: heat a medium skillet over medium heat, spray with cooking spray or add a little butter if needed. Drop 2-3 tablespoons of batter on the skillet and let cook for 3-4 minutes or until the sides are starting to become firm and the bottoms are golden brown. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.
- Serve:let cool slightly and serve.
How to Serve These Pancakes to Toddlers and Kids
These pancakes are made to be easy, so don’t feel like you need to serve them with anything too complicated. Here are some of my favorite easy ways to serve them to your baby or toddler:
- BLW – cut in half and served for baby-led weaning
- Classic – cut into chunks and served with maple syrup and fresh berries
- Bagel & Hemp Sprinkles – Smear with whole fat cream cheese and sprinkle with hemp seeds (serve whole or in chunks)
- PB&J Sandwich – take one pancake and spread with your favorite jam, then take another pancake and spread with a nut or seed butter or your choice, press two pancakes together and serve as a sandwich. Great for preschool or school lunches.
- Dipping Fun – cut pancakes into long strips and serve with some yogurt (thinner yogurt works better for this recipe) to dip the pancakes in. Serve with a side of your favorite fruit, anything goes – chunks of banana, cut up berries, slices of cooked apples, etc.
Recipe Tips
- Size:these pancakes are supposed to be on the smaller size, so roughly 2-3 tablespoons of batter will make the perfect size for a baby or toddler. If made any bigger, they start to fall apart when flipped.
- Spinach: I prefer to use fresh spinach in these pancakes as they give a brighter green color and a fresher taste. If you only have frozen, I would recommend adding in half of the amount listed in the recipe card frozen right into the blender.
- Amount of Spinach: you DO NOT want to pack the spinach into the cup, or more spinach for that matter, to this recipe. Adding too much spinach will make the batter have more liquid in it causing the pancakes to become doughy in the middle when cooked.
Baby-Led Weaning Pancakes
These pancakes are perfect for baby-led weaning or as a finger food because they are soft to eat and your baby can easily pick them up in their hands for a palmar grasp or with their pincer grasp if they cut into smaller chunks. You can serve them to your baby sliced in half or cut into small chunks.
Get the recipe:15-Minute Fluffy Spinach Pancakes for Babies & Toddlers
4.8 stars (234 ratings)
These Easy Blender Spinach Pancakes are a great way to serve spinach to your little one. Made with simple ingredients, these pancakes are fluffy, soft and perfect for your baby,baby-led weaning, toddlers, as well as kids! 6 months and up!
Yield: 10 small pancakes
Prep: 5 minutes minutes
Cook: 10 minutes minutes
Total: 15 minutes minutes
Author: Michele Olivier
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
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Ingredients
Oat Spinach Pancakes (the Original)
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats, see notes
- 1 cup spinach, not packed
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 egg or flax egg
- 1/2 cup milk of choice, regular, coconut, almond, hemp, etc
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, olive oil or melted butter
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Fluffy Spinach Pancakes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, white wheat flour or a GF blend
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 cup spinach, not packed
- 1/2 cup milk of choice, regular, coconut, almond, hemp, etc
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, olive oil or melted butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Oat Spinach Pancakes (the Original)
Blend Oats: In a blender, place the oats and pulse on medium speed for 30 seconds or until oats are a flour consistency.
Add Ingredients: Add in the spinach, banana, egg, milk, oil, cinnamon and vanilla extract and blend on high for 30-60 seconds or until batter is completely smooth and the spinach is completely broken down, scraping down the sides of the blender if needed.
Add in Baking Powder: Add in the baking powder and salt and blend on low for 20 seconds.
Cook: Heat a non-stick pan or pancake griddle over medium to medium-low heat. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of batter onto the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes or until tiny bubbles appear on the outside of the pancake. Flip and cook for an additional 2 minutes. If batter gets too thick, add in a tablespoon at a time of milk and re-blend until you have the right consistency.
Continue: Transfer pancakes to a cooling rack and repeat the process until you have used all of the batter.
Serve and Enjoy!
Fluffy Spinach Pancakes
Dry Ingredients: in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
Wet Ingredients: in a blender, add the banana, spinach, milk, oil, egg and vanilla extract and blend for 45-60 seconds on medium-high speed or until all of the spinach is incorporated.
Mix: pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold until incorporated.
Cook: Heat a non-stick pan or pancake griddle over medium to medium-low heat. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of batter onto the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes or until tiny bubbles appear on the outside of the pancake. Flip and cook for an additional 2 minutes. If batter gets too thick, add in a tablespoon at a time of milk and re-blend until you have the right consistency.
Continue: Transfer pancakes to a cooling rack and repeat the process until you have used all of the batter.
Serve and Enjoy!
Notes
Age: 6 months and up
Yield: 10 small pancakes
Oats for the Original Recipe: I recommend you use old-fashioned oats or quick oats as they blend really nicely into flour. If you are gluten-free, make sure you use oats that are labeled as gluten-free. Where oats themselves do not contain gluten, the packaging processing uses the same equipment as wheat.
Using Flour for the Fluffy Spinach Pancake Recipe: to get a fluffier pancake, you can use flour instead of homemade oat flour. You can use all-purpose, white whole wheat, store-bought oat flour or a gluten-free one-for-one blend.
Store-Bought Oat Flour: if you still want to use oats but don’t want to make your own flour, you can use store-bought oat flour. Using store-bought oat flour will give slightly fluffier pancakes than the original recipe but not as fluffy as using other flours.
Freezer-Friendly: store any extra pancakes in the fridge for 1 week or in the freezer for up to a month. To reheat, simply place the frozen pancake in the microwave for 30 seconds or pop them straight into the toaster.
Storage: These pancakes will store in an air-tight container for 3-4 days in the fridge. Pancakes also freeze well and will last up to one month in the freezer. To reheat, gently heat in the microwave or toaster.
Serving: 1small pancake, Calories: 91kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 2.2g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 17mg, Sodium: 74mg, Potassium: 161mg, Fiber: 1.3g, Sugar: 4.5g, Calcium: 51mg, Iron: 1mg
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Medically reviewed and cowritten byJamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).
6-9 Months 9-12 Months Baby Led Weaning Baked Goods Breakfast Dairy Free Family Finger Foods Food Gluten Free Hidden Veggie Kids Kids in the Kitchen Nut Free Preschoolers School Lunch Toddlers Vegetarian
originally published on October 23, 2018 (updated Aug 31, 2024)
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4.78 from 234 votes (184 ratings without comment)
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Courtney —Reply
The whole family loves these. Especially my baby! They’re a staple for the little guy and he’s been eating them since 7mo old. Was curious if I could use frozen spinach, if so how to incorporate? I use flax egg bc the little guy is allergic to eggs.
Michele Olivier —Reply
Hi Courtney! If you scroll down a bit to the subheading – Ingredients, I cover trying frozen spinach and why I prefer using fresh in this particular recipe. xo, Michele
Ashley Colquhoun —Reply
When I make these, and rip them apart the middle is still sort of gummy, like I could spread it, I cook them longer than 2 minutes on each side, I don’t pack the spinach, however I do add more milk, as the consistency seems thick and I don’t get bubbles in the middle of my pancakes, so then I thin it out with more milk. Is the added milk making them gummy in the middle ?? Should the consistency of the batter be pretty thick ? I want to love these so bad but worried I’m messing them up lol
Michele Olivier —Reply
Hi Ashley! Try turning up the heat under the pan a bit to see if that helps. Also, make sure your baking powder is still good. Hopefully, one of those two things will remedy the issue you are running into. xo, Michele
Monica —Reply
Fabulous recipe. I use a flax egg. My toddler grandkids love them, and so do we! I add 5 presoaked and peeled almonds to the wet ingredients before pulsing in the blender for one grandkid. The other is allergic to nuts, so the original for him.
Just one question: how many calories in the entire batter with flax egg and regular milk?Michele Olivier —Reply
The nutrition for my recipe is located under the recipe card. There are online calculators that allow you to plug in the ingredients you use. Glad you guys are enjoying the recipe! xo
Jordan G —Reply
I actually tried these with half rolled oats (homemade oat flour) and half all purpose flour and it was incredible. I wanted a bit fluffier but still the added nutrients of the oats. The consistency and texture was on point and my 8th month old loved these more than any other pancake recipe I’ve tried! Trying different veggies next!
Michele Olivier —Reply
That’s awesome to hear! Let us know how it works out with different veggies. xo, Michele
caroline —Reply
Delicious! PERFECTLY tender, lovely & fluffy, not overly sweet (but I suppose that would depend on the size and ripeness of your banana).
This is among the first BLW recipes I’ve used, as I have cooked and prepared meals comprised of whole-ingredients for my 10-month-old – and I have to say, this was the first one that I felt was worth printing out and keeping! I am going to immediately try out many other recipes on this site 🙂 Thank you so much!Michele Olivier —Reply
Hi Caroline! My girls loved these when they were that age, too! Thanks for taking a chance on the recipe. If you try other recipes, I’d love to hear how they work out for you! xo, Michele
Peach —Reply
Hi All, I am planning on cooking these for my 1 y/o but was wondering if you could cook them in the oven using a mini muffin tray? My LO is really full on and im ot sure he will entertain himself for the time it takes to cook a batch of pancakes.
ThanksMichele Olivier —Reply
Hi Peach! I haven’t tried it, but it’s worth a shot. Try baking them in your mini muffin pan at 350F for 10-12 minutes. xo, Michele
Leslie —Reply
Both my kids love these, especially with some peanut butter spread on top! Love how healthy they are! Thank you!
Michele Olivier —Reply
Happy to hear it! Thanks for sharing! 💕
Teddi Gorczok —Reply
I’ve never left a review for a recipe before, but holy moly these are SO GOOD, I had to come leave a comment! I made them for my 6 month old and took a bite expecting them to be bitter from the spinach, but you wouldn’t even know the spinach was there. They’re so fluffy and the banana adds the perfect amount of sweetness. 10/10 would reccomend!
Michele Olivier —Reply
Thanks so much Teddi and thank you for taking the time to leave your first review! It means so much! ❤️
Nikki Vint —Reply
Another one of your recipes that I’m putting in my weekly rotation! Super easy to make and I got my picky toddlers to eat spinach!!!! Hallelujah!! Thanks!
Michele Olivier —Reply
So happy to hear that your toddlers are loving these pancakes! Have you tried our Spinach Muffins yet? They are also amazing!
Katie —Reply
I’ve made the fluffy spinach pancakes a few times now and my 9 month old boy gets so excited and squeals with joy when he sees one on the plate for.his breakfast 😂 I’ve eaten a few as we’ll and they’re genuinely delicious
Michele Olivier —Reply
So happy to hear that your little one (and yourself) are loving these pancakes!
Lynn —Reply
Would a frozen banana work?
Michele Olivier —Reply
I have not tried to use a frozen banana in this recipe yet. But I would start by thawing it, discarding any excess juices, and then mashing it until smooth. Then mix in to the rest of the recipe. If you try it, please let us know how it works.
Mady B —Reply
This recipe is great! My 7 month old and (picky) 2.5 year old love these!!
Michele Olivier —Reply
So glad both of your kiddos love these pancakes! Thanks for the 5-star rating, it means a lot!
Jessica —Reply
Would this work in a sheet pan?
Michele Olivier —Reply
Yes. I would double the batch, add the batter to a 9×13 sheet pan, and bake in a 425 oven for 15-18 minutes. Hope that helps!
Alexz —Reply
My toddler loves these! I see you added a fluffy pancake recipe, but it looks exactly the same? Even the flour can be substituted for oat flour. Am I missing something?
Melissa —Reply
I can’t remember if I’ve commented on this yet or not. So my apologies if I already have lol.
I’ve made the fluffy pancakes twice now. They turned out weird the first time (but my 12 month old still inhaled them!!). The second time, they turned out PERFECT! I have no idea what I did differently, but I was very pleased. These pancakes are his favorite food! And my picky 3 year old loves these as well. I’m so happy I found these, as it’s so difficult to find anything decent with him having allergies to wheat, soy, dairy, almonds, coconut…Michele Olivier —Reply
Thanks for the review 🤍! So happy to hear that both of your kiddos loved these pancakes! Let me know if you ever figure out what went wrong on the first batch.
RBM —Reply
Came out perfectly! I made it with blended oats and it came out perfectly. They girls eat them and the banana gives them a nice sweetness. 100% win in my book.
Michele Olivier —Reply
So happy to hear that your girls love these pancakes! They are easy and yummy!
Brenda Rich —Reply
Picky eater grands have begged for this every time they come. I make them in Dinosaur shapes and freeze them and they just love them. Thank you for sharing!
Michele Olivier —Reply
Love this so much! Thank you for sharing! But I have to know how you make them into dinosaur shapes?!
Brenda Rich —Reply
Dino cookie molds from Amazon. Spray with cooking spray and lay on griddle. Takes some time to slide them off and flip, then freeze individually on cookie sheet, but well worth it to have on hand and have a meal the little ones are excited about and I can feel good to feed them.
Victoria —Reply
I’ve made this recipe many times and it was very fluffy and well received. Had to use pear instead of banana since I was out of them. Have you tried making a sheet pan version to reduce the amount of time spent flipping pancakes? If so, any tips on how long and the temp to bake them at?
Michele Olivier —Reply
So glad you enjoy this recipe. I also love that you tried pear and it worked! I’ll have to try that next time!
Making them into a sheet pan pancake is a brilliant idea! I haven’t tried it yet (but will this weekend) but I would recommend doubling the recipe and then baking at 425 for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. If you try this, please let us know how it turns out.
Katie —Reply
I’ve made this many times for my children. It turns out perfectly every time and I prefer this recipe over any other.
Michele Olivier —Reply
It makes me so happy that you love this recipe. Thank you for the review!
Amy —Reply
Made these exactly as written for my 8 month old this morning. They were so easy and turned out perfect!! He and I both gobbled them up!! This made quite a bit since I just did small mini pancakes, so plan to freeze those for later! Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes!!
Michele Olivier —Reply
So glad you both loved these pancakes! Frozen pancakes are a lifesaver on busy mornings!
Zofia —Reply
Hi! I’ve been asking these for the past 1.5 years for my son (I make 3x batch and freeze and he eats 3 x a week!).
What changed since modified and why??
Thanks.
Michele Olivier —Reply
The original recipe is still in the recipe card but I did update and add another method to give a more consistent texture. I found that different blenders were giving some readers different outcomes on these pancakes. Now there are two amazing ways to make these:)
Chanel —Reply
I can’t believe how many times i have made these 🥰
Michele Olivier —Reply
So happy to hear these delicious pancakes are on heavy rotation at our house!
Rachel —Reply
so good!! I’ve made a bunch of similar recipes but this is easiest by far and most consistent. added twice as much spinach (extra iron!) and omitted the vanilla (we’re out?!?) and still yummy! you can also make more savory with a bit of sautéed onion/garlic (still great for babies!)
remember to pair these with fruit high in vitamin c so the babes absorb the iron.
Michele Olivier —Reply
Love that you went a savory route with the onion/garlic; sounds delicious! And thank you for the good reminder about pairing with a fruit high in vitamin C for iron absorption.
Erica —Reply
My picky, allergic-to-everything toddler smelled the pancakes and ASKED to eat one. They were very good
Michele Olivier —Reply
This makes me SO happy! What a win!
Ashley —Reply
Toddler gobbles these up everytime – even reheated!! I like them too.
Michele Olivier —Reply
So glad you both enjoy these pancakes! I actually enjoy them reheated more than fresh.. I might be weird that way;)
Trish —Reply
Hello! My 10 month old can’t get enough of these. I’m so happy because he doesn’t like veggies. He’s more meat and potatoes guy! I saw you used beets before. Do you cook the beets first or toss them in raw? My 3.5 year old loves beets so I am happy to buy them more often!
Michele Olivier —Reply
I’m so happy your little one loves these pancakes! Here is the Pink Beet Pancakes. Enjoy!
Chase —Reply
I have made these many times and my kids love them but they always end up kind of raw on the inside. I always wait until there are multiple bubbles on top, I have tried varying the temperature and the size of the pancakes, I have tried making them thinner by adding more milk. Please let me know if you have any ideas. Thank you!
Alexz —Reply
Has anyone ever tried replacing the oat flour with almond flour or matzo meal in the vegan version of this?
april c —Reply
I don’t think there’s any other recipe i’ve made as many times as this one. its always a hit with my toddler, who isn’t always (ok, never is) enthusiastic about eating his leafy greens. he always finishes his plate if it’s these pancakes! thank you for this!!
Michele Olivier —Reply
I am so glad you have used this recipe so many times and your little one loves them!
Carlita —Reply
Hi Michele,
I do love your site and all your recipes.
I made these today and the batter was so thick and the pancakes are really dense and almost chewy.
I added a dash more milk, but do you know why this might have happened?
Michele Olivier —Reply
So glad you are here! Did you use the ingredients listed? Or change some items? You can always add in milk if the batter is too thick.
Brittany —Reply
I had the exact same issue and I followed the recipe to a T. Super chewy and dense.
Michele Olivier —Reply
Hi Brittany! If you want a thinner pancake, try adding a touch more milk until you get the desired consistency. Hope this helps! xo, Michele
S —Reply
I always double the spinach!
Mama24 —Reply
My 14 month old LOVES these!!! He’s been eating them since he was 10 months.
Michele Olivier —Reply
So glad he loves these pancakes!! Such an easy and tasty pancake to have on hand 🙂
