These Green Pancakes are easy to make and incredibly soft and fluffy! They're made with baby spinach which gives them their beautiful green color without changing the flavor. They're also perfect for St. Patrick's Day breakfast or brunch and they're freezer-friendly!
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Why You'll Love These Green Pancakes
Soft, fluffy, and naturally green - The batter for these pancakes comes together really easily and yields extra light pancakes thanks to added buttermilk. Fresh baby spinach makes the pancakes naturally bright green without any food coloring which makes them both pretty and adds nutrients! They have a little bit of vanilla extract for flavor and they're sweetened with a touch of cane sugar.
You'll never taste the spinach! - These pancakes are just as delicious as they are pretty. Baby spinach gives them a bright green color but you'd never know they're spinach pancakes if you didn't make them yourself. It's a great way to get some extra greens in without ever noticing it! The batter is partially blended which helps to completely pulverize the spinach so there are no green leaves in your pancakes. They're like a green smoothie but without any of the "green" flavor!
Freezer-friendly and great for meal prep - Whether you want to make a big breakfast or you want to meal prep a lot of pancakes, this is the recipe for you! You can double or triple the recipe very easily and you can store any leftovers in the fridge or freezer. The pancakes are easy to defrost and reheat and they'll taste just as good as fresh.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour - You can use regular all-purpose flour or a gluten-free substitute. I like using Bob's Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
- Buttermilk - Buttermilk makes the pancakes extra soft. You can use regular milk but I recommend buttermilk. You can make your own at home, even a dairy-free one! See the instructions below or in the recipe card.
- Sweetener - The pancakes are lightly sweetened with cane sugar. I would normally use maple syrup in pancakes but the blended spinach already adds extra liquid so I didn't want to add even more with a liquid sweetener.
- Butter - The recipe calls for butter but you can use neutral cooking oil as well. I use butter for both the batter and cooking the pancakes because it gives them better flavor and makes them crispy on the outside.
- Spinach - You'll need spinach to make the pancakes green. I recommend using fresh baby spinach. It's less bitter than regular big-leaf spinach. I don't recommend frozen spinach because it may make the batter too watery.
- Eggs - Eggs help bind everything. I always recommend using large eggs. I haven't tried using any vegan substitute so I can't guarantee results.
- Leavening agents - These pancakes have baking soda, baking powder, and fine sea salt to get them extra tall and fluffy.
- Flavorings - You only need a touch of ground cinnamon and pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
Variations and Substitutions
- Make it dairy-free - You can use vegan butter and dairy-free buttermilk to make the pancakes dairy-free.
- Homemade buttermilk - Measure 2 cups of milk, remove 2 tablespoons of the milk, and add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Gently stir and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. It's ready when it slightly thickens and curdles. You can do this with cow's milk, almond milk, oat milk, or any other milk you prefer. Choose a good quality creamy milk.
- Chocolate chips or blueberries - You can add chocolate chips (I recommend mini chocolate chips) or blueberries (I like wild blueberries, fresh or frozen) for more flavor. Keep in mind this will change the color of the pancakes.
- Add some matcha - I have separate posts for Matcha Pancakes and Matcha Waffles that don't have any spinach in them but you can add matcha to these pancakes as well! You can also make a batch of each for St. Patrick's Day. All 3 are perfect if you want to make a big brunch with a selection of green foods!
Step-by-Step Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Into a high-speed blender, add buttermilk, baby spinach, eggs, cane sugar, sea salt, vanilla extract, and melted butter.
- Blend on high until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into a large mixing bowl and add the dry ingredients.
- Whisk the batter until just mixed. Be careful not to overmix the batter it which could lead to flat and dense pancakes. It's better to use a spoon to fold the batter towards the end, rather than vigorously whisk it.
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- Heat a large pan over medium heat and add a small knob of butter.
- Add pancake batter to the pan to form pancakes. Don’t overcrowd your pan, I like to do 3 pancakes at a time in a 12-in skillet. You can use a griddle as well.
- Cook the pancakes for 2-3 minutes on each side. You'll know when to flip them when bubbles start to appear on top and the sides start to set and become less shiny. Cooking time may vary based on their size and thickness.
- Repeat with the rest of the batter adding more butter as needed.
- Serve the pancakes with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Expert Tips!
- Don't overmix the batter - When you're adding dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, you want to fold them in rather than vigorously whisk them in. I usually do it in two batches using a whisk first and then switching to a spoon. When you overmix the batter, the pancakes might be more dense and won't rise as much.
- Keep the pancakes warm - I highly recommend preheating your oven to 200F and keeping your pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet in the oven while you finish cooking the rest of the batter. This way they'll stay warm and not stacking them on top of each other prevents them from losing their crispiness on the outside.
What to Serve Them With
- Fresh fruit - I like serving them with fresh berries like chopped strawberries, fresh raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries.
- Warm berries - They would also be delicious with warm sauteed berries. Just simmer the fruit with a tiny splash of water and some maple syrup for a few minutes until it softens and becomes saucy.
- Yogurt - Add a dollop of full-fat Greek yogurt or any dairy-free alternative on top of your pancakes. Yogurt and fresh strawberries are the best combo!
- Maple syrup - This is a classic! Make sure you're using 100% pure maple syrup without any other sugars or colors added to it. If you want to use flavored syrup you can make your own with equal parts water and sugar or a liquid sweetener like maple syrup. Try this Strawberry Syrup!
- Nut butter - You can add a drizzle of almond butter, seed butter like sunflower seed butter, or coconut butter (not coconut oil).
Storing
- Fridge: You can store any leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezer: Store the pancakes in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3-4 months when stored properly. You can first freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet and then transfer them to a ziplock bag or a container to avoid them sticking together but I rarely do this. They will stick together once frozen but I find they're fairly easy to pull apart.
Reheating
You can reheat the pancakes in the oven or in a toaster. You can either defrost your pancakes in the fridge first, or you can reheat them from frozen.
Toaster: I recommend using a toaster only if you're reheating them from the fridge. Just pop them in the toaster as you would a slice of bread! If you're reheating them from frozen, it's better when you use the oven because they might need longer to defrost and heat up.
Oven: If you're using the oven, preheat it to 300F and lay out your pancakes on a baking sheet in a single layer. Warm them up in the preheated oven for 10 minutes if refrigerated or longer if frozen. They should take about 15 minutes to warm up from the freezer.
FAQs
Unfortunately, I haven't tried any substitutes for the eggs so I can't guarantee the pancakes would come out the same without them. You can make them dairy-free by using vegan butter and homemade vegan buttermilk (details are in the recipe card).
This usually happens when you overmix the batter. It could also be because your baking powder was expired or you've had it in your pantry for a long time so it wasn't as potent.
You probably added too much spinach which watered down the batter. I recommend adding no more than 2 packed cups of baby spinach. Frozen spinach doesn't work in this recipe because it would water it down too much.
Similar Recipes
If you want to try other pancakes similar to these, try any of the recipes below. To see all the latest ones head over to Pancakes and Waffles. I highly recommend the savory green waffles! They're also made with spinach but it's a cheesy savory version!
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Print📖 Recipe
Green Pancakes
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These Green Pancakes are easy to make, extra soft and fluffy. Spinach gives them a beautiful green color but doesn't change their flavor. They're perfect for St. Patrick's Day breakfast or brunch and they're freezer-friendly!
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour (I use Bob's Red Mill gluten-free 1:1 flour)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 cups buttermilk (see notes for dairy-free buttermilk)
- 2 cups tightly packed baby spinach
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp cane sugar
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp melted unsalted butter
- Butter for cooking
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Into a high-speed blender, add buttermilk, baby spinach, eggs, cane sugar, sea salt, vanilla extract, and melted butter.
- Blend on high until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into a large mixing bowl and add the dry ingredients.
- Whisk the batter until just mixed. Don’t overmix.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat and add a small knob of butter. Add batter to the pan to form pancakes. Don’t overcrowd your pan, I like to do 3 pancakes at a time in a 12-in skillet.
- Cook the pancakes for 2-3 minutes on each side. You'll know when to flip them when bubbles start to appear on top and the sides start to set and become less shiny. Cooking time may vary based on their size and thickness.
- Repeat with the rest of the batter adding more butter as needed or wiping some away if it starts to burn.
- Serve the pancakes with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Equipment
Notes
The recipe yields 14-16 pancakes.
Homemade buttermilk: Measure 2 cups of milk, remove 2 tablespoons of the milk, and add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Gently stir and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. It's ready when it slightly thickens and curdles. You can do this with cow's milk, almond milk, oat milk, or any other milk you prefer. Choose a good quality creamy milk.
Melted butter: It’s important to make sure your ingredients in the blender aren’t too cold when you add melted butter so it doesn’t harden. Once you add the butter, immediately blend everything so it doesn’t sit with the cold buttermilk and eggs in the blender.
Keep pancakes warm: Preheat your oven to 200F and keep your pancakes in the oven on a baking sheet in a single-layer to keep them warm while you finish cooking the rest of the batter.
Storing: Store the pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for 3-4 months.
Reheating: Reheat the pancakes in a preheated oven at 300F for about 10 minutes or longer if frozen. You can reheat them from frozen or defrost them in the fridge overnight first.
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Mimi Rippee says
They’re so pretty! I would keep them savory. That’s just me!
Veronika Sykorova says
Thanks Mimi! I also have these cheesy Savory Green Waffles you could check out!