These healthy Spinach Pancakes are a great way to sneak some extra veggies in. They are not only tasty and easy to make but vegan, oil-free, refined sugar free and made with wholesome Whole Wheat Flour!
Did you say healthy Spinach Pancakes! Is it really possible to have your pancakes and eat them too? Why yes, yes it is. This recipe is super fun to make and yields the perfect healthy pancakes for kids!
Spinach is an amazingly subtle green to add to pancakes. It doesn’t leave any flavor behind yet adds a nice boost of nutrition. To make this recipe you will need a blender and a few pantry staples.
Fluffy, wholesome, made with just 10 ingredients in under 30 minutes. What are you waiting for?
Get to cooking!
Ingredient Notes:
- Whole Wheat Flour – This is a dense flour so make sure not to over mix your batter. You can also use all-purpose flour if needed.
- Spinach – I used fresh baby spinach but any fresh spinach will work.
- Almond Milk – You can use any plant milk that you have on hand. I generally buy an unsweetened and unflavored option.
- Vanilla – I use a pure vanilla extract for all of my recipes.
- Cinnamon – At least a dash of cinnamon is a must in all pancakes however, if you don’t have any on hand you can simply leave it out of the recipe.
- Flax Meal – This is simply ground flax seeds. You can find this at more grocery stores now in the natural food section.
- Baking Soda & Powder – Always check to make sure they are not expired.
- Coconut Sugar – This is a great alternative to regular white sugar however if you don’t have any on hand regular sugar will work as well.
- Apple Sauce – Unsweetened and unflavored works best for this recipe. You can also use a neutral tasting oil or melted butter to replace this ingredient.
How To Make:
In a medium sized bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, coconut sugar and flax meal. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.
Blend spinach with almond milk, vanilla and apple sauce until completely smooth.
You will want to make sure there are absolutely no chunks in the wet mixture and it is completely smooth.
Pour the wet ingredients into the well in the dry ingredients. Fold the mixture together only until incorporated. Do not over mix your batter.
Allow batter to rest for 5 minutes.
Heat a large lightly greased skillet over medium heat. Make sure it is hot and ready to go before making your pancakes.
Once skillet it hot pour ¼ cup batter into the pan.
Wait until you see bubbles and golden edges on the pancake before flipping. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side.
Serve with warm pure maple syrup and maybe a dash of powdered sugar for prettiness. I love mine served with peanut butter and sliced bananas.
Enjoy!
Tips For Success:
- Blend wet ingredients very well. You will want to make sure to blend the wet ingredients very well until the mixture is completely smooth. This will ensure there are not any chunks of spinach in your pancakes.
- Don’t over mix your batter. Over mixing any batter can result in a not so fluffy product. This is especially true when using Whole Wheat Flour, as it is a denser flour than All-Purpose. Simply mix until the ingredients are combined and not a moment more.
- Allow the batter to rest. Allowing the batter to rest for five minutes will let it thicken and yield fluffier results.
The spinach is hardly detectable. These pancakes do have more of an earthy taste compared to traditional pancakes primarily due to the Whole Wheat Flour. I generally prefer these served with peanut butter and syrup. If you want a traditional pancake taste I recommend replacing the Whole Wheat Flour with All-Purpose Flour.
I would not recommend using any other green other than spinach. It has a very mild flavor. There really isn’t a good replacement for this ingredient. Using something like kale would likely result in a bitter more pungent taste.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. These do also freeze well, store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Make sure to let the pancakes cool completely before storing.
Other Healthy Breakfast Recipes:
If you try this recipe make sure to let me know! Leave a comment, rate it and if you take a photo use #feeninforgreens on instagram. I love seeing photos of your recreations!
Spinach Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 ¼ cup whole wheat flour
- 1 ⅓ cup unsweetened almond milk
- 3 tbsp. unsweetened apple sauce
- 2 tbsp. flax meal
- 2 tbsp. coconut sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, coconut sugar and flax meal. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.
- Blend spinach with almond milk, vanilla and apple sauce until completely smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the well in the dry ingredients. Fold the mixture together only until incorporated. Do not over mix your batter.
- Allow your batter to rest for about 5 minutes.
- Heat a large lightly greased skillet over medium heat. Make sure it is hot and ready to go before making your pancakes.
- Once skillet it hot pour ¼ cup batter into the pan.
- Wait until you see bubbles and golden edges on the pancake before flipping. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side.
- Serve with warm pure maple syrup and maybe a dash of powdered sugar for prettiness. I love mine served with peanut butter and sliced bananas.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure you do not over mix the batter. Whole Wheat Four is much denser than white flour. If you over mix the batter you will likely end up with flat rubbery pancakes.
- Blend the spinach mixture until completely smooth to ensure you do not end up with spinach chunks in your pancakes.