Spinach Banana Pancakes
on Sep 26, 2021, Updated Feb 16, 2024
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These spinach banana pancakes are dairy-free, nut-free, gluten-free, and quick to make! They are naturally sweetened with banana and naturally colored with spinach making them a nutritious breakfast treat!
Spinach adds such a fun, bright color to foods. These pancakes are a vibrant green color with a subtle sweetness from the banana. They pair perfectly with a drizzle of maple syrup and a side of fruits! They are freezer-friendly, making them perfect to store and serve throughout the week!
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need
Here is what you’ll need to make these spinach banana pancakes:
- Banana: The main source of sweetness for these pancakes. Try to use a banana that is very ripe with several brown spots. The riper the banana, the sweeter the pancakes!
- Rolled Oats: I love baking with rolled oats as they are packed with nutrition! Gluten-free rolled oats make these pancakes gluten-free.
- Eggs: Used as a binder to help hold the pancakes together.
- Cinnamon: Provides an extra warm spice and subtle sweetness.
- Spinach: For added nutrients and vitamins.
- Oil: I used extra light-tasting olive oil, but any mild-tasting oil works as well.
- Baking Powder: Leavening agent to help the pancakes rise.
- Maple Syrup (Optional): For added sweetness.
Step By Step Instructions
- Blend all of the ingredients together until smooth.
- Spoon out tablespoon amounts of batter and form small circles on a greased pan to cook.
- Once bubbles begin to form, flip over the pancakes and cook for a couple of minutes on the other side.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Eggs: You may replace the eggs with flax eggs. To make a flax egg, combine 3 tablespoons of water with 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed. Let the mixture sit in the fridge for about 15 minutes until it forms a gel-like texture.
- Oats: You may replace the oat flour with all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour. I used old-fashioned rolled oats in this recipe, but you can also use quick, though the amount needed may vary.
- Cinnamon/Vanilla: These two ingredients are optional, but add great flavor to the pancakes.
Storage Instructions
Let the pancakes completely cool and store them in an airtight container for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. To freeze, store in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag with parchment paper-lined between them for up to 2 months. You may reheat on low heat in a pan or simply microwave for 20-30 seconds, or until warmed through!
Recipe Notes
- Low heat is very important in this recipe! These pancakes can burn easily if the heat is too high, so make sure to cook on low heat but make sure that your pan is preheated before adding the batter. If your pancakes are browning too quickly and aren’t cooked through in the middle, this is a sign that your heat is too high.
- I love using this nutribullet blender to blend the ingredients into a smooth batter!
- Use a very light layer of oil when greasing the pan, wiping away any excess. This helps the pancakes to get that smooth, brown color.
- If you want your pancakes to have a brighter green color, add in a few more leaves of spinach.
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Spinach Banana Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 large overripe banana
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup spinach
- 2 tbsp oil, mild tasting
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat a frying pan on low heat and add in a little butter/oil.
- Blend all of the ingredients together until smooth.
- Spoon out tablespoon amounts of batter and form small circles on a greased pan to cook.
- Once bubbles begin to form, flip over the pancakes and cook for a couple of minutes on the other side.
Notes
- Low heat is very important in this recipe! These pancakes can burn easily if the heat is too high, so make sure to cook on low heat but make sure that your pan is preheated before adding the batter. If your pancakes are browning too quickly and aren’t cooked through in the middle, this is a sign that your heat is too high.
- I love using this nutribullet blender to blend the ingredients into a smooth batter!
- Use a very light layer of oil when greasing the pan, wiping away any excess. This helps the pancakes to get that smooth, brown color.
- If you want your pancakes to have a brighter green color, add in a few more leaves of spinach.
My 9 month old is loooving these. Silly me, I thought he’d eat one… but he just crushed 4. I enjoyed a few myself.
I wanted to add peanut butter, so I added PB powder (I use PB Fit; easier to mix in recipes than regular PB and doesn’t have salt or other additives) and some water to thin it out. Worked great.
I’m so glad to hear that your little one loved these pancakes!😊
We absolutely love this recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoy these pancakes, Connie!😊
My daughter loved them! I also make a batch for myself as a on the go breakfast for work.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing your feedback, Jazmin!😊
We love these! On our regular rotation!
These are so easy to make and my little one loves them! He also loves your beet pancakes, so I experimented and threw a beet into this mixture. It turned out well and he’s getting even more nutrients in one go! The color definitely isn’t as appealing (:P) but he scarfs them down regardless!
I’m so happy to hear that your little one enjoys these pancakes! And I love the idea of adding in the beets!😊
My toddler has officially turned into a fruit monster. She eats these without question and I feel a special satisfaction knowing I got at least one vegetable in her.
PS- I use frozen spinach and they turn out great (just under 1 cup)
I’m so happy to hear that your daughter enjoyed these pancakes! And thank you for sharing how much frozen spinach you used!😊
My daughter liked these :), to my surprise since she is starting to get a bit picky with food.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing your review, Laurie!😊
May be a stupid question, but the oil in the ingredients is that for the pan or for the pancake batter?
Hi! The oil is blended into the ingredients with the batter! Sometimes I add in a little extra on the pan, but if you are using a really good nonstick pan extra oil isn’t needed to grease the pan😊
You think it’d be ok to add chia seeds to the mix as well??
Yes definitely! I would just be careful not to add too much so that it doesn’t make the batter to thick!😊
Would frozen spinach work for this recipe? So excited to try it!
Yes, frozen spinach works as well, I would just use slightly less since it’s more packed together! I hope that your little one likes them!😊