These Banana Spinach Pancakes are a delicious, easy and healthy breakfast option! Naturally sweetened and loaded with simple nutritious ingredients, these healthy pancakes taste great and are kid-friendly, too! And freezer-friendly to boot!
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Mornings are busy and hectic in most houses, including mine. Everyone has a different time they need to be out the door and it feels a bit like a crazy ballet trying to get our family ready and into the world on time during the week.
So when it comes time for breakfast, I like to keep things extra simple and just focus on easy, healthy recipes that my family will eat without question. And my blender is almost always involved…
Did you make these pancakes and now you have leftover spinach? Check out How to Store Spinach (and keep it fresh all week long).
Which is why I love these pancakes. They are blended totally in my Vitamix (but will work even if you don’t have a high-speed blender. I share how below). So not only are they fast to make, but fewer dishes are sitting in my sink to face later.
Can these easy spinach pancakes be made ahead of time?
Yes! All the yes. In fact, do that! It’ll make your life so much easier before that coffee kicks in and you will be so grateful for these spinach pancakes on a hectic morning. Not only will breakfast be a breeze, but you will feel so good knowing that your family is heading into the day with bellies full of nutrient-dense foods.
To store in the fridge: Cook as directed and let cool completely. Store in an air-tight container in fridge for 4-5 days. Reheat in microwave or toaster oven.
To store in freezer: Cook as directed and let cool completely. Store in your favorite freezer safe container (I like to use Stasher Bags) and freeze. Take them out as needed to thaw in fridge overnight or pop into the microwave or toaster oven to reheat.
Tips for making these Banana Spinach Pancakes
- If you don’t have a high-speed blender, blend the batter in batches. First blend the oat flour mixture in Step 1 and pour it into a bowl. Then add the wet ingredients + the spinach and banana to the blender and puree until smooth. Add the oat flour mixture back in and blend to combine. This ensures that the oats get processed down into a flour AND the spinach gets pureed so that you have a healthy pancake with a great texture!
- Make them ahead of time. Not a morning person? Totally okay! Just make them ahead of time (see above for tips) and reheat in seconds in the morning.
- Don’t go crazy with the spinach. I know when I find something veggie-loaded that my daughter gets excited about, I am tempted to load it up with allllll the veggies! But, if you put too much spinach in these blender pancakes, they might end up too wet and too “green” tasting…which is no good for anyone.
Suggested adaptations
- Skip the sweetener. These are loaded with banana which brings a lot of natural sweetness, so you can skip the honey/maple syrup if you are serving these to babies or just like to keep added sugar to a minimum.
- Adjust the amount of spinach to fit your family. Even though these pancakes are green, they taste like a delicious banana pancake. However, if green foods make your kids nervous, use half the amount of spinach in this recipe so that the spinach pancakes are a mellower shade of green.
- Make them as silver dollar pancakes. They make great finger food!
- Use them to make a pancake sandwich for lunch boxes! I LOVE to do this for my daughter because it means she is getting an easy added veggie in her lunch and she loves the novelty of a pancake sandwich!
Topping ideas for Banana Spinach Pancakes
What are your favorite pancake toppings? In my option, there is no wrong way to top a pancake, but if you need a few ideas on how to jazz up these spinach pancakes, here are some of our favorite toppings!
- nut butter ( or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free option)
- honey
- maple syrup
- homemade whipped cream (we love this because we can control how much sugar we add and it makes the pancakes feel like dessert! Plus you can make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge for days)
- whipped coconut cream (a dairy-free alternative to whipped cream)
- chia jam We love to drizzle this warm over our pancakes, but cold is good, too!
Other healthy pancakes for kids
I love a good blender pancake recipe. Especially a healthy pancake recipe that kids love! Here are some other veggie-packed pancake recipes that kiddos will adore seeing on their plate in the morning!
- Healthy Apple Carrot Pancakes
- Healthy Sweet Potato Pancakes
- Veggie-Loaded Chocolate Pancakes
- Banana-Spinach Pancake Pizza {Paleo}
- Pink Beet Pancakes
Did you try these veggie-loaded pancakes and now you’re hungry for more?
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Banana Spinach Pancakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats uncooked. If gluten free is important, make sure the oats are certified gluten free.
- 2 tsp baking powder aluminum free suggested
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup milk of choice (I used unsweetened almond milk)
- 1 cup mashed ripe banana sub unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey
- 2 tbsp melted coconut oil or avocado oil plus more for cooking
- 1-2 handfuls baby spinach depending on how green you want them
Instructions
- Add oats, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon to a high-speed blender. Blend until oats become a fine powder. Pour into a medium bowl and set aside.
- Combine spinach, banana, milk, oil, eggs, and syrup/honey in the blender. Blend until mixture is very smooth and well pureed.
- Pour oat mixture back into the blender. Blend everything until well combined and batter is smooth. If you do not have a high-speed blender, see above for tips.
- Heat a skillet over medium-low heat and add a little oil. Once hot, portion out the pancake batter into the pan.
- Cook until you see small bubbles forming on the top of the pancake and the edges seem dry, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook the other side for another 2 minutes. Place cooked pancakes onto a plate and continue with the remaining batter.
- Enjoy warm with topping of choice. Let cook completely before storing leftovers in an air-tight container in fridge for 4-5 days or in freezer for up to a month!
Nutrition
The nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on the product type, servings and other factors. If you are following a diet, please consult with a professional nutritionist or your doctor. Stay healthy!
Comments
Made these this morning and they were fantastic. I left out the sweetener and they were still PLENTY sweet from the bananas. Also sub’d whole wheat flour for the oatmeal (I was out) – have you tried them with almond flour?
Yay! I am so glad they were a hit! I have not tried them with almond flour, but now I want to!
Roughly how much is a cup of mashed banana? 1.5 bananas? I have no concept
Every banana is different in size, which is why I suggest mashing the banana and measuring out a cup. But, yes for me, the one cup was about 1 1/2 medium bananas.
I’ve made these everyday since you posted them. So good! I skip the honey and sprinkle a few mini chocolate chips in for fun. The family inhales them.
Can be made with flax egg or chia egg, vegan option? Did you try or I should :)))
I haven’t tried yet but I have similar recipes that work really well with flax eggs! If you try, please report back!
Every time I make these I use the flax eggs and they still turn out perfect!
Oh so good to know!
Taesha, very similar comments for these much like your Carrot Apple Pancakes. I definitely indulged in more than a few servings of this recipe this weekend and have aptly nicknamed them “Hulk Pancakes” which my husband loves! This will be in regular menu rotation for hard ultra-endurance event training weekends. I did substitute date syrup in both to reduce the sugar and lengthen the healthy carb burn. Super tasty and chock full of recovery nutrients. Bravo on a delicious breakfast recipe! And broadening a die-hard waffle fan’s breakfast perspective. Both recipes make a hefty serving and stocked up in the freezer.
I love using date syrup in my recipes for the exact reasons you mentioned! So glad you enjoyed
These were AMAZING! Both of my toddlers loved me and picky me did as well. How long would they last in the freezer?? Wanting to make a ton to have on hand!
Just made these. They are so delicious and toddler approved. I left out the syrup because my bananas were over ripe. But, definitely saving for another day!
I love doing that too! Bananas often do enough sweetening in baked goods for us and I love skipping added sugar where I can.
Awesome recipe! I add 3-4 cups of spinach. So good served with peanut butter!
Yes! So good with PB….and chia jam!
Made these this morning, so yummy!!! Everyone loved them, including my super picky four year old. Thank you for this recipe, going to try they carrot/apple pancakes next 😊
Yay! Rave reviews from little food critics is the best!
These were delicious!! I made these for my husband and he said these are his new favorite pancake! Thank you so much for the recipe.
Yay! I am so glad to hear that Rebecca!
Like!!
Hi Taesha! Can we substitute the rolled oats with hemp hearts?
Hmmmm. I have never tried that swap in a recipe and can’t say how well it would work.
These were delicious and super easy to make. I subbed the maple syrup/honey for 2 dates and they turned out perfectly. Thank you.
Love the sub! I’ll hav to try that with my next batch! And I am so glad you enjoyed them!
This is amazing! 8.5/10 I made them this morning and I will definitely make them again! Thx for sharing
I am so glad you enjoyed them!
Hi Taesha –
I made these this morning and they were yummy! I ended up putting everything in the blender at the same time and they came out fine.
I love throwing everything in the blender if you have a powerful one. Makes a healthy homemade breakfast a bit easier!
The mix came out quite thick and then they didn’t bubble as they cooked and were slightly gooey in the middle. Not anything like the fluffy ones in your picture… Should I add more milk next time?
Hi Katie! The batter is pretty thick compared to traditional pancake batter but should be pourable. Perhaps a little extra milk would help next time. Also, if they were not cooked in the middle, your temp might have been a bit too high or maybe your pancakes were larger than mine and needed a bit longer before flipping. Finally, be sure not to over mix the batter. This could also result in a mush middle. If your blender isn’t high speed (like a vitamix) or struggling with the batter, skip adding the oat flour mixture back into the blender and mix the wet and dry ingredients in a bowl. It does add some dishes into the mix, but help to prevent over mixing if the blender is struggling. Hope that helps a bit!
I made this recipe for my husband and I the other day and we both loved these pancakes! I want to make them for my daughter but can’t eat eggs. I was wondering what the best substitute would be? Thank you!
Flax “eggs” should work! 1 tablespoon + 2.5 tablespoons water = 1 egg. I use this ratio often in recipes. Just let the mixture set for about 5 minutes to gel and then add it to the recipe when you would normally add eggs
Amazing and filling
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Babes allergic to egg! Any good substitute? A million thank yous!
You could use flax “eggs” or I often find extra banana to be a great egg sub.
Could I use flour instead of oats? Or maybe quick oats instead of rolled? Or would that just mess up everything. Haha.
Quick oats are just rolled oats, just smaller so that they cook up faster….so those should work!
Is it possible to bake these as muffins instead of pancakes?
I haven’t tried baking this exact recipe as a muffin but I do have this recipe which is similar https://thenaturalnurturer.com/oatmeal-green-smoothie-muffins/
Hi Taesha –
These are so yummy! I only made half the recipe for the two of us thinking these were regular sized pancakes. However, it only made 6 – 3″ pancakes. Need to make more for sure. Very tasty!
So glad you enjoyed!
Hi Taesha! May I use frozen spinach? If so, how much when it’s already thawed and squeezed/ evaporated?
I bet you can! I would start with 1/4-1/3 cup thawed and drained spinach since it wilts down so much!
If I have actual oat flour do I still use 2 cups or a smaller amount?
I’d use 1 3/4 cup
My picky toddler has a disdain for most foods; however, he LOVES these pancakes. I would even argue, that these pancakes are his favorite food. I have also tried several other spinach banana pancake recipes, and this recipe is by far the best in regard to flavor and texture. Additionally, they are easy to refreeze and reheat well. I am thankful for this recipe – thank you!
I am so pleased to hear all that, Denae!
Love the recipe and so did my 3 year old and 18 month old! Feels good to get some veggies in these picky boys
I always love Taesha and her recipes! This was a birthday treat. I added 2T more banana instead of maple/honey. Subbed in flax eggs. So good! A birthday success! Seven piles of them with candles and everything. Thanks Taesha!
This made my morning! So glad my recipes can be part of special memories like birthday breakfasts 💚 Thanks for taking the time to leave a review, Kirsten.
How can I thicken the batter ? Mine came out delicious, but they were a little thin.
You could always add more oats to thicken it up!
Just made a batch of these pancakes and they are great! I subbed applesauce for banana because I didn’t have enough bananas on hand. There was a subtle apple taste, which was actually nice! I love that they’re nut free (I used oat milk), so my toddler can take them to school. I froze leftovers so we have lunch options on hand for when school starts up! I’ll definitely be making these again.
So glad you enjoyed them, Kayla! I love swapping banana for applesauce!
Hey there! Your blender link above takes me to a Belgium waffle maker? Do you have another link?
Oh thank you for catching that! I’ll fix it now but here is there link too.
https://amzn.to/3Gl65CQ
I made this recipe this morning, I loved it myself. My girls didn’t like it though , they are little and picky. But I feel it’s a healthy breakfast for myself as I’m breastfeeding now! Thank you.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Sepideh! Kids are funny with new food sometimes. It is wonderful you offered it to them an maybe they will warm up to them as they see you enjoying them.
Made these for my one year old and he loved them! Skipped the sweetener and used half banana/half applesauce since I didn’t have enough of either. I froze half- these made my mornings soooo much easier! I have the healthy chocolate muffins in the oven now ☺️
I’m so glad you enjoyed these, Rachel! They are a favorite item to stock my freezer with too. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. Deeply appreciated!
These are really nutritious and a great, toddler-approved breakfast and freeze-ahead-for-busy-mornings option. I thought they were a little drier in texture than I would like, so I will experiment with adding more oil next time or perhaps some applesauce in addition to the banana. Any other suggestions are welcome. Thanks for posting!
So glad you enjoyed them, Lilly! I agree that the oats soak up a lot of moisture and these can be a bit dry, especially if my banana is not super ripe. So, I would say definitely make sure your banana is nice and moist. Or you could replace the banana entirely with applesauce! Low and slow seems to be the best way to cook pancakes, IMO. And a little extra oil can help too!