Easy Banana Spinach Pancakes

Enjoy the powerful nutritional benefits and beautiful green color of spinach without the flavor in these moist and fluffy banana spinach pancakes! Dairy-free, egg-free, refined sugar-free, vegan, & optionally gluten-free!

Fluffy, Nutrient-Dense Vegan Spinach Pancakes

As at home as these vibrant green pancakes would be on St. Patrick’s Day or Halloween, there’s no need to wait for a special occasion to hide extra nutrients in your breakfast with these delicious banana and spinach pancakes.

In fact, these child-approved spinach pancakes can be on your dining room table in just 40 minutes any day of the week and are a fun, nutritious step up on regular banana pancakes.

Why You’ll Love This Spinach Pancakes Recipe

• Packed with hidden nutrients! Spinach is a rich source of fiber and several nutrients, including vitamins A, C, and K, as well as iron, calcium, and folate.
• Easy to make! Just a few pantry ingredients (+ no artificial colors/dyes!), a blender, one bowl, and a skillet will get these spinach banana pancakes on your table in 40 minutes.
• Adaptable! You can make them gluten-free, use whole wheat flour, sugar-free, replace the banana, or even make them savory.
• Taste great! Even with all that spinach, you can’t taste the greens (like our pineapple kale smoothie!) other than the tiniest hint of earthiness. Instead, they just taste like delicious vegan banana pancakes.
• Child & fussy eater approved! Spinach pancakes are perfect for sneaking in greens they won’t otherwise eat without realizing they’re eating something healthy.
• Meal prep friendly! You can prepare the batter in advance, and the cooked pancakes will store well in the fridge or freezer.

The Ingredients

Turn to your fridge and pantry for this simple 8-ingredient vegan spinach pancakes recipe made with all common ingredients.

• Spinach: We prefer the milder flavor of baby spinach, though regular spinach works, too. If you want to use frozen spinach, thaw it and squeeze out all excess liquid. Baby kale may also work, though we haven’t tried it.
• Banana: Use an over-ripe banana (soft with plenty of black spots). It will act as a binder and natural sweetener in these egg-free, healthy spinach pancakes.
• Vanilla extract: Use natural vanilla to avoid an artificial aftertaste.
• Sweetener: We often used maple syrup or agave, though granulated brown sugar or even a sugar alternative will work, too.
• Plant-based milk: Use any. i.e., almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, etc.
• Flour: You can use 100% all-purpose flour, a 50/50 blend of AP and whole wheat flour, or even experiment with buckwheat or spelt flour.
• Baking powder: To help make fluffier, puffed-up American-style pancakes.
• Salt: To balance and enhance the flavors.
• Oil: Use neutral cooking oil (like vegetable oil) or unsalted vegan butter for pan-frying.

How to Make Banana Spinach Pancakes

• 1) First, combine the plant-based milk and spinach in a blender and blend until smooth.

• 2) Meanwhile, add the remaining ingredients (minus the oil) to a large mixing bowl and whisk. Then, slowly pour in the spinach milk, gently mixing/whisking it into a batter.

• 3) Heat a small amount of the oil (or vegan butter) in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, use a ½ cup measuring cup or equivalent to scoop batter into the pan and spread it slightly with the bottom of the cup. Repeat with as many pancakes you can fit in your pan.

• 4) Once bubbles form on the pancake surface, carefully flip them over and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until lightly browned. Repeat with the remaining batter, then serve the spinach pancakes with your favorite toppings (like vegan butter and maple syrup) and enjoy!

Optionally keep the pancakes warm in a preheated oven (side by side, not stacked) at 200F/95C while you make more batches.

FAQs

Top Recipe Tips

• Use a blender, not a food processor: The latter may struggle to blend spinach smoothly.
• Avoid over-mixing the batter: This overworks the gluten and leads to dense, rubbery pancakes. Leave the batter to rest (for the gluten to relax) for 20 minutes if needed.
• Use fresh baking powder: If it’s no longer working, the pancakes won’t puff up and become fluffy inside.
• Preheat the pan: This ensures evenly cooked pancakes.
• Make a test pancake: That way, you can adjust the temperature and timings if needed without wasting too much batter.

The Best Vegan Pancake Toppings

Here are just a few toppings you might enjoy with these spinach pancakes.

• Dairy-free butter
• Maple syrup, agave, or other syrup
• Coconut whipped cream
• Dairy-free yogurt
• A scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream
• Nut butter/seed butter or vegan chocolate hazelnut spread
• Add a sprinkle of pecans or other crushed nuts/seeds OR granola
• Apple or berry compote
• Fresh berries/banana slices

You can also use the pancakes as ‘bread’ to make delicious pancake sandwiches.

Storage Instructions

Store: Allow the spinach pancakes to cool and store them in an airtight container with parchment paper between the layers (to avoid sticking) for 3-5 days.

Freeze: Spread the cooled pancakes across a large tray with space between them and flash freeze until solid. Then transfer them to a Ziplock/Stasher bag for up to 2 months. You can reheat them from frozen or thaw them in the fridge overnight first.

Reheat: You can reheat these vegan spinach pancakes either in the microwave (from frozen or chilled), a toaster oven, or (for large batches) in the oven at 350F/175C until heated through (about 10 minutes).

More Sweet Breakfast Recipes

• Blueberry Pancakes
• The BEST vegan Belgian waffles
• Oil-free banana muffins
• Healthy protein chocolate waffles
• Vegan French toast
• Homemade vegan cinnamon rolls

Photos by Alfonso Revilla