Pancake Day is back on Tuesday 21st February. If you want to join in with a baby-friendly version, these pancake recipes are ready in minutes – and creative enough to keep even the most demanding little munchkin happy!
Best Baby-Friendly Recipes for Pancake Day
We’ve compiled the best pancakes for you and your partner and your baby to make on Shrove Tuesday.
Yoghurt Pancakes with Cocoa and Banana
Source: Annabel Karmel’s Baby & Toddler Recipe App, visit the App Store to start your FREE 14-day trial today!
For chocolate-loving tots, these pancakes will be a right treat without being super sugary and unhealthy! Top with their favourite berries for added goodness.
Serves: 8-10 pancakes
Ingredients:
- 25g over-ripe banana, sliced
- 1 small egg
- 50g plain yoghurt
- 30g self-raising flour
- 5g cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
- 1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon
- Sunflower or rapeseed oil, for frying
Method:
1. Break the egg into a bowl. Add the yoghurt and mix until smooth.
2. Put the banana, the egg and yoghurt mixture, flour, cocoa powder, maple syrup and ground cinnamon into the blender. Blend until smooth.
3. Heat a little oil in a frying pan.
4. Add a tablespoon of the mixture to the pan. Fry for 1 minute then turn over and fry on the other side until cooked through.
5. Serve with a dollop of yoghurt and top with berries.
Baby Banana Pancakes
Source: Organix
Small enough for little hands and tasty enough even for fussy eaters, these banana pancakes are the perfect breakfast for 10+ months.
Prep: 10-30 mins
Cooks in: Under 10 mins
Serves: 20-30 mini pancakes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of oats (gluten free)
- 1 cup of whole milk (or dairy-free plant based alternative)
- 1 small banana
- 1 tsp of baking powder
- 1 tsp of vanilla extra (optional)
Method:
- Add all the ingredients for the baby pancakes into a blender and blend until a smooth mixture is formed.
- Heat a drizzle of oil over a medium heated pan. Add a teaspoon size of the baby banana pancake mixture and cook for around 1-2 minutes each side until the baby pancake is lightly golden.
- Then remove from heat and enjoy. Serve the baby pancakes on their own or with a side of fresh fruit and a drizzle of yogurt.
Spinach & Mushroom Pancakes
Source: Organix
Topped with delicious ricotta, these pancakes are perfect for introducing your little ones to more adventurous flavours. Suitable for 12+ months.
Prep: 30-60 mins
Cooks in: 10-30 mins
Serves: 4 adults and 2 toddlers
Ingredients:
For the mushroom filling:
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped tarragon
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
- ½ small onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 500g mixed mushrooms
- Rapeseed oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1 tsp dry thyme
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
For the pancake batter:
- 150g plain flour
- 2 eggs
- 250ml milk
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil (or vegetable oil)
- 50g spinach
For the ricotta topping (optional):
- 250g ricotta
- 1 lemon (zest and 1/2 juice)
Method:
- Place flour in a bowl with the eggs. Whisk together with the milk and oil until the batter is fluid.
- Place the batter in a blender with the spinach. Whizz until smooth. Leave to rest for 30 mins.
- In the meantime finely chop the tarragon and parsley. Dice the onion and crush the garlic. Chop the mushrooms. Zest the lemon and set all ingredients aside.
- In a large frying pan, heat some vegetable oil. Add chopped onion and fry under medium heat until soft. Add garlic, mushrooms and herbs to the frying pan. Cook for 10-15mins under medium heat until soft. Stir often so that the mushrooms do not stick to the bottom of the pan. When done, remove from heat, stir in 1/2 the lemon juice and keep mushrooms in a warm oven.
- In a small bowl, mix ricotta with the lemon zest and the rest of the lemon juice.
- Heat a medium crêpe/frying pan over medium to high heat. Wipe it with some greased kitchen paper. Add a ladle of spinach batter mix to the pan and spread evenly. When pancake is ready to flip, cook it on the other side. Set aside in a warm oven while you cook the rest. Use half a ladle of spinach batter mix to make toddler size pancakes.
- Repeat until the batter mix is finished. Build your own pancakes by filling them with mushrooms and a dollop of ricotta on the side.
Zesty Pancakes
Source: Organix
A zesty breakfast to start the day or a tasty dessert to end it, these orange-covered pancakes are perfect with Greek yoghurt and maple syrup. Suitable for 10+ months.
Prep: 30-60 mins
Cooks in: Under 10 mins
Serves: 10
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 300ml milk (or a milk alternative – rice/oat/nut milk)
- 2 oranges (zest and fruit)
- 100g plain flour (or buckwheat flour as a gluten free option)
- Coconut or rapeseed oil for cooking
- Greek yogurt to serve
- Maple syrup to serve (optional)
Method:
- Whisk the eggs and milk together in a large bowl or jug, either with a hand whisk or an electric one.
- Use a fine zester to zest both of the oranges, then add all of this into the batter. (Be careful to only take the top layer of orange, as the white pith is very bitter). Then add the flour slowly, whisking thoroughly until completely smooth. Leave the batter to stand for about ½ hour. This improves the quality of the batter and makes it easier to cook with.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the peel off the oranges. Cut as close as you can to the skin, so that you remove the bitter white pith, but don’t lose the orange flesh. Then divide into segments and cut the segments in half to create lots of little orange pieces.
- Use a paper towel to wipe a small amount of oil over a small frying pan to lightly grease it, then heat it over a medium to high heat. Add a small ladle of batter and tip the pan to just coat the base. (Top tip: the batter should be a very thin layer and if you have the temperature of the pan right it should cook on one side in about 30 seconds. The side you’re looking at will look like it has lots of tiny pot holes in it when it’s cooked. Use a fish slice to carefully slide underneath and flip it over. Then cook the other side for another 30 seconds to a minute. It should be beautifully golden on both sides).
Broccoli & Spinach Monster Pancakes
Source: Piccolo
Our friends at Piccolo have shared their delicious spinach and broccoli pancake recipe that’s also a great way to get some extra greens. Plus, they’re suitable for freezing!
Prep: 10 mins
Cooks in: Under 15 mins
Serves: Makes 8 pancakes
Ingredients:
- 100g spinach
- 50g broccoli florets cut into tiny pieces
- 125 g wholemeal or spelt flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg
- 200 ml full fat milk or plant milk
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil plus extra for frying
- Pinch of nutmeg
Method:
- Wash the spinach and heat in a pan with a splash of water and the broccoli.
- Cook until wilted and cooked through. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
- Squeeze the excess liquid from the cooked vegetables, add to a blender and pulse until broken down.
- Add the remaining ingredients and blend on high speed until well combined.
- Heat a little oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and pour a spoonful of batter per pancake into the pan.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side before turning over with a spatula and cooking the other side.
- Keep warm in a low oven until you’re ready to serve them.
- Can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days once cool or frozen with a sheet of greaseproof paper in between each one to stop them sticking.
- Decorate with cut fruit & vegetables to make into monsters.
- Decorate with: blueberry & banana slices for eyes (sweet) or: blobs of yoghurt with chopped olives for eyes (savoury).