I first made smoothie pancakes when I got Jamie Oliver’s Everyday Superfood cookbook. They were the first recipe I made from the book and straight away it was Finn’s new favourite breakfast. I’ve tried many variations of the recipe and these Green Smoothie Pancakes are one of our favourites.
I do like to add some form of greens into smoothies, usually spinach, so, therefore, green smoothie pancakes are what we have most often. In this recipe, I used two bananas but often I only add one and substitute the other with kiwi, mango or any other fruit. If you use a darker fruit, such as blueberries or raspberries, it will change the colour of the batter. Maybe if your kids are put off by the green colour then this is a good thing!
I’ve used both wholemeal and spelt flour to make these and both varieties work well, you could also use plain flour switching it out in a 1.1 ratio. I haven’t experimented with any other flours but I’m sure the recipe would work but you would have to play around with the amounts. In this recipe, I’ve used a little less flour and milk to Jamie’s recipe and so I like to stick with making mini pancakes so that they are easy to flip. I only needed 1tsp of coconut oil to make 19 small pancakes. My pan is pretty new though and you may need more if you are using an older pan.
If you have a big blender then you can add all the ingredients to the blender and blitz until smooth. Making the batter is just that simple. However, my blender is not big enough to do this so I add the banana, spinach and milk and blend it first before adding the other ingredients and blending again.
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Green Smoothie Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas
- 80g 2 cups Spinach
- 1 egg
- 1 cup 120g wholemeal /spelt flour
- 1/2 cup 125ml milk of choice
- 1 tsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until a smooth batter is formed. *Note 1
- Heat the coconut oil in a frying pan over a medium / high heat.
- Once hot add two tablespoon of the mixture to the pan to form 1 pancake. (I usually make a few at the same time)
- Heat for 1 to 2 minutes until bubbles form on the surface of the pancake. Flip and cook for a further minute.
- Delicious with greek yoghurt and fresh fruit.
Recipe Notes
Tania says
I was so excited when I saw how nicely the pancakes looked, but no matter how long I cooked them for they remained uncooked inside – I even tried altering the stovetop temperature to low and left them for several minutes on each side. Really disappointed that I had to chuck the whole bunch. Has that ever happened to you? And any ideas to avoid that again in the future? I used spelt flour this time around.
Amy says
Hi Tania, sorry you didn’t have success with the recipe. I wonder if a little more flour would have helped, it sounds like they were a little on the wet side.
Jeanette says
Does the coconut oil go in the mix or is it just for heating the pan?
Amy says
Hi Jeanette, it is for frying the pancakes. Add to pan rather than mix.
Alexandria says
Baby loves these! I found I had to increase the flour slightly when using a flax egg vs. regular egg. Perfect healthy finger food for my 10 month old.
Amy says
Hi Alexandria, thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and rate. It is great to know that this recipe worked well with a flax egg and useful for other readers.
Abby says
This recipe is everything I needed! Perfect to make ahead for an easy breakfast or snack and my baby couldn’t get enough!! Thank you!
Amy says
Brilliant! So glad you liked them, Abby 🙂
Lidia says
What substitute can I use for the flours?
Amy says
Hi Lidia, I haven’t tested any flour substitutes so can’t say for sure, sorry. Are you looking for a gluten-free alternative? You could try buckwheat flour but without trying myself I can’t say how it would turn out.
Aja says
I had an issue with the middle of the pancakes remaining uncooked, no matter how long I left them on. The only substitution I used was white whole wheat flour, but everything else was the same. Do you think the flour would have made that big of a difference?
Amy says
Hi Aja, sorry they didn’t turn out for you. The flour shouldn’t have made too much of a difference but I do wonder if you needed a little more flour…
Stacey says
My rating is based only on my not so great substitutions …I used oat flour (which I think affected the texture) and made a flax egg. (I’m not vegan but wanted to try a vegan twist); I used 1 1/2 bananas since the bananas were a little big. I used unsweetened almond milk for the liquid. my texture definitely didn’t look like yours and the colors was not intensely green like yours (they looks kinda gross) I was looking for something with a little more sweetness and these did not have that so I drizzled them with a little agave syrup and I liked them. If I make them again I won’t use oat flour or I might mix oat flour with protein powder
Amy says
Hi Stacey, I’m sorry your substitutions didn’t work great, it can be tricky changing so many ingredients of a recipe. Hopefully, you have more success if you try them again 🙂
Cristy says
Can I use frozen spinach instead? If yes how many gram?:) thanks
Amy says
Hi Cristy, frozen should work. Just add the same – 80g 🙂
Natalie says
Hi, can I make the batter ahead of time, like the night before?
Amy says
Hi Natalie, I’m so sorry for the delay in responding. I’ve never actually tried making the batter ahead of time so can’t say for sure how it would be. It may discolour overnight. (darken in colour)
SJ Dalla Rosa says
My babe loves these, just wondering how long they keep in the fridge?
Amy says
Hi SJ, refrigerate 1-2 days or you can freeze them for 2-3 months. (Freeze on a single layer and once frozen transfer to a freezable container)
Kiernan says
Found them to be perfect for the little one I take care of. He couldn’t get enough! Ate them all week and begged for more.
Amy says
Fab! Lovely to hear, thanks for taking the time to let me know 🙂
Cristin Donovan says
I made these to the exact instructions and they would not cook in the middle. So raw in the middle but brown on the outside….Too bad.
Amy says
Hi Cristin, sorry you didn’t have success with the recipe. It sounds like the heat may have been too high if cooking too quickly on the outside?
George says
ur poor children, i hope they get to experience actual pancakes in the future. these are not pancakes, they are a disgrace to all pancakes.
Amy says
Hi George. I allow comments on my site so that I can continually try and improve my recipes. It also allows the readers to see what has and hasn’t worked for others. Constructive feedback is great, can you maybe tell me what you didn’t like about these? Was it the texture, flavour? Did your kids try them?
I have two little foodies who love their food – I don’t think you need to worry about them….!
Kathleen says
Just wanted to add that I made these with oat flour and they turned out great (just threw some rolled oats in the blender, ground them up, and then added the rest of the ingredients. So easy!). My son loves them!
Amy says
Sounds perfect! So glad your son loves them, Kathleen 🙂
Kris says
Can you sub the Egg for anything? I have egg and dairy allergies in my fam ♡
Amy says
Hi Kris, sorry I missed your comment. I haven’t experimented with an egg replacement in this recipe. You could try a chia egg, flax egg or apple sauce. Hope it works for you 🙂
Nat says
Hi Amy
These look great but have you tried them with a flax egg or other substitute as my daughter is intolerant to egg!!!
Thanks
Amy says
Hi Nat, I haven’t actually tried these with an egg replacement so can’t say how they would turn out, sorry.
Aileen says
My one year old absolutely loves these! Nice treat for breakfast or lunch and love that the spinach is giving her extra iron now she has stopped breastfeeding and is drinking cow’s milk. They freeze really well…I just pop them in the toaster from frozen and they’re perfect
Amy says
Thanks Aileen, always lovely to hear 🙂 . I’d have never thought to pop them in a toaster!
Rose says
Can I make this recipe using gluten free flour or the gluten free pancake mix?
Amy says
Hi Rose, I have never tried gluten free flours with this recipe. If you try, I’d love to know how they turn out.
Leah says
I used quinoa flour and it turned out great. I added a little more milk because they were dense. I might mix in some blueberries and cinnamon for flavor.
Amy says
Thanks Leah, glad the quinoa flour worked for you 🙂
Kiera McK says
Hi. Do these keep in the fridge or freezer, or do you need to make them as you go?
Thanks
Amy says
These pancakes are always eaten straight after I have made them, like all pancakes they don’t hang around long in our house! I’d say they would freeze ok though.
Nicole says
Would almond flour work?
Amy says
Hi Nicole, I’m not sure how almond flour would work in this, sorry.
Anna says
Looks wonderful. What other flour could I use.
Amy says
Thank you, You can use plain flour or you could try buckwheat or even a mix. The recipe is quite flexible ??
Liz says
Hi there! This sounds like a great recipe. I tried it, however using 1 banana and some mango. The flavour was great, but the texture was mush and they just wouldn’t cook through. Any idea where I could have gone wrong? I kept adding flour to the mix, but still no luck. I’d love to try them again!
Amy says
Hi Liz, the texture of these pancakes are very soft and I always make bite size pancakes using this recipe. Next time try doubling the milk and adding around 250g of flour. This is closer to Jamie’s recipe and will hopefully give you a better texture for handling if you are making bigger pancakes and want less of a soft fruit texture. Hope this world for you!
Liz says
Thanks so much! I’ll definitely give that a try, as well as the smaller pancake size too!
Christina Main says
HI there! I love your recipes but notice you use a lot of spelt flour. I can’t get that easily. Is there anything else I could substitute? Thanks!
Amy says
Hi Christina, thank you! You could use wholemeal or plain flour in this recipe. Enjoy 🙂
DaisLikeThese says
Wow – I totally didn’t know you could make a smoothie pancake! Guess what me and the boys are doing this weekend?!!
Thanks for sharing.
#TastyTuesday
Amy says
Hope your boys enjoy making and eating them (and don’t make as much mess as Finn did!)
Alison says
Green pancakes, love it! I will have to make them for my son
Amy says
Thanks Alison, hope he enjoys x
Emma says
I am going to have to try these. What a clever way of getting vegetables in. I also love Jamie Olivers Superfoods cookbook. It is my new fave. #tastytuesday
Amy says
Thanks Emma! It is a good book, I’ve used it tons ?
Vicki Montague - The Free From Fairy says
These look fab! I make pancakes every day for the kids and am always bunging in different things without them noticing! I haven’t yet bunged spinach in but I might have to now!!!
Amy says
Thanks Vicki, bung in some spinach next time! ?
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says
These pancakes look delicious, I love the new Jamie Oliver book, it is great x #CookBlogShare
Amy says
Thanks Kirsty, I love the book too!