Enjoy the delicious blend of red lentils and aromatic spices in these Red Lentil Pancakes. Perfect for breakfast or as a nourishing part of a main meal. These egg-free, dairy-free and gluten-free pancakes are a perfect choice for those with special dietary requirements.
Lentils have always been a staple in our house, and I'm excited to share my new recipe for red lentil pancakes with you. They join the ranks of some of my other family-friendly lentil recipes such as lentil puree, lentil curry, lentil pasta sauce, lentil shepherds pie and lentil croquettes.
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Reasons to Love this Recipe
- Wholesome Ingredients: Packed with red lentils, carrots, spinach and spices these pancakes are a wholesome and nutritious option that will leave you feeling satisfied and nourished.
- Special Diet-Friendly: With no eggs, dairy or gluten, these pancakes cater perfectly to those on special diets or those with dietary restrictions.
- Easy To Adapt: Try them with different spices or add some other veggies into the mix.
Video Tutorial
Ingredient Information (& Alternative Suggestions)
For the full recipe, with ingredient amounts, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Red Split Lentils: Serve as the essential base ingredient. Other lentil varieties will not produce the same result, stick to red lentils.
- Garlic: Adds flavour, if you prefer a milder flavour, or don't have garlic to hand, you can substitute with garlic powder or omit it altogether.
- Carrot: Adds a touch of natural sweetness and texture. Feel free to replace with other grated vegetables like zucchini (courgette) or omit if you prefer.
- Spinach: Adds a pop of freshness and a boost of nutrition. Skip if you wish.
- Smoked Paprika: Elevates the flavour profile of the pancakes. If you don't have smoked paprika your can use regular paprika or omit it.
- Cumin: Brings a warm, earthy flavour to the pancakes, adding depth to the overall taste. If you are not a fan of cumin you can omit it or replace with ground coriander or curry powder for alternative flavour profiles.
- Lemon Juice: The lemon juice really brightens the flavours, adds a tangy notes and balances the earthiness of the lentils and spices. If you don't have lemon juice, you can substitute with lime juice or even apple cider vinegar for a tangy element.
- Salt: A little salt enhances the overall flavours of the lentil pancakes, balancing the other ingredients and bringing out their natural tastes. Adjust the amount according to your personal preference and skip if making for a baby.
Step by Step Instructions and Cooking Tips
This is a simple recipe, that doesn’t take long to make, but you do have to allow time to soak the lentils to ensure you get an easy blending, creamy batter.
- Soak the lentils overnight - Rinse the red split lentils, then place them in a bowl and cover with water. Allow to the lentils to soak overnight ideally but for at least for 4-6 hours. This helps soften them, making them easier to blend and cook.
- Drain the lentils - After soaking drain the lentils using a fine-mesh sieve. Discard the soaking water.
- Puree lentils - Transfer the drained lentils to a blender. Add a small amount of water, around ½ cup, to aid in blending. Puree until you achieve a smooth batter-like consistency. The batter should be thick but pourable.
TIP: Start with a smaller amount of water and gradually add more as needed. The goal is to have a smooth batter that can be easily poured but not too watery. - Sauté Vegetables - Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan. Add the grated carrot and cook for a few minutes until it begins to soften. Then, add the spinach and sauté until it wilts. Finally, add in the spices and continue to cook for a further minute to release their flavours.
Tip: Grate the carrot using a fine grater to ensure it cooks quickly and evenly. - Mix the batter - Mix the pureed lentils and sautéd vegetables together until combined.
- Fry - You can create either large, crepe-like pancakes for filling or small, tablespoon-sized pancakes perfect for dipping or snacking.
- Large Pancakes: Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Pour around ¼ of the mixture onto the hot pan, spread it in a circular shape, and cook for 3 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for 2 more minutes on the other side.
- Small Pancakes: Heat a non stick pan, over medium-high heat. Drop a tablespoon of batter onto the pan, spreading it slightly with the back of a spoon. Cook for around 2 minutes on each side.
TIP: Adjust the heat if needed to prevent burning or undercooking. Look for bubbles forming and ensure the pancake is easily flippable before turning.
Serving Suggestions
For the larger, crepe style, pancake fill one side with your choice of ingredients, such as sautéed vegetables, slow cooked shredded chicken , guacamole or hummus. Fold it over and serve with a side salad.
Smaller pancakes are ideal for baby-led weaning, kids or for snacking. Serve them with some dips (such as avocado dip, beetroot dip, paprika dip or hummus) or alongside curries or stews. Their bite-sized nature make them perfect for dipping into flavourful sauces.
Recipe FAQs
No, this recipe has been developed using red split lentils, other lentils will not break down in the same way.
Yes, this is necessary to soften the lentils for blending into a batter.
No, you should no cook the lentils, doing this will change the texture and the recipe will not work.
Babies can typically start eating lentil pancakes once they have been introduced to solid foods, from 6 months plus. Just ensure that you skip any added salt.
If your baby hasn't already tried lentil or any of the ingredients within this pancake you should start by introducing a small amount for the first few servings and watch closely.
Smaller tablespoon-sized pancakes will be perfect for little hands.
Lentil pancakes are best served warm, straight after cooking. You can refrigerate and freeze them but the taste and texture is not as good. I often freeze them and my boys are happy to eat them cold or re-heated.
Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container for up 1 day.
Freeze: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Reheat: You can gently heat in a pan, microwave or toast them.
Other Recipes You May Like..
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Lentil Pancakes
Ingredients
- 180g (1 cup) Red Split Lentils
- ½ cup Water
- 1 Garlic Clove ,minced
- 1 Carrot ,finely grated
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Cumin
- ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 2 handfuls Baby Spinach ,finely chopped into ribbons
- 2 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
- ½ tsp Salt ,do NOT add if making for a baby
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil ,for frying
Instructions
- Add the lentils to a mixing bowl and cover with water. Allow to soak overnight.
- Drain the lentils and add to a high-speed blender along with the water. Blend until you have a smooth batter.
- In a frying pan, heat ½ tablespoon of the oil over a medium-high heat. Add the carrot, garlic, smoked paprika, cumin and spinach, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until softened (around 4-5 mins).
- In a large mixing bowl mix together the lentil batter along with the sautéed vegetables, lemon juice and salt (if adding).
- Heat a non stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. When hot add a drizzle of oil (or alternatively use a spray oil).
Large Crepe-Like Pancakes
- Pour around ¼ of the mixture onto the hot pan and spread it in a circular shape using the back of a spoon.
- Cook for 3 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for 2 more minutes on the other side.
- Remove pancake from the pan and repeat with the remaining mixture. Serve
Small Pancakes
- Add a tablespoon of the batter to the pan and use the back of your spoon to spread it out a little (to make them thinner) Repeat to fill the pan.
- Cook for around 2 minutes on each side (this will vary depending on the pan, heat and how thin your pancake is). You want to look for bubbles forming and your pancakes should be able to be flipped easily.
- Remove pancakes from the pan and repeat with the remaining mixture. Serve
Video
Recipe Notes
- The amount of oil you need will depend on your pan. I find I can use very little when using a non-stick pan, a light spray is usually enough.
- I do not normally add salt to my recipes but I do feel that the salt greatly enhances the recipe and helps to balance the flavours. This is optional and for taste only. Leave out if cooking for a baby.
- These pancakes are best served with a dip or curry or stuffed like you would a wrap. See post for suggestions and recipe links.
Andrea says
Is there a major difference between red split lentil and red lentil? Do I need to tailor the recipe in any way using red lentil?
Amy says
Hi Andrea, I'm not sure how the recipe would work using whole red lentils as they have a longer cooking time and hold their shape more. As I haven't tried the recipe with whole lentils I can't say for sure how it would work, sorry.
Slava says
Mine fell apart 🙁 I had to add an egg and almond flour
Amy says
Hi Slava, sorry to hear this. Did you use red split lentils? Did you soak them? I have never had an issue with them falling apart.
Lisa says
I haven't tried this yet as we are just about to start weaning, but how long will these keep for? Thanks 🙂
Amy says
Hi Lisa, sorry for the late reply. These are best eaten warm. You can freeze them (for up to 3 months) and gently reheat in a frying pan 🙂
Florence says
I made it with red lentils but cooked them beforehand as I wanted to have the pancakes ready same day.
It does not work!! 🙁
I have a very watery batter that won’t cook. I will try addind flour to see if I can save this and will stick to soaked lentils for the next try. 😉
Amy says
Hi Florence,
I'm guessing there was too much liquid if you cooked them beforehand. Did you manage to save them?
Florence says
Yes with some flour but need to make your recipe and compare the end result to see if I really saved them hahha
Amy says
🙂
Deb says
Hi. Can you blend the spinach with the lentils? I was thinking it might be better for my 8month old to eat it that way. Thanks.
Amy says
Hi Deb, yes I'm sure you could. It may change the colour of the batter though.
Angela says
Would it work to put apinach in blender too instead of ribboning it?
Cassie says
Hi Amy! Thanks for this recipe. I have a 13 month old who is allergic to egg, soy, dairy, wheat, and peanuts...so it is nearly impossible to find recipes. I have never used lentils for cooking before. Do I buy hard lentils and soak overnight and that is it? They will be soft enough to blend? Thanks for the help!
Amy says
Hi Cassie, sorry for the delay in getting back to you. If you buy red split lentils and soak overnight they are soft enough to blend. Hope you enjoy them!
Danielle says
I just made these today, and I am very pleased with how they turned out! My toddler has a gluten sensitvity, so I am always looking for inventive (gluten and/or grain free) recipes that are simple to make for toddler hands. This met that need perfectly!There are just a couple of issues that I ran into:
- I took the 1c red lentils, soaked as 1c lentils,dry measure, then soak in 2c water. I realized the next morning after the soak that I had much more on my hands than what the recipe called for! Not a big issue, they were such a hit that I think the leftovers will not last long!
- I used a small non-stick pan, and the pancakes soaked up the oil very easily as I cooked them, with me adding oil to the pan with each new set I poured in.
- After tasting the first pancake that came off the pan, I felt that the lentils were a little too bland , not bringing the spices added through very well. I added 1/2 tsp. salt to the batter and it helped a lot. My toddler preferred it this way too!
Thank you for such a easy and original recipe! I look forward to trying many more!
Amy says
Hi Danielle, thanks so much for your feedback. I agree that a little salt does really help the flavour. I should mention that in the recipe. I also agree that depending on your pan, you will also need more oil.
I'm so happy your toddler enjoyed these, thanks for taking the time to rate and give valuable feedback.
Alison says
Love this recipe! My little one has been enjoying them for months. She’s getting older now so I was going to incorporate dips. What kind of curry do you eat with them? Is it not too spicy? Thank you!!
Amy says
Hi Alison, I'm so happy your little one loves these. They are great with curry too.
I have a couple of curry recipes on the blog you might want to try.
A fruity chicken curry that is mild (depending on the curry powder you use) and has added fruit sweetness which helps with the heat. https://www.healthylittlefoodies.com/finns-fruity-chicken-curry/
I also have a sweet potato and chickpea curry, again the sweetness of the sweet potato helps with the heat. https://www.healthylittlefoodies.com/sweet-potato-chickpea-curry/
I often just add yoghurt if a curry is too hot for the kids. That really helps and the kids love all the flavour of curry.
Tina says
These are SO GOOD. I know it's suggested for babies, but I'm a 25 year old who just graduated from college and omg these are so delicious, and so nutritious! I recently found out I am going through some reactive hypoglycemia at the moment, so whatever food I do eat, I need to make "count!" These are so well balanced in terms of flavor, the texture is delicious, and the nutrient profile is awesome. I eat these with a little dollop of greek yogurt (trying to avoid dairy, but I need the calcium). These also go really well with homemade tzatziki as well! I followed the recipe exactly how it is written. I then sauteed these in olive oil, but I used an olive oil spray to minimize the amount of oil I needed! Worked like a charm. The texture and flavor of these are unreal. Thank you so much!!
Amy says
Thanks Tina! You have made my day. So glad you like them and thanks for taking the time to leave such a lovely comment 🙂