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    Home >> Recipes >> Vegan Breakfast Recipes

    Healthy Spinach Pancakes

    Updated Mar 15, 2023 by Lori · This post contains affiliate links.

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    image with text to save on Pinterest.

    Spinach pancakes are a healthy, filling, and tasty way to start the day. They're low in fat and sugar, made with oat flour, and packing plenty of green goodness in every bite! This recipe is vegan and made without oil, gluten, nuts, or refined sugar.

    A bite of spinach pancakes on a fork with the full stack behind, drizzled with maple syrup and topped with a pat of butter.
    Jump to:
    • Vegetables for Breakfast
    • Ingredients
    • How to Make Spinach Pancakes
    • Serving Suggestions
    • Recipe Yield
    • How to Store
    • Pancake Cooking Tips
    • More Ways to Use Spinach
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Vegetables for Breakfast

    When it comes to pancakes, I like 'em healthy. Because otherwise, they're really more like dessert. And I don't know about you, but I find I don't feel so great the rest of the day if I start off with a big stack of sweet bread.

    But these spinach pancakes are a different story! Whole-grain oat flour gives them staying power, and soy milk adds plant protein, which also helps keep us full. And then there's the spinach...

    Each serving of spinach pancakes contains approximately ½ cup spinach, 7 grams protein, 5 grams fiber, and 13% of the recommended daily value of iron.

    These are a great way to delight your kiddos, too. They'll love the bright green color, and you'll love knowing they started the day with nutritious oats and spinach.

    Ingredients

    I love recipes that are simple and call for easy-to-find ingredients. If you feel the same way, you'll love these.

    Labeled photo of the 7 ingredients needed to make spinach pancakes.
    • oat flour - I sometimes make my own oat flour by blending rolled oats in the Vitamix, but you can also buy it online and in some stores (look for certified gluten-free oats/oat flour, if needed).
    • spinach - I prefer raw baby spinach for this recipe but frozen works in a pinch! Just be sure to thaw it first and squeeze out some of the liquid.
    • fine sea salt - just a pinch rounds out the flavor and helps mask any bitterness from the spinach.
    • cinnamon - this is optional but does add nice flavor.
    • baking powder
    • unsweetened soy milk - lite canned coconut milk and oat milk are also great in this batter.
    • maple syrup - only 1 Tbsp goes into the batter, but you'll definitely want more for serving.
    • vanilla extract

    See the recipe card below for amounts and full instructions.

    How to Make Spinach Pancakes

    Two photos showing how to blend the spinach and milk mixture then make the batter.
    1. In a blender combine the milk, maple syrup, vinegar, vanilla, and spinach. Blend until the spinach is completely pureed.
    2. In a mixing bowl whisk together the oat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Pour the spinach mixture into the bowl and whisk to combine.
    Two photos showing the consistency of the batter and when to flip spinach pancakes.
    1. The batter will look thin but will thicken as it rests. Preheat a non-stick griddle or large pan over medium-low heat.
    2. Flick water onto the cooking surface to make sure it's fully preheated - the water should sizzle and immediately disappear. Use about ¼ cup batter per pancake. Flip the pancakes when bubbles appear all across the top and the edges look set. The second side will cook more quickly than the first.

    Serving Suggestions

    These spinach pancakes are unapologetically healthy. You may have noticed there's no butter or additional fat of any kind. And though spinach doesn't have a strong flavor, these don't taste like a typical pancake made with regular flour and sugar.

    The reason I'm pointing this out is because I highly recommend serving these with a drizzle of pure maple syrup. It doesn't take much, but it truly is what makes these so delicious and "helps the greens go down."

    In addition to maple syrup, serve these pancakes with any other toppings you enjoy, such as:

    • non-dairy yogurt - try homemade cashew yogurt, tofu yogurt, or almond milk yogurt!
    • vegan butter
    • jam, jelly, or fruit compote
    • fresh berries or chopped apple, pear, peach, or banana
    • seeds, nuts, or coconut

    Recipe Yield

    This recipe makes about 7 small pancakes, 4-inches in diameter. This is the perfect amount for our 2-person household. You can easily double or triple the recipe if needed.

    How to Store

    Store spinach pancakes in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze them for later. When I have time I like to make an extra large batch and freeze half for another day.

    Spinach pancakes on a plate with a bite on a fork and vegan butter nearby.

    Pancake Cooking Tips

    If you don't make pancakes very often, it can take a couple of tries to really get the hang of it.

    There's a bit of an art to getting the heat just right. Plus, as you try different pancake recipes, with different types of flour and fat/sugar content, this can affect how quickly they cook.

    For these low-fat spinach pancakes, here's what you're looking for:

    • The edges should look set and there should be bubbles across the entire surface of the pancakes before you flip them. This may take a few minutes.
    • If the heat is too high, the outside of the pancake will burn before the middle is done. It's important that they cook all the way through.
    • Don't be afraid to adjust the heat slightly based on how the first pancake turns out.

    MORE PANCAKES! Try these Oat Flour Pancakes, Lemon Blueberry Pancakes, and Vegan Bacon Pancakes.

    More Ways to Use Spinach

    • serving of Just Egg scramble with vegetables and English muffin on a plate.
      Ultimate JUST Egg Scramble
    • close up side view of sliced quesadillas with spinach. and homemade vegan cheese.
      Easy Vegan Quesadillas
    • Berries and Greens Breakfast Pudding in a glass jar
      Silken Tofu Breakfast Pudding
    • colorful breakfast casserole cut into square servings with a spatula removing a piece.
      Vegan Breakfast Casserole

    I hope you enjoy these wholesome spinach pancakes as much as we do. If you try the recipe be sure to leave a comment and rating below to let everyone know!

    📖 Recipe

    A stack of green spinach pancakes drizzled with maple syrup.

    Spinach Pancakes (Vegan, Whole Grain)

    Author: Lori Rasmussen, My Quiet Kitchen
    These whole-grain spinach pancakes are vegan, made with oat flour, and packing green goodness in every bite. Very simple to make and delicious topped with maple syrup!
    Yield: makes 6 or 7 small (4-inch) pancakes
    Servings: 3 servings
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time: 20 minutes mins
    Total Time: 30 minutes mins

    Equipment

    • scale - optional
    • blender
    • griddle - or large non-stick pan

    Ingredients 

    • 1 cup fine oat flour - Store-bought or make your own by blending rolled oats until very fine; see Note 1
    • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
    • ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
    • pinch of sea salt
    • ¾ cup unsweetened soy milk - also great with oat or lite coconut milk
    • 1 ½ cups fresh baby spinach, tightly packed (about 1 ¼ ounces) - if using frozen spinach, thaw and squeeze out liquid then use ¾ cup
    • 1 tablespoon maple syrup, plus more for serving - see Note 2
    • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar - or 2 tsp lemon juice
    • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • In a mixing bowl whisk together the oat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
    • In a blender combine the milk, maple syrup, vinegar, vanilla, and spinach. Blend until the spinach is completely pureed and you don't see any green bits. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. The batter will thicken as it sits.
    • Preheat a large non-stick skillet or an electric griddle to low to medium-low heat.
    • Flick water onto the cooking surface to make sure it's fully preheated - the water should sizzle and immediately disappear. Use about ¼ cup batter per pancake. Flip the pancakes when bubbles appear all across the top and the edges look set. The second side will cook more quickly than the first.
    • Serve warm with maple syrup and any other toppings you enjoy, such as non-dairy yogurt, butter, nut butter, jam, fresh berries, and nuts or seeds.

    Notes

    1 - Measuring flour: If not using a kitchen scale to weigh 105 grams oat flour, it's very easy to scoop up too much. First, whisk the flour to fluff it up, then lightly scoop it up with the measuring cup. Use your finger to level off the excess. 
    2 - Sweetness: As written, the pancakes are not sweet, and I highly recommend serving them with maple syrup. If you prefer a slightly sweeter pancake feel free to add a tablespoon of sugar. 
    Storing and Reheating
    Pancakes are best enjoyed fresh, but leftovers will keep for up to 5 days. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Re-heat in the oven, in a skillet on the stovetop, or briefly in the microwave. Spinach pancakes can also be frozen. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.

    Estimated Nutrition (per serving)

    Calories: 172kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 7gFat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 70mgFiber: 5gIron: 7mg

    Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used. We calculate this information using the online calculator cronometer.com.

    Tried the recipe?I love hearing from you! Share your feedback below.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Cheryl Garcia

      March 30, 2023 at 10:05 am

      I made these! Not too difficult since I had a large amount of fresh spinach....I did add a squeeze of lemon and my sprinkle of cinnamon was big. Yes, they were quite green.

      Reply
    2. Sima Turpin

      March 24, 2023 at 8:08 am

      I thought your recipe looked delicious but I'm not really into sweet pancakes. I do however like savoury ones! So I used your basic recipe but instead of maple syrup and cinnamon added a little tamari, olive oil, ajwan seeds, garlic powder, chilli powder and pepper.
      The results were so delicious.
      Thanks for your recipe ☺️

      Reply

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    author Lori Rasmussen in her kitchen

    Hi, I'm Lori. Welcome to My Quiet Kitchen where I share easy vegan recipes with a healthier twist. Many are special diet-friendly or easily adapted. I also have a passion for veganizing classic desserts, and sometimes even those get a healthy-ish makeover.

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