Very Berry Simple Pancake Recipe For Kids

There is something very therapeutic about cooking and baking for me. After a busy day at work, I love to bury myself into making a nice dinner. I guess it helps to get my mind off the craziness of the day and re-focus on making healthy food that makes my family happy. I also love to make something warm for Saturday morning breakfasts – I just feel it helps get the weekend off on the right foot. Am I alone on this??

Well, a few weeks ago my toddler and I went to make pancakes, which involved going to the pantry and taking out the pancake mix, but it was all gone! After being bummed out for a minute or two, I decided to try to make homemade vegan pancakes. I found a recipe online quickly that seemed easy and also included ingredients that I had on hand. The result – the best homemade vegan pancakes ever AND I knew exactly what my family was eating (rather than mysterious box mix ingredients).

I’ve experimented with the recipe a few times and last weekend made the Very Berry best homemade vegan pancakes recipe below. These were a hit with my family and again, very easy to make!

This simple pancake recipe for kids is great because they:

Are a great way to use up fruit that is getting a little old
Are super flexible – add whatever fruits you have lying around
Do not contain any sugar (crazy, right?!) but still taste great
Can be made vegan
Only need 6 ingredients + the berries you decide to use
Help to incorporate extra fruits into your little one’s diets

After making this very berry simple pancake recipe for kids a few times, I will honestly say that I will never buy boxed mix again.

Have a berry good day!

Wendy

SIMPLE PANCAKE RECIPE FOR KIDS

Makes 18-20 pancakes. Recipe very loosely adapted from Good Old Fashioned Pancakes.

Ingredients:

1 large very ripe banana
3 tablespoons melted butter or oil (I used Earth Balance)
2 cups milk (I used Almond)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (I think half all-purpose and half whole wheat flour would work but I have not tried)
Cooking spray
Blueberries, strawberries, and/or any other fruit you have on hand

Directions:

Step 1: Mash banana with a fork and mix with butter, milk, cinnamon, and baking powder.

Step 2: Add flour to the wet mixture ½ cup at a time. Stir between each until the mixture is mostly smooth. Do not over-mix. There will be some lumps left (it’s probably banana).

Step 3: Heat a large skillet over medium heat and coat with cooking spray.

Step 4: Drop pancake mix into pan using ¼ cup measuring cup (or larger or smaller depending on your preferences). Place blueberries on top of each pancake.

Step 5: When you see bubbles come up to the top of each pancake and start to pop, flip it over. Cook a few minutes on the opposite side until golden brown.

Step 6: Place thinly sliced strawberries between the pancakes and top with syrup, whip cream, or other toppings of your choice.

Notes: I keep my over-ripe bananas in the freezer and take out to thaw for recipes like this one. I tried cooking a few with strawberries, but they had too much moisture – for fruits with higher water content, just layer between the pancakes after cooking and before serving.