Little ones can never say no to any baby pancakes. Like never.
Give them bread, give them muffins, give them all kinds of baked foods that look like bread and you’ll be fine.
Especially give them pancakes.
PIN IT FOR LATER
I know there’s the two ingredient pancake recipe floating around the internet like crazy, but I heard that parents have trouble with that simple recipe as well. How big should the banana be? Is that half a banana to one egg or 1:1? What do I do if baby has an egg allergy, how do I replace it?
So even the simplest of recipes can go all wonky from time to time.
And besides, there’s so much more out there besides bananas and eggs, that I thought it worthwhile to round up some baby led weaning pancakes recipes that I have come across and which incorporate more than that. Don’t get me wrong, eggs are nutritious and bananas are great too, but baby should be receiving a balanced diet all in all and it’s good to introduce variety just to avoid picky eating down the road.
When can babies eat pancakes?
Pancakes are great for baby led weaning from the beginning because they’re easy to grab and manage and break apart. Everything a baby will eventually end up liking about the whole first foods adventure. You can also give them as finger food from 6 months+ if you’re going the traditional weaning route. Just cut them into finger shapes after cooking.
What can I serve the pancakes with?
They work great with some milk on the side, or yogurt and fruit on top if you’re making them sweet rather than savoury.
Healthy baby pancakes are easy to make even with the most basic of ingredients, and you can even make baby pancakes with baby cereal that you have never used and lies somewhere in the back of your pantry.
Pancakes are also great for eating on the go without any mess involved.
So, all around only advantages when it comes to pancakes.
Let’s see how you can actually go beyond the banana pancakes recipe and bring things up a notch.
Note: photo credit goes to the respective recipe authors.
10 Baby led weaning pancakes recipes – sweet and savoury
Source: Healthy Little Foodies
Like I said above, substituting egg in pancakes can be tricky and babies with allergies shouldn’t be left out from the joy of discovering various food shapes and textures, so this baby pancake recipe with no eggs comes right on target! It has lots of nutrients packed in it because of the spinach and lentils, but also makes great use of spices to increase flavour. Feel free to leave these out if you think baby is not a fan.
Related posts:
- 30+ baby led weaning breakfast ideas
- 125 first foods which are great for babies with no teeth
- 18 baby led weaning muffin recipes
- 5 healthy alternatives to baby cereal (plus 1 tip)
- 2 ingredient cookies (fruit and oats)
- 14 healthy smash cake ideas
2. Oat zucchini blueberry pancakes
Source: Buona Pappa
I am seeing zucchini more and more in all kinds of recipes, from pancakes, to omelettes, to fritters, to quiches etc. They’re great to incorporate in various dishes, like in this one. A blender is involved in the process and I would definitely recommend omitting the maple syrup altogether. I have a blog post explaining why it is not ok to give it to baby.
If you are not using a blender in your zucchini recipes, my advice is to make sure you’re squeezing all the water from it once you grate it, to make sure it doesn’t impact the overall consistency of the batter you’re aiming for.
Source: Tots and Moms
If you take the 2 ingredient pancake recipe and replace the egg with milk and add some oats to the mix, you get this recipe, which is great for babies who are allergic to the protein found in egg (by the way, since it’s impossible to completely separate the white from the yolk, in case babies are allergic to the white – which is where most of the protein is found – it is best to avoid the egg altogether).
They might not look posh or food magazine-ready, but they’re packed with good stuff. To make oat powder, just put the oats in a blender. Serve with fruit on the side.
Source: Complete Recipes
Having as starting point the 2 ingredient pancakes recipe, you can enrich it with oats and give it more flavour with apple, cinnamon and vanilla. Great for autumn or winter, don’t you think?
You don’t need to go to the supermarket to buy apple sauce (it is often sweetened artificially). Just grab the smallest sized grater you have and grate an apple, after you’ve peeled the skin. And there you go: instant apple sauce, without any added nasties. I love the way an apple can make a difference to any meal or dough, especially if it’s sweet enough. My favourite way to mix it in is with porridge. Give it a try if you don’t believe me; porridge will never be the same!
Source: Wings and Roots
I must admit, I haven’t ever thought about adding tuna to a pancake batter before! This recipe is quite nutritious too, having carbs, protein and veggies all packed into one meal! Great for when you’re on the go as well!
You can adjust the spices to your baby’s preference. I found that mine isn’t such a great fan of cumin, so I guess Indian meals will be a ‘pass’ for us in the end.
Source: BLW Ideas
This is another recipe which can be transformed into egg-free, plus it’s already gluten-free since there’s no flour involved. Just make sure to read Bethany’s notes as to the right consistency of the batter and you should be fine.
It’s great if you find yourself stuck on ideas on how to “recycle” sweet potato mash, or if like me, simply have some sweet potato left forgotten.
Source: Healthy Food for Living
Now this is a recipe perfect for those autumn mornings, around Thanksgiving maybe, when you would need some pumpkin smell in your life. It’s a great way to introduce pumpkin to baby and they are gluten-free, if baby has an intolerance to gluten.
Source: My Little Moppet
This is a special recipe because of one of the ingredients being hard to find, unless you happen to have some Indian friends or Indian supermarket nearby. Ragi flour is made out of a type of millet used a lot in Indian cooking for baby food because of its high content of iron and calcium.
So if you have the chance and opportunity to buy this type of flour, give it a go in cakes, puddings or porridge.
9. Banana and spinach pancakes
I can’t decide: is this savoury or is this sweet? If your bananas are ripe enough, then you’ll probably go for sweet. But for me, the added spinach is a strong reason to serve these for lunch or dinner too, not only breakfast.
I find spinach a great way to vary the colour of various foods, if they allow the adding of spinach, that is. If your toddler is used to golden brown pancakes and starts making a fuss over them, you can try serving these for a change. He’ll definitely throw a long stare at first sight!
10. Scotch pancakes
Source: Mummy to Dex
I actually Googled why they are called Scotch pancakes, however haven’t found any answer satisfactory. They are also called drop scones or dropped scones, because they are made by dropping batter onto a griddle or pan. They are more on the American side when it comes to looks, and are quite easy to prep and make.
Nigella says they are not traditionally served like pancakes with syrup on top (not that babies are allowed syrup) and using a fork and knife, but spread with butter and jam. And you just dig in, I guess. Like a baby does.
11. My banana and apple pancakes for baby and toddler – easy, quick and only 5 ingredients!
12. The 3 ingredients pancake recipe
This is probably the best recipe I could recommend, that is kid friendly, sugar-free, banana-free and yields the fluffiest pancakes ever.
I hope you enjoyed this round-up post with some of the baby led weaning pancakes that drew my attention and are quite nutritious for babies just starting out on their weaning journey.
You will find pancakes sometimes referred to as pikelets or even fritters in some recipes. They are quite similar in shape, maybe slightly on the thicker side.
I write weekly about what goes on in my kitchen, what I do with what I have in the fridge/pantry and how I try to waste less and make the most out of every ingredient. If you want to read these weekly ramblings of mine, leave your email here and in 3 minutes you’ll be on the most awesome list ever, Weaningful’s Kitchen.
Remember to pin this post for later or share it on social media if you think it will give some inspiration to other parents out there. Happy weaning! And drop me a comment if you’ve tried any of the variations or if you have a fool proof recipe of your own that you want to share!
Very nice article Jo. Thanks for adding our recipe on the list from TOTS AND MOMS. All the best.
Hi Kavitha, thanks for stopping by!
Hi – Great post, the link to the savoury pancakes is not working, is there another link I can try?
Hi Monica, sorry, apparently the recipe is not there anymore 🙁