banana carrot pancakes
Last updated: September 2023
A delicious (and nutritious) pancake recipe with only 7 simple ingredients, including veggies!
Banana carrot pancakes are a delightful, go-to breakfast recipe in our house for four key reasons:
They include fruit AND vegetables!
The preparation time is easy and not time-consuming
They’re freezer-friendly (always a win)
They are DELICIOUS
I started making these pancakes for my son pretty shortly after he started solids, around 8 months. I would offer them in strips (vs. the the star-shaped cut-outs pictured here) so they were easy for him to hold and take bites out of. I first made them without carrots and when the veggie pickiness started I thought - why not shred some carrots into pancakes? And I’m so glad I did - they’re delightful and pair so well with the banana and cinnamon in this recipe.
I hope you love these as much as we do in our house! Get ready for some amazing aromas in your house as you make this breakfast delight.
INGREDIENTS
2 medium-sized ripe bananas - the ripeness is key in this recipe as it acts as a natural sweetener. You’ll mash the bananas for this recipe - I use the back of a fork but you can use most utensils you have on-hand!
2 eggs - the general rule of thumb for egg substitions (when there are allergies) is 1 egg = 1/4 cup applesauce. That said, I haven’t tried this recipe without eggs yet but once I do, I’ll report back here!
1/4 cup all-purpose flour - you can use other flours here if there are gluten allergies. I’ve done this recipe with oat flour once and it turned out well!
1/2 tsp cinnamon - cinnamon, bananas, and carrot here are just CHEF’S KISS. You can certainly omit the cinnamon but it’s a great way to introduce some added flavor to a simple recipe.
1/2 tsp baking powder - this helps pancakes rise and become fluffy - you can add more or less depending on your preference but this amount worked well for me in the recipe.
1 large peeled & grated carrot - I grate the carrot with the fine side of a grater (this is the one I use) and you can certainly add a little more or less than this. I don’t recommend using pre-grated carrots from the store - they tend to be a little tougher in texture and don’t mix as well into this recipe. It’s best to grate the carrots yourself!
DIRECTIONS
Mash bananas in bowl (I like to use a fork)
Mix with eggs, then add in flour, cinnamon, vanilla, baking powder, and carrot.
Heat a pan on medium heat and melt a dash of butter
Pour no more than 1/4 cup of batter into pan and heat both sides until golden on top (I like to make the pancakes a little larger as it allows me to cut out shapes)
Let cool & serve with some syrup for dipping and your favorite breakfast sides! I use pure organic maple syrup.
EQUIPMENT
Grater: here is an option from Amazon that I love from Cuisinart. A good grater is important (regardless of what you’re making). The duller the material/quality, the increased risk of it poorly cutting food or hurting you while you cook.
Non-stick pan: I love the Always Pan from Our Place for pancakes! I do use a non-stick spray first, but it works so well and just looks gorgeous in our kitchen. Any non-stick pan will do for pancakes though.
Pancake cutters (optional): here are some options from Amazon that I like to use!
CUTTING PANCAKES
This article from Solid Starts is a good reference on how to cut pancakes based on age. Again, cutting pancakes into shapes is completely optional, but I think it’s a fun way to serve them to toddlers and kids. I always, always, always keep the scraps. I either snack on them myself for breakfast, or keep in the fridge/freezer to serve at a later time. They may not look as pretty, but the flavor is the same and they never go to waste in our house!
Substitutions & Add-Ins
Egg: the general rule of thumb is that 1 egg = 1/4 cup applesauce.
Flour: I use all-purpose flour in this recipe and have also tested with oat flour, and it works well. Although I haven’t tried other flours, they should work well.
Add-ins: in addition to (or instead of) grated carrot, the add-ins for this recipe are great! I recommend chocolate chips, blueberries (blueberry and carrot together are DELISH), or even raisins (for older toddlers). I always love sprinkling in some superseed boosters from Tiny Sprouts here as well (code: MYTODDLERSKITCHEN for 10% off) like milled chia seeds or flax seeds!
Storage & Re-Heating
Keep in fridge in air-tight container for 2-3 days, freeze for up to 2 months. When thawing from frozen, I put in fridge overnight and heat in microwave in the morning for about 10 seconds. If you don’t have time to thaw, you should be able to defrost in the microwave easily!
For storage in the fridge and freezer, below are some containers that I love!
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