Get everyone feeling lucky with these fluffy and delicious vegan dye-free green pancakes! These are the perfect treat for St. Patrick’s Day fun, but they are also a great healthy addition any day since they are gluten-free, refined sugar-free, dairy-free and egg-free. In this easy blender recipe I’m ditching the artificial green dye and kicking up the vibrant color with fresh baby spinach — it adds the fun green hue and a ton of iron and fiber to keep your energy levels up for your entire celebration. Old fashioned oats, cinnamon, pure maple syrup, and plant-based milk come together for that perfect pancake bite — sweet and soft, with no veggie aftertaste.
Pancakes are a staple in my house for special weekend breakfasts — birthdays, holidays, or just a special Saturday treat. This refined-sugar free and vegan dye-free pancake recipe ensures we all have the right nutrients to get our bodies moving over the weekend.
Fresh spinach makes these extra fun for St. Patrick’s Day — or any day that you want to add some color to your life! And I promise, no spinach taste or grit. These pancakes are the real deal.
The green hue gives a lovely spring vibe but they can certainly be eaten all year around. I serve these with my coconut whipped cream and a sprinkle of matcha powder for a super-green boost.
These flapjacks are packed with the good stuff. Spinach provides plant-based iron and sneaks in some veggies into this recipe. One serving of raw spinach (½ cup) has only 5 calories and contains calcium and iron plus 60% of your daily vitamin A and 15% of your daily vitamin C.
Plus, spinach gives the pancakes the perfect spring green color, so you really can’t go wrong.
Oats, which serve as the base of this batter, are nutrient-dense, providing protein and fiber. If you have picky eaters (kids or grown-ups) these are the perfect way to disguise all those helpful vitamins in a delicious breakfast!
Making these pancakes is super easy! My kids join in on the fun and love to see how they transform colors before their eyes. To make the batter, start by blending your oats into a fine flour and then adding the rest of the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
Rinse your blender and then add all the wet ingredients, including the spinach. Behold as the beautiful green takes over! Keep blending until all the fine spinach bits are gone and then pour overtop your dry ingredients. If it’s feeling a little thick, add 1-2 more tablespoons of plant-based milk.
Pour onto a hot griddle to cook through on each side, then add your favorite pancake toppings! I highly recommend my airy coconut whipped cream and some matcha powder for that extra special touch.
More green recipes for St. Patrick's Day!
If you are looking to keep it green for St. Patrick's Day check out these recipes which will cover you for breakfast, lunch, snacks, appetizers, dinner and dessert! They are all vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar-free.
- Green Muffins
- 7-Minute Blender Green Juice
- Tropical Green Protein Smoothie
- Cream of Asparagus Soup
- St. Patrick's Day Snack Board
- Parsley Pea Pesto Pasta
- Kale Salad with Avocado Ranch Dressing
- Roasted Cabbage with Green Tahini Sauce
- Guacamole
- Garlic Cilantro Lime No Mayo Coleslaw Recipe
- Healthy Shamrock Shake
And be sure to check out my St. Patrick's Day recipe round-up for more green recipes (all vegan and gluten-free).
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Vegan Dye-Free Green Pancakes (Gluten-Free + Refined Sugar-Free)
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Get everyone feeling lucky with these fluffy and delicious vegan dye-free green pancakes! These are the perfect treat for St. Patrick’s Day fun, but they are also a great healthy addition any day since they are gluten-free, refined sugar-free, dairy-free, and egg-free. In this easy recipe I’m ditching the artificial green dye and kicking up the vibrant color with fresh baby spinach — it adds the fun green hue and a ton of iron and fiber to keep your energy levels up for your entire celebration. Old fashioned oats, cinnamon, pure maple syrup, and plant-based milk come together for that perfect pancake bite — sweet and soft, with no veggie aftertaste.
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free old fashion oats
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch (also known as arrowroot powder)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ¼ cup unsweetened, plain plant-milk of choice (I use almond or oat milk typically)
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 3-4 handfuls of fresh baby spinach
- avocado oil, coconut oil or vegan butter for greasing the griddle
Instructions
- Heat a large griddle over medium heat. While it heats up, make the pancake batter.
- In a high speed blender, process the oats until a fine flour forms. I prefer homemade oat flour over store bought in terms of texture so I highly recommend this step.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients (homemade oat flour, arrowroot starch, baking powder, salt and cinnamon).
- Clean out the high speed blender jar and place all wet ingredients inside (plant-based milk of choice, maple syrup, vanilla and vinegar). Add the baby spinach overtop and blend on the highest speed until no spinach bits remain (30-60 seconds). Pour this green mixture into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients. Whisk until no clumps remain. If you want to thin out the batter a bit, add 1-2 more tablespoons of milk and stir.
- Once the griddle is very hot, use avocado oil, coconut oil or vegan butter to coat the griddle. Then, place 2 tablespoons of the batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook 3-5 minutes per side. To tell when it is ready to flip, look for bubbles throughout the entire pancake and golden brown edges all around. Once both sides are golden brown gently remove from the griddle to a serving tray. Re-grease the griddle between each batch. Serve the pancakes while hot with nut or seed butter, maple syrup, chia jam, fresh berries, sliced banana or vegan butter.
Notes
The longer you cook the pancake the more the green will turn brown. So you may want to cook one side briefly to keep the green color for presentation. The inside will still be green regardless though.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: Brunch
- Method: Stovetop
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