Follow these steps at home to make these light, fluffy pancakes bursting with pockets of juicy, diced mango (one whole cup worth!). Accentuated with spices like cinnamon and cloves, these mango pancakes are a sweet alternative to traditional pancakes for a tropical-style breakfast or brunch. Great for toddlers, kids, and the entire family!
Medically reviewed and cowritten by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).
Healthy Mango Pancakes
It doesn’t get much better than warm, fluffy pancakes, drizzled with maple syrup and melty butter on a slow Sunday morning. But friends, these healthy mango pancakes are so easy to make (and freeze!) that you can enjoy them any day of the week.
What makes these mango pancakes so easy? It’s probably due to a combination of things – they’re made with pantry staples, this simple recipe uses just one bowl, and fresh or frozen mangoes work equally well to make some of the lightest and fluffiest cakes you’ve ever eaten.
If you are looking for more easy and healthy pancakes for your little one, then be sure to check out our Spinach Blender Pancakes, Pumpkin Pancakes for Baby, the protein-packed Yogurt Pancakes, or these 5-Star delicious 3-Ingredient Banana Pancakes. You can also find more recipes and information in my best-selling cookbook Little Foodies: Recipes for Babies and Toddlers with Taste.
Reasons to Love these Mango Pancakes
- takes less than 15 minutes from the start to the first bite
- great for babies, baby-led weaning, toddler, and kids
- freezer-friendly
- made in one bowl
- perfect for breakfast, snack, lunch, or even dinner
- healthy
- made with whole grains
- soft and fluffy
Ingredients
Make sure to read the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions!
- Flour: All-purpose, white whole wheat, a blend of 50% whole wheat and white flour, or a one-for-one gluten-free flour will all work here.
- Mango: fresh or thawed from frozen; you’ll want small, diced pieces.
- Maple Syrup: This recipe uses just a little bit to get the perfect combo of savory and sweet cooked right into the pancakes.
- Milk: You can use any type of milk you prefer – dairy, almond, oat, etc.
- Egg: One large egg is needed to bind everything together.
- Butter: Feel free to substitute mild olive oil, coconut oil, or vegetable oil instead of the butter.
- Baking Powder: Helps to make the pancakes perfectly soft and fluffy.
- Spices – cinnamon, cloves, vanilla extract and salt: These flavors really up the taste factor.
Mango Tip: A ripe mango should have a little “give” to it when squeezed, feel heavy for its size when picked up, and have a sweet, fruity aroma. link to our ‘how to’ mango post
Mango Benefits
Mangoes aren’t just bursting with flavor, they are full of nutrition, too.
- Mangoes are full of fiber for healthy digestion and gut health.
- They are a great source of vitamin C for immune support and aiding in iron absorption.
- A good source of vitamin A for healthy eyesight.
- Full of multiple other vitamins and minerals like folate, copper, and vitamin E.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Dice Mango: cut a ripe mango into small chunks and then place on a few paper towels to absorb any excess water. You can also use frozen and thawed mango. Set aside.
- Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and ground nutmeg.
- Add Wet Ingredients: add in the melted butter, maple syrup, egg, vanilla extract, and milk.
- Combine: Gently stir together the wet and dry ingredients.
- Cook: Heat a non-stick pan or pancake griddle over medium to medium-low heat. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of batter onto the pan and then add the pieces of mango to the top batter of the pancakes. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until tiny bubbles appear on the outside of the pancake. Flip and cook for an additional 2 minutes. If the batter gets too thick, add in a tablespoon at a time of milk and stir until you have the right consistency.
- Repeat: Transfer pancakes to a cooling rack and repeat the process until you have used all of the batter.
- Eat: Serve and enjoy!
Tools to Make this Recipe
These tools will make it easier for you to make these Mango Pancakes. For more of my favorite kitchen tools, make sure to check out my online shop.
How to Serve these Mango Pancakes
These pancakes are made to be easy, so don’t feel like you need to serve them with anything too complicated. Here are some of my favorite easy ways to serve them to your baby or toddler:
- BLW – cut in half and served for baby-led weaning
- Classic – cut into chunks and served with maple syrup and fresh berries
- Cream cheese & Hemp Sprinkles – Smear with whole fat cream cheese and sprinkle with hemp seeds (serve whole or in chunks)
- PB&J Sandwich – take one pancake and spread with your favorite jam, then take another pancake and spread with a nut or seed butter or your choice, press two pancakes together and serve as a sandwich. Great for preschool or school lunches.
- Dipping Fun – cut pancakes into long strips and serve with some yogurt (thinner yogurt works better for this recipe) for dipping. Serve with a side of your favorite fruit, anything goes – chunks of banana, cut up berries, slices of cooked apples, etc.
- Dessert pancake – top mango pancakes with a little whipped cream, shredded coconut, and banana slices for a truly tropical treat.
Storing and Freezing
These pancakes can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Pancakes freeze well and will last up to 3 months in the freezer. To reheat, gently heat in the microwave or toaster.
Kids in the Kitchen
Though pancakes are a little hard for younger toddlers to flip, there are still so many ways they can help make this recipe.
Toddlers
- With a toddler-safe knife, they can help dice the mango.
- Toddlers can help measure and put the ingredients into the bowl.
- They can help mix the ingredients together.
- They can help pour pancake batter onto the griddle for cooking (with adult supervision).
Kids
- They can pick out and measure all of the ingredients and dice the mango.
- Kids can help mix the ingredients together.
- They can help pour the batter onto the griddle (with adult supervision).
- They can help flip pancakes.
- Kids can help spread butter and pour syrup onto warm pancakes.
Recipe Tips
- Use nondairy milk instead as needed to make it dairy free.
- Make it gluten-free by using cup-for-cup gluten-free flour.
- Keep pancakes warm while you finish cooking the rest by placing them on a baking sheet in a 225-degree oven.
- If using frozen mango, let your fruit thaw completely before adding to the pancakes.
- 1 1/2 cup flour, all-purpose, white whole wheat, gf blend
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp cloves
- 2 tbsp melted butter or oil, vegetable, coconut, olive or avocado oil
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup milk, regular or any plant-based milk
- 1 cup diced mango, fresh or thawed from frozen
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Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and ground cloves.
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Wet Ingredients: Add in the melted butter, maple syrup, egg, vanilla extract, and milk.
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Incorporate: Stir until incorporated, do not overmix.
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Cook: Heat a non-stick pan or pancake griddle over medium to medium-low heat. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of batter onto the pan and then place a few pieces of mango on top. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until tiny bubbles appear on the outside of the pancake. Flip and cook for an additional 2 minutes. If the batter gets too thick, add in a tablespoon at a time of milk and stir until you have the right consistency.
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Continue: Transfer pancakes to a cooling rack and repeat the process until you have used all of the batter.
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Serve and Enjoy!
Note of Flour: you can use white whole wheat flour, 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 all-purpose, all-purpose flour, or a gluten-free one-for-one blend. I used white whole wheat for these photos.
Freezer-Friendly: store any extra pancakes in the fridge for 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, simply place the frozen pancake in the microwave for 30 seconds or pop them straight into the toaster.