Elevate your next breakfast with these homemade, healthy strawberry pancakes. Made in one bowl, they’re easy, kid-friendly, and the perfect recipe for those sweet, summertime strawberries.
Medically reviewed and cowritten by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).
Healthy Strawberry Pancakes
When I first made these pretty little strawberry pancakes, they almost felt too fancy to eat for a weekday breakfast. But considering how easy they are to whip up, I think this is just the kind of ‘fancy’ I need on a weekday morning, in a summer heat wave, after all the excitement and chaos of a non-stop holiday weekend.
I’m talking about light and fluffy, naturally sweetened, pantry staples pancakes, made in just one bowl. With perfectly placed pockets of juicy strawberries, blending sweetly with maple syrup.
Sure, you can also make them ‘next level’ fancy and top ’em with fresh fruit, a dollop of whipped cream. Maybe even serve them in little heart shapes for a thoughtful start to a birthday breakfast, Valentine’s day, or another special occasion.
But don’t forget that they’re also fancy enough to mix into your usual breakfast rotation. And that’s the level of fancy we’re going for today.
If you are looking for more easy and healthy pancakes for your little one, then be sure to check out my Spinach Blender Pancakes, Pumpkin Pancakes for Baby, or these 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 Strawberry Pancakes
- takes 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, or a one-for-one gluten-free flour will all work here.
- Strawberries: finely chopped
- Maple Syrup: pure maple syrup helps add a touch of sweetness, you can also use sugar.
- Milk: You can use any 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, or vegetable
- Baking Powder: Helps to make the pancakes perfectly soft and fluffy.
- Ground Flax Seeds: Great way to add in extra nutrients. This is optional.
- Spices – cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt: These flavors really up the taste factor.
Strawberry Tip: For ripe strawberries, choose medium-sized berries with a deep red color and bright green stems, free of any bruises or dark spots. Buy local and in season for the best taste.
Strawberry Pancakes Benefits
These strawberry pancakes are going to be much healthier than a Bisquick box you’ll find at the store since they’ll have less preservatives and other additives and will be much fresher. Not to mention:
- Strawberries are packed with vitamin C and fiber.
- If you’re using a whole grain flour, it’ll have more fiber and other nutrients not found in those made from white flour.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Dice Strawberries: hull and cut strawberries into small chunks and then place on a few paper towels to absorb any excess water. Set aside.
- Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, flax seeds, and cinnamon.
- Add Wet Ingredients: add in the melted butter, maple syrup, egg, vanilla extract, and milk.
- Combine: Gently stir together the wet and dry ingredients.
- Add Strawberries: gently fold in the strawberries. Let batter sit while you heat the pan.
- 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 let 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 Strawbery Pancakes. For more of my favorite kitchen tools, make sure to check out my online shop.
How to Serve Strawberry 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
- Strawberries & Cream – Smear with whole fat cream cheese and top with thinly sliced strawberries. Add a sprinkle of hemp seeds for a lovely little crunch.
- 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) to dip the pancakes in. Serve with a side of your favorite fruit, anything goes – chunks of banana, cut up berries, slices of cooked apples, etc.
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
Even though pancakes can be a little tricky for kids to flip, there’s still plenty of ways that kids and even toddlers can get involved in the kitchen.
Toddlers
- Toddlers can help measure and put the ingredients into the bowl.
- They can chop the strawberries with a toddler-friendly knife.
- 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.
- 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.
- For the fluffiest pancakes, make sure that your baking powder hasn’t expired.
- Let your pancake batter sit for 5-10 minutes while the griddle heats up. This makes for softer, fluffier pancakes.
- Fresh, ripe strawberries work best in this recipe, but if you need to use frozen berries, make sure to thaw and drain them to avoid adding too much moisture to the batter.
- 1 1/2 cups flour white whole wheat, all-purpose, 50/50 all-purpose and whole wheat, gf blend
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp ground flax seeds (optional)
- 2 tbsp melted butter or oil, coconut oil, vegetable oil, olive oil or avocado oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups milk regular or any plain plant-based milk
- 1 cup strawberries hulled and diced
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Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, ground flax seeds, and cinnamon.
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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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Strawberries: Gently fold in the strawberries and let sit while the pan heats up.
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Cook: Heat a non-stick pan or pancake griddle over medium to medium-low heat. Pour 3 tablespoons of batter onto the pan and let 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 the batter.
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Serve and Enjoy!
Yield: 15 small pancakes
Freezer-Friendly: store any extra pancakes in the fridge for 1 week or in the freezer for up to a month. To reheat, simply place the frozen pancake in the microwave for 30 seconds or pop them straight into the toaster.