Buckwheat pancakes are the perfect balance between delicate and hearty. They have more texture than the traditional buttermilk blend, and they don’t skimp on flavor either. Adding a cup of spinach to the mix makes it a balance between decadent and healthy, as well. And buckwheat is actually a great gluten-free alternative to the classically carb-heavy Saturday morning stack.
Pancakes are one of my favorite breakfasts. I tell myself I can eat them more often if I improve upon their nutritional content, so when I first started to see green pancakes pop up on Pinterest, I had to investigate.
The most photogenic stacks had used a white flour base, so the spinach color could shine through. This buckwheat version takes much of the color pop away, but leaves the health benefits in tact — and that’s more important than a photo, of course.
While buckwheat is known as a healthy, nutty-flavored grain, it’s actually not a grain at all. It’s a fruit seed from the same family as rhubarb and sorrel.
I use Bob’s Red Mill Buckwheat flour and my Vitamix to speed up the pancake process. Just follow the directions on the back of the package, and instead of adding milk, add a spinach/milk blend. It cooks up nearly the same, and thanks to the high-speed blender, is only lightly detectable. No chunks or lingering leaf pieces.
I’ve made these several times and have yet to reach my maximum breaking point where it tastes too much like salad instead of a sweet breakfast, so get aggressive with your spinach. Plus, a little bit of warm fruit and a dash of syrup can hide quite a bit — again, it’s all about balance.
Ingredients
- 1 cup buckwheat pancake flour
- 1 egg
- 1-2 cups spinach
- 1 tbsp oil (Use 1/3 banana as a substitute of healthier option. You may have to add a teaspoon more milk.)
- 3/4 cup cold milk
- butter or cooking spray to grease the pan
- 1 cup fresh or frozen fruit
- 1-2 tbsp pure maple syrup
Directions
- Pour milk and add spinach to blender. Blend on high until spinach is liquified.
- Add pancake flour, egg and oil (or banana), to blender. Blend until well mixed or about 45 seconds.
- Lightly grease the pan or skillet with butter and set on medium heat. Pour batter into pan making a batter circle about 4.5-5″ in diameter.
- Heat until tiny bubbles start to form in the center (1-2 minutes). Flip pancake. Cook for about another 20 seconds.
- Repeat until batter is used up.
- On low to medium heat, warm fruit until juicy.
- Top pancakes with fruit, drizzle with syrup.
- Eat it up!
