Easy Toddler Meals: Banana Veggie Pancakes
Like many toddlers, my 18 month old son can be a bit of a picky eater. So I’m always on the search for easy and wholesome toddler friendly meals.
Below is a recipe for one of my tot’s favorite meals, banana veggie pancakes! These are also great to keep in the fridge for a couple of days or to store in the freezer for those hectic mornings.
I usually make a double batch of these pancakes so that I can eat a bunch of them too! As my toddler has gotten older and become a little more particular, I have started leaving the veggies out so that I know he will eat a full plate. Even without the veggies though, I feel good about the nutrients in them from the egg, banana and blueberries.
Banana Veggie Pancake Recipe
5 Simple Ingredients for an Easy Toddler Meal
- 1 mashed ripe banana
- A small handful of blueberries (optional)
- A small handful of shredded zucchini or carrot (optional)
- 1 egg (feel free to add a second egg for a nutritional boost)
- 2-4 tablespoons of flour (amount depends on veggies and type of flour used – see notes on flour below)
- Butter for the skillet/pan
Directions
- Mix all the ingredients together, adding the flour last.
- Use a spoon or tablespoon to scoop the batter onto a hot buttered skillet. I keep the heat on low-medium to medium so that they don’t burn.
- Let the pancakes cook until they are a little golden before flipping them. After I flip them, I squish them down with the spatula to make sure they cook all the way through.
- Remove the pancakes from the pan, let them cool a few minutes and that’s it!
Notes on Ingredients: Flour, Iron Fortified Cereal & Veggies
Different Types of Flour
I have found that the amount of flour I use depends on the type of flour, as well as the type of vegetable I am using. Zucchini has more water content than carrot, so I use more flour if I’m using zucchini to thicken the batter.
I add the flour last and in small amounts to determine how much the batter needs. You want the consistency to be similar to normal pancake batter, if not a little more on the liquidy side. My toddler likes these pancakes to be on the thin side rather than in the traditional fluffy pancake style.
I have tried both wheat and gluten free flour, and both work great. And I also use iron fortified oat cereal sometimes or a combo of it with regular flour. You can see my post on Iron Rich Foods for Toddlers for a discussion on the importance of iron.
Iron Fortified Baby Cereal Option
If I’m using iron fortified baby cereal, I just make sure I’m not adding too much. I look at the nutrition label to see how much iron is in a serving, and take into consideration the recommended daily amount for my child’s age.
Now that my toddler is getting older and eating more iron rich foods in his diet, I just use regular flour in the batter these days.
Veggies
The banana and blueberries do a good job of cutting out the bitterness that some kids dislike in vegetables, but if your child is particularly averse to vegetables, you might try making them without any at first, or with just a tiny bit. Or try making the pancakes with carrot, since they are sweeter than zucchini.
2 thoughts on “Easy Toddler Meals: Banana Veggie Pancakes”