These vegan green pancakes are out of this world! Trick your kids into eating more veggies with this treat. This easy vegan pancake recipe is tastier, and healthier than normal pancakes. Think of the best pancake you’ve ever eaten. Slightly sweet with maple and super fluffy, right? Okay, well that’s exactly what we got going on right here, just green!
What makes these pancakes so healthy you may ask? Spinach. The spinach in these pancakes adds additional nutrients. Not to mention, creates a natural green colored pancake. You are going to love the flavor of these vegan green pancakes. Honestly, we intended on the spinach being used just for color. Their flavor is hidden by the other delicious ingredients. Nonetheless, you can still reap the benefits of these leafy greens.
This recipe is perfect for St. Patrick’s day, or if you’re looking to make some festive and fun food. Plus, this is a better alternative to using artificial food dye.
Why is St. Patrick’s Day Green?
So what’s the deal with “green everything” on St Patrick’s day anyway? We were wondering the same thing. We did a bit of research and here is what we found out.
St. Patricks day is a cultural and religious holiday originating from Ireland held on March 17th. It celebrates St. Patrick. He played a large role in bringing Christianity to Ireland along with the celebration of Irish Pride. Interestingly enough St. Patricks day is celebrated in more countries than any other festival.
Historically the restrictions from lent were lifted during this holiday. Which is the reason some say this encouraged the consumption of alcohol on this day.
The color associated with St. Patrick was originally blue, not green. The change from blue to green occurred because Ireland was also known as the Emerald Isle. In addition, the color green was associated with Catholics. Protestants were associated with the color orange.
Irish Flag Three Leaf Clover
These colors can be found on the Irish flag today. The white in between the two colors represents peace between both religions.
According to legend, St. Patrick used the three leafed green shamrock to explain the holy trinity to the Irish pagans.
To further emphasize the color green, leprechauns were said to pinch anyone who didn’t wear their favorite color, green. Apparently from these reasons (and probably many more) we now have a holiday of green beer, green bagels and now vegan green pancakes!
Eat Colorful Foods and Be Happy
We always try to eat different colored whole foods. If the plate of food looks like a rainbow, it’s bound to make you feel good too! In reference to fruit and veggies this quote says it all perfectly.
Fill your plate with the colors of the rainbow. What pleases the eye pleases the body.
Psychologically, colorful food makes you happy. The visual cue of color when it comes to our perception can affect how we think something will taste. Colorful food can influence our brain to create an expectation that specific colors will taste a certain way. For example, the more vibrantly colored a food is, the more intense we expect its flavor to be. It’s safe to say humans eat with their eyes.
“Color plays an extremely important role in the everyday lives of humans. It can affect people’s thinking, actions, and reactions. Color sends subliminal messages to the brain, which is why companies spend a lot of time on choosing the right colors when designing their products. Food is one of the most important necessities in life that are influenced by color. The human appetite, choice of food, and interior designs of restaurants are some examples that are affected by color.”
The Relationship Between Food and Color, by Kalim Hussaini
Synthetic Dyes and Food Colorings
Food production companies and marketing agencies are well aware of the influence, and how the presentation of vibrant colors affects human dietary/ consumption choices.
Americans are now eating five times as much food dye compared to 1955. Since the emergence of food dyes and their popularity, studies have shown their impact on health and food choices. For example, many people are easily attracted to colorful foods.
Though food companies may be able to manipulate consumers’ choices via color. There have been some unfortunate side effects from serving artificial colorings in food. We hope to manipulate you into healthier eating with these vegan green pancakes!
In 2007, a British study found the risks of food dyes for children included displaying hyperactive behavior, along with aggression and irritability, within an hour of consumption. In 2010, the british parliament actually mandated that such foods contained labels and warnings.
I wish we had warnings like this in the United States! People might think twice before reaching for those treats! In addition, some food dyes like yellow-5, yellow-6, and red-40 contain compounds, including benzidine and 4-aminobiphenyl, which research has linked with cancer.
So let’s stick with the natural stuff, huh folks?
Naturally Green and Healthy Spinach
So how exactly were we able to sneak the spinach in there? Simple. By blending the spinach with the cashew milk. By blending the spinach, the leafy texture turns to liquid. From there we continue to make our pancakes just like normal.
If you guys have been following our blog, you’ll know just how excited Luna is when she’s able to sneak “healthy ingredients” into an already healthy meal. Since she’s so excited about the (low key) “spinach” pancakes, I’ll let her tell you all about the benefits of these dark leafy greens.
Spinach is rich in many nutrients, including Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, iron, folate, and potassium. While we are not claiming these to be miracle pancakes. By adding healthy leafy greens to your diet is always a positive step toward healthier living.
Toppings for Vegan Pancakes
Strawberries and Chocolate Chips Green Pancakes
We love to finish these pancakes off with a dolap of rice whipped cream and some fresh fruit. Though there is nothing more sweet than vegan chocolate chips added into the pancake mix. If you do add some dairy free chocolate chips, you’ll be sure to have a tasty vegan breakfast. The topping options are endless!
Complement the taste of these yummy green pancakes with some homemade cashew milk or even a spicy iced mocha.
Definitely let us know what toppings you used! If you tried one of our recipes or found our articles helpful, let us know in the comments below how it turned out!
Follow us on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. Take a picture of your creations and tag us using #cookingupvegan.
Peace,
Luna & Nate
Vegan Pancakes With Spinach
Course: Main EntreeCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy5
servings10
minutes15
minutes25
minutesThese vegan green pancakes are out of this world! Trick your kids into eating more veggies with this treat. This recipe is tastier and healthier than normal pancakes. Honestly, the spinach flavor is hidden by the other delicious ingredients. Nonetheless, you still reap the benefits of these leafy greens. Think of the best pancake you’ve ever eaten. Slightly sweet with maple and super fluffy, right? Okay, well that’s exactly what we got going on right here, just green!
Ingredients
- Wet Ingredients
1 Cup 1 Spinach
1 Cup 1 Cashew Milk
1 Tbsp 1 Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp 2 Coconut oil, melted
- Dry Ingredients
1 1/4 Cup 1 1/4 All Purpose Flour
2 Tbsp 2 Cane sugar, organic
1 Tbsp 1 Baking powder
1/2 tsp 1/2 Salt
Directions
- Add the spinach and cashew milk to a blender and mix on high until green and smooth.
- Pour the spinach cashew milk to a separate mixing bowl.
- Add the apple cider vinegar and melted coconut oil to the spinach cashew milk and mix.
- Next, add the dry ingredients to a bowl and mix.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until smooth.
- Allow the batter to rest for 3-5 minutes.
- Warm a large sauce pan on medium low heat.
TIP: Cook your pancakes on low heat to avoid extra browning. The extra browning will take away from the gorgeous green color of these breakfast cakes! - Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop up the green pancake batter and pour it in the pan.
- When the batter starts to bubble flip the pancake and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe works great with chocolate chips added into the batter!
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Nutrition Facts
5 servings per container
Serving Size1 servings
- Amount Per ServingCalories187
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 6.3g 10%
- Saturated Fat 4.8g 24%
- Sodium 392mg 17%
- Potassium 477mg 14%
- Total Carbohydrate 29.7g 10%
- Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
- Sugars 3.8g
- Protein 3.4g 7%
- Calcium 18%
- Iron 11%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
