These Shamrock Pancakes are so festive for St. Patrick's Day that a Leprechaun just might actually show up for breakfast!
Greyson's favorite part of this recipe is the sprinkles. He would eat them by the handful if he was left alone with them! Uncka loves to celebrate a holiday and was so excited to make some green pancakes for G.
These shamrock pancakes are sure to bring the Luck of the Irish to your St. Paddy's breakfast table. They are full of cheer, their shamrock green, and topped with a rainbow. Does it get any better?
If you love celebrating holidays with pancakes as much as we do, check out our other Holiday Pancake recipes. Also, be sure to always serve them with WARM maple syrup, the real kind!
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Ingredients
Greysons mom asks that I keep fake dyes and overly processed foods at bay, so I used spirulina powder to color these pancakes. While you can use green food dye if you prefer, the spirulina keeps things all-natural and adds some rich antioxidant and nutrient qualities to your pancakes.
What you need:
- Unsalted Butter
- Whole Milk
- Vanilla Extract
- All-Purpose Flour
- Green Spirulina Powder
- Granulated Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Kosher Salt, Morton’s
- Eggs
- Whipped Irish Butter, optional
- Maple Syrup
See the recipe card for full quantities.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of the post, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe card with ingredient measurements and instructions.
Method
For this recipe, first melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat on the stove. Add the milk to the pan and just continue warming until no lumps of butter remain. You do not want the milk to simmer or boil, just be sure not butter solids remain with you add the cold milk to the pan.
Stir the warm milk and butter mixture, into the dry ingredients until just till a few streaks of flour remain. Finish by adding the eggs and extract to the bowl.
Lastly, fold in spirulina powder to turn it green, and let the batter rest for 10 minutes before cooking.
To cook the pancakes, heat a griddle over medium heat on the stove, and be patient. Heat it for at least 5 minutes to get fully warm.
Then drop 2-ounce ladles of batter on the hot griddle and cook till it gets very bubbly and the bubbles begin to pop. Flip and cook 30-45 seconds longer till fully cooked.
Uncka's Chef Tip
Stack the cooked pancakes up to ensure they finish cooking, the same way you'd stack tortillas and put them in a warmer or cloth to finish. Pancakes finish cooking all the way through in the same way as well as keeping the first cakes warm as you cook the rest. This ensures not wet or soggy middles.
To serve, top the pancakes with some fresh whipped cream, creating some "clouds" on two sides, then add a rainbow candy belt between them, using them to prop up the candy belt.
Finish with some green sprinkles if you like and serve with a hearty drizzle of REAL maple syrup if desired!
Substitutions
Let's chat about how to make these pancakes gluten, or dairy-free if you or someone you love needs to follow those dietary guidelines for their health.
- Flour - If you need to make these pancakes gluten-free, use a quality cup-for-cup flour swap. The one I linked here is really high quality and has great results.
- Milk - If you are dairy-free, you can use almond milk, but my suggestion is cashew for its higher fat content. Pancakes may stick a bit when using almond milk, and you may need to grease the griddle or pan more often during the cooking of your pancakes.
- Butter - You can use a vegan butter substitute or plant-based butter. A bit of a more economical swap is vegetable or canola oil.
- Spirulina Powder - This is an optional ingredient that I use to keep things on the more natural side. Now I understand I used sprinkles and a candy belt, but we do our best to offer balance. You can use green food coloring if needed.
- Rainbow Candy Belts - These come in many forms, I used what I found at my local supermarket in the candy aisle.
Equipment
My number one favorite tool for perfect pancakes is a Cast-Iron griddle. They build up a strong, natural, non-stick coating over time and make for BEAUTIFUL pancakes.
Be sure to season a new griddle, every time you use and wash it (with soap) with this cast-iron oil to build THE BEST non-stick surface.
I like a really sturdy, metal spatula for flipping pancakes. It helps them not stick to it, and makes for a perfect flip, no floppy half-turned pancakes, it's got to be THIS spatula for me!
The use of a 2-ounce ladle makes THE perfect-sized pancakes, in my opinion. They are just the right size and easy to flip.
Storage
Pancakes won't spoil if left on the counter overnight, they are just like a cake, biscuit, or cookie in this way. I however prefer to place them in a zip-top bag or air-tight container in the fridge.
Reheat leftover shamrock pancakes in a toaster, or toaster oven for best results. They can also be reheated in the microwave 30 seconds at a time till heated through.
Top Tips
When making the pancake batter, ensuring it rests for 10 minutes is a HUGE gateway to SUPER FLUFFY pancakes. This allows the leavening agent to fully develop and lets the gluten strands in the flour relax.
Exercise patience and let the griddle get really warm before you start cooking. A griddle that is too cool will cause the pancakes to stick to it. I use a really Well-Seasoned cast iron griddle that requires no buttering due to the amount in the actual pancakes.
If needed, use a small amount of high-heat oil like vegetable or grapeseed to grease your griddle if needed. You should only need to do this once before you start cooking. Use a paper towel to spread an even and thin layer over your griddle.
I prefer to cook on medium, to just under medium heat so my pancakes can cook quickly. I also prefer only to cook 2 pancakes at a time so I have plenty of room to flip.
Be sure to stack your pancakes after cooking. This allows them to stay soft as well as allowing the middles to finish cooking while also staying a little JAMMY SOFT. That's what I call it anyway. It helps create super tender pancakes.
FAQ
Just like they do at IHOP we like to use baking soda and baking powder for extra lift in our recipes. It makes pancakes so fluffy they just might float away.
With heart and love. Take a deep breath and infuse all of your love and care into the time you are taking to show your love to those you are making them for!
This can be done through the use of green food coloring, but my favorite way to do it, all naturally, is by using spirulina powder.
More great Holiday Pancake recipes
If you LOVE pancakes like me Greyson, try these versions too:
More recipes for St. Patrick's Day Lovers
If you love a great, classically American St. Patrick's Day dinner, make Uncka's Corned Beef and Cabbage. It is quickly made in an instant pot and finished in the oven with a glaze. It is so tasty!
Uncka's other favorite, easy, and festive recipe is for his Irish Shortbread Cookies. They take NO time to make and are so good!
Shamrock Pancakes
These Shamrock Pancakes are so festive for St. Patrick's Day that a Leprechaun just might actually show up for breakfast!
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted
- 2 cups Whole Milk
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 tablespoons Green Spirulina Powder
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
- 2 teaspoons Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt, Morton’s
- 2 lg Eggs, lightly beaten
- Whipped Irish Butter, for serving
- Maple Syrup, for serving
Instructions
- In a 2-quart saucepan on the stove, melt the butter over low heat. Add the milk to the pan and heat just till warm and any butter that solidified is liquid again. Do not boil. Let cool for 5 minutes, then stir the vanilla and almond extract into the milk mixture.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, spirulina powder, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt.
- Slowly whisk the warm milk mixture into the flour mixture, just till a lumpy mixture forms.
- Crack the eggs into the bowl and whisk just till incorporated.
- Let the pancake batter rest on the counter for 10 minutes.
- After the batter has rested for 5 minutes, warm the griddle on the stove, over medium-heat I suggest a cast iron griddle. It is important to let it get hot till it begins to smoke the tiniest bit, then you know it is ready to be cooked on.
- Turn the heat down two marks on the stove dial, just between medium, and medium-low.
- Using a 2-ounce ladle, drop 2 rounds of batter on the griddle at a time. Cook for 30-45 seconds, just till the edges begin to set.
- Flip and cook a further 45-60 seconds, then remove to a platter.
- Pancakes can be kept warm in a 200˚F oven if needed.
- To make whipped Irish butter, beat 4 tablespoons in the bowl of a stand mixer. I like to use my flex edge flat beater it gets the butter extra fluffy, and beat for 3-4 minutes on medium-high, with a pinch of kosher salt.
- Serve the pancakes with a dollop of butter on top and warm maple syrup, the real kind!
Notes
Substitutions
Let's chat about how to make these pancakes gluten, or dairy-free if you or someone you love needs to follow those dietary guidelines for their health.
- Flour - If you need to make these pancakes gluten-free, use a quality cup-for-cup flour swap. The one I linked here is really high quality and has great results.
- Milk - If you are dairy-free, you can use almond milk, but my suggestion is cashew for its higher fat content. Pancakes may stick a bit when using almond milk, and you may need to grease the griddle or pan more often during the cooking of your pancakes.
- Butter - You can use a vegan butter substitute or plant-based butter. A bit of a more economical swap is vegetable or canola oil.
- Spirulina Powder - This is an optional ingredient that I use to keep things on the more natural side. Now I understand I used sprinkles and a candy belt, but we do our best to offer balance. You can use green food coloring if needed.
- Rainbow Candy Belts - These come in many forms, I used what I found at my local supermarket in the candy aisle.
Top Tips
When making the pancake batter, ensuring it rests for 10 minutes is a HUGE gateway to SUPER FLUFFY pancakes. This allows the leavening agent to fully develop and lets the gluten strands in the flour relax.
Exercise patience and let the griddle get really warm before you start cooking. A griddle that is too cool will cause the pancakes to stick to it. I use a really Well Seasoned cast iron griddle that requires no buttering due to the amount in the actual pancakes.
If needed, use a small amount of high-heat oil like vegetable or grapeseed to grease your griddle if needed. You should only need to do this once before you start cooking. Use a paper towel to spread an even and thin layer over your griddle.
I prefer to cook on medium, to just under medium heat so my pancakes can cook quickly. I also prefer only to cook 2 pancakes at a time so I have plenty of room to flip.
Be sure to stack your pancakes after cooking. This allows them to stay soft as well as allowing the middles to finish cooking while also staying a little JAMMY SOFT. That's what I call it anyway. It helps create super tender pancakes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 479Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 87mgSodium: 736mgCarbohydrates: 74gFiber: 1gSugar: 41gProtein: 9g
Food Safety
There aren't many concerns when it comes to pancakes, but here are a few tips to help ensure the best experience with your pancakes.
- Ensure your pancakes are fully cooked, as eating raw pancake batter is not advised because it contains raw eggs.
- The USDA advises to not leave cooked foods at room temperature for longer than 2 hours, 1 hour if the environment is above 90˚F.
- That said, pancakes contain the same ingredients as cakes, biscuits, and cookies so they can be stored at room temperature.
- I personally advise keeping them in an air-tight container or zip-top bag and warming them in a toaster or microwave before eating leftovers.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.
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