Healthy meets pancakes in these delicious carrot cake pancakes! Packed full of nutrition but with the flavor of carrot cake, your whole family will love this healthy breakfast option.
Easy kid-friendly pancakes with an extra veggie punch. These carrot cake pancakes have been thoroughly tested. Read on for more!
Over the years I’ve shared many versions of carrot cake recipes from carrot cake waffles to carrot cake bars and my favorite carrot cake muffins. My husband LOVES carrot cake and not at all surprisingly my kids do too.
I feel great about making these carrot cake pancakes for them because they’re an awesome source of veggies but also because they actually enjoy eating them. There’s nothing worse as a parent than to spend the time making a recipe and have your kids refuse to eat it.
We always have a batch of these carrot cake pancakes in the freezer for busy mornings and I actually think they’re the reason my very picky toddler will eat carrots. She thinks they taste like cake! I’ll take it.
Why Make This Recipe?
Kid Friendly. Like I mentioned above my kids LOVE these pancakes. I usually make some regular-sized ones for my toddler and mini ones for my baby. Instructions for BLW feeding below.
Great for Meal Prep. These carrot cake pancakes freeze super well so they’re a great thing to meal prep one day to have a healthy prepared breakfast.
Sneaky Extra Veggies. I am always trying to sneak extra veggies into my kiddos. If it means grating up some carrot to hide into their pancakes then sign me up!
Ingredients in Carrot Cake Pancakes
- Eggs – helps bind the pancakes together… and adds a little bit of protein!
- Full Fat yogurt – make sure you grab plain yogurt. I personally prefer the full-fat but any percentage will work. You could also use plant-based yogurt, if desired.
- Milk – any type of milk works for this recipe! Since we’re already using yogurt I tend to use whole milk but if you’re dairy-free you can use almond milk and plant-based yogurt instead.
- Vanilla extract – just a touch to bring the recipe together!
- All-purpose flour – gluten-free flour also works!
- Maple syrup – Just adding a hint of sweetness! Feel free to serve more on the side or drizzle on top, if desired.
- Spices – cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger and salt
- Baking powder – to make sure you don’t have flat pancakes… everyone wants fluffy pancakes!
- Carrot – grate about 1 large carrot.
- Chopped walnuts or pecans – a staple ingredient in carrot cake, in my opinion! Make sure you chop them finely if serving to a baby.
- Raisins – for added texture and sweetness.
- Shredded coconut – another classic carrot cake ingredient! Love the flavor and texture shredded coconut adds. I prefer using unsweetened coconut.
- Coconut oil or butter – for cooking your pancakes.
How to Make Carrot Cake Pancakes
STEP 1: WHISK DRY INGREDIENTS
Whisk the eggs, yogurt, milk, vanilla and maple syrup together in a large bowl.
STEP 2: ADD REMAINING INGREDIENTS
Add in flour, spices, baking powder and salt and stir until smooth. Fold in the carrots, nuts, raisins and coconut. If batter is still very thick add a few splashes of milk.
STEP 3: COOK BATTER
Add 1/2 tbsp of coconut oil or butter until melted in skillet over low-medium heat. Using a 1/4 cup scoop batter onto skillet making sure not to overcrowd. Cook on low-medium for 3-5 minutes or until all bubbles have popped and then flip pancakes and cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side. Remove from skillet and keep warm in the oven while cooking remaining pancakes. Be sure to add in 1/2 tbsp of butter or oil each time you add new batter. Top with maple syrup, if desired.
Easy Swaps & Substitutions
Make them dairy-free – use plant-based yogurt and dairy-free milk in place of regular yogurt and milk. I’ve made these with cocojune plant-based yogurt and omg so good!
Make them gluten-free – sub in a cup of a gluten-free flour blend of choice in place of regular all-purpose flour.
Use whole wheat flour – for more whole grains you can sub in whole wheat flour for some or all of the all-purpose flour.
Skip the nuts – if you or your children are allergic to nuts feel free to skip them.
Prep Your Carrot Cake Pancakes for BLW!
If you do baby led weaning with your baby here are my recommendations:
6-9 months: make your pancakes about 2 inches in diameter for easy grabbing and eating. Also be sure to chop your nuts up finely so they aren’t a choking hazard.
9 months+: cut pancakes into bite-sized pieces once your baby has mastered their pincer grasp. Same as above regarding chopping your nuts finely.
Storage Instructions
In the fridge – store your pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can reheat them in the toaster oven or microwave.
In the freezer – these pancakes freeze beautifully! Just place your pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour. Remove from freezer and place carrot cake pancakes into a ziplock bag. Freeze for 3 months. Remove several hours before to thaw or thaw in microwave for 60-90 seconds.
More Healthy Pancake Recipes
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Carrot Cake Pancakes
Healthy meets pancakes in these delicious carrot cake pancakes! Packed full of nutrition but with the flavor of carrot cake, your whole family will love this healthy breakfast option.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8–9 pancakes 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Cook
- Diet: Vegetarian
- 2Â large eggs
- 1/3 cup plain, full fat yogurt
- 1/2 cup milk of choice (dairy or non-dairy)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup grated carrot (about 1 large carrot)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 2 tbsp shredded coconut
- Coconut oil or butter for cooking
- Whisk the eggs, yogurt, milk, vanilla and maple syrup together in a large bowl.
- Add in flour, spices, baking powder and salt and stir until smooth.
- Fold in the carrots, nuts, raisins and coconut.
- If batter is still very thick add a few splashes of milk.
- Add 1/2 tbsp of coconut oil or butter until melted in skillet over low-medium heat.
- Using a 1/4 cup scoop batter onto skillet making sure not to overcrowd.
- Cook on low-medium for 3-5 minutes or until all bubbles have popped and then flip pancakes and cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side.
- Remove from skillet and keep warm in the oven while cooking remaining pancakes. Be sure to add in 1/2 tbsp of butter or oil each time you add new batter.
- Top with maple syrup, if desired.
- Store in refrigerator for up to 5 days or see instructions above for freezing
