Breast milk pancake recipe | Whole wheat and banana
Yes. I went there. Why not? I have a freezer drawer full of breast milk and a baby who won’t take a bottle anymore. I wasn’t about to let all of those hours spent attached to a breast pump go to waste! When I saw recipes for breast milk pancakes floating around, I decided to improve on the idea, with 100% organic whole wheat and banana.
Breast milk pancake recipe | Whole wheat and banana
They turned out light and fluffy, with just the right natural sweetness from the banana. You really wouldn’t know they were made with breast milk (yes, I tried them). I made these small to I could give my son a whole one to eat (and play with). He loved having his own pancake to eat, and I felt good he was eating something packed with good ingredients for breakfast.
This recipe makes about 15 3-4” or 30 1-2″ pancakes. They freeze well and stay moist because of the banana. I like to heat one up a tiny bit in the toaster oven if they are cold.
Breast milk pancake recipe | Whole wheat and banana
Ingredients
- Use organic ingredients if possible.
- 1 ripe banana, mashed (about 1/3 cup-see substitutions below)
- 1 cup breast milk (or whole milk)
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons melted coconut oil (or butter)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- Butter for greasing the griddle
- Cinnamon, vanilla extract, nutmeg, oats, chia seeds, almond butter, raisins
- Mashed sweet potato, apple sauce, pureed mango (use 1/3 cup instead of the banana)
Method
In a mixing bowl, combine mashed banana, milk, egg and coconut oil. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until barely mixed. You should still see some small lumps.
Using a griddle heated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit or a frying pan on medium-low heat, grease the surface with a small amount of butter. Add the batter, approximately 1-2 tablespoons for each pancake. Cook for a few minutes, until you see small bubbles forming on the surface. Flip each pancake and cook for a few minutes more. Keep an eye on them and remove from the pan as soon as they are golden brown.
http://loveandduckfat.com/breast-milk-pancake-recipe-whole-wheat-banana/
Great innovative idea for that extra breast milk , I love it !
Thanks Mimi! It’s a little out there, but why not? You could substitute any recipe that uses milk. 🙂
Just tried this recipe and it was an epic fail. What a waste of breast milk.
Sorry to hear that Jayme. What went wrong? This is a pretty basic recipe for whole wheat & banana pancakes. Make sure you are using FRESH baking powder because that can prevent pancakes from rising.
I made these this morning for Valentines Day breakfast for my son. I made them into heart shapes using a metal cookie cutter. They were a huge hit! 🙂
Just made these for my 8 month old and they were great! I substituted formula for breast milk. I broke them up into small pieces because he is still learning to self feed and I drizzled with mango purée! Then I made a batch for my husband and I using regular milk and now I have pancakes in the freezer for whenever I’m in the mood! I also made a fruit syrup for the adults as well with some strawberries and blackberries that were getting ready for the garbage. I just puréed them and cooked it down in a sauce pan with a little water, stevia, and honey! Yum!!!
That sounds delicious, Rachel! I loved that you made enough for everyone 🙂
Just wondering at what age you offered this? My son is 8 months old and we’ve done a bit of BLW with him in addition to purees – he’s had pieces of mango, watermelon, cheese, bread and baby rice crackers. So I think these would work for him?
The Mistress of Spices recently posted…Highlights of 2013…and tips for healthy pregnancy eating!
8 months is when I gave these to my son (probably earlier). They have the same ingredients as everything you mentioned, so I don’t see a problem there. The texture is light too, great for little ones.
Made them for brunch this morning and he loved them. Thanks so much for the great recipe!
Oh and by the way, how long do you reckon these would be OK in the freezer?
Made these today for my 8 month old daughter. Since I’ve struggled with low milk supply and dont have an abundant store of breast milk, I substituted breast milk with 1/4 cup whole milk plain yogurt mixed with 3/4 cup water and added 1/4 tsp cinnamon. Froze the left overs with squares of wax paper in between each pancake. Thanks for the great recipe!
Ooo but I’d like to mention you never specifically say what to do with the coconut oil- I mixed it in with the milk/egg/banana combo… Was that the intention?
Thank you Jenna! I updated the recipe.
Made these for my daughter today and she loved them! Great way to use up frozen breast milk as she self-weaned a couple months ago. I just added the butter (didn’t have coconut oil on hand) in with the wet ingredients. There isn’t anything in the instructions about what to do with it, but they came out great, so I assume that was correct! Thanks!
I just wanted to let you know I make these pancakes every Sunday evening and freeze for my son to have at daycare all week. He loves them! I ran out of bananas and used peaches last week and they were excellent also. Thank you for sharing!q
These sound great, the only issue I have is that my son is allergic to bananas, is there something else I could use a substitute ?
Hi Jennifer! You can substitute any fruit for the banana. Just use 1/3 cup of applesauce or your little one’s favorite baby food puree. Some good ones are apricot, pears and even prunes!
If using thawed breast milk, you shouldn’t freeze the pancakes since thawing and re freezing breast milk isn’t tecommended.
I’ve discussed this topic with multiple board certified lactation consultants, and since you are thoroughly cooking the breastmilk in the pancakes, it is ok to refreeze. The issue with thawing and refreezing is that it can allow bacteria to grow. Cooking kills the bacteria, so it’s all good! 🙂
Hi, what would be a good substitute for egg in this recipe? Thanks
Janice,
This recipe will work without the egg, since it has banana and that acts as a binder. Just add 1-2 tbsp of any liquid to make up for the missing egg.
You could also try 1/4 cup of tofu or ground flax.
To replace one egg, 1 tbsp whole flax seeds (or use 2 1/2 tbsp pre-ground flaxseed) and combine with 3 tablespoons of water. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Hi! Do you reckon I could use yoghurt to substitute the egg? Thanks!
Absolutely! Substitute 3 tablespoons of yogurt for 1 egg.
Thanks for your reply! I’m going to make this for the little one’s breakfast tomorrow 🙂
How would you store them in the freezer? Just in airtight bags? Thanks so much!
This is the most awesome thing ever.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have a freezer full of breast milk that I didn’t know what to do with. I had to pump in the beginning because I had trouble breastfeeding, but at 8 months old my LO had barely used the pumped milk (every now and then he would get a bottle or simply cup, but we mainly breastfeed and give purees at this point). Just made this recipie and made 50, 1-2in pancakes!!! Gonna freeze most of them, but what a great way to use up some of my painstakingly pumped liquid gold!
May I know what are the “additions” for in the recipe ? Also, is this suitable for my 12month old twins to consume even though they each only have a tooth out so far.
This was / is beyond awesome. My 8 mo loved it and kept eating and eating. The recipe is super simple and I have more than enough cooked pancakes to freeze. Just awesome.
Can I freeze the mix before cooking ? I normally freeze pureed vegetables and fruits in ice cube trays , I was thinking of doing the same and cooking it fresh daily ? You think that works ?