As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
These adorable Santa Pancakes with Strawberries and Bananas are the cutest option for Christmas breakfast! Loaded with fiber and naturally sweetened, they’re a perfect healthy start to a special day.
Easy Santa Pancakes with Strawberries and Bananas
I love playing with food and my kids do, too! Anytime you can make healthier food options fun, colorful, and interactive, you’re more likely to get your little ones to try something new!
This is especially important during the holiday season when everyone is reaching for the sweets!
Start your Christmas morning with these festive Santa pancakes to fill those tummies with something nutritious and satisfying first thing in the morning.
These easy Christmas pancakes are also seriously so simple – no fancy piping skills necessary!
santa pancakes
Like it? Save this recipe for later!
Why We Love These Santa Claus Pancakes
- Easy to make: There are lots of fun pancake Santas on the internet, but a lot of them require you to have artistic piping skills. These Santa face pancakes use a regular round pancake, so they’re quite simple to make. The creativity comes with arranging the fruit, but that’s simple too!
- Good for you: Made with whole wheat flour, eggs, and high-protein Greek yogurt, these fun Santa pancakes have some protein and fiber to tide your kids over. There’s also a lot of fresh fruit in each serving with strawberry slices for Santa’s red hat, bananas for the beard, and blueberries for his eyes. They’re a great, healthy option for your holiday breakfast!
- Fun and festive: There’s no doubt that this is a fun Christmas morning breakfast idea! Just imagine your kid’s surprise to see this Christmas themed Santa pancake breakfast on their plate. They’ll be so excited to take a bite!
Ingredient Notes
For the pancakes:
- White whole wheat flour: Add extra fiber with whole wheat or use regular all purpose flour if that’s what you have.
- Baking powder: This will raise the batter for light, fluffy pancakes.
- Salt: This will draw out all the flavors and make these Santa hat pancakes extra delicious.
- Eggs: Eggs will bind the batter together and give it a nice rise.
- Plain Greek yogurt: Yogurt adds moisture and flavor to the pancake batter and serves as an edible glue for Santa’s eyes.
- Milk: Thin out the batter with milk or your favorite milk alternative.
- Oil: Oil adds a really tender texture to your favorite pancake recipe! You can use vegetable oil, canola oil or melted coconut oil.
- Maple syrup: This is optional if you’d like to add a little sweetness to this fun Christmas breakfast.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla adds a wonderful aroma that makes the pancakes even more tempting.
For Santa decorations:
- Fresh strawberries, stems removed for Santa’s hat
- Banana slices for the beard and hat
- Blueberries for the eyes
- Raspberries for the nose
- Mini chocolate chips for the smile
How to Make Santa Pancakes – Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the Pancakes
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, Greek yogurt, milk oil, maple syrup, and vanilla.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir. Don’t over mix, there should still be a few lumps.
- Preheat a pan or griddle to 325 degrees F (medium heat).
- Spray pan or griddle with cooking spray and pour 1/3 cup of batter onto the griddle so that it forms a large circle. Allow to cook for about 3-5 minutes or until edges start to look dry and bubbles form on the surface. Use a thin spatula to flip the pancake over and allow to cook for another 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a platter and continue with remaining batter.
Step 2: Make into Pancake Santas
- Place a pancake on a large plate. Slice the strawberries in half lengthwise and arrange at the top of the pancakes so that it resembles a Santa hat. You may need to cut some in quarters to fill in the gaps. Place the tip of a banana slice at the top of the hat for the pom pom. Line the bottom of the hat with banana slices so that it looks like the bottom of Santa’s hat.
- Next, arrange some more banana slices down the sides and bottom of the pancake to look like Santa’s beard.
- Dip a teaspoon into some plain or vanilla Greek yogurt and carefully place two dots next to each other (about a teaspoon each) underneath the hat for Santa’s eyes. Stick two blueberries into the center of each dot of yogurt.
- Next, place a raspberry underneath the eyes for Santa’s nose. If you want to give Santa a smile, arrange several mini chocolate chips in the shape of a smile underneath the raspberry nose on top of the beard. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
RECIPE TIPS
- Switch up the decorations: You can also use some whipped cream for the top of Santa’s hat and for his mustache for an extra touch. You could also give him a whipped cream beard instead!
- Slather with nut butter: Sometimes I’ll slather the cooked pancake with natural peanut butter and then add the fruit toppings. It helps the fruit better adhere to the pancakes, while adding in some extra healthy fats as well!
- Serve fresh: This recipe is best served fresh since the bananas tend to go brown and sticky after sitting for a while and the fruit tends to lose its freshness.
- Get creative: Instead of just making Santa pancakes, fill a squeeze bottle with pancake batter and make snowman shape pancakes, reindeer pancakes, and more! Just squeeze directly onto a hot griddle and decorate with fresh fruit to complete the look. Wouldn’t a little strawberry nose be perfect for Rudolph pancakes?
Recipe FAQs
Can I make these Santa pancakes ahead of time?
If you want to get a head start, you can prepare the pancakes ahead of time and store them in the fridge until ready to serve. However, I recommend decorating them with the Santa face right before you’re ready to serve for the best taste and overall presentation.
Are Santa pancakes healthy?
Yes! If you’re looking for a fun Christmas breakfast idea that will really set your kids up for success, this is a great option for the whole family. They’re filling thanks to the whole wheat pancakes and fruit, and the fruit acts as a natural sweetener as well. This is a great option for a healthy holiday breakfast. Your kids will want them every year!
Can you refrigerate leftover Santa pancakes?
Although these pancakes can be stored for later like ordinary pancakes, the bananas will brown, and the strawberry Santa hat will start to soften up. I’d store the leftover pancakes separate from the fruit and add the fruit fresh when ready to serve.
Storage Guidelines
- Refrigerator: Store leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Store the fruit separately and assemble the Santa faces fresh right before serving.
- Freezer: The undecorated pancakes can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
This healthy Santa pancake recipe is a great recipe to serve on its own or pair it with these sides!
- Scrambled eggs
- Veggie frittata
- Mini Egg Bites
- Strawberry Banana Smoothie Without Yogurt
- A side of breakfast sausage or bacon
- A cup of creamy hot cocoa
- Extra yogurt
- A cup of milk
Recipe Variations
- Experiment with different decorations: Feel free to use candy eyes and use a bit of whipped cream to take these jolly Santa pancakes to the next level.
- Adjust the size: These Santa faces are pretty large! You can make smaller pancakes for serving, if needed.
- Make different holiday characters: You could easily turn these into snowman pancakes by baking the batter in a snowman shape. Use the fruit to add a hat and scarf, and add buttons with the chocolate chips!
- Add cocoa powder: Adjust Santa’s skin tone by stirring in a little cinnamon or cocoa powder. Be sure to stir well!
More Holiday Recipes
- Chocolate Covered Strawberry Penguins
- Watermelon Christmas Trees
- Christmas Fruit Wreath
- Apple Christmas Tree
- Christmas Lunch Box Ideas
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!
Christmas Santa Pancakes with Strawberries
Servings: large pancakes
These adorable Santa Pancakes with Strawberries and Bananas are the cutest option for Christmas breakfast! Loaded with fiber and naturally sweetened, they're a perfect healthy start to a special day.
Ingredients
For the pancakes:
- 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour, whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, plus a bit extra for eyes
- 3/4 cup milk or milk alternative
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Santa decorations:
- Fresh strawberries, stems removed
- Banana slices
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Mini chocolate chips
Instructions
To make pancakes
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, Greek yogurt, milk oil, maple syrup, and vanilla.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir. Don’t over mix, there should still be a few lumps.Preheat a pan or griddle to 325 (medium heat).
- Preheat a pan or griddle to 325 degrees F (medium heat).
- Spray pan or griddle with cooking spray and pour 1/3 cup batter onto the griddle so that it forms a large circle. Allow to cook for about 3-5 minutes or until edges start to look dry and bubbles form on the surface. Use a thin spatula to flip the pancake over and allow to cook for another 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a platter and continue with remaining batter.
To make santas
- Place a pancake on a large plate. Slice the strawberries in half lengthwise and arrange at the top of the pancakes so that it resembles a santa hat. You may need to cut some in quarters to fill in the gaps. Place the tip of a banana slice at the top of the hat for the pom pom. Line the bottom of the hat with banana slices so that it looks like the bottom of santa's hat.
- Next arrange some more banana slices down the sides and bottom of the pancake to look like santa's beard.
- Dip a teaspoon into some plain or vanilla Greek yogurt and carefully place two dots next to each other (about a teaspoon each) underneath the hat for Santa's eyes. Stick two blueberries into the center of each dot of yogurt.
- Next place a raspberry underneath the eyes for santa's nose. If you want to give Santa a smile, arrange several mini chocolate chips in the shape of a smile underneath the raspberry nose on top of the beard. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Serve fresh: This recipe is best served fresh since the bananas tend to go brown and sticky after sitting for a while and the fruit tends to lose its freshness.
- Slather with nut butter: Sometimes I’ll slather the cooked pancake with natural peanut butter and then add the fruit toppings. It helps the fruit better adhere to the pancakes, while adding in some extra healthy fats as well!
- Switch up the decorations: You can also use some whipped cream for the top of Santa’s hat and for his mustache for an extra touch. You could also give him a whipped cream beard instead!
- Get creative: Instead of just making Santa pancakes, fill a squeeze bottle with pancake batter and make snowman shape pancakes, reindeer pancakes, and more! Just squeeze directly onto a hot griddle and decorate with fresh fruit to complete the look.
Nutrition
Calories: 242kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 215mg | Potassium: 332mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 152IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 150mg | Iron: 1mg
