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These spinach banana waffles are delicious, nutritious, and adorably green! They’re a great way to get your kids to eat more greens while offering a fun and exciting eating experience. Serve them with fresh fruits, a little Greek yogurt, or some nut butter for a filling, healthy meal! Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or just because!
Healthy BLW Waffles for Babies & Toddlers
Aren’t these banana spinach waffles so much fun? I hear from so many parents how hard it is to get their kids to eat greens, and I get it! Spinach isn’t always the easiest ingredient to add to your kids’ meals, especially if they’re picky eaters.
Fortunately, this power-packed veggie can be blended up into smoothies, Green Monster Muffins, and waffles to give your little ones the health benefits of spinach without the texture or flavor!
The sweetness of banana reigns supreme here, giving these green waffles a tender texture and sweet flavor the whole family will love!
Spinach Banana Waffles
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Why We Love This Green Waffle Recipe
- Healthy breakfast: Unlike other green waffles that just use food coloring to give them their color, these wholesome waffles use real fresh baby spinach. They’re also flourless since they’re made with a base of oats, which are full of fiber to support your kid’s and baby’s digestive system. Instead of sugar, you’ll use overripe bananas, just like banana bread. They’re so nutritious and tasty, you can serve them up every day!
- Kid-friendly: I’ve yet to meet any kids who don’t like waffles or pancakes, these bright green waffles included. This is a great way to sneak in some extra nutrients while still enjoying a delicious breakfast with all the fixings. Add a drizzle of maple syrup, fresh fruit, nut butter, or any other toppings!
- Easy to meal prep: Make a double batch and freeze the leftovers for a healthy breakfast option some other time! Be sure to check out the freezing instructions below to try it yourself.
Ingredient Notes
Dry Ingredients
- Rolled oats: Use regular rolled oats, although quick oats can work too.
- Baking powder: This is crucial as it helps the waffles rise in the waffle iron.
- Cinnamon: For a little extra flavor.
- Salt: If you’re serving these to babies, you can eliminate the salt.
Wet Ingredients
- Eggs: Eggs will bind the waffle batter together and add extra protein.
- Bananas: Mash overripe bananas into a puree.
- Loosely packed spinach: Stick with fresh spinach for the most neutral flavor.
- Milk: Choose any type of milk or milk alternative you like.
- Coconut oil: Melt the coconut oil and let it cool slightly before adding it to the blender.
- Vanilla extract: For extra flavor.
Spinach Banana Waffles – Step-by-Step Instructions
- In a high power blender, combine oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt (if using). Pulse until the oats are broken down into a flour-like consistency. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
- In the empty blender, combine eggs, banana, spinach, milk, oil and vanilla. Blend until very smooth and spinach is completely pureed.
- Pour oat mixture back into the blender and blend to combine. You may need to scrape down the sides of the blender periodically to ensure all of the ingredients are incorporated.
- Preheat your waffle iron. Once hot, spray it with cooking spray and pour 1/3 cup of batter onto the hot iron.
- Cook on low until golden and crispy. I cooked mine on setting 1 for about 2 minutes, but time may vary depending on your waffle maker and how crispy you like your waffles.
- Remove the cooked waffle from the iron. To keep it warm while you cook, place cooked waffles on baking sheet in a 200℉ oven.
- Enjoy warm or let cool and store in fridge or freezer until ready to serve.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
RECIPE TIPS
- If your waffle mixture becomes too thick, you can add an extra splash of milk to thin it out a bit.
- You can sub in unsweetened applesauce for the mashed banana as well.
- To maintain a nice green color, cook your waffles low and slow! If you cook them on too high heat, they’ll turn more brown rather than green.
- For an even more vibrant green color, add more spinach! You may need to increase the amount of liquid slightly if you choose to do so.
- These waffles are naturally sweetened with banana and are only mildly sweet. If you prefer a bit of extra sweetness, you can reduce the milk to 2-3 tablespoons and add in 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup to the batter.
Recipe FAQs
Surprisingly, not really! You might be able to detect a very minor spinach flavor, but most kids can’t taste it at all, especially with a little syrup or fresh fruit on top. If you add more spinach for a darker color, the flavor will become more pronounced.
Yes! Mashed applesauce and mashed banana are typically interchangeable in recipes, which can be really helpful if your kids don’t like bananas or you run out of them!
It can be helpful to let the batter sit for a short period of time before you make the waffles, but I wouldn’t really recommend making the batter more than an hour or two before you make the waffles since it will thicken up as it continues to sit.
Storage Guidelines
- To store: Let the waffles cool to room temperature, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- To reheat: To reheat, place the waffles in a toaster oven or the oven for a few minutes to crisp them up.
- To freeze: If you make enough to freeze the leftovers, freeze the waffles in a single layer on a sheet pan for 1-2 hours. Then, layer the frozen waffles with sheets of parchment to separate them and store them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Serving Suggestions
These tasty banana spinach waffles deserve all your favorite waffle toppings!
Try them with:
- A little maple syrup
- Peanut butter (or another nut butter) and banana slices (our favorite!)
- Greek yogurt and pumpkin flaxseed granola
- Mini chocolate chips
- Homemade whipped cream (plain or sweetened with maple syrup)
- Homemade berry chia jam
- Rainbow fruit cups
Are your kids hesitant to try green waffles? Give them a fun name! My kids call them green monster waffles and like to pretend that they turn into monsters when they take a bite!
Recipe Variations
- Spinach banana pancakes: Any waffle recipe can easily be turned into pancakes just by heating them over a hot griddle. Kids love mini pancakes!
- Add some sweetness: If your kids prefer a little extra sweetness, you can easily replace some of the milk with 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup.
- Adjust the size: If you have a mini waffle maker, make mini bite-sized waffles to freeze for later!
More Kid-Friendly Breakfasts
- Oatmeal Pumpkin Waffles
- 3 Ingredient Protein Waffles
- 3 Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Waffles
- Baby Blueberry Pancakes
- Oatmeal Pancakes for Baby
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Easy Spinach Banana Waffles {Perfect for BLW}
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups uncooked rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
Wet Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup mashed banana (about 1 1/2 large overripe bananas)
- 1 1/4 cups loosely packed spinach
- 1/4 cup milk or milk alternative
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a high power blender, combine oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt (if using). Pulse until the oats are broken down into a flour-like consistency. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
- In the empty blender, combine eggs, banana, spinach, milk, oil and vanilla. Blend until very smooth and spinach is completely pureed.
- Pour oat mixture back into the blender and blend to combine. You may need to scrape down the sides of the blender periodically to ensure all of the ingredients are incorporated.
- Preheat your waffle iron. Once hot, spray it with cooking spray and pour 1/3 cup of batter onto the hot iron.
- Cook on low until golden and crispy. I cooked mine on setting 1 for about 2 minutes, but time may vary depending on your waffle maker and how crispy you like your waffles.
- Remove the cooked waffle from the iron. To keep it warm while you cook, place cooked waffles on baking sheet in a 200℉ oven.
- Enjoy warm or let cool and store in fridge or freezer until ready to serve.
Notes
- If your waffle mixture becomes too thick, you can add an extra splash of milk to thin it out a bit.
- To maintain a nice green color, cook your waffles low and slow! If you cook them on too high heat, they’ll turn more brown rather than green.
- For an even more vibrant green color, add more spinach! You may need to increase the amount of liquid slightly if you choose to do so.
- These waffles are naturally sweetened with banana and are only mildly sweet. If you prefer a bit of extra sweetness, you can reduce the milk to 2-3 tablespoons and add in 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup to the batter.
