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Home » Pancakes » Apple Pancakes for Baby-led Weaning & Toddlers

Apple Pancakes for Baby-led Weaning & Toddlers

Published: Mar 25, 2021 · Modified: Jun 4, 2021 by Dora · This post may contain affiliate links ·

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Apple Pancakes are great for baby-led weaning, as a finger food or for toddler's breakfast or snack. Easy, delicious and nutritious.

Toddler holding healthy apple pancakes

Pancakes may well be the easiest and simplest snack that I make for my son. And often my husband and I sneak a few for ourselves. So really it's a great family meal that we not only enjoy at home but also take with us on outings.

Since I make them so often (especially the banana oat pancakes) I really wanted to add variety to them so I've been experimenting lately with different ingredients and batters.

And my newest and favorite one are these Apple Pancakes. I love the fact that in just 15 minutes and with minimal ingredients I can have a healthy and delicious toddler breakfast or snack idea. Just add toppings or spreads of choice!

Jump to:
  • Nutrition And Ingredients
  • How To Make Apple Pancakes for Baby & Toddler
  • Tips And Tricks For The Perfect Pancakes
  • How To Serve To Babies and Toddlers?
  • How to Store and Reheat?
  • Possible Pancake Variations
  • Other Pancakes Recipes
  • Apple Pancakes for Baby-led Weaning & Toddlers
  • Comments

Nutrition And Ingredients

Ingredients for apple pancakes for baby-led weaning

Wholewheat Flour

  • Wholegrain spelt flour because is far more digestible than regular wheat flour, especially for babies and toddlers. But since it is not as readily available, use wholewheat flour instead
  • Wholewheat flour contains far more nutrients (such as iron, magnesium and manganese but also complex carbohydrates and fiber) than regular white flour

Egg

  • Choose either organic or free-range so you can be sure that the chickens have not been treated with any hormones, antibiotics or preservatives
  • A great source of B vitamins (especially choline), and protein

Apple

  • My choice for this recipe is sweeter apple varieties (e.g. Fuji or Gala). The recipe doesn't contain any other sweet ingredients so the sweeter your apples, the sweeter the pancakes
  • If you are making for a really small baby (6 - 8 months) I would advise to peel off the skin because their digestive systems might not be able to digest the skin. The reason for this is high fiber content in the apple skin and the fact that the baby's bowels are just getting used to solid food
  • Apples are a wonderful source of nutrients of which fiber and vitamin C are the highest
  • If you are looking for more ways to add apple to your child's diet check the our Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies recipe

Rolled Oats

  • Rolled oats are a great ingredient to use for baking because besides from using them in the original form when blended they can form a really nice oat flour that contributes well to the whole nutritional content of the meal
  • Contain a good amount of essential minerals such as potassium and magnesium and are also a great source of fiber and complex carbohydrates

Whole Milk

  • As I've been making this recipes for my 22-month old, I used whole cow’s milk due to it’s calorie and nutrition content (this recipe has also been tested with whole goat's milk)
  • It is high in protein, fat, calcium and calories so a great ingredient to use when needing to boost up the calorie and nutrition content of toddler meals
Toddler picking up an apple pancake

How To Make Apple Pancakes for Baby & Toddler

Prepare the batter. Peel the apple, cut it into smaller pieces and place in a blender. Add all the other ingredients and blend until a smooth batter is formed.

Prepare the pan. Heat a pancake pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add a bit of olive oil so that it barely greases the pan.

Making and baking the pancakes. Using a tablespoon, scoop the batter from the blender and place over the pan. Repeat until you have the full pan covered. I usually can make 4 pancakes at a time. When you see the batter firming around the edges and lifting a bit of the pan, flip them over. Bake for another minute or two, based on the strength of the heat.

Cool and serve. Transfer to a plate to cool before serving.

Tips And Tricks For The Perfect Pancakes

Choose the perfect pan. If possible, make sure you are using a non-sticky (and non-toxic) pancake pan for these pancakes. This way you will only need a minimum amount of oil to grease the pan and the pancakes will bake more quickly and evenly. And be easier to turn. 

Know your pancake size. You want to make sure to make the pancakes just as big and thin enough so that they are perfectly baked from the inside but not overbrowning on the outside. I've found with this batter that the perfect amount is taking one tablespoon and carefully arranging on a pan – evenly and as thinly as you can. You get small pancakes which are perfect for babies and toddlers to hold.

Don't overuse the oil. If you have a perfect pancake pan, you will only need a slight amount of oil to grease it. I've recently switched to using olive oil for baby and toddler pancakes because I only use small amounts and you can't really taste or smell it. But the health benefits are far better than of coconut oil. And I only need a small amount. If you add too much oil the pancakes will be too greasy and sometimes even soggy and there is a large possibility you child won't want to eat them. However, you can use coconut oil if you prefer.

Apple Pancakes for baby-led weaning, toddlers and finger food

How To Serve To Babies and Toddlers?

Babies

  • 6-9 month old – cut the pancakes in length and width of your index finger
  • 9 month+ or pincer grasp – you can cut into smaller bite size pieces, the size of your pinky fingernail
  • Pancakes can be served with a thin smear of nut butter (nut butters are a choking hazard for babies, so spread thinly) and fruit mashed or cut up age appropriately.

Toddlers

  • Serve the pancakes in the the same way as you would for adults
  • Add nut butter, fold them and make little pancake “sandwiches” so it is easier for them to grab

How to Store and Reheat?

Storage

  • Fridge – in an airtight container for up to 3 days
  • Freezer – if you think you will be defrosting them individually then place them one on top of the other and separate with parchment paper and then in an airtight container. I usually put mine in a Stasher Bag and reheat altogether. Once defrosted, use within 24 hours.

Reheating from frozen

  • Reheat in the oven at 180°C / 350°F for about 5-10 min
  • Reheat in toaster for 1 min on defrost setting
  • Reheat in microwave for about 15 sec on defrost setting (depending on the microwave)

Possible Pancake Variations

Batter consistency. If the batter is too loose add a little bit more flour (spoon by spoon). The batter should be slightly thick, able to pour but not runny. The batter consistency will depend on the size and type of apple you are using. 

Make them dairy-free. Instead of whole cow's milk, you can use always substitute with plant-based milk. I would recommend if serving to babies and toddlers to use calcium fortified plant-based milk just ensure that they are getting enough of that very important nutrient.

Use another flour. If you don't have (or want to use) wholewheat flour, you can always choose plain wheat flour or rye flour. I wouldn't recommend using fat-based flour such as coconut or almond because you'd need a carb-based one to make this batter perfect. I also wouldn't recommend substituting with rolled oats or oat flour because it simply isn't as thick and could cause your pancakes to burn easily from the outside.

Vary your apples. Although my recommendation is to use a sweeter apple variety such as Fuji or Gala you can really choose any you like. It all depends on whether you want your pancakes to be sweeter or not and what toppings or spreads (if any) you will be using to serve.

Other Pancakes Recipes

  • Spinach Pancakes
  • Easy Pink Beet Pancakes
  • Oatmeal pancakes
  • The Best Banana Oat Sheet Pan Pancakes
  • Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes For Baby
  • Whole Wheat Dairy-Free Pancakes
  • Sweet Potato Pancakes
Apple Pancakes for baby-led weaning, toddlers and finger food
Apple Pancakes for baby-led weaning & toddlers

Apple Pancakes for Baby-led Weaning & Toddlers

Apple Pancakes are great for baby-led weaning, as a finger food or for toddler's breakfast or snack. Easy, delicious and nutritious.
4.66 from 29 votes
Author: Dora
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 15 minutes mins
Servings 10 pancakes
Fridge Life? 3 days
Freezable? 3 months

Ingredients

  • 1 apple medium-sized
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoon wholewheat flour
  • 2 tablespoon rolled oats
  • 2 tablespoon whole milk
  • olive oil for cooking (or coconut oil)

Instructions
 

  • Peel the apple, cut it into smaller pieces and place in a blender (you don't have to peel it for children older than 8 months).
  • Add all the other ingredients and blend until a smooth batter is formed. If the batter is too loose add a little bit more flour (spoon by spoon). The batter should be slightly thick, able to pour but not runny.
  • Heat a pancake pan over medium heat.
  • Once the pan is hot, add a bit of olive oil so that it barely greases the pan.
  • Using a tablespoon, scoop the batter from the blender and place over the pan. Repeat until you have the full pan covered (probably around 4 pancakes).
  • When you see the batter firming around the edges and lifting a bit of the pan, flip them over (after about 2 minutes).
  • Bake for another minute or two, based on the strength of the heat.
  • Transfer to a plate to cool before serving.

Notes

Batter consistency. If the batter is too loose add a little bit more flour (spoon by spoon). The batter should be slightly thick, able to pour but not runny. The batter consistency will depend on the size and type of apple you are using. 
Choose the perfect pan. If possible, make sure you are using a non-sticky (non-toxic) pancake pan for these pancakes. This way you will only need a minimum amount of oil to grease the pan and the pancakes will bake more quickly and evenly. And be easier to turn. 
Know your pancake size. You want to make sure to make the pancakes just as big and as thin enough so that they are perfectly baked from the inside but not overbrowning on the outside. I've found with this batter that the perfect amount is taking one tablespoon and carefully arranging on a pan - evenly and as thinly as you can.
Don't overuse the oil. If you have a perfect pancake pan, you will only need a slight amount of oil to grease it. I've recently switched to using olive oil for baby and toddler pancakes because I only use small amounts and you can't really taste or smell it. But the health benefits are far better than of coconut oil. And I only need a small amount. If you add too much oil the pancakes will be too greasy and sometimes even soggy and there is a large possibility you child won't want to eat them.
Storage
  • Fridge – in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
  • Freezer – if you think you will be defrosting them individually then place them one on top of the other and separate with parchment paper and then in an airtight container. Once defrosted, use within 24 hours.
Reheating from frozen
  • Reheat in the oven at 180°C / 350°F for about 5-10 min
  • Reheat in toaster for 1 min
  • Reheat in microwave for about 15 sec (depending on the microwave)

Nutrition

Serving: 1pancakeCalories: 27kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 8mgPotassium: 39mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 39IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

More Healthy Pancake Recipes for Baby & Toddler

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    An Easy "How To Make" Pancakes Without Milk
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    How To Make Fluffy Pancakes Without Baking Powder
  • close up with delicious looking brownish pancakes topped with raspberries
    An Easy How To Make Fluffy Eggless Pancakes Recipe
  • stacked oat flour pancakes
    Best Fluffy Oat Flour Pancakes

Related Categories

6 Month Old Recipes7 Month Old Recipes8 Month Old Recipes9 -12 Month Old RecipesAdviceAgesBaby Food ChartBaby-led WeaningBreadBreakfast

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Meghan

    November 04, 2021 at 8:35 am

    3 stars
    Maybe because of the Apple, but my pancakes wouldn’t solidify in the middle. They stayed kinds of batter-y no matter what.

    Reply
    • Dora

      November 10, 2021 at 3:21 pm

      Hi Meghan,

      thanks for your comment. Yes, this can be because of the apple because apples can be in different sizes and types so they can make the batter a bit liquidy. If this is the case you can try thickening by adding flour spoon by spoon until you are satisfied with the batter. You can test the batter by trying to make a small pancake first until you are satisfied with the thickness.

      Reply
  2. Katerina

    January 29, 2022 at 8:50 am

    2 stars
    I really wanted to like this recipe but none of my pancakes cooked through. I want to make sure that everything is thoroughly cooked for my baby especially with egg in it. Unfortunately I only read the above comment when all of my pancake batter was done. I will try it again another time with your suggestion of adding in flour.

    Reply
    • Ana

      January 29, 2022 at 2:42 pm

      Hi Katerina,

      Thanks for letting me know. It is probably that the batter was loose due to difference in ingredients. I will add a comment about adding the flour in the actual recipe.

      Reply
  3. Jess

    April 18, 2023 at 3:46 am

    5 stars
    nearly 3 yo and 10 month old both loved these, I added 1/2tsp cinnamon. The bite I had was good too 😋. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Ana

      April 20, 2023 at 3:29 am

      Hi Jess, thanks for sharing! So glad to hear that.

      Reply
    • Lynn

      June 12, 2023 at 9:08 am

      Can you use unsweetened applesauce and if so, how much and would the other ingredient measurements have to be altered? Thank you

      Reply
      • Ana

        June 12, 2023 at 4:55 pm

        Hi Lynn,
        1 medium apple should give about 1/2 a cup of applesauce so you can use that much and see how it turns out. If the mixture is too runny use more flour, and if it is too dense add a little bit more milk. Let me know how they turned out.

        Reply

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