Spinach Banana Waffles
A healthy breakfast full of veggie goodness! Toddlers, kids, and even “picky” eaters will love these deliciously green Spinach Banana Waffles because they taste like a sweet banana muffins. Plus, grown-ups love them because they are so stinking easy to make! You throw everything into a blender…that’s it! Since the waffles are only sweetened with banana and are full of whole grain oats, this is a fun and healthy breakfast you can feel good about feeding the whole family.
Kids in the Kitchen:
- Add the banana and GREENS: if you little one does only one thing to help with this recipe, make it grabbing a handful of spinach and adding it to the blender. Peeling the banana and plopping that in as well is a great second step. It’s so important that kids know there are veggies in their food. Eating spinach in waffles is one step along the path to eating more whole veggies at mealtime.
- Get cracking! If you feel comfortable having your child crack eggs (I have a video tutorial on my Instagram if you want some guidance.), make sure to crack them into a small bowl before adding the eggs to the blender. That way it’s easier to remove any shells that might go astray.
- Scoop the batter: Hold a measuring cup together and place the batter onto your waffle iron. Placing your hand over your child’s will allow you to guide the child’s hand in the right place and avoid touching any hot surfaces.
- Decorate and garnish! While your child waits for the waffles to cook, set him up with some fruit to wash and cut with a child-safe knife. He can slice a banana or some strawberries, then place them nicely on a plate for the whole family.
Subs and Tips for making Spinach Banana Waffles:
- Gluten-free? Make sure to use certified gluten-free oats and these are gluten-free!
- Egg-free? I haven’t tried it but a flax “egg” substitute might work to make these egg-free. Let me know if you try it!
- No green, please! Kiddo, not sure about eating a green waffle? Add a couple tablespoons of cocoa powder to make them chocolate waffles! The cocoa will cover up the green color and add yummy chocolate flavor too. Since cocoa or cacao powder can be a little bitter, you may want to add a tablespoon or two of maple syrup or honey to the batter as well.
- Waffle maker? I am obsessed with my mini waffle maker, it’s available on Amazon HERE. It comes in lots of colors and actually different shapes like a heart too. Would be a great gift for kids 8 and up to learn to use on their own.
- Double and freeze! This is not a large batch recipe, so double if you are cooking for a crowd or want to have leftovers for another day. You’ll be so glad you did. The waffles reheat really well in the toaster or oven straight from the freezer.
- Can I make this batter into pancakes? I haven’t tried it, but I do have an awesome banana pancake recipe, Banana Protein Blender Pancakes. Throw a couple of handfuls of spinach into them and you’ve got some great green pancakes!
Spinach Banana Waffles
These gluten-free, dairy-free, veggie-packed, and fruit sweetened Spinach Banana Waffles are the perfect recipe to get toddlers and kids in the kitchen! Easy to make in a blender and great for picky eaters.
Equipment
- waffle maker
Ingredients
- 1 spotty, brown overripe banana
- 2 cups baby spinach about 2 big handfuls
- 2 large eggs
- 2 Tbsp avocado or vegetable oil plus more for greasing the waffle iron
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup rolled oats, gluten-free if desired
- maple syrup, for serving if not serving with syrup, you may want to add 1 or 2 Tbsps of maple syrup or honey to the batter
Instructions
- Preheat your waffle iron. Add all the ingredients to a blender. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender to make sure nothing is stuck. Blend again if necessary.
- Grease your waffle iron by either brushing or spraying with oil. Spoon waffle batter onto your iron and make according to your waffle iron instructions. Place cooked waffles onto a plate and continue making waffles until all the batter is used up.
- Serve with maple syrup, if desired. Store waffles in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days or freeze, wrapped tightly, for a month. Best way to reheat waffles is to bake them in the oven or toaster oven until warmed through.
Video
Save to Pinterest!
Other BANANA recipes to try:
Banana Protein Blender Pancakes
Banana-Pumpkin Blender Muffins
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Cookies
Just made these tonight- they were a huge hit! I was a bit skeptical about your recommendation to have my toddler personally add the spinach, but I went ahead with it. I was absolutely FLABBERGASTED when she happily ate something that she had added huge handfuls of spinach to not 15 minutes earlier! I’ll definitely be making these again!
Hi Jenny! That’s so awesome to hear. I’m so glad you took the chance and had your little one help with the spinach part. Thank you so much for taking the time to write a review! : ) Heather
My 14 month old loved these so much instead of maple syrup I spread peanut butter on top! Thank you for another great recipe
These are my go to waffles when I have spinach to use up or just extra spinach in the house. My kids LOVE them and I always try to have extras on hand. They’re super yum.
They were super good!!! My picky eater enjoyed them (me too)!!
Do you add the oil to the blender or use only for the iron?
Yes, you add it to the blender. Thanks for the questions. I will clarify that in the instructions.
This recipe is one I will GLADLY come back to! I like my waffles crispy on the outside and this recipe did the trick! Plus, I appreciate the ingredients in them to be healthier! I added more cinnamon and nutmeg, about half as much. Yum, yum, YUM!
Hi Heidi! I’m so glad you loved the waffle recipe. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review. 🙂 Heather
BEST spinach waffle recipe I’ve found! And they’re healthy! My 1.5 loves these (and so do we!)
Hi Quincey! So so glad you and your little one love the waffle recipe. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review! 🙂 Heather
I can’t get over how much my 15 month toddler loves these.
Shared with all the mamas I know. Amazing to freeze and reheat for those rushed mornings.
So glad! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe and for taking the time to leave a review! 🙂 Heather
Can you use frozen spinach? If so how much to use?
Hi Ann, Sorry for not responding sooner. I haven’t tried it with frozen spinach but I don’t think it would work the same way unfortunately. Let me know if you try the recipe. 🙂 Heather
Hi! Do you think this would work with baby oatmeal instead of rolled oats?
Hi! Since baby oatmeal is basically ground oats, you would need to use about half as much, but I think it should work ok.
I was not expecting my 2 yr old to go for something with so much spinach in it, but he LOVES them! I made them into mini pancakes instead of waffles and froze the leftovers for future breakfasts. I got about 6 breakfasts worth of pancakes with one batch. This recipe will be in our regular rotation of breakfasts from now on! So much healthier than the frozen mini pancakes we were getting from Walmart, and super easy to make.
Wonderful to hear that! Thanks for your review! 🙂 Heather
I thought I missed the milk in this recipe but I checked three times and there really isn’t any liquid. I was skeptical at first but the batter turned out fine and the waffles came out amazing! Probably THE BEST healthy waffle recipe I’ve ever tried and I’ve tried a lot (I have a baby and always trying to sneak in those veggies). The waffles were fluffy inside and crispy outside. Definitely saving this recipe in my favorites!
I followed the recipe exactly, and unfortunately these were a huge flop for me. The outside was overcooked and the inside was raw and mushy. I tried a piece of the edge of the waffle where it was fully cooked and it just didn’t have much flavour at all. It also made a huge mess of my waffle maker. I’ve made probably hundreds of waffles in my waffle maker and haven’t had this problem before. I don’t know what I’d adjust in order to fix this before attempting it again…. I really wanted this to work out 🙁
Hi Shari,
So sorry you had that experience with the recipe. Hundreds of people have made them and I’ve never heard that problem before. In terms of the flavor, did you use a brown, overripe banana? That’s where the flavor comes from as well as vanilla and cinnamon. I would try using much less batter in the waffle maker so that they cook all the way through. Since these waffles use oats and not regular flour, the texture will be different than typical waffles.
Hope that helps, Heather