A healthy breakfast or snack, these easy Baby Cereal Pancakes make use of common baby foods that often end up going to waste. They’re a perfect first food, or finger food, for hungry babies & toddlers. Something you can feel good about serving, and something they’ll love eating!
Why is it that every parent seems to find themselves inundated with baby food at some point, and it always seems to be at the point when the babies no longer want baby food?
This was exactly my predicament with several unused boxes of baby cereal.
I couldn’t just toss them, and at the time, I didn’t have any friends who could make use of them.
Can You Make Pancakes Out Of Baby Cereal?
When I originally stumbled across this recipe, I thought it would be a perfect way to still use the cereal, but also to help my son continue getting used to ‘chewing’ with his new teeth.
These were absolutely perfect for us.
It’s a denser pancake than a traditional batter, but I found that just helped it cook quicker. Best of all, the recipe made a ton, and it’s freezer friendly so I didn’t have to do this every day.
Just pull out however many you need for breakfast or morning snack, and let them thaw.
I originally made these for my littlest man when he was just starting to eat and be introduced to table foods. He loved them!
At 3, he still prefers them to ‘normal’ pancakes.
Why Aren’t My Pancakes Cooking Properly?
This seems to be a common complaint, and mostly boils down to one thing. These aren’t traditional pancakes- they aren’t meant to be.
These won’t cook up light & fluffy like the breakfast pancakes you’re probably used to, largely in part to the iron-fortified baby cereal in them.
So if a fluffy flapjack is what you’re wanting- this recipe isn’t going to be for you. Baby cereal is tacky and incredibly sticky, keep that in mind.
These toddler friendly pancakes are going to be crisp on the outside, but still slightly gummy or tacky on the inside when done. They will firm up as they rest and cool post cooking.
TIPS & TRICKS For Best Results
- Use a stainless steel pan- it results in minimal sticking.
- If that’s not an option use your best pan, plenty of non stick cooking spray, and a stainless steel spatula to flip them.
- Cook them on lower heat, medium low is what we found best, and watch them carefully.
- If the inside’s still tacky, but the outsides are nicely done- remove them from the pan and allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes where the cereal filling will finish firming up. Do NOT continue to cook, or over cook, thinking it will cook through.
Can I Freeze Them?
Again, it’s important to note that although this recipe will make a lot due to their miniature size, these freeze extremely well.
To freeze, just place completely cooled pancakes into a freezer safe zip-locking bag. Seal and set in the freezer.
When ready to use, just pull out the desired amount, place them on a plate, and allow them to thaw before serving.
Also, the spices noted in the recipe as optional, like cinnamon and vanilla- you can incorporate those or others as your little one gets older and you want to expand their flavor profiles.
I’m a firm believer that the more flavor profiles you can introduce your children to earlier, the more developed eaters they will become as they grow.
So we don’t shy away from spices and seasonings, but if it’s not for you- that’s ok too!
What If My Pancake Batter Is Too Thick?
You may find that your baby cereal pancakes aren’t cooking as evenly as you’d like, which is likely a result of the batter being too thick.
This can happen quickly, especially if you let it set, since the cereal absorbs a lot of liquid even after mixing.
If this happens, simply whisk some extra apple juice (or water) into the batter. We tend to thin with an additional 1/4 cup of liquid at a time.
Can I Use Other Fruits Or Vegetables?
If you don’t have a handful of overly ripe bananas lying around, there’s several other options that will work well in these baby cereal pancakes.
Mashed pumpkin, for example, makes a wonderful substitution. Applesauce will also work.
We’ve even used pureed zucchini, just making sure to have pressed out and soaked up the moisture before pureeing.
Other Fun Finger Foods To Try
Baby Cereal Pancakes are a seamless way to get kids used to complex flavors and create a little foodie at heart, while transitioning them from first foods to everyday ingredients and options.
- Homemade Chicken Nuggets
- Strawberries & Cream Overnight Oatmeal
- Homemade Pierogi
- Nonna’s Tuna Frittata
- Instant Pot Pear Sauce
- Homemade Spaghetti-O’s
If you’ve tried these BABY CEREAL PANCAKES, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Baby Cereal Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour or 1 1/2 all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup baby rice cereal straight from the box
- 1/2 cup baby oatmeal cereal straight from the box
- 1 cup formula or milk, depending upon age
- 1/2 cup mashed banana or other mashed fruit of choice
- 1 tbsp melted butter
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup apple juice or water
- dash of cinnamon nutmeg, or vanilla (optional)
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together. Add the apple juice, and stir until evenly combined and pancake consistency is reached.
- Cook on the stove top in a frying pan just as you would 'regular' pancakes. I used a small spoon to drop small dollops of batter onto the pan.
- Let cool and serve.
Rixanna says
I made these for my granddaughter and she loved them!! Thanks for the recipe it is really a great way to use the baby cereal.
4sonsrus says
I’m so glad that she enjoyed them. Thanks for sharing!
Melodie says
I was hoping for some insight. My pancakes don’t seem to be cooking in the middle (I used low heat and still no luck). I just concerned because of the raw egg. Any ideas? Should I add more flour or egg?
Alyssa says
I tried them and I was having the same problem but I figure out if you spread it thin enough it cooks properly
Brandi says
They don’t cook well. I doubled the recipe so I’m going to be here all night trying to finish this.
Ashley Eichelberger says
They don’t cook well. I tried to spread them thinner but still the outsides burn before insides are done. I first tried on about medium heat but cooked another batch on medium low heat. Neither worked for me. In an effort to not throw away the pancake mixture I finally put them in my silicone muffin molds and stuck them in the oven at 350 for about 25 minutes. I used about 1tbsp of the mixture in each cup. I kept checking them and the insides just don’t get cooked through even though they were not that thick. I think I should have cooked them a little longer but I was just ready for bed. Y
ou may be better off with just using a basic pancake recipe and substituting some of the baby cereal for flour which would hopefully allow them to be more fluffy that is what I will be trying tomorrow if I have any energy to try this again.
Jessie says
I made these trying to stretch our food budget because we’re in a tough spot right now. Can’t believe how much food I wasted trying to follow this recipe… And then how much I wasted trying to salvage it! Who is rating these recipes? They don’t cook! Do NOT make these!
4sonsrus says
I’m really sorry you had this experience with our recipe. I know this is a thicker batter than a normal pancake recipe, but I’ve never had any trouble cooking them through. We spread them thin and let them cook.
Erin says
I made them & my daughter loves them.
I did sup the 1/2 banana for a 4oz jar of purée & it worked fine. They’re not half bad I even made me some.
I’m wondering if these would freeze like normal pancakes. Any insight?
4sonsrus says
Yes you can freeze these easily. Just let them cool completely before adding them to a ziplocking bag.
Dany says
Personally, I think they’re not that great. However, my son really likes them! They don’t cook like your typical pancakes- the batter is much thicker and stickier. When they’re finished this is also the case. I used baby puree instead of fresh fruit, perhaps that affected the consistency and taste. I’ll be making these again! My favorite way to use baby cereal so far!
4sonsrus says
I never cared for them either, but our kids loved them for years! It was a great way to use up baby cereal, especially to get extra iron into our youngest son who struggled with keeping up his levels for a couple of years.
L says
I’d like some other way to use the oatmeal and rice cereal. Please help me.
Polly S. says
Instant hit with my 1 year old daughter!! I have a good bit of left over baby cereal and I’m definitely making more to freeze for morning that I don’t have as much time. Thanks for sharing!!
Ashley says
Made these for my 1 yr old. Added in 1/2 cup of water to help make them thinner and cook better! Just excited to have a way to use up the baby purée and baby cereal and oatmeal
Joshua says
These are amazing and convenient! My daughter is over milk/ baby cereal and oatmeal so I tried this and she scarfs them down. I found the batter to be a little too thick so I added an extra half cup of milk (which is great since she’s currently on a milk strike haha)
Honestly new to both cooking and parenthood and watching her eat these filled me with joy.
Thank you so much for this!
Angela says
baby girl liked these!