This recipe for Free From Pancakes is perfect for babies and toddlers that suffer from food allergies or intolerances. This is a milk and egg free pancake recipe that can also be made gluten free. This apple and oatmeal pancake is a great finger food for babies, and can be used for baby led weaning.
Although it feels like a lifetime ago, I still remember the days of weaning my little one: how do you teach a baby who's never eaten food how to eat?
So I dialed it back to the basics: make it yummy, interesting, and easy to hold. We did a lot of baby led weaning, so baby pancake recipes became a household favorite.
There are tons of resources and recipes out there for weaning, but I wanted our little one to be part of the family at the dining table by eating what we were eating. And since pancakes are a regular breakfast staple in this household, I had to come up with a recipe for baby pancakes (or rather, pancakes for babies).
So here is a recipe for Free From Pancakes for Babies and Toddlers (milk free and egg free).
These Free From Pancakes contain no egg or dairy
One thing I starkly remember from all my reading about weaning is the concept of slowly introducing ingredients. These baby pancakes are "Free From Pancakes" because the recipe keeps it simple and uses no egg or dairy.
Instead, I use the likes of oat milk and a neutral oil, paired with common favorite baby foods, apples and oatmeal.
(By the way, how cool is that fork? It's our favorite. With the short handle, it makes it particularly easy for a little one to use.)
The flavors in these healthy pancakes are yummy and all natural. Healthy eating is important to me, so there is no added refined sugar in these pancakes; the apples and maple syrup provide the natural sugars, while the cinnamon adds a simple complementary layer of taste.
When I first introduced these baby pancakes to our little one, I left out the maple syrup all together. As he is getting older, I've been adding some in for him.
This easy to hold pancake is the perfect texture for baby led weaning
Texture-wise, these Free From Pancakes are a little chewy on the inside and the oats and apple provide some soft texture. Put it all together, and it should be an interesting and tasty experience for a baby who's just being introduced to the world of finger foods.
These Free From Pancakes for Babies and Toddlers hold together well and won't break apart or crumble when handled by (grubby) tiny little hands. I wanted to make eating as enjoyable as possible for my lil one, and not having to worry about the food breaking apart in his fingers was key.
Although we normally serve these apple oatmeal pancakes for breakfast, they are actually a baby finger food recipe good for any time of day, especially as an afternoon snack.
These baby pancakes contain simple ingredients and are allergy-friendly
The other benefit of making these allergy-friendly baby pancakes? It'll become an activity your little one will enjoy doing with you as they get older whether it's pouring flour into a measuring cup, mixing the batter, or one day making pancakes "ALL BY SELF" (as my toddler says).
* A note about allergies: If your lil one has allergies, I can empathize. Although a baby's food allergies can feel like it complicates the weaning process, I've found there is a silver lining because it actually simplifies the types of ingredients for you to use.
My son is sensitive to dairy, eggs, and corn, so these are corn, milk, and egg free pancakes. The recipe mostly uses oats, but I do use a bit of wheat flour too.
You can swap out the wheat flour for gluten free flour to keep these gluten free if you need. That's why we call these "free from" and allergy pancakes.
Free From Pancakes for Babies and Toddlers
Print Recipe Save RecipeIngredients
- 2 small apples - peeled
- ½ cup quick cooking oats
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal (milled flaxseed)
- ¾ cup oat milk (or any other milk alternative)
- ¼ cup flour (use gluten-free flour for GF)
- 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil (we use rice bran oil)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1-3 teaspoons maple syrup (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, using a fork, stir together the oats, ground flaxseed meal and oat milk. Set the bowl aside and allow it to sit so the oats soften a little.
- In the meantime, peel and grate the two apples. Add all the ingredients into the bowl and use a fork to mix everything together. The batter will be thick and chunky from the oats and apples.
- Heat a skillet on medium heat, and coat the skillet with a bit of oil. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop about ½ tablespoon of batter for each pancake. Drop the batter on the skillet, and using the back of the spoon gently spread the batter into a circle about the thickness of 3 coins. Cook for about 2 minutes, until the tops of the pancakes are starting to dry and the bottom of the pancakes are golden brown. Gently flip and lightly press down on the pancakes using the back of the spatula. Cook until the pancakes are lightly browned on the other side, about an additional 2 minutes.
- Remove and cool on a plate. Allow to cool before serving to little ones. You may want to cut these pancakes into strips or pieces for younger babies.
Notes
Looking for Breakfast Ideas for Babies and Toddlers? See more recipes!
Jazmin Perez Fisher says
These were great and so easy to make! Thank you! Is it possible to freeze them?
Evonne Inn says
are these good to freeze?
Jordan says
I have a kiddo with a corn intolerance as well! He’s four now and starting to outgrow it thankfully! But now we just recently found out my 11 month old has a peanut allergy, plus sensitive to egg, milk and banana. I feel like I feed her the same things all the time, so thanks for the yummy allergy free recipe!
Tina Jui says
Hi Jordan, it is so difficult for kids (and parents) with food intolerances, isn't it. That's really great to hear the 4 year old is outgrowing the corn intolerance. It is a difficult one to avoid unless you cook everything, since hidden corn is in so many packaged and processed foods! We always know he unintentionally consumed some sort of corn when we eat out and his eczema flairs up.
I'm sorry to hear about the little one too. I don't have the exact substitutions written down, but we've adapted this toddler muffin recipe to be free from dairy and egg (and there's no banana). I think I essentially replaced milk with dairy free milk, butter with oil, and added 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and a splash of vinegar. I'll have to work the recipe a bit before I post it officially, but in case you are looking for recipes and willing to experiment a bit, you can give it a try.
Megan Stevens says
I made similar pancakes for my firstborn. I loved how convenient they were to take with us, instead of being tempted to grab processed baby food.
ChihYu says
Love the recipe ! So easy and cute too !
Yang says
I love the size of these yummy pancakes, just perfect for the little hands! You are such a good mom :)
Melissa @Real Nutritious Living says
What a perfect and adorable idea! My baby will love these!
Anne Lawton says
These pancakes look so good! And it must be difficult to have a small child with food allergies. Thanks for sharing your tips.
Raia Todd says
Aw, those are so cute. I bet my little one would love them. Just her size! :)
Yvonne says
What a great idea for toddlers and kids that have food sensitivities. And best of all it is finger food so they can do it all by themselves.