Grinch Pancakes (From Scratch!)

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A super easy breakfast, these Grinch pancakes are so fun to make during the holiday season! With just a hint of vanilla, the kids will love opening presents and enjoying these pancakes with maple syrup on Christmas morning!

A stack of pancakes has a dollop of whipped cream with heart sprinkles on it. — These pancakes are a fun breakfast on Christmas morning!

Every year we watch Dr. Seuss How the Grinch Stole Christmas on repeat! The Grinch movie is such a fun holiday tradition for so many families!

These pancakes are a fun way to bring that Mr. Grinch right into your kitchen. Serve these delicious pancakes with maple syrup and a big mug of hot chocolate for a sweet, Christmas breakfast. These green buttermilk pancakes will become a new tradition during the holiday season! There's no way these pancakes won't get you in the holiday spirit!

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Ingredients You'll Need
Equipment to Gather
How To Make Grinch Pancakes
Tips to Making the Perfect Pancakes
How To Serve Grinch Pancakes
Storage Tips
Frequently Asked Questions
More Pancakes Recipes
📖 Recipe

Ingredients You'll Need

All you need are a few simple ingredients for these pancakes. These pancakes are from one of my original recipes that is the base of my buttermilk pancake recipe. We are just going to add green food coloring to the batter.

An overhead shot of the Grinch Pancakes ingredients. — You only need a few simple ingredients for these pancakes!

All Purpose Flour. A mixture of whole grain flour and all purpose flour can be used too.
Leavening agents. You will need both baking powder and baking soda for fluffy pancakes.
Buttermilk. It can easily be found right in your local grocery store. If you don't have buttermilk, use 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon per 1 cup of milk.
Egg. To keep the pancakes together.
Vanilla extract. To flavor the pancakes a bit.
Green Food Coloring. To get that classic Grinch green color.
Red candy hearts. Amazon has so many different varieties. I love using these sprinkles that have a red heart.

Equipment to Gather

How To Make Grinch Pancakes

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set that aside.

In a liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, add the buttermilk, egg, and melted butter and whisk well until fully combined.

The dry ingredients are in a bowl surrounded by red plaid fabric. — Add the dry ingredients to the bowl.

The wet ingredients are added to the bowl. — Mix together all the ingredients.

Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix until fully combined. There might be a few lumps left in the pancake batter and that is ok. Add the green food coloring to the bowl. 10-12 drops of green food coloring is all you need, but if you want really green pancakes, go crazy with the food coloring! Do not overmix the batter as you will have tough pancakes.

Preheat a skillet or a non-stick pan over medium low to medium heat and melt 1 tablespoon of butter onto the griddle.

Pour a ½ cup of batter onto the hot griddle. If you want smaller pancakes, use ¼ cup or an ice cream scoop. Allow the pancakes to cook for 2-3 minutes on the first side. When you see air bubbles coming up through the pancake and the edges start to look dry, you are ready to flip the green Grinch pancakes.

The pancake batter is in a large bowl with red plaid fabric around it. — It's ok if there are a few lumps left in the batter.

The green food coloring is mixed into the batter. — Add as much food coloring as you would like.

A scoop of pancake batter is in a pan. — When the batter starts bubbling and the edges are dry, the pancake should be flipped.

With a spatula, carefully flip the pancakes over. Cook for them 2-3 minutes more until they are golden brown. Serve immediately.

Lynn's Tip! Resist the urge to push the pancakes down with the spatula once you flip them. Let them cook on their own and only touch them each time you flip them. Pushing them down while they cook with result in a tough, dense pancake.

Tips to Making the Perfect Pancakes

As the pancake batter sits, it tends to thicken. If this happens, don't be afraid to add some more milk to loosen up the green pancake batter.
The pancakes are ready to flip when the middle bubbles. Small bubbles will start to come through the batter. The edges of the pancakes will also start to dry out. When you see these two signs, it's time to flip the Christmas pancakes.
Use an ice cream scoop, small ladle, or a measuring cup to measure the batter. This ensures the pancakes are all the same size will cook evenly.
Do not cook the pancakes too high. Medium-low heat is the best for cooking pancakes. Too high and the outside will be too cooked and the inside will be raw. Too low and the pancakes will take a long time to cook.

A piece of the Grinch pancake stack is cut out. — These pancakes are perfect topped with whipped cream!

How To Serve Grinch Pancakes

Just like cinnamon rolls, these themed pancakes would be delicious with a sweet cream cheese icing like the cream cheese frosting on these red velvet cinnamon buns.
For a delicious themed breakfast, add 1 cup of whipped cream to a large bowl and use a hand mixer to mix it to stiff peaks. Add a few drops of green food coloring and you'll have an amazing green whipped cream to add to a piping bag and pipe right onto the pancakes.
To add a little fruit to these fun pancakes, cut out little strawberry hearts with heart cookie cutters.

A straight on shot of the Grinch Pancakes. — The red hearts make these pancakes look even more Grinchy!

Storage Tips

How to store the batter. Once the pancake batter is mixed together, cover the batter with plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container. The batter will stay fresh in the refrigerator up to 24 hours.

How to store leftover pancakes. Place the cooked pancakes in an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator up to 4 days. To reheat them, place them in the toaster oven for 1 minute or until the pancakes are warm. You can also reheat the pancakes on the stovetop in a dry pan.

To keep the pancakes warm, after they are cooked place them on a parchment lined baking tray or baking sheet and keep them warm in a 200 degree oven. This will keep them warm so you can serve them all at once

How to freeze the pancakes. Once the pancakes are cooked, allow them to cool completely. Wrap them in plastic wrap and place them in a Ziploc bag. Freeze the pancakes up to 4 months. To reheat the eggnog pancakes, place them in the toaster oven for 2 minutes or reheat them in a dry pan over the stovetop.

A close up of a stack of Grinch pancakes with a triangle piece cut out. — These are delicious with maple syrup!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make these pancakes with pancake mix?

Yes! Make the pancakes as the package says, and then add some green food coloring to the batter.

Can I add flavoring to the batter?

Yes! You can add mint syrup to the pancakes to give them a minty flavor. You can also mix in mint syrup into the maple syrup.

How many pancakes will this make?

It depends on how big of a scoop you use. You can make them as small as silver dollar pancakes with a tablespoon, or you can use a large measuring cup to scoop out the batter.

More Pancakes Recipes

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