There’s something about a pancake that is irresistible, especially to little kids. They’re small, easy to eat, and usually drenched in maple syrup. What’s not to love about that? I experiment with pancakes all the time, flour-less ones, gluten-free ones, even vegetable ones. Just subtract the maple syrup and the options become endless.
Here I’ve created a savory one filled with broccoli and parmesan cheese. Perfect for lunch or as a dinner side dish, this version is loaded with nutrients, tastes yummy dipped in tomato sauce, and like the classic, is still great for little hands. Not to mention, they’re a really clever and fun way to serve broccoli. Which let’s be honest, every parent could use.
These pancakes are:
- Loaded with vitamins and minerals
- Easy to make
- Perfect for babies, toddlers, and kids
- Fiber-filled
- Freezer-friendly
- Whole-grain
- Portable
- Fun to dip in your favorite sauce
- 2 cups uncooked broccoli florets
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup whole-wheat flour
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Olive or canola oil, for cooking
- Pulse the broccoli florets in a food processor until very finely chopped.
- Add to a bowl with remaining ingredients and stir together until combined well.
- Heat a thin layer of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Drop dollops of batter onto skillet, let cook for 1 minute and flip, cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes until lightly golden and cooked through.
- Serve with tomato sauce for dipping.

Delicious recipe! Looking forward to trying it out. Do the broccoli florets need to be cooked or can they be raw? Thanks!
Thank you, that’s a great question – I should’ve clarified. No, they do not need to be cooked. Just make sure to process the broccoli until very fine. I’ll fi that now 🙂
Thanks! That makes it even easier! ☺️
Is the recipe maybe missing a liquid to make this more batter-like? It was impossibly thick until I added some milk to thin out a bit. Loved the end result though, thank you!
Thanks for the question – yes, the batter is supposed to be thick. It’s more like a fritter batter than a pancake batter. But if you like it with milk added, that’s awesome!! Thanks again for sharing!