5 Minute Butternut Squash Pancakes Easy: Sneak in a little “healthy,” for kids all while adding a delicious rich flavor to plain pancakes!

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Healthy Pancakes for Kids
The flu bug had been floating around our house for the previous couple of weeks, and I was determined to try and make the pancakes have at least a smidgen of “healthiness,” to it, so I could feel a little better about feeding him just plain sugar and white starches. Anything to encourage that little immune system to improve.
I thought to myself, “What can I add to the pancake mix, to make the pancakes just a little bit healthier?” Continuing to talk to myself like some crazy person, I said, “Hey… people put fruit in pancakes all of the time… why couldn’t I sneak in a little something healthy to these?”
If you prefer using almond milk in your pancakes, you can try
I had been staring at a can of butternut squash in my pantry for months. Don’t ask me why I bought this, but now I’m glad I did. 🙂

Butternut Squash Pancakes “Recipe”
I mixed the pancakes up using my favorite pancake mix (Krusteaz is my all time favorite because it only requires water and makes the FLUFFIEST pancakes), making the recommended measurements on the box for 4-6 pancakes.
Or, if you want to make your own pancakes from scratch, or these almond milk pancakes, you can do that, and proceed with the below.
Then I added just a large spoonful (a little over a Tablespoon) of canned butternut squash to the batter. I then mixed it up, and poured out little pancakes on my griddle like nothing ever happened.
The pancakes were done in 5 minutes. I kid you not. (I also saved the remaining butternut squash for a future recipe, or for more butternut squash pancakes the next morning.)
The True Test:
I put the pancakes in front of my two little guys, and they scarfed them down like normal, and my three year old even exclaimed, “Mommy, deez pancakes are dewicious.” SUCCESS.
Honestly… I sat down with them and had a taste of the Butternut Squash Pancakes too, and I must say… they WERE delicious. I even happened to get a bite where I didn’t mix it up too well, and got a taste of the butternut squash puree… and it had a VERY nice flavor to it.
Totally recommend it you guys.

Butternut Squash Pancakes will forever be on my quick go-to breakfast list. Since this little experiment in the kitchen, I’ve also tried Sweet Potato Pancakes, using canned sweet potatoes too!
If you love pancakes as much as I do, then you’ll want to get a hold of this list of over 95 pancake toppings to add to all sorts of pancakes!
Even Healthier?
If you have more time, and energy in the kitchen, feel free to ditch the canned veggies. Bake your butternut squash/sweet potatoes the night before or in the morning to add to the pancake batter. I’ve yet to do this, but that would require a little more planning ahead, and well… I’m not that good yet. 😉
Cam says
We have a 35 x 80 garden every year. At the end of each growing year, we will have a total of 30 qt‘s of winter squash canned. A very useful veggie. We make squash pie, bread, eat it by the bowel With brown sugar and butter etc, AND squash pancakes. Better than pumpkins.
Michele Prouty says
Hi Jessica,
Thank you for your easy recipe! You have inspired me to make these pancakes for myself and if my mom and stepdad want these, I’ll make them for them too!
from Michele,
Jessica says
Aw, yay!!! You’re so sweet, and I hope you and they love them as much as we do! 🙂 XO
Rhonita says
These look really good but where’s the recipe?
Jessica says
Thank you Rhonita! I’m sorry, I only mentioned in the post that I used a large tablespoon of butternut squash puree and added it in to the pancake mix (batter) that I use. So that way you can use any pancake recipe you prefer, but adding a large spoonful of butternut squash was great for us. 🙂 I hope that helps!! But I’m glad you said something, because I need to make it a recipe so it’s easy to see! Thank you!
Jenn @ EngineerMommy says
Great idea! Love pancakes and this sounds so healthy!!
Jessica says
Thank you! I actually prefer them over plain ole pancakes now! It’s fun getting creative in the kitchen with pancakes. My new thing??? Adding coconut flakes to the batter. Holy moly that’s good! 🙂
Nikki says
Awesome! I love sneaking vegetables into meals. What a great way to empty the pantry AND healthify some pancakes!
Jessica says
I know, right!!? Aaaand, it actually tasted good! Who knew! 😉