Bring a bit of holiday magic to your kitchen with these Grinch pancakes! Fluffy green pancakes are topped with a cream cheese frosting, green whipped cream, and adorned with red candy hearts. These Christmas pancakes are quick and easy to whip up, making them ideal for busy holiday mornings.
Fluffy & Festive Grinch Christmas Pancakes
I’ve always loved creating fun, festive meals during the holidays, and these Grinch pancakes have quickly become a family favorite. Last year, when IHOP decided not to bring back their Grinch pancakes, I knew I had to try my hand at making them from scratch. Using my favorite fluffy pancake recipe and cream cheese frosting, they came out perfect! Here’s why I think you will love these festive Christmas pancakes:
- Flavor: These pancakes are thick and fluffy with good flavor, thanks to a mix of milk and vinegar that mimics buttermilk. The cream cheese icing adds a tangy sweetness that pairs perfectly!
- Kids can help: You can easily involve the kids in making these Christmas pancakes — they’ll love whisking the batter together and adding the green food coloring!
- Quick and easy: It’s a quick and simple-to-make recipe, taking just 25 minutes from start to finish, perfect for busy mornings.
- Festive: With their bright green color and red heart sprinkles, these Grinch pancakes are a hit at holiday breakfasts or as a fun dinner while watching The Grinch movie.
If you love these Grinch pancakes, make sure and try my Grinch themed peppermint white hot chocolate or easy grinch fudge!
Key Ingredients
You probably already have most of the ingredients you need on hand! Below you will find helpful notes for key ingredients used to make these Christmas pancakes. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and exact amounts!
- Milk & Vinegar: If you have buttermilk, you can use it instead. However I rarely have it, so I use a mixture of whole milk and vinegar whisked together instead!
- Sugar: You will need a little granulated sugar for the pancakes and powdered sugar for the whipped cream and the cream cheese frosting.
- Cream Cheese: Use full fat cream cheese for the creamiest frosting.
- Food Coloring: To get the best color green for pancakes, I recommend using the Wilton Gel Icing Food Colors or another highly pigmented version. Regular will work too, you just may need to use a little more.
- Heart Sprinkles: You can use any red sprinkles, but these little red heart sprinkles are perfectly themed for the Grinch!
How to Make Grinch Pancakes
Turn on the movie, get out the mixing bowls and get busy making memories with these adorable and tasty Grinch pancakes! Below is a quick recipe overview, but please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions and to watch the step-by-step video.
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- Milk and vinegar: Combine the milk and vinegar together in a bowl and set to the side for 5 minutes.
- Dry Ingredients: Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Combine: Whisk the egg, melted and slightly cooled butter and green food coloring into the milk mixture. Then add the flour mixture and whisk until no big lumps remain, but do not over stir unless you want flat pancakes!
- Cook the pancakes: Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip and cook about 45 seconds more on the other side, until cooked through.
- Frost and enjoy: Top the pancakes with your desired toppings and serve immediately!
Chef’s Tips and Variations
- Low Carb: Looking for a more diet friendly option? You could use my 5-star rated low carb pancakes recipe. Just color them green!
- Add Spice: Add a touch of cinnamon or nutmeg to the pancake batter for a hint of holiday spice.
- Do not overmix: Make sure not to over stir, just mix the batter until it comes together. The bubbles are needed to get those perfectly thick and fluffy pancake results!
- Keep warm: If you are serving a crowd, keep the pancakes warm until ready to serve by placing them on a baking sheet in a 200°F oven.
What To Serve With Christmas Pancakes
Don’t stress if you are hosting Christmas breakfast or brunch, here are a few more easy savory dishes to serve alongside these Grinch pancakes!
- Casserole: This biscuits and gravy casserole is a always crowd favorite, but we also love this easy overnight sausage breakfast casserole or cream cheese breakfast casserole with ham!
- Protein: Easily cook your bacon in oven and serve with some scrambled eggs. This tortilla española (Spanish omelet with potatoes and onion) is a great hearty option as well.
Grinch Pancakes (Christmas Pancakes)
Ingredients
Pancakes
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar, or lemon juice
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- green food coloring
- cooking spray
Cream Cheese Icing
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
Green Whipped Cream
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- green food coloring
- red heart sprinkles
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Instructions
Cream Cheese Icing
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar, until well combined. Add whipping cream and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Set aside.
Green Whipped Cream
- Beat all ingredients in a large bowl on low speed using an electric mixer until bubbles start to form and then increase the speed to high. Beat until stiff peaks form. Store in fridge for up to 45 minutes.
Grinch Pancakes
- Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Whisk egg, butter and green food coloring into milk mixture. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone. Do not overtax, you want the bubbles to keep the pancakes fluffy!
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.
- Top pancakes with cream cheese icing, green whip cream and a sprinkle of large red heart sprinkles!
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Categories:
More Sweet Christmas Recipes To Try
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Could the batter be made ahead of time, maybe as much as an hour? Or would it lose its fluffiness?
It would loose it’s fluffiness. But you could whisk together the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients, keeping both separate the night before. Then combine the two together the next morning when you are ready to cook them!
I made these for my kids for a fun surprise. We have been on lock down for so long, we needed something fun. So we put on christmas pjs, made these fun pancakes and watched the grinch. Helped with our cabin fever!
I made these tonight with my girls while we watched the new grinch movie. They were delicious and my girls thought I was the best mom. Great family night thanks to you!!!