These savory pancakes are a quick, easy, and healthy breakfast that take less than 6 minutes to make! Easy to customize, they are packed with fiber, protein, and hidden vegetables!
Contrary to popular belief, savory breakfasts are some of my favorites.
There’s something incredibly satisfying about starting out your mornings with something on the salty side. Some of my favorites include a breakfast casserole, turkey sausage, or quiche. When I want something a little more filling, I love making savory pancakes.
What are savory pancakes?
As the name suggests, savory pancakes are thick and fluffy pancakes made without sugar or sweet additions (like maple syrup). Instead, the batter is flavored with cheese, green onions, and vegetables. Japan and Korea have their own versions, called Okonomiyaki and Pajeon, respectively.
Why this savory pancake recipe will be a brunch time favorite-
- Ready in 6 minutes. Minimal prep and quick to cook.
- Easy to customize. You can easily omit the sweet potato and add other vegetables or protein, like bacon, zucchini, and spinach.
- Thick, fluffy, and filling. A secret trick guarantees the pancakes turn out perfect every single time.
- Made with hidden vegetables. These are packed with healthy ingredients, like sweet potato and Greek yogurt.
What I love about these pancakes is that they make a fabulous savory brunch, but also work as a quick and easy dinner. Pair it with some steamed greens or a soup for a balanced evening meal.
How to make savory pancakes
The Ingredients.
- Eggs– room temperature eggs. If you can’t tolerate eggs, try an egg substitute.
- Olive oil– Adds richness to the pancakes and keeps them super fluffy and buttery (without butter). Any neutral flavored oil works.
- Milk– I used non-fat milk, but any milk works.
- Greek yogurt– non-fat Greek yogurt or any plain flavored yogurt.
- Self rising flour– Skip the expensive pre-packaged kind and make your own.
- Sweet potato– cubed and cooked sweet potato. Either steamed or roasted potatoes work.
- Green onions– Finely sliced.
- Cheese– Any shredded cheese works. I like using a two cheese blend, like Mexican cheese or one with cheddar cheese.
The Instructions.
Start by whisking together the eggs, olive oil, milk and Greek yogurt. Fold through the flour, then the sweet potato, green onion, and cheese.
Next, add some oil or butter to a non-stick pan and place it over medium heat. Once hot, add portions of the pancake batter and cook for 3-4 minutes, flip, then cook for a further two minutes. Repeat the process until all the pancakes are cooked.
Now, remove the pancakes from the pan and serve them immediately with sour cream and more green onions.
Tips for success
- Always cover the pancakes when cooking them. Doing this traps the heat in the pan and helps them rise quicker and remain thick.
- Ensure your sweet potato is fully cooked before adding them to the pancake batter.
- To change up the flavors, add your favorite spices, like Italian seasonings or smoked paprika.
Flavor variations
- Spinach and feta– Omit the sweet potato and fold through 1/2 a cup of baby spinach and 1/4 cup of crumbled feta cheese.
- Cheese and bacon– Omit the sweet potato and add in 1/4 cup of finely chopped bacon.
- Zucchini– Add 1 medium grated zucchini with excess moisture removed.
- Cheese and garlic– Add 1 teaspoon of freshly minced garlic.
Serving suggestions
These pancakes are a meal on its own and are perfect to enjoy as is. If you like, add some greens or salad, like a spinach salad or coleslaw. You can also add some guacamole or dip it in some cheese sauce.
Storing, freezing, and reheating instructions
- To store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to one week.
- To freeze: Place the cooled pancakes in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Reheating: Microwave the pancakes for 20-30 seconds until warm.
More pancake recipes to try
Frequently Asked Questions
Use dairy free cheese and non-dairy yogurt.
You can try experimenting with one of these egg substitutes.
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Savory Pancakes (6 ways!)
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 cups self rising flour
- 1 cup sweet potatoes cooked and cubed
- 3 stalks green onion sliced
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, olive oil, milk, sour cream until smooth. Slowly add the self rising flour until combined. Add the cooked sweet potato cubes, green onions and shredded cheese.
- Add oil to a non-stick pan and place it over low-medium heat. Once hot, add portions of the pancake batter on top and immediately cover. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until bubbles appear around the sides. Flip, cover, and cook until thick and fluffy.
- Repeat the process until all the pancakes are cooked up.
Notes
Nutrition
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You were right. I DO have all these ingredients! And I’m never made savory pancakes before so I’m excited to try. Looks phenom!!
Cheers, Whit! They travel well in tupperware too :p
Well despite you getting discouraged by your openings, I am having a hoot reading them 😉 Next thing I know you will be calling us tater tots… or better yet, “spuds.” Lol. Like buds, but with potatoes? Hahaha.
While I don’t mind the coconut flour-filled, more complicated recipes, I can definitely appreciate simpler ones too!
I just made some gluten-free pancakes out of mashed white potatoes last week that were quite delicious. I can only imagine that these sweet potato ones are even better! I know they are savory, but honestly if I didn’t top them with sour cream or something similar, I would be inclined to still douse them in maple syrup. Sweet and savory! The buzzword combo of the century.
I don’t really like cheese period, except for on pizza kind of, but even then the bubbly crust is my favorite part. I’ve never tried goat’s cheese but I would love to sometime!
Never used hot sauce before. Eeep, don’t hit me! It’s just before I was never that interested and didn’t really know anything about it. And now I’m not sure it would be the best for my tummy. I think the most popular hot sauce here is Sriracha or Tabasco maybe?
I always use the word spuds here instead of potatoes!
I too love coconut flour pancakes, but sometimes without coconut flour is a-ok too! Syrup on top would be great- sweet and savoury is always the perfect combo!
Frothing at the mouth over the melted goat’s cheese coming next week! 😛
I admit that sometimes long recipes lists can make me pass on a dish, because I either won’t have something, or think it will take too much effort. Was it coincidental that I got given one of those ‘4 Ingredients’ recipes books a few Christmas’ ago? 😉
Highly doubt that I’d be able to make these and leave them for cold left overs, which as you have proven, is the best way to eat just about any meal. They look waaay too appealing and menacing at the same time. (If pancakes could have attitudes, these would be like the gangsters in West Side Story). Honestly, I don’t know why I insisted on reheating my lunches at work for so long 😛
Have you tried goats cheese yet? I’m so glad to have tried them out with pancakes! I’ve seen those 4 ingredient books around!
Went out for breakfast with Mum at my favorite cafe and went against tradition of muesli – had eggs, spinach, pesto and goats cheese. DIES. SO freaking good. Move over feta, there is a new sheriff in town 😛
Nice! Glad you got to taste it- it’s so good! The only downside is the damn price!
Some of my favorite things in one food! And I love that all these ingredients are accessible at any grocery store, not just Whole Foods.
Goat cheese is my jammmm. I need to get some more sometime soon. But really, any cheese is my jam.
Fun fact: Although it’s not real cheese, I used to eat those nasty American singles for breakfast. My two reactions to that today are: 1-EW. 2-I like cheese a lot.
Hahaha- I’m so jealous you guys have whole foods/TJs/etc!
As much as I LOVE cheese, guess what. Vegemite released vegemite cheese by Kraft Singles….I must admit, they are quite tasty. That is the only exception. Just like Paramore sang it.
I like a lot of fake cheeses. String cheese, mac and cheese from a box…it’s guatever really.
Love it- No discrimination for dairy. 😉
I somehow have made it this far without ever having tried a savory pancake! I think I’m going to need to make these or your goat cheese ones next week…or both…
xx
Lisa @ TSOH
Go for it Lisa- you can NEVER have too many pancakes!
So I thought both the other pancake recipes sounded good, but this one has moved to the top and I haven’t even made it yet. The ingredient list includes lots of my favorites and kind of reminds me of Hannah’s egg and vegetable muffins I made last weekend. I wonder if this would work as a baked pancake? I’m not usually the best at making pancakes.
Thanks, Nicole! I think they would definitely work baked, but you’d probably need to add 1/4-1/2 tsp of baking powder to it! Although the key to perfect pancakes is cooking in low low heat and covered! 😉
I’ve never had savory pancakes but I appreciate the idea behind it. You get your veggies and it’s a one piece pancake. So I guess it’s very covenient to take to work for lunch.Euphemistically spreaking I am not a fan of cauliflower. Do you think brokkoli works as well in the recipe? My favorite cheeses are young gouda and mozzarella. I do not appreciate the taste of goat cheese – I think it tastes like licking off a goat or a goat’s shed.
BUT I LOVE SPICES!!! I love hot spicy food especially. But I am not sure that I could give you some inspiration as my favorites at the moment are the Nando’s piri-piri sauces. As I made it through the wild herbs blend within days I opened the hot sauce yesterday. Too good! Have you ever dipped pear into it? That’s my favorite!
Not a fan of cauliflower? Oh no! Haha! Of course this will work with broccoli- instead of grating it try chopping in small pieces. You don’t even need to add it!
LOL…..How dare you insult goats cheese. But as young gouda is amazing, you’re forgiven!
Truth- Nandos restaurants have this new XXXHOT sauce…I’m tempted to steal a bottle! I’ll have to try dipping fruit in it!
I can not believe I never had savory pancakes. Who am I??
This will be pinned for sure! I am such an untypical Swiss, cause I dislike soft cheese. I really love me the spicy hard ones (don’t….) like gruyere etc. It’s a different story when we get to melted cheese. Raclette is my official affair.
Does ketchup count as spice? Our hot sauces in the shelves are disgusting.
Arman – your pancakes look so light and fluffy – inspite of their veggie and cheese overload!
The closest I have come to savory pancakes has been veggie omelettes with flour in them…I used to love goat cheese, feta, and muenster but alas, the love is totally unrequited….they don’t love me back and do mean things to my body when I do consume a small quantity! GAH!
I do love spicy foods – I choose plain ol chili powder and/or chili flakes in and on my food, and every now and then – wasabi!
Ohh no I keep forgetting that you and cheese are not the best of friends- Maybe with nutritional yeast? Otherwise, simply omit BUT not the sour cream and salsa! Even guac…. 😉
YES. I go through chilli powder and flakes like water. I even think I’ve desensitised myself to it!
I think that, even though you said these are savory, they would taste great with syrup! Call me crazy but some veggies cooked taste great with syrup and also… cheddar does too. I know, I’m nutty. And addicted to sugar but idk whatever. I really like goat cheese. I didn’t know I was a fan until this summer when I had it in a watermelon and arugula salad. It was out of this world.
Definitely not crazy, adding syrup would be great- I love sweet and savoury.
Hold up….vegetables with SYRUP? DO TELL!
My mum makes the BEST salad similar to that- sub feta for goat and its bomb dot com.
Oooohh! I have never had a savory pancake, but that looks and sounds good! I will have to give it a try and see how it works out! Does it taste kind of like an omelet, or like a pancake? I am curious to try! I love love LOVE my sweet pancakes, but these are so good for you, and I am up for trying new things, I am thinking now is the time! Thanks for sharing!
Hey Tina- thanks so much for stopping by! They definitely taste like a pancake and not ‘eggy’ at all if it makes sense!
I too love sweet pancakes but for some strange reason the savoury tooth is rampant these weeks and this man needs his pancakes! 🙂
lol…wontons, too cute!
I’ve never given savory pancakes a try, I keep seeing recipes pop up and I do find them intriguing. But I mean since I am a self-proclaimed cheese addict, I’m sure I would love them. I would probably top mine with a nice slab of brie….yum!
Mmm brie is amazing- what a great idea to top it with that!
GAH STUPID THING DELeTED MY COMMENT! Love when that happens. Not. Anyways what i was saying is that I adore savory pancakes, I am so much more of a savory person than a sweet person lately (blame that Whole 30 thing) so these look amazing. And reading the first comment, I kind of want to try a potato base pancake like that.
YES! Several of my mates who were self proclaimed sweet tooths are the polar opposites after going paleo!
My mum has this potato like pancake recipe which is grain free- I’ll grab the recipe off her but its some form of ground meat, mashed potatoes and some spices!
Oh my gosh post that oneeeeeee!
Done. Let me ninja the recipe from her. Look at my mum, being all paleo without knowing it 😉
I’ve been seeing savory pancake recipes a lot more lately. Probably because I’ve been reading more international blogs. These look great! I’m a HUGE fan of any cheese and goat is my favorite! I am a huge spicy lover. I’ll have to try these out Arman!
Thanks, Ashley- I hope you do give this a go!
I am thoroughly impressed. By try #3, I give up haha. I am trying to switch up my breakfasts to include some veggies and that definitely means more savory items. I have made sweet potato pancakes in the past but I love the idea of adding spinach and cauliflower to them… cheese, I’ll take a pass. Have a wonderful weekend friend! Speak to you when I’m back.
Hahaha, I’m pancake determined…if that’s a word 😉
I’ve tried a version of this without cheese which worked, but add another egg white and some salt. And of course, top with salsa 🙂