Savoury Spring Onion Pancakes

When you’ve got nothing in the fridge, these savoury pancakes will come to your rescue! Grab whatever flour you’ve got lying around (gluten free, sprouted, whatever takes your fancy), add some spice, then go wild with the veggie toppings! These are the easiest dinner ever. Don’t forget the avo!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
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And so we’re back! Our two week sojourn to the Gold Coast went by in a flash, and I’m now quietly sitting here on a Friday morning recovering from minor jet lag (Oz and NZ are only 2 hours apart, but the pain for this mid-night-waking-mama is still real). It’s also been a rather rude awakening to what is now full-force New Zealand winter, with intermittent showerings almost every day back here at home.

On the food front, a quick scan of the fridge when we arrived home revealed as per usual zilch, bar a few less savoury looking lemons and a couple of jars of kraut. 

Savoury Spring Onion Pancakes by Buffy Ellen

So on the menu this week? These Savoury Spring Onion Pancakes

This is what I make when I’ve got nothing to make. You know those nights? No ideas, no ingredients, no energy, no time… 

If you’re feeling like one of those eves is looming, you are going to love these quick and quirky pancakes.

Buffy Ellen holding a plate with Savoury Spring Onion Pancake

All you need? A bag of whole grain flour (whatever you have will do), a trusty avocado (or cashew cheese if you have some on hand), and a quick whiz up to your local super for a bunch of spring onions and whatever other veggies are on special. Hint: the mark-down box is your ally here – take the guess work out of what you’ll pop on your pancakes, by taking a queue from what’s on special. In fact – all the specimens you see here were mark-down marvels! 

Savoury Spring Onion Pancakes by Buffy Ellen

Add a dash of what’s lying in your spice drawer, and voila – you have yourself a seriously tasty dinner that wouldn’t be out of place on any new-age café menu. 

Fire up your pan and let’s go! 

Savoury Spring Onion Pancakes by Buffy Ellen

The best thing about these savoury pancakes is they’re super versatile. I’ve tried them with lots of different flours – what works best is a combo of a few. Besan or chickpea is great on its own, but others like buckwheat, brown rice, millet, quinoa – are quite strong and earthy to taste, so are best balanced from flavour and texture wise in a blend. This particular recipe I’ve used ¼ of four different types, and the flavour/texture came out great. But feel free to use what you have. 

Savoury Spring Onion Pancake by Buffy Ellen

You can also top these with things other than spring onions. Thinly sliced red onion works nicely also, or a some crushed garlic too.  

As for the toppings, as long as you’ve got something creamy (avocado or this cashew cheese here) , something tangy and sweet like a relish, and something fresh (sprouts, greens, toms, cuc), you can’t go wrong. 

Savoury Spring Onion Pancakes by Buffy Ellen

Give them a try and let me know your favourite combo! 

Til next week as always, stay happy and well. 

Savoury Spring Onion Pancakes

Savoury Spring Onions Pancakes – when you’ve got nothing in the fridge, these pancakes are your go-to! Grab whatever flour you’ve got lying around (gluten free, sprouted, whatever takes your fancy), add some spice, then go wild with the toppings! Easiest dinner ever.



5 from 1 vote
Servings 4 people
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 c flour (eg 1/4 each of buckwheat, millet, besan/chickpea, brown rice)
  • 2 c water
  • 2 tsp sea salt (or kelp)
  • 2-4 tsp dried spices (eg turmeric, garam masala, or cumin)

Toppings

  • 1 avocado (or 1 c cashew cheese)
  • Leafy greens, sprouts and relish

Instructions

  • Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, then add a small amount of the wet ingredients, stirring until a smooth paste is formed with no lumps. Add the rest of the wet ingredients.
  • Heat 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in a pan, then pour 1/2-3/4 cup of the batter in (1/2 cup will make you 6 smaller pancakes, 3/4 cup will make you 4 large). Sprinkle over the sliced spring onion. Wait for a few minutes until bubbles appear all over, then flip and cook for another 2 minutes on the other side until golden.
  • Plate up on four plates, with 1/4 of an avocado on each (or 1/4 c cashew cheese if using), some greens, sprouts, a big dollop of relish, and if you like – some toasted cashews or sesame seeds. These are also great topped with my Curried Cashews here, or Cashew Parmesan here. Actually – they taste good with anything on top! As long as you've got creamy (avo/cheese), tangy (relish), fresh (veges), and crunchy (seeds). Serve and devour immediately.

Recipe Notes

  • These pancakes are so versatile! Use whatever flour you have in the pantry – buckwheat, brown rice, spelt, quinoa, amaranth, millet, zentrofan, or wholewheat. I like them best with a combo of a few (quinoa and amaranth for example are a bit too overpowering on their own, so these flours are best to combo with others). 1/4 of four different types if I’ve got them is my favourite blend.
  • To make your own flours out of grains or legumes, the general rule of thumb is 3/4 cup legumes/grains = 1c flour. For this recipe, you’d therefore want 1 1/2 cups of grains or legumes to produce the 2 cups of flour needed.
  • If you don’t have spring onion on hand, you can also sprinkle these with sliced red onion too – just something to give them a bit of flavour (thinly sliced garlic is also delicious – it caramelises and goes crispy once you flip them!).
  • You can also add whatever flavourings you like. Cumin, turmeric, garam masala, thyme, oregano, rosemary, coriander – whatever spices or herbs you have on hand. Get experimental – you can make these Indian, Middle Eastern, Italian, or even Asian!
  • You can also make sweet versions of these pancakes too. Just reduce the salt to 1/4 tsp, add 1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and omit the spring onion replacing with berries or thinly sliced banana/pear if desired. Top with more berries / banana / whatever fruit is in season, coconut yoghurt/coconut cashew chia cream (try my recipe here), desiccated coconut, chopped nuts, and a drizzle of nut butter. For more topping ideas head to my original Banana Berry Pancake recipe here
  • You can make this batter ahead of time too, so it’s a great one to make a big batch and have it sitting in the fridge. Yes the baking powder will lose a bit of its pizazz, but they still turn out great. I’ll make a big batch of batter for eg 4 serves, then cook half one night with one set of toppings, and the other half the next night with a different flavour combo on top.
  • Would love to hear what sprinkle and topping combos you try!