Strawberry Ombre Pancakes

These strawberry flavor packed, vibrant, and ombre eggless pancakes are the perfect breakfast that is inviting and would make the most memorable breakfast of your life. These pancakes drizzled with strawberry syrup makes the ultimate strawberrylicious breakfast! These are great for special occasions like birthdays, Valentine’s Day, and for any other day as well, and it could be made vegan too.

The pancakes are most easy to make, just like regular pancakes. It just needs a little bit of extra prep work to make them ombre. But that doesn’t take your entire day, just a couple more minutes. Yes, with a couple of minutes at your disposal you can bring a wow factor at your breakfast table.

What makes these ombre pancakes special?

Everything! Yes, these pancakes with strawberry flavor and with vibrant gradient pink color makes the breakfast extra special.  

The ingredients needed to make these pancakes are:

All purpose flour - This is the best flour for these ombre pancakes. Making it with whole wheat would be a better healthy choice but the colors will not be this vibrant. Special days are to indulge and hence use all purpose flour for best results.

Milk - This is the liquid base for the pancakes. Cow milk is used in this recipe, any plant based milk can also be used.

Butter - Butter makes any pancakes delicious. For the vegan option, any neutral flavored oil could be used.

Baking powder - the leavening agent for these pancakes

Salt - adds to the flavor

Sugar - Sweetener

Freeze dried strawberry powder - This is the best option to make these pancakes and I highly recommend using it. Fresh pureed strawberries add to the liquids in the batter and make it runny. For fluffier pancakes packed with tons of strawberry flavor, use freeze dried strawberry powder. These are available in any store in powder form. Freeze dried fruit can also be ground and then added. Strawberry white Chocolate Fudge, Matcha and Strawberry Cream Melonpan, White Chocolate Strawberry Bomb use the freeze dried strawberries and the powder.

Strawberry syrup - Syrup is the perfect pair for any pancakes and these strawberry flavored pancakes are elevated in flavors when drizzled with strawberry syrup. Store bought or homemade syrup can be used.

Toppings - Fresh fruits like sliced bananas, strawberries, and blueberries are great to serve as toppings for these pancakes along with a little butter or whipped cream.

Food color - The strawberry powder adds color to the pancakes but a little bit of food color gives the vibrant color to these pancakes. I recommend using gel food colors.

How to make these ombre?

It is easy to make the pancakes ombre colored. I chose from dark pink to lighter pink and four shades of pink. Divide the batter into four portions, and add a little color to three portions. For the lighter color, I used the pancake base color which had two drops of pink color. For the second gradient, add 2 drops of pink color. For the third darker color, add a drop of purple and a drop of red to the batter. To make the final darkest pink color, add one tablespoon of strawberry powder, two drops of pink, one drop of purple, and a drop of red food coloring. Mix the gel food color well into the batter. The gel food color will deepen a little with time and while cooking. So choose the quantity of food coloring according to the color you desire to bring in your pancakes.

How many servings are in this recipe?

This recipe makes about 16 pancakes that are about 6-7 inch diameter in size. This will easily serve four. There will be four pancakes for each color. To make even sized pancakes, it is a great idea to use an icecream scoop which helps in pouring even portion of batter every time.

These strawberrylicious pancakes are easy and take almost the same time when compared to regular pancakes. It needs three to five minutes extra for adding the colors and mixing it in the batter.

These strawberry pink ombre pancakes are great to serve for this Valentine’s Day. There are recipes on this blog that keep you covered for food ideas to serve on Valentine’s Day. Here is a Indian Valentine's Day Special Menu. Rasmalai Oat Pancakes and Persian Love Cake Muffins are also great as breakfast or dessert. While you serve these for breakfast, make a plan to make this Dum Biriyani or this Beetroot Pulao for your loved ones and serve Very Berry Lassi along with the meal. Dates Oats Vegan Cookies and Triple Chocolate M&M Giant Heart Cookie are excellent midday and evening snacks. Rosemalai and Soft White Chocolate Strawberry Fudge can be made ahead for serving as a dessert after you serve these garlic butter parathas and butter cauliflower for dinner, and with Roasted Beet Falafel as appetizer.. 

Here are some amazing strawberry recipes from the blog:

Strawberry white Chocolate Fudge

Strawberry Salsa

Matcha and Strawberry Cream Melonpan

White Chocolate Strawberry Bomb

Strawberry Shrikhand

Korean Strawberry Milk

I am linking this to Blogging Marathon, Sundays on Silverado, What's For Dinner, and Happiness is Homemade. 

Ingredients

16 pancakes

All purpose flour - 2 and 1/4 cups

Baking powder - 2 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Aquafaba - 3 tbsp

Sugar - 4 tbsp

Melted butter - 2 tbsp

Milk - 2 cups

Vanilla - 1 tsp

Strawberry powder 4 + 1 tbsp

Toppings

Strawberry Syrup

Butter and/or Cream

Fresh fruits

Method

To a bowl add the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and freeze dried strawberry powder, and mix. Set aside.

 To another bowl, add milk, aquafaba, vanilla, and  two drops pink food coloring followed by melted butter. 

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, whisk to make a lump free batter.

Divide the dough into four portions of one cup batter each. For the first color leave with the same light pink pancake base batter. To make the next darks coloring, 2 extra drops pink food color and mix well. For the third color, add one drop of  purple and one drop of  red color, and mix. For the darkest pink color, add one tablespoon of strawberry powder, one drop of  purple, two drops of  pink, and one drop of  red food color to the batter and mix.

To make pancakes, heat a pan. Melt a little butter and add a scoop of pancake batter and let it cook for two minutes. Flip and cook for a minute. Remove from the pan and set aside. Repeat with the remaining batter, and the other colored batter too. 

To serve, stack the pancakes from the darkest to the lightest pink color.

Drizzle with strawberry syrup, add butter/cream and top with fruits of choice. Serve immediately.