These Green Shamrock St Patrick’s Day Pancakes are the perfect way to start off the lucky day. They’re just as soft and fluffy as our regular buttermilk pancakes and surprisingly easy to make. 

The green pancake mix uses just a touch of green food coloring and is easiest to work with if you put it into a piping bag. You can even make it the night before to be all ready in the morning. They’re perfect for your St Patricks day celebration.

A white plate with a green shamrock shaped st patrick's day pancakes and a side of syrup and sliced kiwi. St patricks day breakfast.

St Patrick’s Day Pancakes

These adorable Green Shamrock Pancakes are a fun and festive St Patrick’s Day tradition that is a huge hit in my family. They are soft, fluffy, and super easy to make by using a piping bag, squeeze bottle, or shamrock cookie cutters.

The green pancake mix recipe is based off of our Perfect Buttermilk Pancakes recipe, but in a pinch you could certainly use your favorite pancake mix. Serve with syrup, butter, whipped cream, or fresh berries. 

While you’re at it, why not continue the fun with our Lucky Charms No-Bake Cookie Bars or Lucky Charms Cookies

Green Pancakes shaped like shamrocks cooking on a griddle. St patricks day pancakes, shamrock pancakes. Green pancake recipe.

Green Pancake Mix Ingredients

  • All-Purpose Flour – I use all-purpose flour for pancakes, but another acceptable type would be cake flour if you have it. Of course you could also skip right to the chase and use your favorite pancake mix!
  • Sugar – you want to use white granulated sugar for this recipe.
  • Baking Powder & Baking Soda – these help the batter rise, and keep the pancakes nice and fluffy.
  • Salt – salt balances all of the flavors.
  • Eggs – any kind of large eggs will work great.
  • Buttermilk – this adds a characteristic tangy flavor, helps the baking powder activate, and keeps your pancakes super fluffy.  If you are out of buttermilk, you can make your own buttermilk by mixing together 3 cups of milk and 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. Allow them to sit for about 10 minutes before using as directed.
  • Butter – this should be melted. You can use salted or unsalted for this recipe.
  • Vanilla Extract – pure vanilla extract is best.
  • Green Food Coloring – if you’re using a liquid food coloring you’ll need about 10 drops to get a deep green color. You can also use gel – just add bit by bit until you get the color you want.
Batter to make shamrock pancakes in a measuring cup. Green shamrock pancakes, st patrick's day pancakes. Green pancake mix, irish green.

How to Make St Patrick’s Day Pancakes

  1. Make the pancake batter. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk to combine. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla extract and whisk well to break up the eggs. Add the green food coloring and mix again.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently fold them together until well-combined. Do not overmix – the mixture should still be a little lumpy.
  2. Preheat a griddle. Heat a pan or non-stick griddle over medium heat, then add about a tablespoon of butter to grease the pan.
  3. Pipe shamrock pancakes. Transfer pancake batter to a piping bag and cut a small tip off of the end.  Quickly pipe the outline of a four leaf clover onto the griddle and then fill in with pancake batter. 
  4. Cook the pancakes. Allow the pancakes to cook until bubbles appear on the surface and the edges are beginning to look cooked, or about 2 minutes.  Flip and cook the pancakes on the other side until golden and cooked through, or about 1 minute more. Repeat this process with remaining batter.
  5. Serve. Serve pancakes with butter, syrup, whipped cream, or your favorite toppings.  Enjoy!
how to make the best shamrock pancakes, green pancake recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you make green shamrock shaped pancakes?

There are a few easy ways to make shamrock shaped pancakes. First, you can try our method using a piping bag. You could also add the pancake batter to a squeeze bottle, cutting the tip slightly larger if necessary. 

Another easy way to make shamrock (or any other) shaped pancakes is to place a shamrock cookie cutter onto the hot griddle. Make sure it has been lightly greased with nonstick cooking spray on the inside, then add the pancake batter. Leave the cutter for about 30 seconds, or until the pancake is set before removing it.

Can you freeze pancakes?

Yes! Once you have cooked all of your Shamrock Pancakes, let them cool completely and then transfer to a freezer bag. You can store them frozen for up to 1 month. When you are ready to eat them, you can pop them in the microwave or toaster.

Do I need to use buttermilk?

Buttermilk is super acidic which helps to break down the gluten and create super soft and fluffy pancakes. It also adds a nice tangy flavor. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can easily make your own by adding 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice to 3 cups of milk. Allow the mixture to sit for 5-10 minutes before using.

Can you make gluten-free pancakes?

Sure! You can either use a gluten-free pancake mix or substitute your favorite gluten-free flour in this recipe.

Storing and Reheating Instructions

  • Refrigerator: store leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
  • Freezer: store completely cooled pancakes in freezer bags for up to 1 month.
  • To reheat: you can either microwave or reheat pancakes in the toaster.
5 from 2 votes

Green Shamrock Pancakes Recipe

Author The Carefree Kitchen
These green shamrock pancakes are the perfect way to start off your St Patrick’s Day. They’re just as soft and fluffy as our regular pancakes and surprisingly easy to make.
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Yields6 people

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • teaspoons baking soda
  • teaspoons salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 cups buttermilk
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted (plus 4 tablespoons for cooking the pancakes)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 10 drops green food coloring

Instructions
 

  • In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk to combine.
  • In a separate mixing bowl, combine the eggs, buttermilk, 1/3 cup melted butter, and vanilla extract and whisk well to break up the eggs. Add the green food coloring and mix again.
  • Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently fold them together until combined. Do not overmix—the mixture should still be a little lumpy.
  • Heat a pan or non-stick griddle over medium heat, then add about a tablespoon of butter to grease the pan.
  • Transfer pancake batter to a piping bag and cut a small tip off of the end. Quickly pipe the outline of a four leaf clover onto the griddle and then fill in with pancake batter.
  • Allow the pancakes to cook until bubbles appear on the surface and the edges are beginning to look cooked, or about 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes using a spatula and continue to cook the other side until golden and cooked through, or about 1 minute more. Repeat this process with remaining batter.
  • Serve pancakes with butter, syrup, whipped cream, or your favorite toppings. Enjoy!

Notes

Storing leftovers: store leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. 
Make-ahead: pancake batter can be made up to 1 day in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to cook the next day.

Nutrition

Calories: 138kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 345mg | Potassium: 140mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 194IU | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 1mg
Disclaimer: Nutritional values were calculated using a third-party tool and are provided as an estimation only.
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
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These Green Shamrock Pancakes are soft, fluffy, and the perfect way to wake up on St Patrick’s Day. Serve green pancakes warm with your favorite pancake toppings.

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5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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One Comment

  1. I finally found a recipe that makes enough for my large family and great tasting too, the shamrocks were a hit!

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