Santa Pancakes

One of our favorite parts of the holiday season is creating memorable family traditions—especially those that involve food. From baking dozens of Christmas cookies to sipping homemade hot cocoa after a day of Christmas tree decorating, these activities add so much magic to the season. This year, assemble Santa pancakes for a festive, kid-friendly cooking experience the whole family can enjoy.

This easy holiday breakfast recipe begins with fluffy pancakes made from your favorite pancake mix. Then, let your holiday creativity shine and decorate each Santa pancake with a Santa hat, beard and eyes using cherry pie filling, plenty of whipped cream, bananas and chocolate chips.

You can either preassemble for everyone at your table or create an assembly line of toppings that will allow the kids and adults to create their own version of jolly old St. Nicholas. No matter your choice, these Santa Claus pancakes are sure to become a holiday recipe that’s passed down for generations.

Ingredients for Santa Pancakes

• Biscuit/baking mix: A box of baking mix is among our favorite shortcut ingredients. You can also use a homemade pancake mix for this Santa pancake recipe if you have one handy.
• Cinnamon: Cinnamon adds a touch of warmth and holiday spice. If you don’t enjoy cinnamon, you can omit it from the recipe.
• Eggs: Eggs bind the ingredients together and influence the texture and structure of the Santa Claus pancakes, making the pancakes soft, tender and fluffy.
• Milk: Milk enriches the pancakes with extra fat, making them soft and tender. It also thins the batter to a pourable consistency. For thicker Santa Claus pancakes, use less milk. If you prefer thinner pancakes, you can add a little extra milk.
• Vanilla: A dash of vanilla subtly flavors the Santa pancake recipe.
• Bananas: Sliced into thin rounds, the bananas are used to make Santa’s eyes and ears.
• Chocolate chips: Finish Santa’s eyes with two chocolate chips.
• Cherry pie filling: Choose your favorite cherry pie filling from the store or make your own homemade cherry pie filling.
• Whipped cream: For ease and control, this Santa pancake recipe uses whipped cream from a can to make Santa’s hair and beard. Alternatively, you can make your own homemade whipped cream and pipe it from a pastry bag fitted with a star tip.

Directions

Step 1: Mix the pancake batter

In a large bowl, combine the baking mix and cinnamon. In a separate small bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and stir just until moistened and a few lumps remain.

Editor’s Tip: Here are some of our favorite quick and easy tips for making pancakes better.

Step 2: Cook the pancakes

To cook, pour the batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a greased hot electric griddle or skillet over medium heat. Flip when bubbles form on the pancake tops and the edges appear dry, then cook until the second sides are golden brown. Place the pancakes on individual plates.

Editor’s Tip: If you need to work in batches, you can keep Santa pancakes warm by placing them in a single layer on a cooling rack in a 200°F oven until ready to serve.

Step 3: Decorate each Santa pancake

To decorate the Santa Claus pancakes, place two banana slices on each pancake with a chocolate chip in the center to make Santa’s eyes. For his ears, cut the remaining banana slices in half and place on either side of each pancake. For Santa’s nose, remove nine cherries from the pie filling and place one in the center of each pancake.

Spoon 1/4 cup pie filling above each pancake and shape it into a triangular, Santa-shaped hat. Then, finish the Santa Claus pancakes with whipped cream, spraying in a swirling pattern to make Santa’s beard, hair, hat brim and pom-pom.

Editor’s Tip: Make frosty friends for your Santa pancake and turn some of your pancakes into snowmen using the directions from this banana pancake snowman recipe.

MARK DERSE FOR TASTE OF HOME

Recipe Variations

• Opt for a healthier Santa pancake: If you prefer healthier holiday recipes, opt for sliced fresh cherries, strawberries or raspberries to make Santa’s hat. Then, use raisins instead of chocolate chips for the eyes. For the whipped cream, opt for a light or low-fat variety, or try piping a thick Greek yogurt from a pastry bag fitted with a star tip.
• Make it without whipped cream: If you prefer to make this Santa pancake recipe without whipped cream, you can slice extra bananas and use them to make Santa’s hair and beard.
• Use another pancake recipe: You can make Santa Claus pancakes with any of your favorite pancake recipes. Try our best-ever pancakes recipe or stick with classic buttermilk pancakes.

How to Store Santa Pancakes

Santa pancakes are best stored unassembled, with the pancakes and various toppings in separate containers. Keep the pancakes, cherry pie filling and whipped cream refrigerated. It is best to store bananas unsliced, so they don’t oxidize and brown. However, if you have leftover sliced bananas, you may refrigerate them in an airtight container with a few drops of lemon juice for up to four days.

How long do Santa pancakes last?

Santa Claus pancakes and the assorted toppings will stay fresh for three to four days.

How do you reheat Santa pancakes?

Pancakes from scratch may be reheated in a skillet on the stovetop, in an oven or in a microwave. To warm them in a skillet, arrange the pancakes in a single layer over medium heat, flipping once, until heated through. Alternatively, warm leftover Santa pancakes in a 350° oven for 5 to 10 minutes until heated through. To reheat Santa Claus pancakes in the microwave, warm them in 30-second intervals until they are heated through.

Santa Pancake Tips

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What’s the best way to flip a pancake?

Knowing how to flip a pancake comes with patience and practice. Wait to flip a pancake until the edge is dry and the surface begins to bubble and pop. Don’t try to flip too soon our you’ll end up with a big mess.

How do you make sure your Santa pancakes are fluffy?

The secret to fluffy Santa Claus pancakes comes down to mixing. When making pancakes, take care to not overmix your batter. A common pancake mistake is mixing the batter until it is smooth when you actually want to mix the batter just until all the dry ingredients are moistened and some lumps remain.

What else can you serve with Santa pancakes?

These whimsical Santa Claus pancakes can be served on their own or with other Christmas brunch recipes. Try our favorite Christmas breakfast casserole, or pair these Santa pancakes with a generous pour of homemade gingerbread spiced syrup. Round out your Santa pancake menu with some baked bacon and a colorful home-for-Christmas fruit bake, and you’ll be all set for St. Nick.