Savory Wild Garlic Pancakes – Quick Spring Recipe

This is a recipe that we recently tried for the first time and absolutely adored! Golden brown pancakes filled with fresh green garlic goodness and flavor, Wild Garlic Pancakes are the perfect springtime meal. They’re ready in minutes and are a luxurious yet incredibly simple meal to enjoy any time of the day! 

I used a traditional Swedish pancake recipe for these pancakes. It produces a thin pancake, so I altered the ingredient amounts to create  a slightly thicker batter, but the traditional pancake method is the same.

What to do if you have a craving for wild garlic pancakes at a time of year when it's not available? If you cant get your hands on fresh wild garlic leaves you can substitute with green onions or scallions and some crushed garlic, sauteed in a little butter. 

Ingredients

2 Eggs

2 Large bunches of wild garlic leaves – rinse and pat dry using kitchen paper or a clean towel 

1.5 cups all-purpose flour—You can substitute 1/4 of the all-purpose flour for fine-ground whole wheat flour without noticing much of a difference. If you add more than that, you will need to add a little more liquid, such as a splash of cold water or milk.

1.25 Cups milk – you can use regular full-fat cow milk or plant-based milk, like oat milk, if you prefer. The added fat in cow’s milk helps to create soft pancakes, like the ones you’ll find served at Ikea.

1/4 tsp salt

Butter, coconut oil or olive oil for frying

Makes 6-8 pancakes

You will need: A large mixing bowl, whisk, and a large skillet or frying pan. You can check out my post about my favorite pancake pan here.

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Method

1. Beat the eggs gently in a large mixing bowl and add half of the milk and the salt, mixing until well blended. 

2. Add the flour and mix thoroughly to a clump-free batter without overworking. You can use a handheld mixer or mix by hand using a whisk. Add the remaining milk bit by bit until fully incorporated.

3. Roughly chop the wild garlic leaves and mix gently into the batter.

4. Heat a little oil or butter in a large frying pan. You want the pan to get quite hot without burning the butter or bringing the oil to the smoking point. Raise the temperature until the pan is at medium-high heat – You should see some bubbles start to form in the butter or the oil.

5. Using a soup ladle, add a thin layer of pancake batter to the hot pan. 

(You will need about a cup of the batter, depending on the size of your pan.) 

Lift the pan by the handle and swirl the batter around to cover the entire bottom of the pan. Use a fork to spread the wild garlic in an even single layer.

It’s time to flip when the edges of the pancake start to curl upwards, the batter starts to set, and if you peek, the underside of the pancake should be a golden brown. 

7. Cook on the second side until golden brown. The whole cooking process should take about 2-3 minutes in total.

If you find that the batter is too thick to swirl around the pan then you can add a splash of cold water or milk. 

8. Repeat until the pancake batter is used up.

Serving tips

Serve with a splash of lemon juice, an extra pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Alternatively, a splash of soy sauce.

Why not combine wild garlic with other wild edibles, such as dandelion leaves?

For added protein, you can add an extra egg yolk or two to the batter. Or use this High Protein Sourdough Crepe Recipe.

Let me know your favorite pancake recipe in the comments below!