Strawberry pancakes stand as one of the best ways to start the day off with a smile. But these are extra special. Because I use some strawberry Jello, you get a colorful pancake with just a touch more sweetness. These are easy to make and work wonderfully for brunch and entertaining. They stand out on any table.

Just look at that beautiful stack of strawberry pancakes! How could you not feel special with those in front of you? Of course, I have them dressed up extra pretty for you today, but don’t think I have to be all fancy like this all of the time. A little secret? I was eating these right out of the skillet! They are so tasty, they were perfect all on their own.

Valentine’s Day Pancakes

Of course, they can only be made more perfect by forming them into heart-shaped strawberry pancakes! And with Valentine’s Day coming, which as you may know is my most favorite holiday, Strawberry Pancakes are a perfect way to say “I love you”. (I don’t care if it is just a “Hallmark” holiday… any chance to tell the ones you love how much you love them is great in my book.) These pink-tinted pancakes just beg for a big dollop of whipped cream, don’t they?

Ingredients in Strawberry Pancakes

fresh strawberries, sliced
Strawberry Jell-O, divided
flour
baking powder
salt
eggs
milk
vegetable oil
Maple syrup and Whipped Cream for serving

(a full complete printable recipe is at the bottom of this post)

Your strawberry Jell-O will be used to coat the strawberries, and it will also get added to the pancake batter.

Toss strawberries with 1 Tablespoon of Strawberry Jell-O mix. Set aside. In a bowl whisk together flour, remaining Jell-O, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl beat together eggs, milk and oil. Add dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix to combine.

Prepare a griddle or skillet with non-stick cooking spray or oil, ladle batter into the skillet to form pancakes. (about ¼ cup for each pancake)

Cook until bubbles begin to form on the top of the pancake, and then flip to continue lightly browning on the opposite side.

Serve topped with syrup, strawberries and whipped cream.

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How to make strawberry pancakes from scratch

No taking any shortcuts with these strawberry pancakes. But none needed! This recipe is super simple and just a few ingredients to mix together. The most work you do is prepping the strawberries and watching to see when the bubbles form in the pancake so you know when to flip. There are some things to remember though.

Make sure not to over-stir the ingredients. The more you whip everything together, the longer the gluten strands get and the heavier your pancakes will be. Toss the dry ingredients together, then mix the wet ingredients separately. That way when you add them together you don’t have to do much more than combining everything.

If the mix is too thick, then add water a tablespoon or so at a time until it is just right. Too thin, then add a bit of flour.

Also, make sure your griddle pan or whatever skillet you use to cook them is nice and hot. Put a light slick of oil on there but just enough to coat the pan. If the cooking surface is hot enough then your pancakes won’t stick. The biggest mistake people make is trying to cook pancakes before the surface is hot.

If those first few stick at the beginning, then you end up wrestling with the pan for the rest of them. (Even on so-called non-stick pans)

Frozen vs fresh strawberries in pancakes

So, I definitely recommend using fresh strawberries in this recipe. However, that is conditional. Frozen strawberries are not necessarily bad to use either. Frozen strawberries can actually taste more intensely strawberry because of the freezing. But you do have to check if they are already coated in sugar or sugar free.

By mixing the fresh strawberries with the Jello, you add the extra sweetness, but the gelatin also helps bind up some of the water content in the strawberries. That means no soggy pancakes. Always a plus.

If you do decide to use unsweetened frozen strawberries in your strawberry pancakes, you will most likely want to use some extra flour to absorb the juices that will be inevitable when they defrost.

Topping off your pancakes

Maple syrup is my favorite for pancakes, but since these make a great Valentine’s Day treat, a bit of chocolate syrup would not be out of place either. Also, if you want to use more strawberries, then it is easy to make a strawberry sauce to go over them too. Just heat some extra strawberries in a saucepan with a bit of water and sugar. Mash the strawberries when they are cooked. A stick blender comes in real handy.

You can either pour it over like that, or pour it through a strainer if you just want the sauce without any pulp. Enjoy!

Here is a tutorial on making a homemade raspberry sauce that is easily adaptable to other berries!

How does using Jello gelatin work in pancakes?

Using Jello gelatin in pancakes might sound a little weird at first, but not on second look. In fact, gelatin can be used as an egg substitute since it works in the recipe very similar to what an egg does to help hold everything together. Of course, here we are still going to use eggs, but that is because eggs add flavor, fluff, protein… So why forsake all that?

But that Jello does come in handy for the color and the sugar. Can’t deny that!

Some great pancake recipes to check out

Pancakes are great for not just breakfast and brunch, and you can enjoy them in so many ways. Even for lunch and dinner, too. There is never a bad time for a good pancake! Here are some more delicious pancake recipes:

Banana Bread Pancakes (pictured above)
Chocolate Pancakes with Homemade Raspberry Sauce
Homemade Bisquick (make your own Bisquick for Pancakes!)
Mashed Potato Pancakes
Carrot Cake Protein Pancakes
Old Fashioned Pancakes
Peanut Butter Pancakes
Toasted Coconut Pancakes

Who’s hungry? I know I am – Let’s make some Strawberry Pancakes!

Close up of stacked Strawberry pancakes loaded with strawberries on top

4.79 from 14 votes

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