Skip to Content

Cheesy Savory Pancakes with Green Onions

These Cheesy Savory Pancakes are a must-try if you're stuck in a recipe rut and looking to try something new. Made with sauteed green onions and cheddar cheese in the pancake batter, these savory pancakes are amazing for breakfast, lunch, OR dinner!

They're super easy to make and I give you lots of other savory pancake filling ideas below.

stack of savory cheesy pancakes topped with sour cream

Cheesy Savory Pancakes with Scallions, served with Lime Crema

I've mentioned several times on this blog that I am definitely more into savory foods than sweet foods. So I often play around in the kitchen and rework a traditionally sweet recipe into something savory.

These savory pancakes are one of my FAVORITE things that I've reworked into savory foods. Think soft, fluffy pancakes, sauteed caramelized green onions, crispy melty cheddar cheese... all topped with an easy lime crema.

Related recipe: Savory Chicken Crepes

spooning lime crema onto a stack of savoury pancakes

Related recipe: Savory Oatmeal

How to serve savory pancakes

You might be thinking... OK great, but how the heck do you serve savory pancakes? Well, here's how:

For breakfast on the side with bacon and eggs... or as the main star of your breakfast!

For lunch, dipping into tomato sauce or with a salad.

For dinner, as a side for steak, or as the main course if you add some more protein (see below for savoury pancake filling ideas to make these more hearty!)

As a snack - these are great as an after-school snack or mid-day snack for hungry kids and the whole family. These savory pancakes are GREAT for toddlers, especially if you're trying to keep them from getting used to sugary foods at an early age.

stack of savory pancakes cut open

Related recipe: Savory French Toast

How to make these savory pancakes

These cheesy pancakes are super easy to make. They follow the same basic pancake recipe using a 1:1 flour:milk ratio, but I add shredded cheddar cheese and sauteed scallions to the batter.

You can use any melt-able cheese that you like instead of cheddar - I've made these with Monterey Jack and Pepper Jack before.

Sauteing the scallions is optional, but I really prefer them sauteed in these pancakes because they caramelized and give the pancakes a nice savory, smoky, caramelized flavor, which goes so well with the cheesy savory theme... that, and I don't like the flavor of raw onions/green onions that much.

I use a whole cup of chopped scallions in this recipe because they reduce down a LOT once they are sauteed for a few minutes. If you skip the sauteing step, then reduce the scallions a bit because a whole cup of raw scallions is too much for one batch of pancakes.

sauteed green onions in a pan

Once your green onions are sauteed, you just add them to the pancake batter along with the cheddar cheese. Stir them in (don't over-mix!), and cook them like regular pancakes.

collage of step by step photos for how to make cheesy savoury pancakes with scallions

Related recipe: Cabbage Fritters

Savory pancake filling ideas

I kept these savory pancakes vegetarian and kid-friendly without a lot of spice, but there are lots of fillings you can add to switch things up. Here are some of my favorite savoury pancake fillings. You can add anywhere from a few tablespoons to a cup of these fillings to the pancake batter, and the pancakes will still hold up well: 

  • Diced ham or diced pepperoni
  • Diced jalapeno (add it raw, or saute it with the green onions to mellow out the spice)
  • Crumbled bacon
  • Diced bell pepper (saute it with the green onions to soften it)
  • Tuna
  • Black beans
  • Corn (in fact, try my corn fritters!)
  • Grated carrot (I microwave the carrots to soften them)
  • Grated zucchini (squeeze out the excess liquid)
  • Using spicy Pepper Jack cheese or tasty Gruyere instead of cheddar

stack of savory cheesy pancakes with scallions on a plate

You can also make these pancakes with white whole wheat flour to make them extra nutritious but still keep them light and fluffy in texture. White whole wheat flour is not as dense and heavy as whole wheat flour made from red wheat berries.

Related recipe: Salmon Potato Cakes

However you decide to make these pancakes, I really hope you give them a try! They are a great option if you're trying to cut down on sugary foods and don't want to have a sugary breakfast.

If you try these pancakes, please take a picture and tag me on Instagram or Facebook. You can find me at @babaganoshblog on both. I love seeing your creations!

Looking for other fun savory foods to try?

Looking for other pancake recipes?

If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!

pinterest collage of stacks of savory pancakes

stack of savory pancakes with sour cream on top
Print Recipe
4.88 from 25 votes

Cheesy Savory Pancakes with Scallions

These Cheesy Savory Pancakes with Scallions make a wonderful snack, breakfast, lunch or dinner - make them anytime you want to get out of the recipe rut or don't want a breakfast loaded with sugar.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 pancakes
Author: Kate
Cost: $4

Ingredients

Cheesy Pancakes with Scallions
  • 1 cups diced green onions - (from ~5-10 scallions, depending on their size, see notes)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup grated cheddar cheese - (or use more if you like things cheesy!)
  • 1.5 cups all purpose flour - (or white whole wheat flour)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1.5 cups milk - (any kind - 1%, 2%, whole, or vegan)
  • 1 egg - , lightly beaten
  • 2 tablespoons butter - , melted
  • Non-stick spray for cooking
Lime Crema:
  • 1/4 cup cup sour cream
  • Juice of 1/4 lime - (about 1 teaspoon)
  • Salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil and add the diced scallions. Stir-fry over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, or until they reduce in size and start to brown. 
  • In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. 
  • In a medium bowl, combine the milk, melted butter, and beaten egg, and stir until almost combined. 
  • Add the wet ingredients (milk mixture) to the dry ingredients (flour mixture) and stir until almost combined. Add the chopped onions and the shredded cheese to the pancake mix in the bowl and stir until just combined - do not over-mix.
  • Cook the pancakes like you would cook regular pancakes: Place about 1/4 cup of batter on a greased pan, and cook over medium heat for 2-4 minutes on each side, until the top starts bubbling and the bottom is golden brown. Flip, and cook on the other side for 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown and fully cooked 
  • Make the lime crema: Combine the sour cream, lime juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Serve over the pancakes, garnishing with chopped scallion and shredded cheese. 

Notes

The scallions cook down a lot when you saute them and give the pancakes a great savory caramelized onion flavor. If you don't want to do the saute step, then reduce the amount of scallions and add them into the batter directly.

Other savory mix-in ideas:

  • Diced ham or diced pepperoni
  • Diced jalapeno (add it raw, or saute it with the green onions to mellow out the spice)
  • Crumbled bacon
  • Diced bell pepper (saute it with the green onions to soften it)
  • Tuna
  • Black beans
  • Corn (in fact, try my corn fritters!)
  • Grated carrot (I microwave the carrots to soften them)
  • Grated zucchini (squeeze out the excess liquid)
  • Using spicy Pepper Jack cheese or tasty Gruyere instead of cheddar
You might also like these savory veggie-loaded breakfasts:

Nutrition

Calories: 153kcal (8%) | Carbohydrates: 13g (4%) | Protein: 8g (16%) | Fat: 8g (12%) | Saturated Fat: 3g (15%) | Cholesterol: 24mg (8%) | Sodium: 88mg (4%) | Potassium: 136mg (4%) | Fiber: 2g (8%) | Sugar: 3g (3%) | Vitamin A: 155IU (3%) | Calcium: 81mg (8%) | Iron: 0.5mg (3%)

The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.

Share this post by clicking the buttons below:

Comments or questions about the recipe?
Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Ashley

Sunday 29th of August 2021

These were really good. I topped the pancakes with fried eggs and runny yolk.

Lisa

Sunday 17th of January 2021

These were great! A big hit with the Family!!!

Kate

Monday 18th of January 2021

Woo hoo! Awesome!!

Kate

Tuesday 16th of September 2014

Kelly: Your grown up grilled cheese sounds awesome, and I love how you experimented with it! I like adding jalapeno to things as well, and I also like calling things "grown up" or "fancy" just because you added an unexpected ingredient :)

Kelly @ Trial and Eater

Tuesday 16th of September 2014

I've been loving adding jalapeno to dishes lately! AND I JUST used monterey jack with jalapeno in my latest "grown up" grilled cheese recipe! It's delicious cheese!

Maureen

Saturday 13th of September 2014

I love this idea! I haven't seen cheese with jalapeno here in Australia but I know how to mix. :)

Kate

Sunday 14th of September 2014

Haha exactly, just add some jalapeno. I was actually looking for regular cheese when I went shopping, but once I saw the jalapeno cheese I thought it sounded good. I'm glad I went with it!

Thanks for stopping by!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.