Easy Oven-Baked Pancake Bars for Kids

Love pancakes, but not so keen on standing at the stove flipping them one by one?

These easy oven-baked pancake bars will change this! You make one batch, add a few different toppings, and pop them into the oven in a silicon mini loaf tray or something similar.

They're easy enough for breakfast, perfect for afternoon snacks and, best of all, they work brilliantly in lunchboxes. Make a few extra and you've got a freezer stash ready for those mornings when packing lunches feels like one job too many.

Why we love pancake bars for kids

The best part about pancake bars is that everyone can have their favourite without you making three different breakfasts.

Add blueberries to some, raspberries to another, choc chips to the next and leave a few plain for the child who suddenly decided they don't like the thing they loved yesterday. 🙃

They're also:

- Quick to prepare

- Easy to make in one batch

- Great for breakfast or snacks

- Perfect for little hands

- Easy to portion for lunchboxes

- Freezer friendly

- Customisable for different tastes

And there's no flipping pancakes one at a time. That's a win in our books.

What you'll need

- Your favourite pancake mix, homemade or packet mix

- Raspberries

- Blueberries

- Choc chips

- Sliced banana

- Any other pancake toppings your kids love

You'll also need a silicone oven tray for baking.

How to make pancake bars in the oven

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C.

2. Make your favourite pancake batter according to the recipe or packet instructions.

3. Pour the pancake mixture evenly into each section of your silicone mini loaf or bar tray.

4. Add your toppings to each one. Try raspberries in a few, blueberries in others, choc chips, banana or leave some plain.

5. Bake for around 15 minutes, or until the pancake is cooked through and lightly golden.

6. Allow it to cool slightly before serving.

That's it. Pancakes without being chained to the frying pan. 🙌

Try:

Blueberry: Scatter fresh or frozen blueberries over the batter.

Raspberry: Add raspberries and gently press them into the mixture.

Banana choc chip: Add thinly sliced banana and a few choc chips.

Mixed berry: Combine blueberries and raspberries.

Plain: Because sometimes plain is exactly what they want!

You can even let the kids choose their own before the tray goes into the oven. It's a simple way to give them some choice without making completely different meals.

Packing pancake bars in lunchboxes

Once cooled, pancake bars make such an easy lunchbox addition. But this is where how you pack them can make a difference.

If you're packing pancake bars alongside juicy fruit, yoghurt or other wet foods, keeping everything separated can help stop your beautiful pancake bars coming home as one slightly soggy situation.

A compartment-style snack box makes this much easier. Pancake bars can have their own little section, while berries, fruit and other snacks stay separate.

For kids who don't need a huge morning tea, a snack box can also make more sense than taking an entire second lunchbox. Our Snack Box collection has plenty of different sizes and configurations, so you can choose one that suits how much your child actually eats.

If your child is firmly in the "my foods cannot touch" camp, the b.box Silicone Bento Tray is another clever option for creating extra separation inside a compatible lunchbox.

Making a batch for the freezer? Here's the clever bit

This recipe is definitely worth doubling.

Once the pancake bars have completely cooled, portion them out before freezing so you can grab exactly what you need later.

For smaller portions, the Silicone Bento Box with 6 Compartments is particularly handy because it isn't just a snack box. It can also be used as a freezer tray with a lid.

That means you can use the individual compartments to portion your prep before it goes into the freezer, then grab what you need later.

Anything that makes future-you's morning easier gets our vote.

Another easy way to prep ahead

If you know exactly how many pancake bars you'll need for morning tea, you can portion them into a reusable container the night before.

The b.box Silicone Lunch Pocket is fridge and freezer safe, so you can prep snacks ahead of time and simply grab them when you're packing the lunchbox.

It also works on its own or inside a compatible lunchbox or lunch bag, making it a handy option for kids who only need a smaller snack.

And unlike a disposable zip-lock bag, you wash it and use it again.

Don't forget about keeping lunchbox snacks cool

Pancake bars themselves are easy to pack, but once you start adding yoghurt, berries, sliced fruit or other chilled sides, keeping the whole snack cool becomes more important.

If you're sending a smaller snack box rather than a full lunchbox, have a look at our Snack Sized Insulated Bags. They're designed specifically for smaller snack boxes, fruit breaks and similar little meals, so you're not sending a giant lunch bag for one small container.

There are also PackIt Freezable Bags with freezable gel built into the bag itself. Freeze the bag overnight, pack it in the morning and the bag itself helps keep everything cool.

One less ice pack to remember. We like that. 🙌

How to store pancake bars

Keep leftover pancake bars in an airtight container in the fridge once they've cooled completely.

If you're making them ahead for lunchboxes, separate your portions when you store them. It makes them much easier to grab during the week.

For individual portions, you can also use our reusable sandwich and snack bags instead of disposable bags.

Can you freeze pancake bars?

Absolutely.

Once completely cooled, freeze the individual pancake bars in portions so you can take out only what you need.

For best results, separate layers if you're stacking them so the bars don't freeze together.

Then you've got an easy breakfast or lunchbox snack sitting in the freezer ready to go.

That's the kind of meal prep we can actually get behind.