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Two elderflower pancakes served on a plate with a little glass bowl of applesauce. There is a napkin and silver cutlery next to the plate. In the background, another plate with the same contents, with a napkin and cutlery, blurred. The plates are placed on a patterned tablecloth with some elder leaves and flowers around them.

From May to July, you can see and smell the white flowers of the black elderberry (Sambucus nigra). The blossoms are edible and particularly fragrant. A sunny and dry day is ideal for harvesting elderberry blossoms. They have a lot of aroma! I’d like to share this elderflower pancake recipe with you to capture this wonderful taste.

Ingredients for making Elderflower Pancakes:

There are many elderflowers in a large wooden bowl. Around it are some bowls with spelled flour, applesauce, maple syrup, baking powder, and vanilla sugar. Next to the flour bowl there are two jugs with oat milk and soda. Everything is on a gray background with a white leaf pattern.

Elderflower blossoms
Spelt flour
Baking powder
Oat milk
Carbonated water
Marple syrup
Vanilla sugar
Apple sauce
Coconut oil for baking

Needed Equipment:

Paper towels to absorb the coconut oil after baking.

Only cut off the open flowers with scissors; if the flowers are still closed, they aren’t ready to be picked. Gently shake the elderflower heads to clean them a bit. Don’t wash the flowers after harvesting, or you’ll wash away the delicious pollen nectar and most of the flavor! You can tap the flowers against your hand and inspect them to see if there are any bugs or dirt on it. I’d recommend harvesting the elderflower blossoms in unpolluted areas.

All green parts of the elderflower, like leaves and stems, should not be eaten. They can be slightly toxic. When harvesting, we still leave the stalks on. They make the blossoms easy to handle when dipping the flower in the batter and placing it in the hot pan. Before serving, cut the stems off as close to the flower as possible.

How to make Elderflower Pancakes:

First, pour the spelt flour into a mixing bowl, sift in the baking powder, and combine. Then, gradually add all the other ingredients and mix with a hand mixer until you have a smooth batter. Now, heat the frying pan and melt half the coconut oil. Add the rest for another batch of pancakes when there is not enough oil left in the pan. Take an elderflower by the stem, dip it in the batter, and move it around. After lifting it, let it drip off a bit, then put the flower directly into the hot pan.

Two hands dip elderflowers in pancake batter in a stainless steel bowl.

In a black pan there are two elderflower pancakes that are fried in fat. In the background there is a cut round wooden board with elderflowers on it.

I used a small pan and I was able to bake two flowers at the same time. There should be enough oil in the pan; the flowers will be fried rather than baked. Turn when the fried side is nice and golden. Process all the elderberry flowers until you run out of batter.

After frying:

Now, prepare a large plate with paper towels. When both sides of the elderflower are completely fried, place the elderflower pancakes on top and let the paper absorb the excess oil from both sides. Repeat this process several times.

Serving Suggestions:

Before serving, cut the stems as close to the flower as possible. I served apple sauce with the elderflower pancakes. Vegan vanilla ice cream or extra maple syrup might also be nice.

Two elderflower pancakes are served on two plates, each with a little glass bowl of applesauce. There is a napkin and silver cutlery next to the plates. The plates are placed on a patterned tablecloth with some elder leaves and flowers around them.

I hope you enjoyed this elderflower pancake recipe. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Elderflower Pancakes

Ingredients for making Elderflower Pancakes:

How to make Elderflower Pancakes:

After frying:

Serving Suggestions:

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