Delicious stinging nettle pancakes | Easy Nordic treat
Stinging nettle pancakes, or crepes, are not only healthy but also absolutely delicious! These Nordic pancakes have a relatively thin texture with a crispy edge that you’ll love. Plus, nettle leaves are so easy to forage and identify in the wild, making these wild greens a wonderful addition to your regular spring flavours. Make at home on a cast-iron pan or out in the wilderness over the fire with a Muurikka crepe pan.
These green pancakes are a popular Nordic snack that, of course, you can buy at the grocery store (then they are made with spinach), but even better to make them from scratch at home. Outside the nettle season, my grandmother swapped nettles for spinach as many Nordics do. On the side of nettle pancakes, we Nordics make a yummy nettle soup, nettle pesto, nettle quiche, smoothie – you name it!
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Tips for foraging nettles
Stinging nettles (Urtica dioica) are perfect for beginners looking to try their hand at foraging! You can find them growing almost everywhere, and they tend to be quite abundant. The first nettle harvests can be gathered early in the spring, so don’t forget to grab your gardening gloves and a basket for your little adventure in the forest. Stinging nettles, well, they sting, so always wear gloves while collecting them. And remember, never eat or collect anything unless you’re absolutely sure you can identify it!
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When foraging nettles, choose the young and small nettles with stems, or pick only the upper leaves. Older nettles contain more of the nitrogenous compounds that are bad for us but amazing for plants as a fertiliser. The nettles that grow near the compost, road banks, or polluted areas have higher amounts of harmful nitrogen, so pay attention and avoid those areas.
It is quite easy to start foraging – easier than you think! Actually, foraging for one ingredient for dinner is one of the steps in the 30-day Natural Living Challenge that you can download below!
How to prep the stinging nettles
To remove the sting, simply blanch the nettles in boiling water for a few minutes. If you dry or crush them, the sting will also come off easily. Gather a good amount of stinging nettles and blanch them all at once in a small amount of water. After boiling for 4-5 minutes, make sure to rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking process and preserve their beautiful color. Strain the nettles and gently press against the strainer to remove any excess water. You can also pat them dry with a tea towel, but they might color the towel, though!
The nettle water can even be used to rinse your hair or poured onto your plants for a little extra nourishment.
Next, chop the nettles finely, and if you’re not using them immediately, pack them in an ice cube tray to freeze them in handy portions for the winter months. They’ll stay good until the next harvest season!
Does nettle beat spinach?
Yes! Nettles are fully packed with nutrients. They have 4-6 times more vitamin C than what is found in spinach. Other helpful nutrients are Vitamin A, K, and B, and several minerals, for example. And these nutrients act as antioxidants when you consume the stinging nettles.
What substitute for nettles outside the foraging season?
Nettles grow from spring to autumn, but the best harvest comes in the early springtime before they bloom. Outside the nettle season, you can substitute the nettle 1:1 with spinach to make spinach pancakes. Nettle tastes similar to spinach, nut is slightly brighter green and has a very unique flavor.
Ingredients you need for nettle pancakes
- Milk: I use cow milk most commonly, but you can substitute with some neutral-flavoured plant-based milk.
- Wheat flour: All-purpose flour goes just fine with this recipe, too!
- Eggs
- Fresh nettles
- Salt: I have used some sea salt
- Butter: for frying
You can find the exact measurements on the recipe card.
Tools you may need
- Medium bowl
- A ball whisk
- Swedish cast iron pan, or non-stick skillet
How to make stingign nettle panckakes
Step one: Mix the batter
Whisk eggs in a small bowl. Add milk and mix. Combine flour with the batter and then the blanched and chopped nettles.
Step two: Let the batter rest
Set the bowl aside and let the nettle pancake batter rest for 15 to 30 minutes before frying.
Step three: Fry the pancakes
Heat the cast-iron pan or a non-stick skillet or frying pan on the stove. Fry the pancakes on medium-high heat using melted butter to give extra flavor. Give the batter a good stir before pouring a ladle of the batter into the pan.
Flip pancakes once the batter seems steady after a couple of minutes and the color is golden brown. Because of the nettles, the color might be darker than you are used to, but it is totally fine! Repeat with the remaining batter.
What to serve with nettle pancakes
In Nordic countries, the nettle pancakes are most commonly served with lingonberry jam, like the Swedish oven pancakes, as well. Try some strawberry jam and raspberry jam, they are so darn good!
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Make savory pancakes with some savoury toppings like feta or goat cheese. Many like to eat cottage cheese with nettle pancakes too, you can try out with some homemade kefir cottage cheese, or eat with some smoked salmon, even!
How to store nettle pancakes
This Nordic treat is best enjoyed immediately, but you can store the stinging nettle pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to about three days (to be honest, we don’t have never had them even that long in the fridge, for they are finished in seconds!). You can also freeze the nettle pancakes in an airtight container or a freezer bag. Divide them into a few bags or place a parchment paper to separate them if you don’t want to thaw all at once. Store in the freezer up to three months.
What is your favourite wild green?
What greens do you like to forage for your basket from the forest? And what kind of food do you prepare with it? Tell me in the comments, I would love to know more!
You can find the recipe card below!
Stinging nettle pancakes
Stinging nettle pancakes, or crepes, are not only healthy but also absolutely delicious! These Nordic pancakes have a thin texture with a crispy edge that you’ll love. Plus, nettle leaves are so easy to forage and identify in the wild, making these wild greens a wonderful addition to your regular spring flavours. Make at home on a cast-iron pan or out in the wilderness over the fire with a Muurikka crepe pan.
Ingredients
- 500 ml of milk
- 2 eggs
- 250 g wheat flour
- 200 ml blanched, chopped nettles (65g fresh nettles)
- 0,5 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp butter
Instructions
- Step one: Mix the batter
Whisk eggs in a small bowl. Add milk and mix. Combine flour with the batter and then the blanched and chopped nettles. - Step two: Let the batter rest
Set the bowl aside and let the nettle pancake batter rest for 15 to 30 minutes before frying. - Step three: Fry the pancakes
Heat the cast-iron pan or a non-stick skillet or frying pan on the stove. Fry the pancakes on medium-high heat using melted butter to give extra flavor. Give the batter a good stir before pouring a ladle of the batter into the pan.
Flip pancakes once the batter seems steady after a couple of minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter.
What to serve nettle pancakes with
In Nordic countries, the nettle pancakes are most commonly served with lingonberry jam, but also strawberry jam and raspberry jam are so darn good! Make savory pancakes with some savoury toppings like feta or goat cheese. Many like to eat cottage cheese, you can try out with some homemade kefir cottage cheese or try with some smoked salmon, even!
How to store stinging nettle pancakes
This Nordic treat is best enjoyed immediately, but you can store the stinging nettle pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to about three days (to be honest, we don’t have never had them even that long in the fridge, for they are finished in seconds!). You can also freeze the nettle pancakes in an airtight container or a freezer bag. Divide them into a few bags or place a parchment paper to separate them if you don’t want to thaw all at once. Store in the freezer up to three months.
Notes
- Read my tips on foraging nettles if you are a beginner in foraging.
- For instructions on prepping the fresh nettles, scroll up under the header How to prepare stinging nettles
- Make the nettle pancake batter directly in the milk carton or a bottle to easily take it with you to fry the crepes outside over the fire like the Nordics do.
- Outside the nettle season, swap the nettles for spinach.
- If you prefer a smoother texture, you can mix the nettles lightly with a blender or a hand mixer to have beautiful pancakes that have a gorgeous green colour instead of green dotted pancakes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 40 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 88Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 757mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 3g
These calculations are generated automatically by Nutritionix based on the ingredients shown in the recipe. The nutrition information is an estimation and may include errors. All nutritional information presented and written within this site (blueteatile.com) is intended for informational purposes only. The writer is not a certified nutritionist or registered dietitian and any nutritional information should be used as a general guideline only.
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