Matcha Pear Pancakes with Warm Cinnamon Pears

These soft matcha pancakes bring gentle green-tea flavour to a familiar breakfast, while warm cinnamon pears add natural sweetness and a cosy late-winter finish. The recipe uses metric measurements, takes about 30 minutes and makes eight small pancakes—enough for two generous servings.

For a balanced green colour without too much bitterness, use 4 g of VitaLuma Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder AA Grade. Matcha naturally contains caffeine, and the amount can vary between powders, so serve and time the recipe according to your own caffeine tolerance.¹

Serves: 2
Makes: 8 small pancakes
Prep time: 12 minutes
Cook time: 18 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Warm cinnamon pears

• 2 medium firm pears (about 320 g whole), cored and cut into 1.5 cm cubes
• 15 ml water
• 15 ml honey or maple syrup
• 5 ml lemon juice
• 2.5 ml ground cinnamon
• Small pinch fine salt

Matcha pancakes

• 120 g cake flour
• 15 g caster sugar
• 8 g baking powder
• 4 g VitaLuma Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder AA Grade (about 2 level teaspoons)
• 1 g fine salt
• 1 large egg
• 180 ml milk or unsweetened plant-based milk
• 15 ml neutral oil, plus a little extra for the pan
• 5 ml vanilla extract

Method

1. Cook the pears. Put the diced pears, water, honey or maple syrup, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt in a small saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for another 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pears are tender but still hold their shape and the liquid is lightly syrupy. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, matcha and salt in a medium bowl. Break up any small matcha lumps so the colour is evenly distributed.
3. Mix the wet ingredients. In a jug, whisk the egg, milk, 15 ml oil and vanilla until combined.
4. Make the batter. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Fold just until no dry flour remains; a few small lumps are fine. Rest the batter for 5 minutes while the pan heats.
5. Cook the pancakes. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat and wipe it with a thin film of oil. Spoon about 30 ml batter per pancake into the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes, until bubbles appear and the edges look set. Turn and cook for 45–60 seconds on the second side. Lower the heat if the pancakes brown before the centres set. Repeat with the remaining batter.
6. Serve. Divide the pancakes between two plates and spoon over the warm cinnamon pears and their syrup. Serve immediately.

Useful recipe notes

• Keep the heat moderate: matcha’s green colour stays fresher when the pancakes cook gently rather than scorching.
• Do not overmix: folding only until combined keeps the pancakes softer.
• Adjust the fruit: apples work well when pears are unavailable; cut them into small cubes and allow a few extra minutes to soften.
• Scale carefully: double every ingredient for four servings and cook the pancakes in batches.
• Prefer a stronger matcha note? Read Matcha Grades Explained before increasing the powder; more matcha also adds more bitterness and caffeine.

Why green matcha, not blue matcha?

Green matcha is powdered tea from Camellia sinensis, with an earthy, lightly bitter flavour that works well in pancake batter. Blue matcha is butterfly pea powder from a different plant and behaves differently in both flavour and colour. See What Is Blue Matcha? Blue Matcha vs Green Matcha for the full comparison.

Source

1. Kochman et al. Matcha green tea: chemical composition, including measured caffeine content. Molecules (2024).