Never Make Boring Pancakes Again — Just Add One Colorful Plant-Based Ingredient

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Step aside, IHOP. With the help of one superfood ingredient, your at-home hotcakes game is about to get a playful makeover. Enter: blue spirulina powder. If you've never worked with it before, blue spirulina is the phycocyanin pigment extracted from blue-green algae. This natural pigment imparts a bright blue hue when mixed into foodstuffs. Thanks to the phycocyanin it contains, spirulina powder has emerged as a fixture in health food stores and at smoothie counters across the country. But it can also make for some fun, highly Instagrammable pancakes, which are sure to please foodies of all ages at the breakfast table. Also, since this vibrant, natural alternative to artificial food colorants is totally plant based, it can be used in vegan pancake recipes.

In small amounts, the ingredient's taste is so mild as to be nearly imperceptible. If any trace of blue spirulina's flavor does peep through, however, don't worry — its earthy, subtly sweet tasting profile makes a natural complement to pancakes. To incorporate it, simply whisk a scoop of the powder into the dry ingredients of your go-to pancake recipe's batter. 1 to 2 teaspoons of spirulina (depending on your desired opacity of pigmentation) is enough to dye roughly nine pancakes. Then, scoop and pan-fry your bright blue batter in a buttered skillet as normal. This pancake superstar ingredient can be found from a variety of online retailers. The organic blue spirulina powder by Micro Ingredients, for instance, is currently $19.95 per 30-gram bag on Amazon.

However you flap your jacks, blue spirulina powder enables a subtler, monochromatic take on the unhinged unicorn food trend of yore — and we're here for it. Unlike synthetic food dyes, blue spirulina powder is beloved not only for its dazzling cerulean pigmentation, but also as a dietary supplement. The algae photosynthesizes energy from the sun, which, in turn, packs it with natural health benefits. As phycocyanin cannot be found in any other land plants, blue spirulina is a uniquely strong source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, and it can also help with cholesterol. It's also 60% protein by weight and a rich source of beta-carotene. NASA has even used spirulina powder as a health supplement for astronauts during active space travel.

Whisked into your pancake batter, the result is a dark yet vibrant blue tone, which looks fabulous topped with a dollop of cold homemade whipped cream and some fresh blueberries. Crème fraîche and magenta raspberries could also create a tangy, aesthetically impressive counterbalance. Any fruit you choose could add a pretty pop of color, in fact, not to mention an even greater nutritional boost — from pale yellow bananas to orange papaya chunks to green table grapes and kiwi slices. Add a sprinkle of shaved coconut flakes, and you're on your way to an unforgettable brunch. Pro tip: Bright blue spirulina pancakes look even better when served alongside the sunny, yellow-orange contrast of a mimosa (you can thank us later).