Easy Healthy Oat Pancakes
This healthy pancake recipe is deliciously easy–and it’s made without bananas! Bananas are great and all but they’re used in a lot of healthy pancake recipes, so I wanted to make one that was a little bit different. These healthy pancakes are made with oats and oat milk so it creates a soft, thick, hearty pancake that you’ll be thinking about long after breakfast is done.
The best part of these tasty oat pancakes is the fact that they are so easy to make. Pancake batter is, in my opinion, such an easy thing to whip up in the mornings! This pancake batter comes together rather quickly. The first step, though, is to mix the oats and oat milk together so the oats can soften a bit. That will take about 15 minutes, but after that short wait you’ll be well on your way to healthy pancake glory.
At the end of this blog post I share my tips on how to cook your pancakes so they turn out perfectly each down! Scroll down to get those key pancake cooking tips.
Are pancakes healthy?
I don’t typically like to categorize food as healthy or unhealthy. I think eating a balanced diet is much more important than scrutinizing individual foods or food groups.
That being said, these pancakes are completely homemade, which means you’ll know exactly what’s in it when you eat it! There are no preservatives or weird chemicals in this pancake recipe, so trust me when I say you can feel good about it :)
How do you make healthy pancakes?
Healthy oat pancakes are such an easy breakfast to prepare in the morning! The full recipe and directions for these oat pancakes are at the bottom of this blog post, but here is the gist of it:
Pour the oats into a medium bowl and add in the oat milk. Let sit for 15 minutes so the oats can soften.
Add in the melted butter, egg, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Stir until batter is thoroughly incorporated.
Next, add in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix just until no streaks of flour remain. Be careful not to overmix.
Heat a non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Melt 1 tbsp butter in the pan, and then pour about 1/4 c pancake batter into the pan (I used a large cookie scoop).
Cook for about 2 minutes on the first side, and then 1 minute on the second side, until golden brown on both sides.
Serve with lots of toppings like almond butter, bananas, and of course maple syrup!
What are healthy pancake toppings?
Your options for healthy pancake toppings are pretty much endless! Here are a few ideas:
Fruit like sliced bananas, strawberries, or blueberries
Cacao nibs
Can you freeze pancakes?
Yes! Freezing pancakes is a great way to save any leftover pancakes so you can enjoy them later on. To freeze pancakes, simply allow them to cool completely and then place a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper between each pancake so they don’t stick together. Place the pancakes in a large gallon-sized Ziploc bag and freeze for up to 6 months!
When it’s time to eat your pancakes, simply reheat them in the microwave at 30s intervals until completely soft and warmed through.
How to make perfect pancakes.
Pancakes were one of the very first recipes I learned how to make, so I can say I’ve been making pancakes for a very long time! In fact, the very first recipe I ever published on salt n sprinkles was for buttermilk pancakes!
Here are my top tips for perfect pancakes:
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in your non-stick pan. Once it’s melted, the pan is hot enough. Turn down the heat if needed. You don’t want the pan to get so hot that it burns the pancake.
Scoop the batter using a 1/4 c measuring cup, or large cookie scoop. Pour the batter directly in the center of the pan, and continue pouring in the center of the pancake. You want the batter to spread out evenly from the center - this give you a nicely round shape.
While the pancake cooks, take a peek at the edges and underneath the pancake to make sure it’s golden brown before flipping. This will take about 90 seconds - 2 minutes.
Once flipped, the pancake will cook much quicker on this second side. Just cook it for about one minute more.
Melt more butter in the pan each time before adding your next pancake batter. You want each pancake to cook in its own buttery goodness!
Wipe the pan with a paper towel if the pan starts to get too brown.
Keep a close eye on the temperature as you’re cooking the pancakes. You may need to lower or raise the temperature each time.
And my most important tip… it’s ok to sacrifice the first pancake. This first one will essentially be your temperature/technique check so you’ll know how long to cook each pancake for. It’ll also let you know if your heat is too low, or too hot. This is your test pancake so don’t get too attached to it - but do be sure to eat it after!
Easy Healthy Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 c oats
- 1 c oat milk (or any non-dairy milk)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup (plus more for topping)
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp coconut oil or butter, melted (plus more for greasing the skillet)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)
- 2/3 c + 2 tbsp whole wheat or all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Pour the oats into a medium bowl and mix in the oat milk. Let sit for 15 minutes so the oats can soften.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the melted coconut oil or butter, egg, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Add this to the oats and stir until the batter is thoroughly incorporated.
- Next, add in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix just until no streaks of flour remain. Be careful not to overmix.
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Melt 1 tbsp coconut oil or butter in the pan, and then pour about 1/4 c pancake batter into the pan (I used a large cookie scoop).
- Cook for about 2 minutes on the first side, and then 1 minute on the second side, until golden brown on both sides.
- Serve with extra maple syrup!
Notes
Adapted From: Celebrating Sweets
I started salt n sprinkles to show that making good food is both fun and easy to do. My recipes are mostly plant-based, and always delicious. I know you'll find just what you're looking for!