Healthy pancakes, an expression many of you might be surprised to see. It is possible to achieve though! All you need are the right ingredients and proper preparation to get the desired result. Hana’s Recipes will guide you today how to make pancakes in a healthy way, for both people on a diet as well as those trying out a more balanced way of living!
Healthy pancakes: How?
Pancakes are generally considered to be a sweet, energy boosting dessert and that’s why an adjective “healthy” in front of it might be confusing. However, there are ways how to prepare pancakes in a balanced way. See several tips below:
- Using whole grains: To make such healthy pancakes, a person should consider substituting all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, oat flour or a mix of different whole grain flours. In comparison, such ingredients provide much more fiber and additional nutrients to the meal.
- Reducing sugar: This should not come as a surprise in cases like pancakes. You can either reduce the amount of sugar that is being added or use natural sweeteners such as honey, maple syrup or fruit additions like mashed bananas or the apple sauce. Vegetables may be implemented for additional nutrients as well, including grated zucchini or pumpkin puree.
- The use of healthier fats: To achieve healthy pancakes, one of the ways is to apply healthier fats instead of butter, such as olive oil (extra virgin one would certainly be the best solution), coconut oil or avocado oil.
- The addition of protein: Healthy pancakes can become more balanced with the addition of protein. The choice depends on your preference, however the most suitable protein options include the Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese, protein powder or nuts.
- Low-fat dairy or dairy alternatives: This may be handy for both people staying on a diet or a healthier lifestyle as well as people with certain limitations and allergies, specifically connected to dairy. In that case, low-fat milk, almond milk or oat milk may be poured into pancakes instead of full-fat dairy milk.
Any healthier variations may be utilised (also the combination of them), depending on the form of pancakes you are making as well as the availability of ingredients you have at the moment of preparation. Today, Hana’s Recipes will show you how to achieve healthy pancakes using the combination of plain flour and whole grain spelled flour (option no.1 in the list above), tested 30 times by our blog portal.
What ingredients do you need?
- 500 ml of milk,
- 100 g of plain flour,
- 100 g of whole grain spelled flour,
- 2 eggs,
- 60 g of melted butter,
- Salt
Healthy pancakes: Simple preparation of 3 portions
1
Start with preparing all the ingredients in advance. Let the milk and eggs be at the room temperature. Melt the butter in the microwave or over the steam. We suggest heating up a bigger pan for the recipe.
2Then mix milk, whole eggs and melted butter in a large bowl.
3After that, add both flours (plain and whole grain spelled) and a pinch of salt through a sieve.
4Mix the dough thoroughly, so that there are no lumps in it at the end. 
5
The next procedure is simple: Use a ladle to pour the batter over the heated pan. Fry for about 2 minutes on each side. Turn when the edges are pulled.
6
Taking into account the ingredient list and the amount of ingredients, you will get 8-10 healthy pancakes at the end. It always depends on the size of the pan.
7
We suggest serving the pancakes with either jam or cottage cheese. You can also drizzle melted butter or peanut butter on top of them. They will also taste better when you apply fruit pieces. It all depends on your preference and current cravings.
Enjoy the outcome! Hopefully your healthy pancakes turn out just the way you wished at the beginning! If not, let’s take a look at the similar video preparation below:
Read more: Other favourite pancake types known worldwide
The mentioned pancake types below might not be as healthy as the ones we introduced earlier. However, it is certainly beneficial to know about them for the future, especially when visiting different cultures outside of your home country. Here they come:
- American pancakes: Thick and fluffy pancakes made of a batter from flour, eggs, milk and baking powder. They are typically served stacked high, topped with butter and maple syrup. Variations may include blueberry, chocolate chip or banana pancakes.
- French crepes: French crepes are thin pancakes made of a dough from flour, eggs, milk and butter. They are cooked on a crepe pan and filled with sweeteners like Nutella, fruit or whipped cream as well as savory fillings like cheese, ham or spinach. The choice always depends on your preference. Hana’s Recipes blog portal recommends trying out similar French style pancake recipe that will certainly suit your cravings.
- Dutch baby pancakes: Also known as “German pancakes”. They are normally baked in the oven rather than cooked on a stovetop. Dutch baby pancakes are made of a batter similar in the American case. However, these puff up dramatically while being baked, resulting in light and airy pancakes with crispy edges.
- Japanese okonomiyaki: Okonomiyaki is a savory Japanese pancake made of a dough from flour, eggs, shredded cabbage and different toppings such as pork, shrimps, vegetables or bonito flakes. The pancake is cooked on a griddle and typically served with mayonnaise, famous okonomiyaki sauce and dried seaweed flakes.
- Indian dosas: Dosas originally from India are thin and crispy pancakes made of fermented rice and lentil batter. They are quite popular in the southern part of India, often served with coconut chutney, sambar (a lentil-based stew) and various vegetable or meat fillings, suitable for both meat lovers as well as vegetarians.
- Chinese scallion pancakes: Savoury pancakes that are made of a dough from flour, water and chopped scallions, rolled out thinly and pan-fried until turning perfectly crispy and golden. They are often served as a snack with a dipping sauce made of soy sauce, vinegar and sesame oil.
FAQ: Is it possible to modify healthy pancakes to be 100% gluten-free?
Yes, it certainly is! To make the mentioned recipe gluten-free, you will need to replace the plain flour with a different, 100% gluten-free alternative. We suggest the combination:
100 g of plain flour -> 100 g of gluten-free all-purpose flour
100 g of whole grain spelled flour -> 100 g of whole grain spelled flour that is certified as 100% gluten-free (this is specifically needed when preparing pancakes for people with serious gluten sensitivities or celiac disease)
Best of luck with the preparation!
