A Healthy Pancake Recipe that everyone will enjoy! Learn how to make healthy pancakes that you can load up with all your favorite toppings!
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There is something so comforting about waking up to a fresh stack of pancakes and a coffee.
We wanted to find a way to make pancakes more nutrient-dense while still being light, fluffy, and delicious and we nailed it with this healthy pancake recipe!
Enjoy these delicious healthy pancakes with your favorite toppings or get inspired by some of our ideas (list below).
What makes this healthy pancake mix healthy?
While pancakes aren’t typically healthy, these are! Here’s what makes these pancakes healthy:
- Whole Grain Flour – because whole wheat flour contains the whole grain, it is more nutrient-dense than all-purpose flour.
- Lower in Fat – These pancakes are much lower in fat than traditional pancakes that are often loaded with butter and cream. They only have 5g of fat per 2 pancakes
- Lower in Calories – These pancakes are much lower in calories than regular pancakes. 2 big fluffy pancakes are under 250 calories per serving
Are pancakes healthy?
While they may be a popular favorite breakfast, pancakes, in general, aren’t the most nutritious breakfast, but these are definitely a better option than your traditional pancake recipe.
I don’t want to hate on pancakes, but they aren’t exactly a health food, LOL!
Most pancake recipes are just carbs and fat, with little to no nutritional value. These pancakes are made with less fat and calories – making them a healthier option. You can even make them gluten free (our recommendations in the green shaded box below).
Healthy Pancake Batter Ingredients
To make this recipe you’ll need:
- white whole wheat flour
- baking soda, baking powder, salt
- salted butter
- applesauce
- egg
- vanilla extract
- honey or maple syrup
- buttermilk
You can find substitutions for all of these ingredients below in the green shaded substitutions box.
How to make Healthy Pancakes
Making a healthy pancake is so easy! Here’s how we make them:
- Whisk together the white whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
- Then make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the melted butter, applesauce, egg, vanilla, honey, and buttermilk. Gently whisk until a pancake batter forms.
- Heat a griddle and spray with cooking spray. Scoop the pancakes onto the griddle using a ¼ cup scoop.
- Cook the pancakes for about 2 minutes per side. Watch the tops for bubbles to form before flipping. They should be golden brown.
- Move onto a plate and make the next batch.
Serve with a drizzle of maple syrup, fruit, peanut butter, or your choice of toppings, and enjoy the most delicious and fluffy pancakes!!
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR HEALTHY PANCAKE RECIPES
White Whole Wheat Flour: You can substitute 1:1 Gluten Free Four (I recommend Bob’s Red Mill Brand) or White All-Purpose Flour. I don’t recommend substituting Whole Wheat Flour, Spelt Flour, or Oat flour. They will make the pancakes very dense. Do not substitute with coconut flour or almond flour. It will not work! Use this Keto Coconut Flour Pancakes instead
Butter: Butter can be replaced with Vegan Butter. Olive oil may also work but we haven’t tried it.
Applesauce: We don’t recommend substituting applesauce. Bananas or pumpkin puree might work but we haven’t tried it so I’m not sure
Egg: I have not tried replacing the egg in this recipe. I’m not sure if a flax egg would work.
Honey: You can substitute honey 1:1 with maple syrup
Milk/Buttermilk: For best results, we recommend using low-fat buttermilk. You can make buttermilk by adding 3/4 cup milk and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Stir together and let it sit for 1 minute. You can substitute almond milk, coconut, or cashew milk if you’d like but it will not be as rich.
Variations to Make More Healthy Pancake Recipes
There are a lot of ways you can customize these pancakes. Here are some of our favorite mix-ins:
- blueberries or strawberries
- mini chocolate chips
- toasted coconut
- banana slices
- pecans
- sweet potato or make our Sweet Potato Pancakes
What to serve with easy healthy pancakes?
These healthy pancakes can be a full breakfast on their own and would be delicious with a pumpkin spice latte or peppermint mocha during the fall or winter.
If you want a larger breakfast, they would also pair well with an egg bake or breakfast cauliflower fried rice.
Healthy Pancake Toppings:
These pancakes are delicious on their own but feel free to top them however you like. Here are some of our favorite toppings:
- maple syrup
- fresh whipped cream or greek yogurt
- fresh berries or other fresh fruit (They would make delicious banana pancakes)
- nut butter (peanut butter, our Strawberry Pecan Butter, or Gingerbread Cashew Butter would be amazing!)
- hemp seeds, chopped nuts, or chocolate chips
- ice cream (we won’t judge!)
How to store leftover healthy pancakes?
You can store these pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge.
Can I freeze leftover healthy pancakes? Yes, you can wrap them individually or freeze them on a baking sheet and then add them to a freezer bag so they don’t stick together.
How to reheat leftover pancakes? We think they taste best when reheated in a toaster oven, but you can also use a microwave.
Healthy Pancake FAQ
This recipe makes 4 servings of two 4 inch pancakes
Whole wheat flour. This healthy pancake recipe calls for white whole wheat flour to keep the pancakes light and fluffy.
Other healthy breakfast recipes:
If you need other healthy breakfast ideas, here are some of our favorites:
Healthy Pancake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour very important to use white whole wheat for a more tender result
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon salted butter melted
- ¼ cup applesauce
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup honey or maple syrup
- ¾ cup low fat buttermilk 3/4 cup milk with 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder.
- Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Add the egg, vanilla, melted butter, buttermilk, apple sauce, and honey.
- Gently whisk all ingredients together until a pancake batter forms.
- Heat a griddle over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Scoop the pancakes onto the griddle using a ¼ cup scoop.
- Cook for about 2 minutes per side. Watch the tops for bubbles to form before flipping.
- Move onto a plate and make the next batch.
- Serve with maple syrup, fruit, butter or your choice of toppings.
Gabby says
These pancakes are so delicious!!! Could hardly believe that they were healthy, I couldn’t stop eating them! Next time I’ll double it so I have leftovers, thanks for the recipe!