The BEST Healthy Pancakes – Chelsea’s Messy Apron

These Healthy Pancakes have a wonderful crisp exterior with perfectly soft & chewy interiors. They’re made with better-for-you ingredients without sacrificing texture or flavor! And did we mention they are ridiculously easy to make? Throw everything into a blender and give it a whirl — pancake batter is ready!

Next, give our Healthy Waffles a try! Or start your day with these Healthy Banana Muffins. These Healthy Pancakes are prepared without a banana in the batter, but if you want to add in a banana, try these Healthy Banana Pancakes instead.

Can A Pancake Be Healthy?

When made with wholesome ingredients, pancakes can be a nutritious breakfast option! A lot of pancake recipes or mixes are likely more suitable for a treat than a way to start the morning. So, I wanted to create a pancake recipe as nutritious as a bowl of Microwave Oatmeal! 

And these are truly the BEST Healthy Pancakes! They don’t have that strange texture that you’ll find in so many gluten-free/healthy pancake recipes, because we blend the batter. They’ve got a wonderfully nuanced flavor with the perfect amount of (natural) sweetness.

What is the Healthiest Type Of Pancake?

The healthiest pancake is one you make at home with quality, nutritious ingredients.

Here’s a quick overview of this recipe:

• No flour. We use old-fashioned oats instead.
• No refined sugars. See “quick tip” box below for more info.
• Cashews. These nuts are loaded with good-for-you fats, protein, and nutrients, among other benefits.
• Protein. This recipe is packed with protein, thanks to the nuts and eggs.
• Dairy-free. We use plant-based milk (almond milk).

QUICK TIP

For this pancake recipe, we use natural sugars derived from plant sources. Honey comes from nature (bees!) Foods with natural sugars (like fruits, milk, and cheese) are not the same as those with refined sugars. Refined sugar typically starts with sugar cane or sugar beets, which are then processed to extract the sugar.  Processing (refining) removes the nutrients and leaves the sugar.

When I’m asked: “Are Kodiak Pancakes Healthy” or “Are Protein Pancakes Healthy?” my answer is this: it really depends on your goals and personal health history. My recommendation is always to use real, whole ingredients that you can easily recognize/pronounce.

(While I have my background in Exercise and Wellness (B.S.), all the content in this post is for informational purposes only. Please consult a doctor or dietician for any specific dietary needs/questions.)

How To Make Healthy Pancakes

We’ve discussed the nutrition in these pancakes in depth, but haven’t even begun to talk about how easy the preparation is!

We blend the pancake batter all together all at once — so easy, so quick! From there it can be poured directly from the blender jar onto a heated pan or griddle. Doesn’t get much easier than that! 

Healthy Pancake Tips

• Let the batter stand at room temperature for about 5-10 minutes before adding to the griddle or pan; this allows the oats to absorb the liquid and thicken the batter.
• Pay attention to the temperature: If they’re browning too quickly, turn the heat down a bit and cool the pan for a minute. Sticking a lot? Add a bit more cooking spray to the pan. Stay close to the stovetop and griddle to monitor and make adjustments to the temperature as necessary.
• Invest in a griddle: If you make pancakes often, and have the space, I highly recommend an electric skillet or griddle; we use ours a couple of times a week! A griddle makes pancake-making so much easier!
• Before your pancake batter hits the hot pan, run a cold stick of butter OR a generous spray of cooking spray on the pan to grease it. This gives the pancakes an evenly distributed layer of fat to cook in. 

How To Keep Pancakes From Getting Soggy

If you aren’t eating the pancakes fresh off the heat, you’ll want a foolproof way to keep them warm and crispy. If you stack pancakes on top of each other, you’ll end up creating steam, which will make the pancakes soggy as they lose that crispy exterior. To avoid soggy pancakes, follow the steps below:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
• Place a cooling rack on a large sheet pan. As soon as you pull the pancake from the heat source, place it on the cooling rack in a single layer.
• Place that sheet pan in the oven until ready to eat.

QUICK TIP

If you’ll be eating the pancakes right away, just set them on a wire cooling rack right off the heat source and serve from there! In fact, we like setting them on a cooling rack even if we are digging in right away — this gives a chance for the exteriors to crisp up nicely.

Toppings for Healthy Pancakes

The best thing about making your own pancakes is that you get to top them exactly how you want! Below are some ideas:

• A drizzle of peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, etc.
• Pure maple syrup
• Fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.)
• Ripe sliced banana
• Toasted coconut
• Chia seeds or flaxseeds
• Jam (any flavor would be delicious!)
• This homemade Blueberry Syrup
• For semi-healthy pancakes (meaning the toppings are making them less nutritious, ha!), add this Vanilla Sauce, Buttermilk Syrup, and a scoop of Whipped Cream.

What are Five More Healthy Breakfast Options?

Beyond these delicious pancakes, here are five other favorites we like to start our mornings with:

Healthy Pancakes

These Healthy Pancakes have a wonderful crisp exterior with perfectly soft & chewy interiors. They’re made with better-for-you ingredients without sacrificing texture or flavor! And did we mention they are ridiculously easy to make? Throw everything into a blender and give it a whirl — pancake batter is ready!

Healthy Pancakes

These Healthy Pancakes have a wonderful crisp exterior with perfectly soft & chewy interiors. They’re made with better-for-you ingredients without sacrificing texture or flavor! And did we mention they are ridiculously easy to make? Throw everything into a blender and give it a whirl — pancake batter is ready!

Ingredients

• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup cashews (Note 1)
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup plant-based milk (Note 2)
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil (Note 3)
• 1/4 cup honey or pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• Optional: 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Serving Suggestions: pure maple syrup, fresh fruit, etc.

USMetric

Instructions

• PREP: If you’re using an electric griddle, preheat it to 375 degrees F (otherwise the stovetop will work great). Place a wire cooling rack on a tray and set it right next to the cooking pan.

• BLEND: Add everything (except “serving suggestions”) to a powerful blender in the order listed. Blend until completely smooth, about 90-120 seconds. Scrape down sides and blend longer if needed. There shouldn’t be any chunks of oats or cashews remaining.

• COOK: If you aren’t using an electric skillet, heat a wide/large skillet or griddle over medium heat. (You know the pan is ready when a drop of water sizzles upon contact.) Either generously spray the surface with cooking spray or rub a stick of butter across the surface. Pour pancake batter directly from the blender into a small liquid measuring cup. Aim to make each pancake exactly 3 tablespoons of batter (the recipe works best at this size!) Pour batter onto the hot surface, leaving a couple of inches around each pancake so there is room for it to expand as it cooks. Cook until small bubbles form on the surface and the perimeter turns matte instead of glossy, about 2-3. Using a wide metal spatula, flip the pancakes and continue cooking until lightly golden on the other side, another 1-2 minutes.REPEAT USING REST OF THE BATTER: Wipe the skillet/pan/griddle clean with a paper towel and repeat the process, adding more butter or cooking spray and cooking up the rest of the batter. Adjust heat as needed. If your pancakes are browning too quickly, reduce heat to medium-low; increase if they aren’t browning nicely or taking too long.

• SERVE: As soon as the pancakes are done, pull them off the heat source and directly place each pancake on the prepared wire cooling rack to allow edges to slightly crisp up. Serve immediately or keep warm in the oven (Note 4). Serve with your favorite pancake toppings — we love pure maple syrup and lots of fresh fruit!

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Cashews: We love roasted and lightly salted cashews best — more flavor without any extra effort on your part. Here are the exact cashews we use.
Note 2: Milk: Any plant-based milk will work in these pancakes; we like unsweetened vanilla almond milk best.
Note 3: Coconut oil: Measure in the melted state. Butter or ghee (melted) can also be used.
Note 4: Keeping pancakes warm:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
• Place a cooling rack on a large sheet pan. As soon as you pull the pancake from the heat source, place it on the cooling rack in a single layer.
• Place that sheet pan in the oven until ready to eat.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 138kcal | Carbohydrates: 12.9g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 26.6mg | Fiber: 0.9g | Sugar: 4.4g

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.