The “I Can’t Believe They’re Good For You” Pancakes Recipe

By Amber MalikNutritionist and Holistic Chef

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The “I Can’t Believe They’re Good For You” Pancakes Recipe

 

If you’re going to have sweet pancakes, you can’t beat the thick, fluffy kind made popular by American diners. I much prefer them to the thin, floppy ones we typically make on Shrove Tuesday: those ones are just crepe in comparison.

But how to make those diner-style pancakes healthier without losing any taste or flavour and using only whole food ingredients? Like a good pancake, I was ready to rise to the challenge and I can’t think of a batter recipe than this one. Trying to meet so many dietary requirements can be a headache (a panc-ache if you will) but this fabulous recipe just kinda creped up on me when experimenting in my kitchen.

These bad boys are Paleo & Keto friendly, grain free, gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, low carb, high protein and use no unhealthy processed ingredients. They can also be Vegan if you use one of the alternatives for eggs out there (chia or flax ‘eggs’ for example) but I’ve never tried it with these so can’t comment on how well they work. Most of all, these pancakes are simply delicious and don’t require more time or effort than regular homemade ones.

I don’t like to add any sweetener to the batter because I eat the final pancakes with raw honey and fruit, so that’s sweet enough for me. But if you’ve got more of a sweet tooth, you can add a little bit of sweetener of your choice to the mixture. You might think it makes the taste even butter. (I know I could’ve done much batter with that last pun; I think it fell flat. Pretty crepe, eh?)

All of the ingredients are readily available in most supermarkets although be careful to pick up tapioca flour rather than starch. If starch is the only tapioca product your supermarket sells, you can still try this recipe as many people say the two ingredients are interchangeable; however, I’ve only used the flour. It’s available from health food stores or online if your local supermarket isn’t large enough to stock it.

 

INGREDIENTS

Makes 5-6 pancakes

  • 1 cup ground almonds (approx. 100g)
  • Quarter cup tapioca flour (approx. 27g)
  • Half teaspoon baking powder
  • Quarter teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • Half a cup of coconut or almond milk (approx. 120ml)
  • Half teaspoon apple cider vinegar (optional)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

METHOD

  1. In a bowl, beat the egg and mix with the milk, vinegar and vanilla. There won’t be any flavour of vinegar in the pancakes at all; it’s used to lightly ferment the mixture so you get a fluffier end result. Leave aside for five minutes.
  2. In another bowl, mix together the ground almonds, tapioca flour, baking powder and soda bicarb.
  3. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
  4. Heat up a non-stick pan on a medium-high heat and add oil. (I like coconut oil best as it’s in keeping with the sweeter flavours.) Pour in the batter to make a pancake sized approximately 5cm in diameter.
  5. Cook until little holes start appearing on the surface and then flip over. You might need to add a touch more oil. In total, each pancake usually takes a couple of minutes on each side. The outside should be golden brown and crispy; the inside should feel airy and pillow-like.
  6. Make as many pancakes as the batter allows. Often the first one doesn’t turn out great but don’t worry. Life’s too short to flip out over pancakes. We can all be competent tossers with practice but some people just have a natural knack for it.

 

Eat immediately drenched in honey or maple syrup, with some fresh fruit and coconut yoghurt. Yummy!

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Amber Malik

Nutritionist and Holistic Chef

Amber is a qualified nutritionist and holistic wellness warrior. These days she likes to spend her time indulging her foodie passion and cooking people satisfying meals as part of The Amber Lime supper clubs. Find her on Instagram and Facebook.