These Spicy Apple Cinnamon Pancakes are a healthy way to start the day! They’re deliciously healthy and made with oats and maple syrup.
Here’s a cozy morning recipe that has a secret…it’s also a healthy breakfast idea. Meet these Apple Cinnamon Pancakes! They’re chewy, flavored with cinnamon, and guess what? They are made from 100% oats, no flour! The use of oats imparts a warm, intimate flavor and makes them heartier and more nutritious than traditional pancakes. This type of oatmeal pancake is our favorite…so we were thrilled to see this recipe in our friend Erin’s new cookbook, The Well Plated Cookbook! From the first bite you will be sold. (We were!) Read on for the preview recipe and more about this beautiful cookbook.
Ingredients for these Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
Yes, you heard right. There’s no flour in these apple pancakes, just healthy, hearty rolled oats. How is it possible? Put the batter in the blender: it grinds the rolled oats into a flour-like consistency. You will be amazed at how fluffy they are without flour. You get all the nutrients from eating a bowl of oatmeal, not a stack of pancakes! Here are some notes on the main ingredients for Erin’s Apple Cinnamon Pancakes:
- Old-fashioned oats: Look for oatmeal or old-fashioned oats. Do not replace cut steel! Steel cut oats have a hard texture like rice and don’t work here.
- greek yogurt: Gives these pancakes a rich and moist texture.
- Apple: You can use any variety, but Erin recommends a crunchy cake like Honeycrisp or Fuji.
- maple syrup: Make sure it’s pure maple syrup!
- butter, milk and eggs
- Cinammon
- vanilla, baking powder and salt
Shuffle them right away!
These Apple Cinnamon Pancakes only use oatmeal, so the trick is: the mixer! We have a few Blender Muffin and Blender Pancake recipes that we can’t get enough of. So we were thrilled to see Erin use this technique in her recipe. Here are some pointers for mixing the batter:
- A high-quality or high-speed blender makes it quick. We have a high speed blender and it only took seconds to blend into a smooth batter.
- For other blenders it may take a few minutes. If you have a less powerful blender, it may take a few minutes to stop and scrape out the bowl with a spatula. Keep mixing until a smooth paste forms!
Tip for cooking apple and cinnamon pancakes: low and slow
Pancakes might sound like something you can make while you sleep. But we actually get a lot of questions about cooking! Biggest mistake people make: overcooking them. They become dark on the outside and raw on the inside. How to Cook These Apple Cinnamon Pancakes to Perfection:
- Low and slow is key! Use medium-low heat to evenly cook the crepe. We can’t say it enough!
- Adjust the heat while cooking. It’s easy to get a perfect first batch of apple pancakes and then burn the second batch because the pan is already hot. Stay alert! We always turn the heat down after the first batch to ensure the next batch doesn’t burn.
Ideas for filling pancakes
Once you have a massive stack of apple cinnamon pancakes, it’s all about the toppings! Here are some notes on what Erin suggests and what we personally like:
- Peanut Butter or Almond Butter: The addition of plant proteins helps make them even more filling! Our biggest annoyance with standard pancakes is that they leave us hungry hours later. Combining oatmeal pancakes with nut butter makes for a very filling breakfast.
- Fresh apples or baked apples: We used fresh apples for garnish and loved the crispy flavor and texture. She also has a great roast potato side dish recipe in Erin’s cookbook.
- Pecans or Chopped Walnuts: Chopped walnuts provide even more plant-based protein and a good crunch.
- Greek yogurt: Mix Greek yogurt with some maple syrup for a healthy topping or use on its own. Another idea is the Greek yogurt “cream cheese” filling of our carrot cake pancakes.
About the Book: The Well Plated Cookbook
This Apple Cinnamon Pancakes recipe comes from our friend Erin Clarke’s book The Well Plated Cookbook. WOW, this book is a stunner. We highly recommend it: not just because we’re lucky enough to know Erin personally. This book is everything we love about her food: fresh, wholesome recipes that taste amazing and are packed with wholesome ingredients. With every page you look at, you immediately want to make the recipe.
Please note: the recipes are very easy to follow so they come out perfect every time. Alex and I are obsessed with tried and true, well-written recipes, and we think Erin’s are top-notch. You’ll feel comfortable cooking with the book because there’s no guesswork involved! There are recipes for all types of eaters (meat and seafood) but like most vegetarians we felt there were plenty of options. Your cookbook is one of our favorites this year. Congratulations, Erin, for a fabulous book!
This Apple Cinnamon Pancakes recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten free.
The description
These Spicy Apple Cinnamon Pancakes are a healthy way to start the day! They’re deliciously healthy and made with oats and maple syrup.
- 2 tablespoons butter without salt
- ¾ cup plain greek yogurt
- ½ cup milk
- 1 ¾ cups Old-fashioned oats
- 2 Big Eggs
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon Cinammon
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup grated crunchy apple, like Honeycrisp or Fuji (1 big or 2 few)
- To serve: plain maple syrup, chopped pecans, peanut butter or almond butter, sautéed apples
- If you want to keep the pancakes warm between batches, place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, heat the butter in the microwave for 15 seconds. Continue to microwave in 15 second increments until melted. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.
- In a blender, add Greek yogurt, milk, rolled oats, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and melted and cooled butter. Blend until batter is very smooth, stopping a few times to scrape down the sides of your mixer. Depending on the blender, this will take a few minutes. Keep mixing until you don’t see any remaining oatmeal pieces and the batter is creamy.
- Stop the mixer. Peel and grate the apple, then puree in the blender. Mix no more.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. Unless otherwise instructed by your pan manufacturer, lightly coat the surface of the pan with nonstick spray (some nonstick pans and griddles may not require this).
- Once the pan is heated, drop ¼ cup of the batter onto the pan and, using the flat bottom of your measuring cup or the back of a spoon, roll out the pancakes to ½ inch thickness. Fry gently on the first side for 3 to 4 minutes until the edges appear dry and small bubbles appear on the top. Flip carefully (the underside should be golden) and fry the other side until golden brown, another 1 to 2 minutes. Adjust heat as needed between batches. If your pancakes turn golden brown before baking, reduce the heat of your pan accordingly; If they don’t seem to be cooking at all and you’ve exceeded the cooking time by a few minutes, increase the heat slightly. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
- Serve pancakes immediately or place on a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Add your favorite ingredients and enjoy.
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Cook
- Kitchen: American
- Diet: vegetarian
Keywords: Apple Cinnamon Pancakes, Apple Pancakes
More oatmeal pancakes and muffins
We have many oatmeal pancake and muffin recipes that use 100% oats to make a deliciously moist, gluten-free muffin! Here are some additional recipes to try:
