When I think of breakfast, the first thing that comes into my mind are pancakes. And although I don’t always have the time to make them in the morning, I do enjoy eating them once in a while. Over the years I’ve tried to alter recipes that I have loved by trying to make them healthier. Pancakes were always something I enjoyed eating as a kid, but as an adult I find that the pancake box mix you get at any super market just isn’t as healthy as I would like it to be. So, I researched and looked everywhere until I finally found a healthier version to make. The crazy part about it is you only need three main ingredients to make these healthy pancakes. So for all you pancake lovers out there, this is your recipe. Super easy to make, nutrient rich, and delicious! I will explain step by step how to make them below, so keep reading.
Ingredients you will need:
1 Banana
1 Handful of oats
1 Egg
Optional ingredients:
1 Teaspoon of coconut oil
1 Teaspoon of vanilla
1 Handful of blueberries/ strawberries
Maple syrup
Utensils you will need:
Bowl
Fork, spoon or spatula
Pan
Makes 3 large / 6 small pancakes
If you’d like to make more feel free to double the amount of ingredients to make double the amount of pancakes. Ok, lets get started making these pancakes!
Step 1: Take your banana and smash it.
First you will need to take your banana and smash it in a bowl until it’s smooth in texture. You can use a fork or a spoon to smash your banana. This should take you about a minute, if not less. A great trick to this is to try and get a ripe banana so it is easier to smash; it will also make your pancakes taste a bit sweeter.
Step 2: Take your egg and crack it into your smashed banana. Mix well.
Next, take your egg and crack it into your smashed banana and mix well, about a minute or so until it is all blended together. You can use your fork, spoon or spatula to blend everything. It really doesn’t get much easier than that. The cool thing about this recipe is that you don’t need an electric mixer or anything too fancy. All you need is a spoon or a spatula to mix everything and that is it.
Step 3: Take your oats and add them in. Whisk again.
Finally, take a handful of oats and mix it into your banana mix, making sure to blend everything together until it’s well blended -- you’ll do about a minute or so of mixing and blending. Again, you can use the same fork, spoon or spatula you’ve been using to mix everything.
Step 4 (optional): Add a teaspoon of vanilla and a pinch of cinnamon for added sweetness. Mix well.
So far so good -- this is where the fun part begins. At this point you can either go ahead and make your pancakes or if you’re at all like me and like your pancakes to be sweet, add a teaspoon of vanilla for added sweetness and a pinch of cinnamon, because let’s face it -- bananas and cinnamon are a great combination. They go so well together!
Step 5: On medium heat, add coconut oil to your pan.
OK -- at this point your batter is ready, you’ve blended it all well together and you’re ready to make your pancakes. All you’ll need to make your pancakes is a pan; it can be any size, up to you! I use a medium-sized pan; this way I can make three pancakes at a time. Heat your pan to a medium high and add a teaspoon of coconut oil to the pan; this way your pancakes won’t stick. I personally like to use coconut oil because it’s healthy and natural, but you can use any kind of oil or even butter if you don’t have any oil. Once your pan heats up you can start making your pancakes. You can make them as big as you’d like.
Step 6: Take a scoop of batter and add it onto your pan.
A little pancake tip for this recipe: if you make your pancakes small they are going to be easier to flip and they will cook faster. I usually take about a scoop of pancake batter and put it onto the pan, and since I have a medium pan I’ll make about three pancakes at a time.
Step 7 (optional): Add on any fruit toppings you might like.
The next step is optional. Depending on how you like your pancakes, you can add on any toppings, so if you like blueberries you would add some directly to the pancakes on the pan before they’re fully cooked. You could add on strawberries as well, or any other fruit. I personally love blueberries, so I’ll usually add blueberries on mine and since I make mine small I add about 3 blueberries to each pancake and wait about three minutes before I make the first flip.
Step 8: Flip your pancakes. Cook each side for about 3 minutes or until cooked.
A trick to flipping your pancakes is to wait until you see air bubbles on top to flip them -- that’s when you know you can make the first flip. After that, you can wait about a minute or so to flip them again. It usually takes a couple of tries to get it right; practice makes perfect. Again, if you make them small they’ll be easier to flip.
Step 9: Serve your pancakes and add any extra toppings.
VOILA! At this point your pancakes are ready to eat and they only took you about 5 minutes to make. It’s really that quick! Once your pancakes are ready, you can serve them and add whatever extra toppings you’d like. I personally like to end with a touch of maple syrup on top and that’s it.
Step 10: ENJOY YOUR PANCAKES!
It’s a super simple recipe that is easy to make. It smells great and tastes delicious. It’s definitely a healthier pancake recipe to make compared to the usual pancake box mix. Give it a try if you’re looking for healthier ways to alter your diet. It’s a yummy treat that is worth trying out and making.
Photo Credit: "Oatmeal Pancakes" by Stacy Spensley is licensed under CC BY 2.0
