Whole Wheat, Sugarfree Blueberry Pancakes
With a hectic work schedule and numerous commitments, thought I’d missed out on Berry picking this season. But as luck may have it, at the onset of autumn, I found that a farm nearby was open this weekend for a late harvest. So, off I went to the farm, for a merry Berry afternoon and returned home loaded with a fresh and healthy bounty after a Berry Fruitful outing. It was an absolute stressbuster! But then I started wondering what shall I make with this bounty. The temptation was there to try something new, but those who know me, know that I love Blueberry Pancakes and this got me thinking!
I have been trying to go sugarfree and practice mindful eating and balance all my meals well. This got me thinking If I could make a healthier version of my blueberry pancakes and also make them completely sugar-free without losing the taste quotient. Researched a bit and got going and the result is there for you to see. Sweet and Fluffy pancakes but made with a whole lot of goodness and absolutely no added sugar!
How to make Sugarfree Blueberry Pancakes
To begin with, for these sugarfree blueberry pancakes I substituted all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour and also added oats to the mix. This enhanced the fibre content of the pancakes. And as a substitute for sugar, I used an over-ripe banana to impart the necessary sweetness. Once I had the flour and sweetener sorted out, everything else was plain clockwork.
Sift the flour along with baking soda and salt and keep aside. The usage of whole wheat flour in this recipe would result in slightly denser pancakes. To counter this, I separated the Egg yolks and the whites and added only the yolks into the wet mixture, while the whites I beat them to the soft peak stage and folded into the batter at the very end to add some airiness into the batter. This is an optional step and you can even add the eggs whole into the mix.
So mash the banana well until it is smooth and almost liquid and then mix in the egg yolk, milk, vanilla, melted butter and lemon zest and whisk well until well combined. Add in the Oats and mix well. I have used quick cooking oats here instead of rolled oats. The pancakes cook in around 5 minutes and rolled oats wouldn’t cook well in this time. Follow the oats by whisking in the flour mixture little by little until well combined. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites until well combined and finally fold in the blueberries very gently, with the help of a spatula.
Heat your Oven to 90°C. This is to keep the pancakes warm when you continue cooking the remaining pancakes. Heat a non-stick skillet to medium heat and smear it with butter. Drop about 2 tbsp of the batter onto the pan and gently spread into a thick Ø3″ disc. Fill up the skillet with as many pancakes as you can cook at a time. Cook on one side for about 3 mins, until it browns up and the edges firm up. Gently flip the pancakes and cook for another 2 minutes until done. Place the cooked pancakes in the heated oven to keep warm, and continue to cook the remaining pancakes.
How to make this Healthy Recipe of Sugarfree Blueberry Pancakes Vegan?
Making these sugarfree blueberry pancakes vegan is very simple. Substitute the butter with coconut oil, the milk with a vegan milk of your choice like almond milk or soy milk and as for the eggs, substitute them with flax-eggs. Flax-eggs are a flax-seed based substitute for eggs. For One Flax Egg, grind 1 tbsp of flax seed and mix with 3 tbsp of water.
Serving the Sugarfree Blueberry Pancakes
Enjoy these fluffy, naturally sweet pancakes warm, with a dollop of greek yoghurt and some fresh mixed berries. Since we are talking of healthy eating and balanced meals, I thought why not add some veggies. Peeled some cucumber and carrot ribbons and rolled them into roses for garnish. These add an element of crunch on the plate. As you can see, this plate is loaded with fibre, protein , carbs, probiotics, anti-oxidants and numerous other nutrients. Who said healthy eating needs to be boring?!
Whole wheat Sugarfree Blueberry Pancakes
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Balloon whisk
- Spatula
- Non-stick skillet
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Whole wheat Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 pc Overripe Banana, Large (mashed)
- 2 pc Eggs, separated (substitute with 2 flax eggs for vegan – see notes)
- ⅔ Cup Milk (substitute with almond/ soy milk for vegan)
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- ¼ Cup Butter (substitute with coconut oil for vegan)
- 1 tbsp Lemon zest
- ½ Cup Quick cooking Oats
- 1 Cup Blueberries (preferably fresh)
- Butter/ Cooking Oil (to smear the skillet)
For Serving:
- Greek Yoghurt
- Mixed Berries
- Cucumber Ribbon (for garnish)
- Carrot Ribbon (for garnish)
Instructions
Making the Pancake Batter:
- Heat your Oven to 90°C. This is to keep the pancakes warm when you continue cooking the remaining pancakes
- Sift the whole wheat flour, baking soda and salt and keep aside
- In a large enough mixing bowl, mash the overripe banana until it is smooth and almost liquid
- Add in the egg yolks, milk, vanilla, melted butter and lemon zest and whisk until well combined
- Add the oats and mix well
- Whisk in the flour mixture little by little until well combined
- In another bowl, beat the egg whites to the soft peak stage and with the help of a spatula, gently fold into the pancake batter until well combined (see notes)
- Add the blueberries and fold in until well combined with the batter
Cooking the Pancakes:
- Heat a non-stick skillet to medium heat and smear it with butter/ oil
- Drop about 2 tbsp of the batter onto the pan and gently spread into a thick Ø3" disc. Fill up the skillet with as many pancakes as you can cook at a time
- Cook on one side for about 3 mins, until it browns up and the edges firm up. Gently flip the pancakes and cook for another 2 minutes until done
- Place the cooked pancakes in the heated oven to keep warm, and continue to cook the remaining pancakes
Serving the Pancakes:
- Serve the pancakes warm with Greek Yoghurt and Mixed berries
- Also, since this is a healthy breakfast recipe, I added a couple of cucumber and carrot roses as garnish
Notes
- For One Flax Egg, grind 1 tbsp of flax seed and mix with 3 tbsp of water
- Beating the egg whites separately is an optional step. You can also add the eggs whole to the batter
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