Healthy quinoa pancakes that are naturally gluten-free and perfect with an easy berry compote. It’s a delicious weekend breakfast!
Anyone who knows my husband and me knows that Saturday is always Pancake Day in our house. We love our lazy Saturday mornings drinking coffee, playing with our pup, and mixing up a batch of pancakes. My husband even created a Pancake Day playlist that we listen to during our Saturday morning festivities. It’s become one of our favorite weekly traditions!
Growing up, my mom always made pancakes on the weekends, too. Back then, they were made from Bisquick and had lots of chocolate chips! Since I started studying nutrition, I wanted to come up with some pancakes that were a little healthier. Something that wouldn’t spike my blood sugar like white flour and sugar do, and with a little more substance (aka protein and fiber) that would keep me full for a while.
After lots of experimenting I finally came up with my perfect recipe. Most people who come over love them because they aren’t too sweet, and they can’t even tell they are healthy! (Although that could be because I add lots of chocolate chips for guests…)
These quinoa pancakes are a bit of a variation from my normal pancake recipe. I wanted to experiment with adding quinoa to up the protein a bit, and in celebration of National Whole Grains Month! So this recipe contains two types of whole grains, no flour, and no sugar. It’s delightfully healthy with 10.5 grams of protein and only 4.5 grams of healthy fats per serving, and since I don’t use flour in them, they are naturally gluten free!
I find it easy to cook up a big batch of quinoa and use it throughout the week in salads, as a quick side to go with dinner, and of course, in these pancakes!
I like to top mine with fruit and a bit of maple syrup, but feel free to use whatever you wish! Just know that since they don’t have any sugar, they are not very sweet, so you’ll probably want something, like this delicious berry compote. I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!
PrintQuinoa Pancakes
Healthy quinoa pancakes that are naturally gluten-free and perfect with an easy berry compote. It’s a delicious weekend breakfast!
- Yield: 12 pancakes 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup oats
- 1 cup quinoa, cooked
- 1 Tbsp ground flax
- 2 egg whites
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup club soda or milk of choice
For berry compote:
- 2 cups fresh or frozen berries
- 2 tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Preheat pancake griddle or skillet to 350°F or medium heat.
- Grind oats in a blender or food processor until they are the consistency of flour.
- In a large bowl, mix all ingredients, careful not to over mix. You may have to adjust the amount of liquid to suit your preferred consistency. The oats will soak up liquid the longer it sits.
- Spray a preheated skillet pan or griddle with cooking spray or lightly grease with coconut oil.
- Pour about 1/4 cup of batter (more or less, depending on the size you want) onto the pan to form a circle. Let cook until you see bubbles forming in the batter’s surface. When the bottom is golden, flip and cook the other side until it is cooked through, about a minute.
- Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm with fresh fruit, honey, maple syrup, or berry compote.
- To make compote: Add berries and sugar to a small saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring, until sauce-like and thickened.
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jennifer@thefitfork.com says
January 23, 2017 at 5:45 pmthese looks so yummy! I bet the texture is great!
B says
March 13, 2017 at 7:50 pmDoes it matter if it is egg whites or a whole egg?
Kaleigh says
March 14, 2017 at 6:11 amYou can use either!