Pumpkin Spice Protein Pancakes - Recipe

EJBarner

My partner and I are both huuuuuge pumpkin spice fans (we fall into every stereotype about autumn-loving people there is), and today I whipped up some pumpkin spice pancakes for us to enjoy on this lazy Sunday morning.

This recipe is easy and quick, and very straightforward to adapt to your tastes. This is what were in mine, but if you make them please share variations that better fit your calorie/macro goals or reflect what you usually have around the house!





Ingredients:

• 80g gluten-free oats (or regular if you're not cooking for a celiac like I am)
• 60g Cinnamon Bun Protein Powder (you could totally do using all vanilla protein powder, but I had cinnamon bun so why not! Try adding a bit more cinnamon if you just use straight vanilla powder.)
• 10g Vanilla Protein Powder
• 115g Unsweetened Apple Sauce
• 16g of butter (melted or room temperature)
• 7.50g Ground Flax
• 8.40g Hemp Hearts
• 175g 1% Greek Yogurt
• 0.25 cup 1% Milk
• 1 large Egg
• 2 Large Egg Whites (or about 70g worth, if you're using the carton version)
• 40g maple syrup
• 150g Pumpkin Puree (just plain pumpkin, not 'pumpkin pie filling')
• 1.50 tbsp Pumpkin Pie Spice (link below to the recipe I use for this, but you can also buy it store-bought
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp Vegetable Oil (for frying)

Yields: 732 grams of batter that became 10 pancakes.

Instructions:

• Put all ingredients except vegetable oil in blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
• When you're almost ready to cook the pancakes, get a frying pan heating up at a medium heat (the ideal temperature will vary depending on your stove).
• Add the vegetable oil to the pan in 1/2 tsp increments for each batch of pancakes, using a spatula to ensure the pan is evenly coated. You may have to use a little more or a little less oil than I did.
• Pour the pancake batter onto the pan. I eyeballed mine, but I'm guessing they were around 1/3 cup of batter each if not a little more. The batter is more liquidy than you might be used to, so pour carefully and be careful not to crowd the pan.
• Flip them when you start to see little bubbles rising to the surface, or when the bottom edges start to look a little more solid. Basically cook them like any other pancake, but I erred on the side of 'flipping them fairly early' because my stove is temperamental. Transfer to a plate when both sides are golden brown.
• Serve as desired! I topped mine with some greek yogurt and a tiny bit more maple syrup.

My version made 10 pancakes, making each pancake about 130 calories with 9g of protein. However, I weighed the stack of pancakes and set the serving size as the total grams for a more precise number. I ate three pancakes and my (6'0 and male) partner ate five, leaving two pancakes for later. Both of us felt pleasantly full and well-nourished afterwards!

Other Notes:

• These pancakes are fairly dense but lovely and moist. They are not as 'fluffy' as a traditional pancake, but to be honest I personally prefer this consistency.
• I used Kaizen brand protein powder for both flavours in this, but you should of course substitute with the brand of your choice. The liquid/dry ratio may need slight adjusting for your protein powder.
• Here is the link to the recipe I used for pumpkin pie spice. I add a bit more cinnamon and mace to mine.
• With pumpkin puree, a common problem I have is that I only want to use a little bit for a recipe but the tins are huge. I get around this by dividing the contents of a tin into several bags/tupperware containers of usable amounts (usually around 150-180g for me) and freezing them. They thaw out great in the fridge or microwave and are really easy to use for muffins and pancakes, etc.

I hope you guys enjoy! I'd love to hear about any variations that work better for you.