Fluffy Protein-Packed Pancakes

These grain-free pancakes are rich in protein, meaning nice, steady energy for your morning. They’re delicate, fluffy, and have a light egg flavor. Because they’re so petite, I like to refer to them as “silver dollar pancakes.” It’s a nice marketing strategy, I think. 

A few things to know: First, you can double the dry ingredients and store them in the fridge as “pancake mix.” Just add 1 cup of the mix to the wet ingredients that go into the blender, and you’re all set. Second, I like to put the batter in a squeeze bottle before making the pancakes because I find it easier to make them that way. You can also scrape it into a Ziploc and snip the corner off – great for squeezing out letters and shapes, if there are smaller people in the house who might appreciate that kind of thing.

Recipe Details: Fluffy Protein-Packed Pancakes

Active time: 30 minutes 

Total time: 30 minutes

Makes: 4 servings, or 16 (2-inch) pancakes

Total carbohydrates: 8 grams per serving, excluding toppings

Recipe notes

You’ll know whether your pancake mix needs thinning out with milk if either the blender blade seems disinclined to move through the batter or if the batter is too thick to pour out easily.

Unlike flour-based pancakes, these silver dollars will not reveal their doneness with bubbles popping up at the surface, so you’ll need to peek underneath very gently to know if they’re ready to be flipped.

Most importantly: These pancakes really are best eaten freshly cooked. They get a little stiff if you try to keep them warm, so even if you make more batter to cook additional pancakes, I suggest serving them right away.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons melted butter, plus more for cooking
• 1/2 cup milk, plus more as needed
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
• Toppings such as butter, yogurt, and/or fruit, for serving

Instructions

1. Combine the eggs, melted butter, and milk in a blender. Pulse until just mixed.
2. Fold in the almond flour, baking soda, kosher salt, and vanilla and cinnamon (if using), then pulse until combined, adding a splash or two more milk if the batter seems too thick.
3. Heat a griddle or frying pan over medium heat, then add butter.
4. Once the butter is sizzling, spoon two-inch rounds of batter onto the pan. Cook the pancakes until the bottoms are nice and brown, flipping carefully as they’re a little sticky and fragile while cooking. Cook them on their second side another minute or two, then serve right away.

Photo credit: Catherine Newman