This post may contain affiliate links. This means that when you click the link and make a purchase, I make a small commission. I only recommend products that I have used and find helpful. Thank you for supporting Motivate Educate Repeat!
The perfect breakfast food?
Pancakes are a breakfast staple! No matter where you go, everyone has their favorite version of pancakes. Some like them simple with just maple syrup, and others love the works, with fruit and whip cream. I think I fall somewhere in the middle. The good news, these Healthy Gluten-Free Pancakes will give you all of the classic flavors, but with healthier ingredients.
I love making healthier versions of my favorite comfort foods. If you’re new around here, that’s basically what most of my recipes are about. The ability to enjoy our favorite foods, while still nourishing our bodies with good nutrition.
That’s where the 80/20 rule comes in and I swear by it. Take it from someone who loves to live a healthy lifestyle, workout, and eat healthy meals. If I’ve found most success with this method, then I know you may also benefit from it. It basically just means that you focus on healthy, nutrient dense foods about 80% of the time, and leave the other 20% for anything else.
Weekends and brunch
These pancakes are not only healthier, but fluffy and delicious. Just like my Gluten-Free Belgian Waffle recipe you can find HERE, I use applesauce, coconut sugar, gluten free flour, cinnamon and vanilla. They almost have the flavor of a donut to me. So good!
We love making these pancakes into a fun silver dollar size. I think this is the way they cook up best, also ensuring you have either leftovers or enough to feed a crowd. The recipe makes about 20 silver dollars sized pancakes. You could easily double the recipe if needed.
Let’s be honest, weekends and brunch were made for each other! It’s so fun to cook up a bunch of these pancakes and serve it with scrambled eggs (with veggie and cheese), a side of fruit, and a hot cup of coffee. This is one of our favorite weekend breakfasts! Healthy and delicious!
Healthy recipe swaps
*Applesauce- this is a great ingredient to use when you want to swap out oil/butter in a recipe. I recommend only using this swap for pancakes, waffles, muffins, cakes etc. Any type of fluffy dessert usually does fine without added oils, but cookies etc usually need them. Just make sure to use an UNSWEETENED applesauce to cut out added sugar. You can find it HERE.
*Coconut Sugar- I love swapping this for any processed white or occasionally brown sugar. It has a slightly nutty flavor, but goes so well with the cinnamon and vanilla in this recipe. Sugar is still sugar, but the more natural to the source the better. I also love using maple syrup and honey in recipes where that would work. You can find the coconut sugar HERE.
*Gluten-free flour- This one is definitely more of a preference. I make most of my recipes gluten-free for anti-inflammatory reasons, but you can absolutely use a whole wheat flour or regular flour if preferred. My favorite flour is the Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose blend. This can be used in a 1:1 ratio swap for any all-purpose flour. You can find it HERE.
*Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk- You can use this to swap out any regular milk. I also love using it because most regular conventional dairy milks contain added sugar. This one doesn’t and it doesn’t need it. The vanilla flavor is so good in baked goods too! You can find my favorite Almond Breeze brand HERE.
Recipe tips:
*Be sure to mix the gluten-free batter a little longer than you would with regular flour. It’s also a good idea to let the batter rest for about 10 minutes before cooking. This just ensures the pancakes rise nice and fluffy.
*Use an iron skillet for the perfect buttery, crispy pancake edges. Â Just be sure to use butter to grease your pan. Since we omitted butter from the recipe, it wont be too much overall. I love using this method to add just a little butter to the pancakes without having to add more for serving.
*Store extra pancakes in the fridge in an airtight container and heat as needed throughout the week. Best used within 5 days for freshness. This makes for a quick, healthy breakfast when you’re short on time.
Healthy Gluten-Free Pancakes
I really hope you enjoy these Healthy Gluten-Free Pancakes! It’s become a go-to pancake recipe in our home. A great way to still enjoy the comfort foods we love, without sacrificing our nutrition.
If you’re looking for another gluten-free breakfast recipe, check out my Gluten-Free Applesauce Belgian Waffles recipe HERE.
Connect with me
Follow me on social media to stay up to date on all of my latest recipes and health and wellness tips. You can search @motivate.educate.repeat on Instagram (where I spend most of my time), or click the direct link HERE.
Feel free to send me a message on social media or email me hollyn@motivateeducaterepeat with any comments or questions.
Healthy Gluten-Free Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cups Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
- 4 Tbsp Coconut Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Baking Powder (aluminum-free)
- 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
- 3/4 Tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 1/2 Cups Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
- 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
- 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Whole Egg
Instructions
-
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk all dry ingredients until combined.
-
In the same bowl add egg, applesauce, vanilla and milk. Whisk until combined.
-
Heat a large iron skillet and add a little butter to pan. Once melted, make sure bottom is entirely coated. Add a little extra butter for crispier edges. Spoon batter into pan in silver dollar sized circles. Cook a few minutes on first side until bubbles begin to form on the top.
-
Flip pancakes just once. Cook until golden brown. Serve with a real maple syrup and fruit.
This is yummy, love to have pancakes for breakfast. And it’s very healthy as well. Thank you for sharing this!
Oh my gosh, so so yummy! Thanks for putting this together!
Those pancakes look so good and wholesome!