Easy Healthy Whole Wheat Pancake Recipe

Start your Saturday morning with a healthy breakfast! This whole wheat pancake recipe is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

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One way I love to bring the family together on a chill morning is to make a tasty breakfast. Some great memories and stories are told over a yummy breakfast (or dinner…). Treat yourself to these fluffy whole wheat pancakes and you won’t be disappointed. In this recipe I use white whole wheat flour.

I like to incorporate whole grains whenever I can. When you eat the entire grain, you are getting the full benefit and nutrition that a wheat grain has to offer. If you wanted to take your healthy pancakes up another level you could make my favorite sourdough pancake recipe here.

Are Whole Wheat Pancakes Healthy?

Any foods that use wholesome ingredients like whole wheat are going to boost the nutrition level of your food. In this recipe I replace vegetable oil with coconut oil. Vegetable oil is something that isn’t really that good for you and should be avoided if possible.

Lucky for you, the switch is pretty easy. If you don’t have coconut oil on hand, you could also replace it 1:1 with melted butter, plain greek yogurt, banana (banana pancakes), or unsweetened applesauce. If all you have is sweetened applesauce, that is fine, just know your pancakes will likely be a little sweeter. You could also just lower the amount of sweetener you use in the recipe.

These are just a few of the healthier options that you can use to replace the vegetable oil. Another thing that make this recipe a healthier option, is that it is sweetened using maple syrup or honey instead of sugar.

What type of flour is best for pancakes?

This really depends on what you are trying to achieve. If you are going for a healthier pancake then you would want to use whole wheat flour, einkorn flour, or kamut. Each of these flours will change the taste and texture a bit of the pancake and honestly won’t make as fluffy of a pancake as when you use white flour.

That being said, this healthy whole wheat pancake recipe doesn’t sacrifice on flavor one bit, and is totally worth the slightly less fluffy of a pancake. It really doesn’t make that big of a difference and is still delicious!

What goes well with whole wheat pancakes?

Pancakes are fun in that you can add a variety of things to make them even tastier. My family loves adding fresh fruit to the top of our pancakes. Things like strawberry or banana slices on top of the pancake are delicious and can even replace adding syrup if you are trying to reduce the amount of sugar you are taking in.

I also love sprinkling blueberries onto the pancake as it is cooking. The blueberries put off a wonderful smell as they caramelize on the pan. Super yummy. Some people in my choose to put peanut butter on their pancakes as well. A drizzle of maple syrup is one of my favorites!

If we are feeling extra fancy, we will sprinkle chocolate chips to the pancakes as they are cooking. In my opinion, adding four or five chocolate chips to a pancake is less sugar than adding syrup and so we don’t feel guilty about doing it at all! Especially if you are using dark chocolate chips!

How to make healthy whole wheat pancakes?

Lucky for you, pancakes are something that don’t take a lot of time or effort to whip up. Let’s get started!

First, put together the dry ingredients

In a medium bowl, combine flour ( the whole wheat flour, again this is more nutritious than all purpose flour) baking powder, and salt. Whisk flour mixture to make sure all the ingredients are fully combined.

Second, put together the wet ingredients

In a medium bowl whisk together the milk (I prefer whole milk), large eggs, maple syrup or honey, and melted coconut oil. If you are using an alternative to coconut oil that is fine, you will add it at this time as well.

Make the pancake batter

Once you have both the wet and dry ingredients combined and properly mixed, then pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until the wet ingredients are incorporated into the dry ingredients. It is important to know that with pancake batter it is okay if there are a few lumps. That is totally normal!

Lets cook your pancakes!

Heat up a large skillet or hot griddle over medium heat. Once your skillet or griddle is preheated you may want to turn the heat down to medium low heat to cook your pancakes. Every oven or griddle is different, and you may have to fiddle around with your heat to find that sweet spot that cooks your pancakes up to be that perfect golden brown color.

Once you have hot pans, scoop batter onto the pans. Let it cook on that side for about a minute before flipping. You will know it is ready to flip when you start to see the batter get bubbly and the sides of the pancake start to lift off of the pan. See image above.

Eat your pancakes warm for best taste. You can put a clean towel over your pancakes to keep them warm while cooking the rest of the pancakes. These really are the best whole wheat pancakes, add some pure maple syrup and enjoy!

Can I store my extra whole wheat pancakes?

I find that we usually left over pancakes and I hate to let them go to waste. Thankfully whole wheat pancakes store well! Place your leftover pancakes in an airtight container like a Ziplock bag or storage container and put in the fridge.

They will store in the fridge for up to a week. If you want your leftover whole wheat pancakes to store longer then you can freeze them. These freeze well and when you are ready to eat the frozen pancakes, simply place them on a plate with a paper towel below (this helps keep the pancake from getting soggy) the pancake and pop them in the microwave. Cook them for about 30-90 seconds.

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