Vegan Oatmeal Protein Pancakes (Gluten Free)

Recipe Difficulty: Easy

Recipe Tags:

• Oatmeal Protein Pancakes
• Gluten Free Pancakes
• Vegan Protein Pancakes
• Banana Oat Pancakes with Peanut Butter

My Oatmeal Protein Pancake Recipe Notes
I love these!!! Vegan & Gluten free pancakes. Made with 100% Oats, this is a breakfast treat you can feel good about eating. These are NOT your typical fluffy pancakes, if that is what you are on the hunt for. They are more like having a bowl of oatmeal but in pancake form. They get crispy on the outside and well, kind of like creamy oatmeal on the inside. This is what I make when I want a pancake that fits into my typical eating routine, as oatmeal made in one way shape or form is a go to breakfast item for me. If you want a fluffier pancake, my spelt flour pancakes are something I love and make when I want a more classic pancake, but of course I keep it whole grain because that is how I roll. 

Oatmeal Protein Pancake Batter
These pancakes are pretty forgiving. I've made them successfully when batter is a bit thicker like typical pancake batter, but also a bit thinner. Give it a good stir before pouring your mixture into the pan, sometimes the oat bits will float to the bottom. If you find the batter is too thin, you can just let it sit for a bit and it will thicken up, or blitz up more oats and stir them in. Or just add your wet mixture a bit at a time to avoid that problem all together. 

I cook one pancake at a time in my "The rock fry pan" (my fav fry pans and linked below), with a bit of coconut oil typically. (Use the oil you prefer.) I find 1/4 of a cup too little, and 1/2 cup too much, so eventually I just started free pouring from the bowl each time. My batter spread easily by itself, then after a minute I just used my spatula to help shape the edges a bit into a more perfect circle, though it was already circular. 

I wait until I see bubbles form on the top, and then flip. These should be cooked over medium heat. I don't rush taking my pancake out the pan, I like giving the oats time to cook in the middle to avoid a raw oat flour taste. 

I wasn't sure how the batter would fare after sitting in the fridge for a day. The oats absorb the liquid and it becomes really thick, but thinning it out with a bit more plant milk worked great. Maybe even better as a make a head thing. I'm guessing oats that have soaked in liquid are easier to digest. So my new plan might even be to make the batter, let it sit over night in the fridge, and then thin out with plant milk the next morning for breakfast!

Topping Ideas for Oatmeal Protein Pancakes
Basically any way you enjoy eating a bowl of oatmeal, you can transfer to adding to these pancakes. I would undoubtedly add maple syrup to all variations suggested below.

• I love adding slices of banana and a drizzle of natural peanut butter between each pancake, then drizzling it with maple syrup. 
• Baked Apple Slices & Toasted Pecans
  
• Fresh Berries and Coco Whip
• Chocolate Chips cooked into the batter before flipping
  
• Chocolate Hazelnut Spread & Banana or Apple
  

Oats are a fantastic thing to include in your diet.
This recipe uses 100% oat flour.  All you have to do to make your own oat flour is blitz up whole oats in a food processor until it resembles flour, easy! Oats are definitely a staple in my diet, mainly because I love them, but it's also nice to know that they are good for you. Consuming oats regularly may help prevent heart disease, lower blood sugar levels, and help to maintain a healthy weight. In 100 grams of oat flour there is 13 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber and it's a great source of iron, magnesium, and other vitamins and minerals. While I avoid added sugar in my diet most of the time, if I am going to consume it, like when I have pancakes, I like that I am in control of how much  I am adding. There are so many products out there where the first ingredient is sugar, and I whole heartedly disagree with companies profiting from selling us products that suppress our health. I avoid supporting them for the most part, though I'm sure I make exceptions once in awhile!

Recipe: Vegan Oat Protein Pancakes

Yield: 6 - 8 pancakes, but depends how big you make them.
Ingredients:

          Dry:

• 1.5 cups rolled oats
• 2 tbsp vanilla protein powder (I use vega vanilla, because I love the flavour it gives. Linked Below)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon + a pinch of pie spice blend (or whatever fun spice you wanna throw in)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp baking powder

  
           Wet:

• 2 cups plant based milk
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Put your oats into a food processor and blitz until consistency of flour.
2. To your oat flour, add the rest of the dry ingredients and pulse to combine. 
3. Transfer to a bowl, and whisk in the wet ingredients. You might not need all of the plant milk, so add a bit at a time.
4. Preheat your pan over medium heat, add a bit of veg oil of choice.                             
5. Add a scoop of batter to the pan. Alternatively, just free pour, which is what I do. I cook one pancake at a time, and repeat until I've used all the batter.
6. Cook until you see bubbles forming on the top or they look a bit brown around the edges and they seem "set". Sometimes my batter doesn't bubble, maybe when it's on the thicker side, not sure. Flip and continue cooking a few more minutes. Repeat until you have used all the batter. See my recipe notes above for more detailed explanation. 
7. Serve with maple syrup, fruit or whatever fun toppings are your favourite!