These cozy-spiced apple cinnamon pancakes are a healthy way to start the day! They’re deliciously wholesome, made with oats and maple syrup.

Here’s a recipe for cozy mornings that’s got a secret…it’s a healthy breakfast idea, too. Meet these Apple Cinnamon Pancakes! They’re fluffy, cinnamon-spiced, and guess what? They’re made of 100% oats, no flour! Using oats lends a warm, homey flavor and makes them more filling and nutrient-dense than the traditional pancake.This type of oatmeal pancake is our favorite…so we were thrilled to see this recipe in our friend Erin’s new cookbook, The Well Plated Cookbook! From the first bite, you’ll be sold. (We were!) Keep reading for the preview recipe and more about this beautiful cookbook.

Ingredients in these apple cinnamon pancakes

Yes, you heard right. There’s no flour in these apple pancakes: just wholesome, hearty rolled oats. How is this possible? Whiz the batter in a blender: it breaks down the oats into a flour-like texture. You’ll be amazed at how fluffy these come out with no flour. You get all the nutrients of eating a bowl of oatmeal, not a stack of flapjacks! Here are some notes on the main ingredients in Erin’s apple cinnamon pancakes:

• Old-fashioned oats: Look for rolled oats or old-fashioned oats. Do not substitute steel cut! Steel cut oats have a hard texture like rice and do not work here.
• Greek yogurt: Brings a rich and moist texture to these pancakes.
• Apple: You can use any variety, but Erin recommends crisp-tart like Honeycrisp or Fuji.
• Maple syrup: Make sure it is pure maple syrup!
• Butter, milk, and eggs
• Cinnamon
• Vanilla, baking powder, and salt

Blend ’em right up!

These apple cinnamon pancakes use rolled oats only, so the trick is: the blender! We have a few blender muffins and blender pancakes recipes that we can’t get enough of. So we were thrilled to see Erin use this technique in her recipe. Here are a few notes on blending the batter:

• A high quality or high speed blender makes quick work. We have a high speed blender, and these took just a few second to blend into a smooth batter.
• Other blenders can take a few minutes. If you’ve got a less powerful blender, it may take a few minutes of stopping and scraping down the bowl with a spatula. Just keep blending until a smooth batter forms!

Trick to cooking apple cinnamon pancakes: low and slow

Pancakes might sound like something you can do in your sleep. But we actually get a lot of questions about cooking them! The biggest mistake people make: cooking them on too high heat. They’ll turn out dark on the outside and uncooked on the inside. Here’s how to cook these apple cinnamon pancakes to perfection:

• Low and slow is the key! Use medium low heat so the pancake cooks through evenly. We cannot say this enough!
• Adjust the heat while cooking. It’s easy to get a perfect first batch of apple pancakes, then burn the second batch because the skillet is already blazing hot. Stay vigilant! We always turn down the heat after the first batch to make sure the next batch doesn’t burn.

Pancake topping ideas

Once you’ve got a towering stack of apple cinnamon pancakes, it’s all about the toppings! Here are a few notes about what Erin suggests and what we personally enjoy:

• Peanut butter or almond butter: Adding plant-based protein helps to make them even more filling! Our biggest pet peeve about standard pancakes is that they leave us hungry hours later. Combining oatmeal pancakes with nut butter makes a seriously filling breakfast.
• Fresh apples or sauteed apples: We used fresh apples to top and loved the crisp pop of flavor and texture. In Erin’s cookbook, she also has a great recipe for sauteed apples to use as a topping.
• Chopped pecans or walnuts: Chopped nuts add even more plant-based protein and a nice crunch.
• Greek yogurt: Swirl Greek yogurt with a little maple syrup as healthy topping, or use it plain. Another idea is the Greek yogurt “cream cheese” topping from our Carrot Cake Pancakes.

About the book: The Well Plated Cookbook

This apple cinnamon pancakes recipe is from our friend Erin Clarke’s book, The Well Plated Cookbook. WOW, is this book a stunner. We could not recommend it more: not just because we are lucky enough to know Erin personally. This book is everything we love about her food: fresh, healthy recipes that taste incredible and are full of wholesome ingredients. Every page you turn to, you’ll immediately want to make the recipe.

Of special note: the recipes are very easy to follow so that they come out perfectly every time. Alex and I are obsessed with well-tested and well-written recipes, and we think Erin’s are top notch. You’ll feel comfortable cooking with the book because there’s no guesswork! It’s got recipes for eaters of all kinds (meat and seafood), but as mostly vegetarians we found there were plenty of options. Her cookbook is one of our favorites this year. Congratulations, Erin on a fabulous book!

This apple cinnamon pancakes recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free.

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

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(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

5 from 5 reviews

• Author: Sonja Overhiser
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 12 4-inch pancakes
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

These cozy-spiced apple cinnamon pancakes are a healthy way to start the day! They’re deliciously wholesome, made with oats and maple syrup.

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 3/4 cups old-fashioned oats
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup shredded crisp-tart apple, such as Honeycrisp or Fuji (1 large or 2 small)
• For serving: pure maple syrup, chopped pecans, peanut butter or almond butter, sauteed apples

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Instructions

1. If you’d like to keep the pancakes warm between batches, place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a small microwave-safe bowl, microwave the butter for 15 seconds. Continue to microwave in 15-second bursts, just until melted. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.
3. Place the Greek yogurt, milk, oats, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and melted, cooled butter in a blender. Blend until the batter is very smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of your blender a few times. Depending on your blender, this will take a few minutes. Continue blending until you don’t see any remaining bits of oats, and the batter is creamy.
4. Stop the blender. Peel and grate the apple, then stir it into the blender. Do not blend again.
5. Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. Unless the manufacturer of your pan directs otherwise, lightly coat the surface of the pan with nonstick spray (some nonstick pans and griddles may not need it).
6. Once the skillet is heated, drop the batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto the pan and, with the flat bottom of your measuring cup or the back of a spoon, spread the pancakes to be 1/2 inch thick. Let cook slowly for 3 to 4 minutes on the first side, until the edges look dry and small bubbles appear on top. Gently flip (the underside should be golden) and continue cooking on the other side for 1 to 2 additional minutes, until golden. Adjust the heat as needed between batches. If you pancakes are turning golden before they are cooked through, reduce the heat of your skillet accordingly; if they don’t seem to be cooking through at all and you’ve gone a few minutes over the cook time, increase the temperature a little. Repeat with the remaining batter.
7. Serve the pancakes immediately or place on a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Add your favorite toppings and enjoy.

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• Category: Breakfast
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: Apple cinnamon pancakes, Apple pancakes

More oatmeal pancakes and muffins

We’ve got lots of recipes for oatmeal pancakes and muffins that use 100% oats to make a delightfully fluffy, gluten free muffin! Here are a few more recipes to try:

• Banana Oatmeal Pancakes Made in a blender using oats and bananas: no flour! They’re delicious with a healthy spin.
• Banana Blender Muffins So easy to whiz up, and perfectly fluffy with just oats and bananas.
• Favorite Applesauce Muffins These blender muffins come out light and perfectly cozy spiced: great for using up leftover applesauce!
• Banana Blueberry Muffins So moist, you’ll never believe there’s no flour! They’re studded with tangy blueberries.
• Healthy Zucchini Muffins Perfect for using up this seasonal veggie. Cinnamon-scented with just the right sweetness!

A Couple Cooks - Healthy, Whole Food, & Vegetarian Recipes