I don’t really like to play favorites with food, but I’m going to go ahead and say it: homemade pancakes are my favorite breakfast food (shhh… don’t tell the waffles and eggs!). I make them at least every other weekend. And these fluffy berry oat pancakes may have just hit the top of the charts. I dare you to look at this picture and tell me you don’t want to eat these:
Since pancakes are a weekend staple at my house, I (almost) always make sure to make them as healthy as possible, using whole grains and little to no refined sugar (like in my banana chia seed pancakes and my pumpkin pie pancakes).
These fluffy berry oat pancakes are just that- they are made with 100% whole grains (a mixture of whole wheat flour and oats) and only 2 tablespoons of brown sugar (for which honey can be substituted- see recipe below). The flavor is slightly sweet and salty, kind of like a biscuit, balanced out by the natural sugars in the fresh (or frozen) berries that are folded into the batter.
The best thing about them? THE FLUFFY. Made with baking soda AND baking powder, these pancakes poof up (a highly technical culinary term) while cooking to make air pockets and a melt-in-your-mouth pancake.
Let me tell you why I love pancakes so much.
- They taste amazing. Every time. They are hard to mess up.
- They are simple and fast to make.
- Two words: Maple. Syrup. (be sure to use the real stuff!)
- You can freeze the leftovers and pop them in the toaster or microwave for a quick weekday breakfast.
- They are healthy, if you use whole grains and real ingredients!
- They are fun to photograph- it’s so satisfying to stack a bunch of pancakes up, drizzle syrup all over, and shoot awesome photos in the natural morning light (food blogger nerd alert).
- You can use up leftovers in them! Whenever I have something to use up (ripe bananas, leftover canned pumpkin, mashed sweet potatoes, or in this case, a bunch of berries), I throw it into pancake batter so it doesn’t go to waste.
Here’s the most important thing to remember when making whole grain pancakes: do not over mix the batter. When you mix too much, gluten begins to form from the flour, which will make the batter stick together and cause a dense pancake. (Note: this applies when making muffins, bread, or other baked goods with whole wheat flour as well.)
For these pancakes, I made my own “buttermilk” by adding vinegar to whole milk. Have you ever tried this? It works so well! Because when do you EVER have buttermilk just lying around? If you do have buttermilk, you can absolutely use it in this recipe. But milk + vinegar will work just fine.
What’s your favorite pancake recipe? I need some more ideas! :-)
Enjoy!
| Fluffy Berry Oat Pancakes (made with 100% whole grains) | | Print |
- ¾ cup milk + 2 tablespoons white vinegar (or 1 cup buttermilk)
- ½ cup white whole wheat flour
- ½ cup quick oats (old fashioned oats can also be used)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar*
- 1 egg
- 1 cup fresh berries (any combination of blueberries, sliced strawberries, blackberries, or raspberries), plus more for serving
- butter, for frying
- maple syrup, for serving
- Mix the milk and vinegar in a measuring cup and set aside for 5 minutes (the milk will thicken and sour to the consistency of buttermilk).
- Meanwhile, mix the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl.
- After 5 minutes is up, crack an egg into the milk mixture and beat.
- Add egg mixture to dry ingredients, stirring until just combined (do not overwork the batter!)
- Fold 1 cup of berries into the batter gently.
- Heat a heavy or cast iron skillet / griddle and cook pancakes in melted butter in ⅓ cup amounts over medium heat. Flip when slightly browned around edges and bubbles form at the top.
- Serve with extra berries and maple syrup.
Want to use frozen berries? They will work fine! Just thaw ahead of time, and know that your pancakes will be purple/blue/red from the juices from the berries :-)
I'm Elizabeth, nice to meet you! I live in central Texas with my husband Zach, two kitties (Oscar and Olive), and a baby on the way. My recipes are made from whole ingredients and are freezer friendly, make-ahead, slow cooker, and/or quick & easy. My philosophy is that that eating and cooking should relieve the stress of a busy lifestyle, not contribute to it, and that you can eat healthy, whole foods without making yourself crazy.
Those look to be about the most perfect pancakes! I love oats. We love pancakes at our house, too. I promise not to tell on you to the waffles and the eggs! -Kim
A great tip for fluffy whole grain pancakes is to separate the egg, whip the white, then fold it in at the end.
Thanks, Charlotte! Will have to try that next time! :-)
Craving a stack of pancakes right now.. these oat pancakes look so delicious and definitely fluffy.
Pancakes = weekend in my book. I love making them healthier too, so this oat version would be a hit on a lazy Saturday around here!
Holy COW these look outstanding. Your photography is beyond. I want to take a fork to my screen! Can’t wait to make these :)
Thank you so much Caroline!! I can’t tell you how many times I wish I could just eat right off my computer screen, too :-) Hope you like them!
These are amazing and so fluffy! I can’t wait to make them again. I used 1% milk and half agave/half maple syrup. I recommend to anyone looking for a good pancake recipe. Thank you.
So glad you liked them, Mary!
I can’t stop making this recipe! Every weekend now we enjoy your pancakes. They are so fluffy and delicious :)
Thanks Jenna! So glad you like the recipe! :-)