Favourite Pancake Recipes
Every year our list of family pancake ideas gets a little longer. Pick your favourite and cook up a storm this pancake day. Sweet or savoury, we have got you covered. These are my top pancake picks for 2019:
Savoury Crêpe Wheels, Wholemeal Sweetcorn Pancakes, Ricotta, Vanilla and Blueberry Pancakes, Sweet Potato Pancakes, Healthy Oat Pancakes and Wholemeal Banana Pancakes
Savoury Crêpe Wheels
This recipe makes 6-8 crêpes, I add herbs to the batter too. Pancakes don’t always have to be sweet and this would make a really fun option for tea, or supper. You can adapt the basic crêpe recipe and create fillings that you and your kids will enjoy. It would be fun to make the crêpes, then lay out an assortment of fillings, so everyone can get involved and make their own. DIY pancakes for the whole family. I find that rolling them into pin wheels is the easiest way for kids to eat them.
filling ~
200g smoked salmon, cut into thin strips
100-150g cream cheese
finely chopped chives
black pepper
lemon wedges, to serve
crêpes ~
100g plain flour
2 large organic eggs
300ml milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chopped herbs, parsley, chives and dill
More vegetable oil, for cooking
In a bowl combine: flour, eggs, milk and oil then whisk until completely smooth. Fold through the chopped herbs. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and wipe away any excess oil, with some kitchen towel. You are now ready to cook the crêpes. Ladle a portion of the crêpe batter into the pan. Tilt the pan, to cover the entire surface with a thin layer of the batter. Crêpes should be thin so won’t need more than a minute, or two, each side to cook through. Once both sides are cooked and golden, remove from the pan and set aside. Repeat until you’ve used up all the crêpe batter, adding more oil to the pan as needed and wiping away any excess oil.
To assemble the crêpe wheels: spread one side of the crêpe with cream cheese, scatter with the strips of salmon, chopped chives and a grind of black pepper. Then roll into a long sausage and with a serrated knife cut into pin wheels. Serve with wedges of lemon
Wholemeal Sweetcorn Pancakes
Wholemeal savoury pancakes are brilliant for any-meal. Children love pancakes so it can be a way to add extra ingredients into their diets, in this case sweetcorn. You could also try frozen peas, or a little grated courgette, etc…
These wholemeal pancakes are hearty and filling, I blend half of the sweetcorn into the batter and then add the remaining half whole, to create texture. For some children who are very sensitive to texture you can choose to blend all the sweetcorn, so the end result is smoother to taste.
Divide the sweetcorn mix into two. Add ½ the sweetcorn to a blender, with the flour, baking powder, egg and milk. Blend until smooth. Add the remaining whole sweetcorn kernels to the pancake mix and combine with a spatula. Pour the mix into a jug (then you can pour the pancake mix directly into the frying pan).
Next take a frying pan and place over a medium heat. Brush the surface of the frying pan with a little oil. Pour out small pancakes into the pan, roughly 1 tablespoon of the batter per pancake. Once bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes, they are ready to turn. Then cook on the other side. Cook in batches and remove to kitchen paper to drain. Serve with chopped avocado, halved cherry tomatoes and a dollop of natural yogurt
195g salt-free tinned sweetcorn, drained (x1 small can)
50g wholemeal flour (you can use plain white flour if you prefer)
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 organic egg
50ml milk, dairy or non-dairy
1 tablespoon rapeseed oil, for cooking
Ricotta, Vanilla & Blueberry Pancakes
These are our favourite weekend pancakes, I have adapted them from a Nigella recipe. But every time I make these, I get so many requests for the recipe. So in time for pancake day: here my version. I warn you they are addictive: the ricotta makes the centre soft and creamy and whisking the eggs keeps the pancakes light and fluffy. They truly are heaven on a plate.
As you make them, transfer them to a warm plate and they will keep until you have made all of the pancakes. You can then sit down to eat these as a family. I serve them with a little maple syrup, which is totally optional, and extra blueberries. If you’d like to avoid maple syrup then my frozen berry sauce recipe, with no added sugar, would be a delicious accompniment.
In a bowl combine the ricotta, milk, vanilla extract and egg yolks, break up with a spatula until smooth. Next add the flour and baking powder. In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites by hand, for just 2 mins or so, just so they are softly firm. Fold into the pancake mix, lightly, to retain the air and keep the mix light and fluffy. Finally, fold through the whole blueberries.
Heat a large frying pan and lightly brush with veg oil.Drop in a spoon of batter, cook until bubbles appear in the surface, then flip them over and cook for another minute. They should be lightly golden on both sides. Serve with more blueberries and a little maple syrup.
250g tub of ricotta cheese
125ml milk
2 organic eggs, separated
100g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
125g - 150g blueberries (1 small punnet)
vegetable oil, for cooking
Sweet Potato Pancakes
These pancakes are a gorgeous golden colour, thanks to the sweet potato puree. The sweet potato not only gives them a lovely colour, but also great flavour and it adds extra fibre too. My top tip is to make the sweet potato puree ahead, let it cool and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Then in the morning this recipe takes minutes to throw together. I would never attempt to make the sweet potato puree in the morning and the pancakes (with hungry kids waiting), it would simply take too long!
Peel the sweet potatoes cut into chunks: boil until tender, drain, blend until smooth and cool. Blend the sweet potato puree with the milk, eggs and cinnamon: blitz until smooth. Sift in the flour and combine. Heat a little oil in a pan and with a large spoon, or ladle, portion a pancake and drop it into the pan: spreading the mix a little into a pancake. You don’t want them to be too thick, so the pancakes cook through. When you start to see bubbles in the pancake surface, turn and cook the other side. Once both sides are cooked and golden, remove from the pan and set aside ready to serve. Repeat until you’ve used up all the batter, adding more oil to the pan as needed, wiping away any excess oil. Serve with a drizzle of maple syrup
300g sweet potatoes
200ml milk
2 medium size organic eggs
1, or 1/2 tsp, ground cinnamon
150g self-raising flour
vegetable oil, for cooking
maple syrup, to serve
Healthy Oat Pancakes
These pancakes are a healthy alternative to traditional pancake recipes. White flour is replaced with blitzed oats and you can make these without dairy: try a plant based milk, of your own choice. I just blitz everything in a Nutri-bullet, but any mini blender will do. This is a great way of getting all the goodness in, at breakfast, and still feeling like you have all had a treat.
80g oats (with or without gluten)
200ml milk (dairy, or non dairy)
1 medium banana
vegetable oil, for cooking
Blend the oats in a blender until you have oat-flour: add the milk and the banana, then blend until combined.
Heat some oil in a frying pan: add one ladle of batter at a time to the pan, to make scotch size pancakes (you don’t want them to be too thick, so the pancakes cook through). Cook for a couple of minutes until bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes, they are now ready to turn. Turn and cook on the reverse side. Once both sides are cooked and golden, remove from the pan and set aside ready to serve. Repeat until you’ve used up all the batter, adding more oil to the pan as needed, wiping away any excess oil. Serve the pancakes warm.
Wholemeal Banana Pancakes
This simple recipe is inspired by @rupertandmummy Rupert’s mum Jenny makes the most delicious pancakes in the morning for her little boy. Try version is based on one of her go-to recipes. She makes delicious breakfasts in general, so if you are looking for inspiration give her a follow.
I love wholemeal flour, it is more substantial than white flour and has a lovely nutty flavour. But if you don’t have it just use plain white flour and don’t worry! Pancakes should be fun and quick, there is no point worrying if you don’t have the exact ingredients to hand.
1 whole banana
65g wholemeal/ brown self-raising flour (I use Duchy Organic)
1 organic egg
4-5 tablespoons milk (dairy, or non-dairy)
vegetable oil, for cooking
serve fruit cut into shapes and jam (optional
Mash the banana in a mixing bowl using a fork: add the egg and whisk together. Next add self-raising flour and combine with a spatula, finally add milk to loosen the mixture into a good batter consistency. Heat a little oil in a pan and with a large spoon, or ladle, portion a pancake and drop it into the pan: spreading the mix a little into a pancake. You don’t them to be too thick, so the pancakes cook through. When you start to see bubbles in the pancake surface, turn and cook the other side. Once both sides are cooked and golden, remove from the pan and set aside ready to serve. Repeat until you’ve used up all the batter, adding more oil to the pan as needed. These are delicious with a dollop of raspberry jam; my daughter loves them with fruit cut into star, or heart shapes.