15-Minute Healthy Whole Grain Gingerbread Pancakes
These Healthy Gingerbread Pancakes are the ultimate nutritious holiday breakfast! Made with whole wheat flour so they’re higher in fibre, these fluffy pancakes are perfect for Christmas morning or whenever you want to feel festive. Serve them with greek yogurt, fruit, and maple syrup for a satisfying and balanced holiday breakfast!
The holidays are in full swing now and I’m totally into it. Are you?
This time of year is for decorating the Christmas tree, sipping on a Homemade Peppermint Mocha, and watching cheesy holiday movies.
While I love the holiday season, what I don’t love is how quickly it goes by. One way that I try make the most out of the season is to put a festive spin on as many things as I can. From the music I play, the outfits I wear, and of course the food I eat, I try to add a little holiday flare!
I add pomegranate seeds to homemade salsa (you have to try this!), make Eggnog Chia Pudding, and eat these Healthy Gingerbread Pancakes on repeat because they’re so simple to make and so delicious.
About These Healthy Gingerbread Pancakes:
As a dietitian, my approach to nutrition during the holidays really is all about balance. I encourage my clients to enjoy their favourite holiday foods and find ways to add nutrition into their days. In addition to enjoying our favourites, we can also mix in some nourishing holiday recipes too!
These festive and nourishing Gingerbread Pancakes are perfect for Christmas morning or Boxing Day! They’re spiced just right and fluffy AF. I like to pair them with greek or coconut yogurt, but if you’re feeling extra fun coconut whip cream would be delicious! And of course, a drizzle of maple syrup is a must.
Ingredients to Make Gingerbread Pancakes:
- Whole wheat flour or whatever flour you’d like to use. I think oat flour would also be great!
- Spices including cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
- Molasses! This gives sweetness and the nice gingerbread flavour.
- Lemon juice and your milk of choice to make homemade “buttermilk”.
- A large egg. You can also substitute for this with a flax egg.
- A mild-tasting vegetable oil like avocado, canola, or refined coconut oil.
- And just a few other ingredients that you probably have in your pantry right now!
How to Make Homemade Buttermilk:
Instead of buying a carton of buttermilk at the store, you can easily make your own version at home!
Just add 1 tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of your milk of choice. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, allowing the milk to curdle.
You can also just use regular milk (without lemon juice or vinegar) in this recipe, but I find the buttermilk helps the pancakes rise better, giving them their fluffy texture.
What Makes These Pancakes Healthy?
One easy swap to make your pancakes more nutritious is using whole grain (also known as whole wheat) flour instead of all purpose flour. By using whole wheat flour in these Gingerbread Pancakes, we’ve increased the fibre content and the amount of important nutrients like protein, iron, folate, and magnesium in this recipe.
Increasing the fibre content in our pancakes can help keep blood sugar levels more stable after eating, and help to keep you full for longer. If you want to enjoy your pancakes as part of a well-balanced breakfast, I recommend serving them with a good source of protein.
You can do this by topping the pancakes with greek yogurt or by serving them up with a side of 1-2 eggs.
How to Serve Whole Wheat Gingerbread Pancakes:
Here are some of the toppings that I recommend for these pancakes:
- Pomegranate seeds
- Greek yogurt (vanilla would be great)
- Maple syrup
- Light whipped cream
- Chopped pecans or walnuts
- Banana slices
How to Store Leftovers:
You can store leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge up to 5 days. Alternatively, you can freeze leftover pancakes up to 2 months. Then defrost/reheat (I like to reheat pancakes in the toaster!) and serve.
Connect with Hannah Magee RD:
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do. If you try it, let me know what you think by leaving a rating and a review in the comments below. Oh, and be sure to take a photo and tag me at @hannahmagee_rd so I can re-share on my stories!
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15-Minute Healthy Whole Grain Gingerbread Pancakes
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 tbsp lemon juice, or vinegar
- 1 cup milk of choice
- 1 large egg, can substitute with a 'flax egg'
- 3 tbsp molasses
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil, like avocado, canola, or coconut
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk together milk and lemon juice to create "buttermilk" and let sit until needed (about 5 minutes). Add the egg, molasses, oil, and vanilla extract and whisk to combine.
- In a separate large bowl, stir together all dry ingredients until combined. Pour wet ingredient mixture into dry ingredient mixture and stir until just combined – some lumps in the batter are ok!
- Pour approx. 1/4 cup batter per pancake on to a skillet or frying pan warmed to medium heat. Flip each pancake when bubbles form and the underside of the pancake is beginning to brown (you can check this using a spatula).
- Serve warm with toppings of your choice! Enjoy!
Best pancakes EVER!! I have made these for holiday brunches for several years now and I know these pancakes will continue to be a tradition until the day I die. So good and they turn out well every time. They are sweet on their own so no maple syrup necessary but I love adding crumbled almonds on top for some crunch and protein!
Thank you Julia! I’m so glad to hear they’ve become a tradition for you! ☺️