Are you getting ready for Fat Tuesday? Truth is, this healthy Oatmeal Pancakes Recipe is perfect for any occasion, any time of the day. Great for breakfast or a pancake supper.
Did you know that “Mardi Gras”, or Fat Tuesday, is also known as Pancake Day?
It’s also the day before Lent.
Traditionally, Lent, which lasts for forty days, was a period where you were forbidden to consume rich foods.
So, on the day before Lent began, people would consume their eggs, butter, milk, and sugar.
How?
By making pancakes!
I doubt anyone made these healthy oat pancakes, these buttermilk pancakes, or even these lemon ricotta pancakes back then.
Fast forward to today, where there are countless variations, including vegan mini pancakes and these savory zucchini pancakes.
Are you ready for a healthy version?
Instructions
Since the oats need to soak in the milk for at least 10 minutes, let’s get started with that.
In a small mixing bowl, combine 1½ cups of quick-cooking oats and 2 cups of milk. Set it aside.
In a large bowl, combine ½ cup of all-purpose flour, ½ cup of whole wheat flour, 1 tablespoon of wheat germ and/or ground flaxseed, 2 tablespoons of baking powder, ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar in a large bowl. Whisk to blend and set aside for now.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the 3 eggs with ¼ cup of vegetable oil, and ½ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.
Combine this egg mixture with the oat mixture with a flexible spatula. Blend well together.
Add this wet mixture to the dry and stir, by hand, until just combined and you no longer see any dry streaks. Make sure to properly scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl. Allow the batter to stand for 5 minutes.
Over medium-high heat, heat a large nonstick skillet or a griddle pan. Brush lightly with vegetable oil, then wipe quickly with a paper towel.
Lower the heat to medium and drop a large serving spoon of batter, about ¼ cup of batter per portion. You can also use a medium-sized disher.
When you begin to see the air bubbles surfacing, it is time to flip. This usually takes about 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Once you have flipped your pancake, continue to cook for 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Turn the pancakes only once.
As they are being made, place pancakes in a single layer, on a parchment-covered rimmed baking sheet and transfer to the oven to keep warm (set oven to 250℉/120℃).
Serve immediately with your favorite fruits and pancake toppings.
Tips
- Whisking the dry ingredients together is important to properly distribute the baking powder. This prevents large holes in the finished product.
- Avoid overmixing the batter as this deflates the air bubbles, develops gluten and in turn, creates a chewier pancake.
- When mixing the pancake batter, make sure to scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl.
- Your griddle pan is hot enough when droplets of water sprinkled on the surface “dance”.
- You only need to brush your pan lightly with vegetable oil for the first set of pancakes.
- Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat frozen pancakes in the toaster or oven.
Can I use old-fashioned rolled oats?
Yes, as long as they soak for about 10 minutes in the milk, they will soften. Expect the texture to be a little coarse.
Is it okay if my pancake batter has lumps in it?
Yes. A lumpy batter is fine as long as you no longer see dry streaks of flour.
Toppings for pancakes we love
- Fresh Fruit Salad
- Chunky Applesauce (sugar-free)
- Macerated Strawberries
- Homemade Almond Butter
- Plum Butter
- Strawberry Jam
- Pear Butter
- Lemon Curd
- Apple Butter
Recipe origins
I have previously mentioned that I enjoy having breakfast foods for supper.
As a result, I am always on the lookout for easy quick bread recipes.
I discovered these easy oatmeal pancakes in my soon-to-be vintage recipe booklets from Robin Hood, which date back to 1990.
Over the years, I’ve modified the recipe to make it a little bit healthier by increasing the fiber content and decreasing the salt.
As much as I love to top them with lots of fruit, feel free to toss in a handful of berries in the pancake batter.
Isn’t it wonderful to have choices?
I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.
Ciao for now,
Maria
★★★★★ If you have made this easy pancake recipe, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!
Oatmeal Pancakes Recipe: With Whole Wheat Flour
Ingredients
- 1½ cups quick-cooking oats
- 2 cups milk
Dry Ingredients:
- ½ cup flour whole wheat
- ½ cup flour all-purpose
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon wheat germ and/or ground flaxseed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Wet Ingredients:
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- vegetable oil for greasing pan
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, combine oats and milk. Set aside and allow to soak for at least 10 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, and vanilla.
- Combine the egg mixture to the oat mixture. Mix well.
- Add this wet mixture all at once to the dry ingredients. Stir together with a flexible spatula just until combined. It's okay if the batter is still a little lumpy. Allow the pancake batter to stand for 5 minutes.
- Over medium-high heat, heat a large nonstick skillet or a griddle pan.
- Brush lightly with vegetable oil, then wipe quickly with a paper towel.
- Lower the heat to medium.
- Drop the pancake batter on the hot surface using a large serving spoon. You can also use a disher. In order to get 4-inch pancakes, use about ¼ cup of batter per portion.
- Cook 2-3 minutes until bubbles start to form on tops.
- Flip and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes until golden brown.
- Place on a rimmed baking sheet and transfer to the oven to keep warm. (set oven to 250℉/120℃)
- Serve with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Whisking the dry ingredients together is important to properly distribute the baking powder. This prevents large holes in the finished product.
- Avoid overmixing the batter as this deflates the air bubbles, develops gluten and in turn, creates a chewier pancake.
- When mixing the pancake batter, make sure to scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl.
- Your griddle pan is hot enough when droplets of water sprinkled on the surface "dance".
- You only need to brush your pan lightly with vegetable oil for the first set of pancakes.
- Refrigerate for up to 3 days or can conveniently be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Reheat frozen pancakes in the toaster or microwave.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on February 15, 2015, and republished on February 19, 2020, with updated content and photos. Thanks for sharing!
Stephanie
Really delicious pancakes. The reason I took away one star is that I followed the recipe exactly and it was too liquidity and difficult to make the pancakes on the pancake griddle. What we ended up doing was add a little extra oatmeal and put it in the fridge to soak for a few hours to thicken up the batter. After that the batter was much easier to work with!
Maria
Thanks so much for your feedback Stephanie. Great idea to add a little oatmeal. I’m curious to know did the quick oats absorb the milk properly?
Yumgoggle
Yum! These pancakes look like my kind of Sunday morning! Great recipe!
Maria
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your comment.
🙂