Healthy Carrot Pancakes
Bless you carrots. You are nutritious, easy on the wallet, delicious, and oh so versatile! These carrot cake pancakes are so easy to whip up with wholesome, easy to find ingredients, and you are just going to love the flavor and texture! Seriously, these fluffy pancakes are perfect for Easter brunch or any day. And while you are at it, grate some extra carrots to add to your oatmeal, vegetable French toast, croffles, scrambled eggs, carrot oatmeal cookies, healthy carrot banana muffins… And if you are looking for a healthy Easter treat, make this eggless carrot cake!
Ingredients
I am highlighting just the ones that need further explanation. The complete list is in the recipe card below.
Unsweetened applesauce – adds moisture, flavor, and natural sweetness. You can use store-bought or homemade applesauce – so easy to make! Shredded carrots – I am all for convenience but do NOT use pre-grated carrots from the store. They will be too thick and dry. Grab 3 fresh carrots and shred at home. Rolled oats – I love using oats because it makes the pancakes hearty. You can also use quick-cooking oats. Steel-cut oats will NOT work. Eggs – I highly recommend using room temperature eggs as you’ll end up with fluffier pancakes. Milk – I like to use whole milk but feel free to any milk of choice. Walnuts – you can leave it out if you wish, but I highly recommend adding as it adds great texture!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Substitutions and Variations
Dairy-free? you can use non-dairy milk of choice, like coconut milk Egg-free? Add 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds and 1/4 cup additional milk An alternative to oat flour? You can use all purpose flour or 1 cup all purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour. All-purpose gluten-free flour will work too. No applesauce? mashed banana will work well. Consider adding to the batter unsweetened coconut flakes, golden raisins, or even chocolate chips
Tips for Making the Most Delicious Carrot Pancakes
Want extra fluffy pancakes? Use room temperature eggs and milk. You can warm up the milk in the microwave in 10 second increments. For the eggs, place in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes. For sweeter pancakes, add some maple syrup, honey, or date syrup to the batter or raisins! After blending, let the batter rest for 2-3 minutes. If you find that the batter is too thick, add additional milk (a little bit at a time) to thin it out.
Serving Suggestions
Fresh berries, banana slices, or any favorite fruit A drizzle of pure maple syrup or date syrup if looking for a no added sugar alternative A dollop of Greek yogurt Healthy cream cheese frosting A drizzle of creamy peanut butter, almond butter or any nut butter or seed butter of choice. Unsweetened applesauce
Here are more healthy pancake toppings to try!
Equipment
I didn’t think I needed an electric griddle until the husband gifted me one for Christmas, and now I wonder how I ever lived without it! It definately saves me time, and I love that it holds a consistent temperature (so less chance of burning the pancakes) and is super easy to clean. I’ve also been using it to make eggs, quesadillas, grilled cheese, tofu…I mean, why did I wait so long to get one?! And if you’ve seen some of my recipes, you have met my number one kitchen workhorse – this high-powered blender! It’s crazy to think that I’ve had it for 7+ years and it’s still going strong. I use it to make all my blender muffins, dips/sauces, smoothies, veggie nuggets, soups, cookies and so much more!
Storage
Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer. Here’s how to freeze pancakes as well as reheat them so they taste just as good as the day you made them.
More Healthy Pancakes
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