There are only a few things in life that are as tasty and comforting as guilt-free pancakes. Whether you love working out, you want to lose some weight, or you just need the extra energy for your daily grind, it’s always a good idea to start your mornings with a low-carb high-protein meal. That’s where protein pancakes come in. They can give you the fuel for whatever activities you need to accomplish within the day. Featuring 5 of our favorite protein pancake mixes, our guide will show you how to build your own healthy recipe for guilt-free mornings.
Choosing a Protein Pancake Mix
Instead of regular pancake mix, you can choose a healthier alternative—protein pancake mixes. If you cook with it, you can indulge in pancakes every morning without fail, and your body receives the nutrients it needs to function well. Unfortunately, not all protein-packed pancake mixes are made equal.
There are a few things you need to consider, including:
If you want to use a ready-made protein pancake mix, you should look for natural ingredients. Try to avoid ones that are chock-full of GMOs and preservatives. Favor high-protein and fiber mixes over high-sugar content. In addition, you should choose a pancake mix with unprocessed or wheat flour as processed and bleached alternatives only provide very little nutrients. Ideally, it should require less preparation time. Find one that only requires you to add water, mix, and fry.
Our Favorite Pancake Mixes
Eating clean doesn’t have to be complicated. Packed with minerals, vitamins, and 15 to 21 grams’ worth of protein per serving, protein pancake mixes offer a convenient yet healthier way to start your morning. Now that you have a myriad of options available, choosing the right one can be more challenging than flipping an actual pancake. Lucky for you, we’ve already tried a bunch. We’ve made a list of our five favorites to help you choose.
Some of our favorite protein pancake mixes are:
1. Met-Rx High Protein Pancake Mix
If you love light and fluffy pancakes without the extra guilt, you should use the Met-Rx pancake mix. It’s packed with nutrients, fibers, vitamins, and of course, protein. Each serving is packed with as much protein as an omelet with three egg whites. Just mix it with water, and they will be ready for frying. For added flavor, you can serve your Met-Rx pancakes with cinnamon and fresh fruit.
2. Kodiak Cakes
An all-natural, GMO-free protein pancake mix worth considering is the Kodiak Cakes Flapjack and Waffle Mix. It makes an excellent whole-grain alternative to white flour. It has the right amount of sweetness and fluffiness. You can take its protein content up a notch by adding milk or eggs. All you have to do is mix it with water to prepare it for frying.
3. FlapJacked Protein Pancake and Baking Mix.
For a high-protein breakfast, make a pancake with FlapJacked’s pancake mix. It gives 20 grams of protein per serving without the added sugars and artificial ingredients. Ideal for breakfast, pre-workout, or post-workout meals, this makes an ideal high-protein flour substitute in any of your favorite baked recipes. Some might argue that it’s not the most flavorful - but that’s not a problem. Serve it with your favorite fruits, nuts, and sweetener, and it will be a delight.
4. Phoros Nutrition Protein Pancake Mix
Another ready-made protein pancake mix that you can use is the Phoros Nutrition mix. Packed with the right balance of macronutrients, you can kick-start your days with healthy pancakes for breakfast. For every three medium-sized pancakes, you get 30 grams of protein, 19 grams of carbs, and only 2 grams of sugar. Plus, it only takes two minutes to prepare. Just add water to your Phoros pancake mix to make nutritious and delicious pancakes.
5. Birch Benders Performance Protein Pancake and Waffle Mix
This nutrient and protein-rich pancake mix can bring out the inner Olympian in you. As it’s packed with fibers, calcium, and protein, you will have all the fuel you need to overcome your daily challenges. The Birch Benders pancake mix is made with whey protein. It’s also GMO-free! To make a pancake with Birch Benders, you just have to mix it with water.
How to Make a Protein Pancake
Regular pancakes aren’t very rich in protein - but they can be. Instead of buying pancake mix, you can make your own homemade recipes. All you have to do is add some protein-rich ingredients and maybe some whole foods to reduce the carbs and increase the protein. Perhaps the easiest way to do it is to replace regular flour with protein powder. As a matter of fact, you don’t even need flour at all! Pancakes can be made with eggs or rolled oats.
Whenever you’re bored with your usual flavors, you can switch up your pancake recipe. As long as you know the essential ingredients of a protein pancake, you can build your own guilt-free recipe from scratch.
Add one or a combination of the following ingredients to up the protein count of your breakfast pancakes.
- Protein powder
- Rolled oats
- Seeds
- Cacao nibs
- Nut butters
- Eggs
- Leafy vegetables
Take note that adding too much protein powder to your recipe can make your pancakes too dry and chewy, especially if you’re using whey or casein. If you add too much flour, you can always pour in extra liquids like milk or eggs to fix the recipe.
Our Favorite Protein Pancake Toppings
Of course, pancakes aren’t complete without toppings. Since you’re going down this low-carb high-protein route, you might as well choose healthier toppings such as fruit or yogurt.
For more nutritious and filling protein pancakes, you can add the following toppings:
There are sugar-free syrups available in a range of flavors like chocolate, vanilla, caramel, and raspberry. Keep in mind that many so-called sugar-free syrups are made with artificial sweeteners, which make them counterproductive to your weight-loss efforts. Thus, go for healthier naturally-sweetened alternatives if you love a good pancake with syrup.
5 of Our Favorite Protein Pancake Recipes
Instead of using protein pancake mix, you can start from scratch and make your own homemade recipe. Certainly, it requires a bit more prep time than cooking with a pancake mix. Nevertheless, it gives you more control over the taste, as well as its protein and nutrient content.
Here are our five favorites to help you get started:
Vanilla Protein Pancakes
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup of ground oats
- 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup almond milk
- 2 egg whites
- a pinch of salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons coconut oil, for frying
Topping ideas:
- Bananas
- Greek yogurt
- Dark chocolate chunks
Directions:
- Mix ground oats, protein powder, and baking powder in a large bowl.
- Add the egg whites, salt, almond milk, and mix well.
- Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brush the pan with coconut oil.
- Pour in the batter in small batches, and cook until bubbles start to form.
- Sprinkle chunks of dark chocolate on the batter if you want.
- Flip the pancake, and cook for another two to three minutes.
- Serve with Greek yogurt and bananas. Sprinkle chunks of dark chocolate if needed.
- Enjoy!
Gingerbread Protein Pancakes
Ingredients:
- 3 eggs
- 2 scoops vanilla protein powder
- 2 cups of oats
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil, for frying
Topping ideas:
- Your favorite berries
- Whipped cream
Directions:
- Grind the oats in a food processor or blender until you reach a flour-like consistency.
- Mix the eggs, oat flour, cottage cheese, molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves in a blender. Add remaining ingredients into the mix, and blend.
- Preheat a skillet, and brush it with coconut oil.
- Pour ¼ cup of batter onto the hot pan, and cook for two to three minutes. Fry until bubbles start to form.
- Flip the pancake, and cook until lightly browned.
- Serve with your favorite berries, whipped cream, or any sweetener of your choice.
- Enjoy!
Pumpkin Protein Pancakes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 egg whites
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 2 cups vanilla protein powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup nut milk or coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or butter, for frying
Topping ideas:
- Sliced almonds (or your preferred nuts)
- Shredded coconuts
- Pumpkin seeds
- Syrup or honey
- Cinnamon
Directions:
- Add all of the ingredients in a blender, except for coconut oil. Mix until you reach a smooth puree consistency.
- Preheat a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Brush the pan with coconut oil.
- Scoop ¼ cup of batter, and pour it into the hot skillet. Cook one side until the pancake starts to form bubbles.
- Flip the pancakes, and cook for another two to three minutes.
- Serve pancakes with nuts, shredded coconuts, and pumpkin seeds.
- Sprinkle cinnamon all over the pancakes.
- Drizzle with syrup or honey.
- Enjoy!
Plant-Based Apple Cinnamon Protein Pancakes
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds
- 1 chopped apple
- 3 tablespoons warm water
- ½ cup spelt flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 cups vanilla protein powder
- 1 ¾ cup almond milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, for frying
Topping ideas:
- Chopped apples
- Chopped nuts
- Syrup
Directions:
- In a small bowl, mix ground flax seed with warm water. Set this aside for three to five minutes.
- Preheat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Brush the pan with coconut oil.
- Add the spelt flour, vanilla protein powder, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Pour the almond milk and the flax egg.
- Mix all the ingredients, then add chopped apples.
- Pour the pancake batter. Cook each side for at least two to three minutes or until bubbles start to form.
- Serve the vegan pancake with chopped nuts, fresh fruit, and your favorite syrup.
- Enjoy!
Vegan Chocolate Protein Pancakes
Ingredients:
- 2 scoops of vegan protein powder
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, for frying
Topping ideas:
- Raspberries
- Chopped pecans or walnuts
- Syrup
Directions:
- Add all the ingredients in a blender, except for the coconut oil.
- Blend everything together until you reach a smooth consistency.
- Preheat a pan over medium-high heat. Brush the pan with coconut oil.
- Add 1/3 cup of batter to the hot pan.
- Cook one side until bubbles start to form on the center.
- Flip the pancake, and cook for a few minutes
- Top it with fresh berries, nuts, and drizzle the syrup of your choice.
- Enjoy!
Takeaway
Eating healthy doesn’t always mean eating a salad. If leafy greens aren’t your thing, you can make simple tweaks to regular indulgences such as pancakes, and you’ll be eating healthier without having to cut off your favorite foods.
Hence, swap out your pantry’s white flour for protein-packed powders like whole-wheat, buckwheat, or rye. And if you don’t have the time or skills to make your own recipes, you can always replace bad-for-you pancake mixes with delectable yet more nutritious protein pancakes mixes. You can even use them to make donuts, muffins, and so much more. If you’re substituting elaborate recipes for pancake mixes, you might as well do it right. As long as you follow our little guide, you’ll be able to choose healthier alternatives to regular pancake mix for a perfect breakfast.