Perfectly fluffy oatmeal protein pancakes are perfect for fueling busy mornings! They are wholesome, easy to make, and ready in 30 minutes. These pancakes store well and are freezable, too!
These oatmeal protein pancakes taste amazing and are perfectly moist and fluffy without being overpoweringly sweet. They pair well with sweet and savory toppings, from the classic maple syrup to plant-based meat substitutes like seitan bacon and vegan breakfast sausages!
💚Why you will love this recipe
- Thick, fluffy, and incredibly satisfying
- Packed with protein and slow-digesting carbs to keep you full till lunchtime
- An easy recipe that only calls for simple ingredients and is made with a blender
- A great meal prep recipe - these oatmeal protein pancakes are freezer-friendly!
🍌What you will need
📃Ingredients notes and substitutions
- Oats - Both quick and rolled oats will work. If you are using oat flour, substitute the same amount by weight.
- Protein powder - Any unflavored or vanilla-flavored plant-based protein powder will work in this recipe. I am personally using this Naked pea protein powder.
- Plant milk - Any plant-based milk like soy, pea, or cashew works in this recipe. Feel free to use fresh milk or low-fat milk instead.
- Maple syrup - Can be substituted with other sweeteners like cane sugar, agave syrup, or artificial sweeteners like sugar-free syrup. Feel free to omit if your protein powder is on the sweeter side.
🍳Equipment needed
- High-speed blender (like Vitamix) - Although a regular blender works fine, a high-speed blender will yield a much smoother batter.
- Non-stick pan - A good-quality non-stick pan is essential in making pancakes to prevent them from sticking at the bottom.
- Flexible spatula - I recommend getting a flexible silicon spatula. It will make the flipping process so much easier!
🔪How to make
Turn oats into flour - Add oats into a high-speed blender and blend until they are finely ground.
Make pancake batter - Add the rest of the ingredients into the blender, and blend until smooth. If the batter is too thick, add another splash of milk.
Cook the pancakes - Heat a teaspoon of oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high. Pour ¼-⅓ cup of batter per pancake into the pan. Cook for around 2 minutes or until the edges appear dry. Flip them over and cook on the other side for another 1-2 minutes.
Serve - Serve pancakes with fresh fruits, maple syrup, or any other toppings you fancy!
✔Helpful tips
- Texture of batter - The pancake batter will be on the thicker side as this will yield thick and fluffy pancakes. It should still be pourable, so feel free to add more milk if your batter is too thick.
- Batter will thicken as it sits - As the oats absorb water, your pancake batter will thicken over time. Hence, I recommend cooking your pancakes immediately after blending. Add more liquid and run it through the blender if you leave it sitting too long.
- Using whey protein powder - I did not test this recipe with whey protein powder. In general, whey protein is less absorbent than a plant-based protein powder; hence I recommend reducing the amount of milk used.
- Adjusting the heat - Lower the heat to medium if your pancakes are browning too quickly.
- Keeping it warm - While the other pancakes are cooking, you can place cooked pancakes on a baking sheet in an oven set to the lowest temperature to keep them warm.
✨Variations/optional add-ins
Banana - If you are not a fan of bananas, you can replace them with ⅓ cup of applesauce. Make sure to use unsweetened ones, or your pancakes might be too sweet.
You could also substitute it with ⅓ cup of mashed sweet potato or pumpkin puree. However, you might have to increase the amount of milk used by a few tablespoons, as they tend to be drier than mashed bananas.
Spice and flavorings - I am only using cinnamon and vanilla extract here, but feel free to experiment with other flavorings that sound good! I sometimes like to add a small pinch of nutmeg, cardamom, or even a few drops of coconut extract.
Chocolate chips pancakes - Pretty self-explanatory because who doesn't love chocolate?! Add up to ⅓ cup.
Blueberry pancakes - You could add some blueberries to make blueberry banana pancakes! Use up to ¼ cup, either fresh or frozen.
Chocolate pancakes - Use a chocolate-flavored protein powder, and add a few teaspoons of cocoa powder to the pancake batter. You can take it a step further and add some chocolate chips!
🥜How to serve
Here are some fun toppings/recipes to jazz up your oatmeal protein pancakes -
- Nut butter - Dollop on a generous serving of your favorite nut butter, be it peanut butter, cashew butter, or almond butter. I love using my homemade coconut almond butter.
- Dessert hummus - If you have yet to try sweet hummus, you are missing out! Try spreading some dark chocolate hummus or cookie dough hummus onto your pancakes.
- Fresh fruits - Serve pancakes with sliced bananas, fresh or frozen berries, peaches, or whatever fruits you fancy!
- Jam/compote - If you like your pancakes to be sweeter, cook up some berry compote, or serve them with a spoonful of your favorite jam.
- Savory stuff - If you like the sweet and savory combo, pair oatmeal protein pancakes with silken tofu scramble, vegan bologna, or Italian seitan sausages!
❄Storing suggestions
Refrigerator - Oatmeal protein pancakes can be refrigerated in an air-tight container for 3-4 days. Heat them in the microwave for 30-60 seconds or in the toaster before serving.
Freezer - Place pancakes on a baking sheet or large plate in one layer. Pop them into the freezer for 1-2 hours or until frozen. You can then transfer them into containers or zip-top bags before freezing. They will stay fresh for up to 3 months.
Reheating - You can reheat frozen pancakes in the microwave for around 60 seconds, in an oven preheated to 180C/350F for 10-12 minutes, or in a toaster.
❔Commonly asked questions
If your protein pancakes are not fluffy, check if your baking powder is still active. You can do so by placing a small amount of baking powder in hot water. Bubbles should start to form immediately. If not, it is time to get a new one.
Or, you might have added too much milk to your batter. A thin batter will yield flat pancakes. Add a small amount of flour (all-purpose or whole wheat) and see if it helps.
Steel-cut oats are much tougher than quick or rolled oats, making them harder to blend. Hence, it is recommended that you stick with regular oats.
You can make these oatmeal protein pancakes without a blender using premade oat flour instead of oats. Mash the banana by hand. Then, add all wet ingredients to the bowl and mix well. Add the dry ingredients next, and mix until everything is well-combined.
🍽More high protein vegan breakfasts
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📖 Recipe
Oatmeal Protein Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats or quick oats (use gluten-free if needed)
- ¼ cup pea protein powder or other unflavored/vanilla-flavored plant-based protein powder *
- 1 medium banana (about 100g/3.5oz)**
- ½ cup plant based milk or regular milk
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup or other sweeteners
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Place oats into a high speed blender and blend until it turns into a flour-like consistency.1 cup rolled oats
- Add in the rest of the ingredients into the blender and process until a smooth batter forms. If your batter is too thick, add in more milk, a tablespoon at a time. (I ended up using ½ cup + 2 tablespoons)¼ cup pea protein powder, 1 medium banana, ½ cup plant based milk, 2 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high, and grease it with a small amount of oil.
- Add ¼-1/3 cup of batter per pancake, and cook for 2 minutes, or until the edges are dry. Gently flip them over, and cook for another 1-2 minutes on the other side. (If your pancakes are browning too quickly, lower the heat to medium.)
- Repeat until batter is all used up. Serve it with maple syrup, fresh fruits, or other toppings of choice!
Notes
- Texture of batter - The pancake batter will be on the thicker side as this will yield thick and fluffy pancakes. It should still be pourable, so feel free to add more milk if your batter is too thick.
- Batter will thicken as it sits - As the oats absorb water, your pancake batter will thicken over time. Hence, I recommend cooking your pancakes immediately after blending.
- Keeping it warm - While the other pancakes are cooking, you can place cooked pancakes on a baking sheet in an oven set to the lowest temperature to keep them warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
Ester
How many pancakes total or per serving does the recipe yield?
Meesha
It will make around 8-10 pancakes, and this recipe serves 2. 😁
Angela
I tripled the recipe because I had 3 bananas to use up and added 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly, and it was so thick it nearly clogged up my blender! I almost couldn't pour it, but I added more almond milk. Next time I'll just make a batch using 1 banana, to make it more manageable. They turned out DELICIOUS, though. Since there was maple syrup in them, I dressed them with honey butter and blueberries. That tripled batch yielded 21 pancakes the size of a saucer plate. I love this recipe!
Meesha
Yes, making a smaller batch will be more manageable, but do add more milk if the batter is too thick! I am so happy to hear that you like this recipe. 😄
Josefine
These were by far the best banana-oat pancakes I've tried! Couldn't taste the protein powder at all which is a plus. 🙂
Meesha
So happy to hear that!😁