Moist, chewy, and hearty, these protein flapjacks make the perfect healthy breakfast or snack! This wholesome recipe is easy to make and ready in 30 minutes. They are freezable too, making them ideal for meal prep.
These protein flapjacks are my current favorite meal prep recipe! They make a great breakfast or post-workout snack that is high in protein and fiber to help tie me over to the next meal. Plus, did I mention they taste INCREDIBLE too?!
However, if you are not a fan of protein powder, give these banana flapjacks a try. Although they are lower in protein, you can simply pair them with a source of protein like roasted lentils, steamed edamame, or boiled eggs (if not vegan) to make a satisfying meal.
💚Why you will love this recipe
- Chewy, hearty, and tastes amazing
- An easy one-bowl recipe that is fuss-free and ready in 30 minutes
- Store well and are freezable - the perfect meal prep recipe!
- A great source of protein - one serving (2 slices) contains around 12g of protein!
🤔What are flapjacks
The British version of flapjacks is baked bars made from oats, butter, golden syrup, and brown sugar, resembling granola bars. They are usually served for dessert but make a great breakfast or snack. This is the recipe we will be making in this post.
On the other hand, the terms pancakes and flapjacks are used interchangeably in American English.
To make it healthier, we will use maple syrup instead of golden syrup and sugar to sweeten the flapjacks. Butter is also being replaced with nut butter of choice. Adding protein powder significantly bumps up the protein content of these flapjacks.
🥜What you will need
📃Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Oats - Both quick and rolled oats will work in this recipe. Quick oats yield softer flapjacks, while rolled oats produce a chewier texture. Use certified gluten-free oats to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Protein powder - I recommend going with a vanilla-flavored protein powder. You can also opt for an unflavored and unsweetened one, but you might need to add a few tablespoons of sugar for additional sweetness.
- Nut butter - Any nut butter, like peanut, almond, or cashew butter, will work in this recipe. Use nut butter like tahini or sunflower seed butter to make this recipe nut-free.
- Maple syrup - can be substituted with other liquid sweeteners like agave syrup, coconut nectar, sugar-free syrup, or honey if not vegan.
- Milk - Both plant-based milk (oat, almond, soy, etc.) and dairy milk work in these protein flapjacks.
🔪How to make
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper.
Mix milk, nut butter, and maple syrup in a mixing bowl. Then, add and mix the remaining ingredients (oats, protein powder, and cinnamon).
Transfer the batter to the baking pan, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.
Let protein flapjacks cool completely before slicing and serving. Optionally, you can drizzle or slather on some melted chocolate.
✅Helpful tips
- Do use a protein powder that you like to make these protein flapjacks! I recommend going with a vanilla-flavored or unflavored one, although you can use any flavor that sounds good.
- As different protein powder has different absorbances, you might have to adjust the ratio of the wet-to-dry ingredients slightly. If the batter seems dry, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time. If it is too watery, add more protein powder or oats.
- Allow parchment paper to slightly overhang (as shown in the process shot above) for easy removal.
- Let your protein flapjack cool completely before slicing to prevent them from crumbling.
- To produce a clean cut, slice flapjacks with a sharp, unserrated knife.
✨Variations/add-ins
Sugar-free - Use a sugar-free syrup to make this recipe sugar-free.
Peanut butter - Use peanut butter and opt for a peanut-flavored protein powder.
Chocolate - To make these protein flapjacks chocolate-flavored, use a chocolate protein powder. You can add a few teaspoons of cocoa powder if you like it to be more chocolatey.
Nuts/seeds - Chopped walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds
Chocolate chips - To spice up this recipe, add a few tablespoons of chocolate chips! You can even chop up your favorite chocolate bar and add them to the batter.
Dried fruits - Add a few tablespoons of raisins, sultanas, or chopped apricot for additional sweetness.
❄Storing suggestions
Fridge - Refrigerate leftover protein flapjacks in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freezer - These flapjacks are freezable too! I recommend slicing them up and storing them in either zip-top bags or storage containers. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Reheating - Let frozen flapjacks defrost overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for a couple of hours. You can either reheat them in the microwave at 15-second bursts or in an oven preheated to 180C/350F for 5-8 minutes.
❔Commonly asked questions
These protein flapjacks are naturally gluten-free as all ingredients used are free from gluten. However, as cross-contamination might occur during the processing of oats, I recommend getting certified gluten-free ones if you are sensitive to gluten.
If your flapjacks turned out to be dry and crumbly, you might have used too little liquid or added too much dry ingredients. Hence, weigh the ingredients using a kitchen scale, if possible.
Otherwise, you might have overbaked them, which cause them to dry out. Next time, cut down on the baking time to prevent dry flapjacks.
It is safe to bake with both whey or plant-based protein powder, and doing so will not destroy it. Adding protein powder to baked goods is a great way to add protein to your diet!
🍽More high-protein desserts
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📖 Recipe
Healthy Protein Flapjacks
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup soy milk or other milks of choice
- ½ cup peanut butter or another nut/seed butter of choice
- ¼ cup maple syrup or other liquid sweeteners of choice
- 2 cups oats rolled or quick*
- ½ cup protein powder plant-based/whey**
- 2-4 tablespoons brown sugar or another granulated sweetener
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Grease or line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, add milk, nut butter, and maple syrup. Stir to mix.1 ¼ cup soy milk, ½ cup peanut butter, ¼ cup maple syrup
- Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir until everything is well incorporated.2 cups oats, ½ cup protein powder, 2-4 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Transfer the batter to the baking pan, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until it is lightly browned. Optionally, you can drizzle or slather on some melted chocolate.
- Let it cool completely before slicing and serving.
Notes
- As different protein powder has different absorbances, you might have to adjust the ratio of the wet-to-dry ingredients slightly. If the batter seems dry, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time. If it is too watery, add more protein powder or oats.
- Let your protein flapjack cool completely before slicing to prevent them from crumbling.
- To produce a clean cut, slice flapjacks with a sharp, unserrated knife.
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.
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