Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes
Yields: 20 small pancakes
 
My family is obsessed with these pancakes! They’re really moist and fluffy with lots of sweet juicy blueberries, and the comforting cinnamon and hearty oats add such a cozy touch. My parents love eating theirs with a little pat of butter and a generous drizzle of pure maple syrup! Leftovers will keep for at least 4 days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  • ½ cup (50g) instant oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
  • ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  • ½ cup (120mL) nonfat milk
  • ½ cup + 2 tbsp (75g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
  • 1 large egg white, room temperature
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp (30mL) distilled white vinegar
  • 1 tsp pure maple syrup
  • ¼ cup (60mL) water
  • 1 cup (140g) fresh blueberries
  1. Stir together the oats, Greek yogurt, and milk in a small bowl. (See Notes!)
  2. Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a second small bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter, egg white, and vanilla. Stir in the vinegar and maple syrup. Stir in the oat mixture. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the water, beginning and ending with the flour, stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.) Gently fold in the blueberries.
  3. Lightly coat a large nonstick pan or griddle with nonstick cooking spray, and briefly preheat over low heat.
  4. Using a scant 2 tablespoons of batter for each pancake, dollop the batter onto the hot pan, and spread into a circular shape using a spatula or back of a spoon (if desired). Let the pancakes cook for 2-3 minutes, or until a slight skin starts to form around the edges and bubbles begin to show on the top. Slide a spatula underneath, and flip. Continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes or until cooked through. Re-coat the pan with nonstick cooking spray, and repeat with the remaining batter.
Notes: The two special ingredients in these pancakes are distilled white vinegar and a generous amount of vanilla extract! The former helps give these pancakes a really fluffy texture (see the Nerd Alert in my blog post above!), while the latter gives these pancakes the majority of their rich and buttery flavor.

Instant oats are also called “quick cooking” or “one minute” oats. They’re smaller and thinner than old-fashioned rolled oats. To make your own out of old-fashioned oats, add the same amount to a food processor or blender. Pulse until they’re no more than ¼ of their original size.

If you have enough time to cover and let the oat mixture rest for at least an hour (or even overnight!) in the fridge, your healthy blueberry oatmeal pancakes will turn out with an even better moist and fluffy texture!

Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.

For the gluten-free flour, I recommend the following blend: ¼ cup (30g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, 2 tbsp (15g) brown rice flour, and ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will work as well, if measured like this.

Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the white whole wheat flour.

Remember to measure the flour and oats correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much will dry out your pancake batter. This is especially true of the oats because they act like little sponges and soak up as much moisture as possible!

Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.

These pancakes aren’t overly sweet—and that’s intentional! Because my family usually covers their pancakes in lots of maple syrup, I found that adding more to the batter was completely unnecessary. However, if you prefer sweeter pancakes, increase the maple syrup by 2-3 tablespoons, and reduce the water by the same amount.

Frozen blueberries may be substituted for the fresh. They may stain your batter a grayish color and make your pancakes take a bit longer to cook, but the flavor will remain the same!

Remember… Thick batter = thick pancakes. Thin batter = thin pancakes. However, when you add thick batter to your pan, it doesn’t spread, so you’ll need to spread it a bit yourself using a spatula, the back of a spoon, or the bottom of a measuring cup to get that nice, circular pancake shape.

For thicker pancakes, decrease the water by 2 tablespoons, or omit it altogether.

For thinner pancake batter, add more water or milk until you achieve your desired pancake batter consistency.

For more cooking tips, see the blog post above, as well as the text and pictures in this blog post of mine.

This recipe is easily doubled to make more. If you have any leftovers, they freeze really well too!

Optional Drizzle: Stir together 2 tablespoons (18g) confectioners’ style erythritol and 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons of milk (any kind!) in a small bowl. Transfer to a zip-topped bag, cut off a tiny piece of one corner, and drizzle over the pancakes.

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, lower sugar}
Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2019/02/20/healthy-blueberry-oatmeal-pancakes/