Gingerbread Pancakes

Sweet, dense, and perfectly spiced, these Gingerbread Pancakes are a delicious seasonal treat. Made with oats and without processed sugars, they are equally delicious as healthy. Perfect Christmas breakfast or brunch.

Jump to:

• Why should you try them?
• Ingredients used
• How to make Gingerbread Pancakes
• Tips for serving
• Tips for storing
• Substitutions
• Recipe tips
• Recipe
• More recipes to try

December is the jolliest month of them all and definitely my favorite. It's because of the twinkling colorful lights, cheerful music, bells ringing, and bright Christmas trees. It's because of the gingerbread scent spreading throughout my kitchen and sweet Holiday treats.

I'm not the person who likes to rush time, but this year I couldn't wait for December to hit to finally put up our Christmas tree and decorate the house, and to start baking with Gingerbread Spice.

This year, I've opened the Christmas season with these amazing Gingerbread Pancakes.

Ingredients used

This gingerbread pancakes recipe is very simple. You will need only a few pantry ingredients:

• Oats. Hearty, healthy, and filling, oats are the most used ingredients in my cooking. I use them as a substitute for regular flour. Oats are an excellent source of fiber, especially beta-glucan, a type of soluble fiber that keeps our hearts healthy. They also support healthy digestion and strong immunity. I used rolled oats in this recipe, but you can use quick oats if you like.
• Milk of choice. I used oat milk, but you can use whatever milk you prefer. Note that coconut milk won't work well here.
• Blackstrap molasses. It's a byproduct of the sugar cane sugar-making process. It is a dark, somewhat bitter tasting with a subtle sweetness. It contains many essential vitamins and minerals – like iron, vitamin B6, and selenium (1). That makes blackstrap molasses a great addition to a healthy diet. And because of its distinctive taste, a great addition to holiday sweet treats.
• Sweetener. I used maple syrup, but you can easily use honey. Syrup gave subtle sweetness yet didn't overload the pancakes with sugary calories.

To give the pancakes extra flavor and boost, I tossed in some superfoods as well:

• Gingerbread spice. I love my homemade Gingerbread spice blend. It features super spices like ginger and Ceylon cinnamon known for their anti-inflammatory properties. (2).
• Hemp seeds. They are an excellent source of healthy Omega-3s, but also a great source of proteins.

Other pantry ingredients you’ll need:

• Egg - I used free-range, pasture-raised. 
• Baking powder.
• Pinch of salt.
• Extra virgin coconut oil/coconut oil cooking spray - for greasing the pancake pan.

Look at the "Substitutions" section below if you are missing some of the ingredients.

How to make Gingerbread Pancakes

These pancakes are really easy to make. It will take you 15 minutes TOPS! - and you need only basic equipment.

Equipment used

• Measuring cups.
• High speed blender. 
• Pancake pan - or any pan with non-stick surface.
• Flexible silicone spatula - for flipping the pancakes. 

Step by step instructions

• Step 1: Prepare the ingredients.
  • Start with preparing and measuring all the ingredients. Use measuring cups.
• Step 2: Mix the ingredients.
  • Place all the ingredients in a blender. Note: add wet ingredients first for easier blending.
  • Mix everything at high speed until you get a smooth texture.
  • This is a good time to taste the pancake batter and add additional sweetener if you think the mixture is not sweet enough.
  • Let the batter rest for a minute. Oats will soak some of the moisture, and pancake batter will thicken.
  • If pancake batter turns out too dense, add a bit more liquid - milk or water. Mix again. Pancake batter should be dense but runny.
• Step 3: Bake the pancakes.
  • In the meantime, heat the pancake pan over medium heat and coat it with coconut oil cooking spray or coconut oil using the brush. 
  • For each pancake, drop ¼ cup of batter into the pan.
  • Top the pancake with chopped cranberries. Push the cranberry pieces into the batter.
  • Cook for 1-2 minutes until pancake is lightly browned. 
  • Flip the pancake carefully with a flexible silicone spatula and cook for another minute. Transfer to a plate. 
  • Make sure to coat the pan before every pancake or batch of pancakes to prevent sticking.
  • Repeat the process with the remaining pancake batter.
• Step 4: Add toppings and serve.
  • Top the pancakes with different toppings. You can be creative here and use ingredients you like.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Tips for serving

• Top whipping cream and dash them with Gingerbread Spice or cinnamon.
• Make them festive: Use festive sprinkles.
• Top gingerbread pancakes with fresh fruits: fresh cranberies, banana slices, pears, plums, or any stone fruit.
• Drizzle them with molasses, maple syrup or honey.
• Top them with nut butter: almond butter, peanut butter.
• Sprinkle them with chopped nuts: walnuts, pecans, peanuts, hazelnuts, and dried fruits: cranberries, raising, sultanas, goji berries, apricots, chopped dates.

Tips for storing

• Keep pancakes in an air-tight food container refrigerated. They will last up to 4 days.
• To freeze pancakes: Take the pancakes and place each pancake individually in a wax paper bag or stack between wax paper. Store wrapped pancakes in a large freezer zip-lock bag. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw on room temperature.
• You can warm pancakes in the microwave. But don't overheat them. They will become soggy.

Substitutions

• You can use rolled oats or quick oats.
• You can swap oat milk for almond milk, cashew milk, or organic soy milk. Cow’s milk works fine here too. Coconut milk won’t work well here. 
• Substitute hemp seeds with ground flax seeds or chia seeds.
• You can substitute maple syrup and use honey. Date syrup is a great option too.
• You can substitute coconut oil with avocado oil.
• Make it vegan: Swap egg with a flax or chia egg. Use non-dairy milk.
• Make it gluten-free: Use certified gluten-free oats.
• Make it protein-packed: Add a scoop of protein powder in the mixture. I recommend vanilla protein powder.

Recipe tips

• When adding ingredients to a blender, always add the liquids first. Doing this will help your blender run easily and this will prevent making lumps.
• Use a high-power blender to ensure everything blends well and the batter is smooth. 
• Make sure you let the batter rest for a minute. Oats will soak some of the moisture, and pancake batter will thicken. This is very important because you don't want runny pancake batter.
• If you let the batter sit overnight, it will become dense so you may need to add a bit more liquid - milk or water.
• Always taste the butter. If you feel that pancakes are not sweet enough for your taste, add more sweetener.
• Sweetener recommendations:
  • I recommend using honey or maple syrup. Make sure you use honey in runny form.
  • Date syrup is a great options too.
  • Adding sweetener is totally based on your preference.
• Make sure to use organic virgin coconut oil rather than refined versions.
• Since the batter is full of molasses, to prevent pancakes from burning, cook them slowly on low to medium heat. Watch them and don't flip them more than twice. 
• If you're adding protein powder to the mixture, omit adding sweetener. Protein powder will give oats enough sweetness.

Recipe

This post is originally published in December 2020. It's updated with new information and republished in December 2021. The recipe stayed the same.

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