I Made It: Gluten-Free & Vegan Blueberry Muffin Pancakes

Pancakes. There’s a reason they’re sold in pre-made mixes. Making them from scratch ain’t so easy, is it? Well, for me at least.

The thing about pancakes is that they’re less like cooking and more like baking. They require the perfect ratios of ingredients for them to turn out the right consistency. No one likes a flat, burnt, or undercooked pancake (but if you do – no judgments here).

I’ve definitely had my fair share of failed pancake recipe attempts, but in my defense that’s because I often try to get all fancy with healthier versions of the breakfast favorite. But the other day, I made myself a winner.

These Blueberry Muffin Pancakes are thick, cake-y, and seriously taste like a blueberry muffin! And as the title suggests, they’re also gluten-free and vegan. Here’s how to make them.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup oat flour (I made mine by grinding regular oats in a NutriBullet)
• 1/2 cup almond flour (I used Almond Pro, which has an extra bump of protein!)
• 1 tbsp ground flax
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 2 tbsp maple syrup 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup blueberries (I used frozen and they worked great)
• optional toppings: more maple syrup, honey, nuts, etc. 

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine all of your dry ingredients.
2. Then add in the applesauce, milk, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Stir until everything combined.
3. Stir in the blueberries.
4. Heat a large frying pan to medium or medium low heat * and spray with nonstick spray.
5. Scoop batter onto pan making the pancakes about 4-5 inches in diameter.
6. Cook on each side for 4-5 minutes, or just until your able to flip them.
7. Spray pan again in between in pancake. Makes 4-5 pancakes.

* FYI – when you first flip these, you might think they’re burnt, but they’re not! I think the almond flour and the blueberries make the outside of the pancakes get darker and a little crispier, but as long as you don’t overcook them they’ll be soft and cake-y on the inside. That’s why the medium/medium low heat is so important…any higher and I think these would burn easily.

Yum, right?! These are definitely more like “healthy” pancakes, so if you’re only into the traditional type they may not be for you. But I’ve personally had tons of healthy pancakes that taste like asphalt, so I’m pretty darn excited about how these turned out.

As always if my meals/recipes inspire you, tag me on Instagram @Hungry.Blonde so I can see what you made!

xoxo GG