Happy Sunday, y’all! This end-of-summer, beginning-of-fall weather has me craving all the pumpkin recipes, like these Pumpkin Buttermilk Protein Pancakes. How about you? Are you diving right into fall or still hanging on to summer?
I love using buttermilk in protein pancake recipes because it really helps keep the pancakes fluffy and tender despite the added protein powder. Plus there’s just something about that classic buttermilk flavor in pancakes that I can’t resist. I tested this recipe probably 6 or 7 times before I got it right…they didn’t have enough pumpkin flavor the first few tries, then they were too dry, but now…they’re perfect! Just note that they do take a little longer to cook than your average pancake recipe, so you have to be careful not to turn the griddle up too high or they’ll burn before they cook through all the way. If you follow the recipe, you should be good, though everyone’s stoves/griddles cook a bit differently.
Here are some items I used to make this recipe. Note: These are Amazon Affiliate links.
Recipe
Pumpkin Buttermilk Protein Pancakes
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour (194 g)
- 1 1/2 scoops Cellucor Whipped Vanilla Whey Protein (48 g)
- 1 scoop Dymatize Elite Vanilla Casein Protein Powder (33 g)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/8 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup 1% lowfat buttermilk – be sure to shake it well! (10 fl oz)
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (240 grams)
- 3 fl oz liquid egg whites (or about 3 egg whites)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar (48 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (1 oz)
- 1 tsp maple extract
Instructions
Add dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix until evenly combined. Set aside.
To a smaller bowl, add brown sugar and hot melted butter. Mix until well incorporated, then add pumpkin puree, maple extract, and buttermilk. Whisk until combined, then add eggs and egg whites and whisk until yolks are evenly incorporated.
Add wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk until just combined (I found that a large whisk works much better here than a fork, spoon, or spatula). It's okay if the mixture has lumps, so long as you can't see spots of powdery flour. Don't overmix it! This should be thicker than your average pancake batter. Allow the batter to rest for about 5 minutes while the griddle heats.
Pre-heat a griddle or griddle pan to medium-high heat (7 out of 10). You want it to be nice and hot before the first batch of pancakes goes down, then you'll turn it down slightly to medium heat (about a 5 or 6 out of 10).
Spray pre-heated griddle with non-stick cooking spray if needed (I didn't need it since my griddle was non-stick anyway). Using a 1/4 cup dry measuring cup, drop batter onto hot griddle to form 3-4" round pancakes. Once the pancake is bubbling on top and golden brown on the bottom, about 2-3 minutes, flip to cook on the other side. If you're planning to freeze the pancakes, set the cooked ones aside in a single layer on a cooling rack.
Once you've cooked the first batch of pancakes, turn the heat to medium (about 5 or 6 out of 10) and continue process until all batter is used up.
Recipe Notes
- Cooking: These pancakes take a little longer to cook through than your average pancake batter. Be patient, and don’t turn the heat on your griddle up to high or they’ll burn before cooking through!
- Reheating from frozen: For best results, toast on medium-low until heated through (this may take more than one toast cycle). You can also microwave them for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Click here or scan the barcode below to log this food in My Fitness Pal.
