10 Unexpected Upgrades For Delicious Pancakes
For a luxurious weekend brunch, or a quick breakfast before the school run, pancakes might be on the menu. Making pancakes can be easy with a pre-made batter, and there are some reliable pancake box mixes available for those of us who like to keep things simple. There are even some more experimental ones out there to try. For example, Trader Joe's Ube Mochi Pancake & Waffle Mix is gluten-free and purple! You can build off these basics by adding chocolate chips, nuts, strawberries, blueberries, and other fun toppings. But if you're into making things from scratch, there's nothing cozier than a stack of homemade pancakes for a big family breakfast.
Pancakes are a staple of the American breakfast. There's a whole chain of restaurants dedicated to them, including IHOP. Piled high and topped with syrup and butter or whipped cream, these fluffy hotcakes are the stuff of diner dreams. But dare to dream bigger with these unexpected upgrades. Pancakes can have more dimensions of flavor and texture than you might have imagined. And they need not be relegated to the breakfast table.
Stir in some creamy cheese
We're not talking about aged cheddar or blue cheese here, but some milder, creamier cheeses make for the best pancakes around. If you've treated yourself to a fancy brunch at a restaurant in the last few years, you may have seen ricotta pancakes on the menu. Ricotta is an Italian fresh cheese with a soft crumbly texture. Made from whey, it's less fatty than other soft cheeses and it has a light mild flavor that makes it perfect for sweet dishes. It's often an ingredient in lasagnas and raviolis, but ricotta is an excellent addition to pancake batter too. This lemon ricotta pancake recipe will elevate your next brunch to restaurant quality.
Mascarpone is another soft Italian cheese made from cream that has a texture somewhere between cream cheese (which is denser and tangier) and crème fraîche. Its luscious texture and sweet flavor make it an ideal addition to many sweet and savory dishes alike. You can add mascarpone to pancake batter. Strawberry-Mascarpone Pancakes With Balsamic Syrup could be the delicious breakfast upgrade you've been searching for. Strawberries and balsamic are another surprisingly wonderful tangy-sweet combination, so don't skip that part!
If imported Italian cheeses aren't available to you, you can always swap in the humble cottage cheese for a tasty protein packed pancake. Cottage cheese has a similarly mild flavor that integrates seamlessly into your batter, while adding some extra nutrition and a nice fluffy texture.
Bring back buttermilk
This is less of an unexpected twist and more of a classic, but buttermilk is seldom something we think to purchase at the grocery store these days. Buttermilk is the byproduct of making butter. It is fermented milk with a slightly acidic flavor. You may not want to pour yourself a glass to sip or a bowl of cereal with sour lumpy buttermilk, though you can if you want to! But more often, buttermilk is used to marinate meats or in baking to make the fluffiest pancakes, waffles, biscuits, and other baked goods around.
If you haven't got any in your fridge, you can make your own buttermilk with some basic ingredients. All you need is some milk and a tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. You can do the same with plant-based milks. The acid will curdle the milk in just a few minutes, and create that sour element that reacts with the other ingredients to make fluffy delicious pancakes. Next time pancakes are on the menu, try using buttermilk instead of whole or 2% milk and see the difference for yourself. This basic buttermilk pancake recipe won't be any more work than regular milk pancakes. And for those lazy mornings when you need something quick, you can still swap it into your boxed pancakes by replacing the milk with an equal amount of buttermilk.
Try bacon in your pancake batter
You've had bacon with your pancakes before, but have you tried bacon in your pancakes? Pancake Batter-Dipped Bacon is a playful combination of two breakfast heavyweights. You'll need to cook the bacon first, or it will end up soft, chewy, and raw. The easiest way to evenly cook a lot of bacon at once with minimal splatter is to place the strips on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil and cook them in the oven. No hot oil jumping at you and your hands are free to focus on preparing the rest of your breakfast.
Once the bacon is cooked, pat or drain off the excess oil and let it cool a bit while you make your pancake batter. Then layer batter and bacon in a hot pan. Pour a little strip of batter in, place a strip of bacon on top, and pour some more batter over it. Flip, and serve! These dunkable bacon pancakes are fun for everyone. Crumbled candied bacon can also make for a yummy salty-sweet pancake topping.
Don't be afraid to get corny
Corn is a versatile and readily available ingredient that comes to us in many forms. This one's for the cornbread lovers. If you love its flavor, texture, and pale yellow color, you might consider adding corn to your next batch of pancakes. You can do so in several ways.
Cornmeal pancakes are made with a mixture of wheat flour and cornmeal and evoke fried cornbread. You won't want to substitute 100% cornmeal, or your pancake will likely crumble to pieces. But you can add whole corn kernels into your pancake batter in the same way you might add blueberries or chocolate chips. Corn can add some extra sweetness and a nice texture to your pancakes. Add it into a cornmeal pancake or a regular pancake if you like! You can cut the kernels off of a fresh cob of corn, use canned corn niblets, or even use a can of creamed corn.
Corn fritters are a more savory version of a pancake that is more about the corn and less about the cake. In fact, they're often more like a fried dough and made by combining a higher ratio of corn with batter, and can include more savory seasoning and other ingredients like chopped scallions or chives. Make a batch of corn fritters for your next barbecue or dinner party. Served with a dipping sauce, corn fritters make the perfect appetizer or side dish.
Go bananas!
Bananas are a reliable healthy snack and a fruit that's available year round. Often served sliced on top of a stack of pancakes, mashed bananas are one of the best additions to your pancake batter too. Fluffy banana pancakes incorporate banana into the flour batter, but some banana pancake recipes actually replace most of the other ingredients with straight up unadulterated banana. Either way, it makes for a moist, flavorful and fruity pancake. Bananas also go great with other toppings like peanut butter, Nutella, or jam.
If you're trying to go light on the grains, these banana pancakes with just two ingredients might be the breakfast for you. It's healthy, gluten-free, and tasty; just be careful when flipping these banana pancakes as they can easily fall apart. Another grain-free option involves cassava flour (made from the cassava root) and banana's starchier cousin, the plantain. Cassava-Plantain Pancakes will be a bit more filling and breadier than the banana fritters, but both are healthy, gluten-free alternatives to traditional banana pancakes.
Toss in some almonds
If you like nutty flavor, you can add almonds into pancakes in several different forms. The simplest is to add sliced or slivered almonds into your traditional pancakes. You can sprinkle some sliced almonds at the bottom of your frying pan to toast them lightly, then pour the batter on top. You can also top your pancakes with more sliced or slivered almonds for a nice crunch.
Almonds can also be incorporated in the form of marzipan, a sweet almond paste, almond milk (for a dairy free pancake), or use almond flour to make your batter. Almond flour (or almond meal) can be blanched or unblanched. Blanched almond flour has had the skins removed and will resemble traditional flour more while unblanched almond flour, which sometimes has a coarser texture, with the skins on and browner in color. The choice between blanched or unblanched almond flour is up to you. These almond flour pancakes combine one part regular flour to two parts almond flour. But since almond flour is not only gluten-free but entirely grain free, you might be interested to make a version that uses exclusively almond flour. It can't always be substituted for wheat flour, as it won't rise the same way and it's much denser texture, and won't work in every recipe. But almond flour pancakes are nonetheless a yummy and nutritious grain-free alternative to typical pancakes.
Add oats for a healthy upgrade
Oats are another ubiquitous breakfast food. You can buy quick oats, rolled oats, or steel cut oats, and you can cook them up on their own or incorporate them into many favorite baked goods and desserts like crumbles. If you like oatmeal and you like pancakes, then you will probably enjoy their love child, the oatmeal pancake. Not to be confused with oatcakes, a typical Scottish biscuit, oatmeal pancakes are pancakes made with the addition of oats. Oats contain higher levels of dietary fiber and protein. They also add flavor, texture, and bite.
This oatmeal pancake recipe incorporates soaked rolled oats into pancake batter for added nutrition. These sweeter oatmeal cookie pancakes includes brown sugar and spices like cinnamon for a decadent breakfast twist on two classics. Another gluten-free cinnamon oatmeal pancake recipe is the ultra made-from-scratch as you prepare your own oat flour and cashew milk from raw ingredients to make the batter. The result is something gluten-free and vegan that you can feel proud of. If you prefer to keep things simple, you can try this 3-Ingredient Oatmeal Pancakes recipe which combine oats with just milk and eggs for a fast and tasty alternative to traditional wheat flour pancakes. They won't be fluffy, but they will be chewy, tasty, and nutritious.
Have some fun with your pancakes
Let's leave nutrition behind us for a moment and focus on the joys of eating delicious and fun foods. For a festive upgrade on the humble pancake, why not put some more emphasis on the cake? Maybe it's a special birthday breakfast, or maybe you just feel like mixing things up for fun. Regardless, you can try using box cake mix for your next pancake experiment. You might combine pancake and cake mix or add a little plain flour to a whole box of cake mix. Mix in the eggs, milk, melted butter or oil, and instead of baking in a cake tin, pour it on the griddle and flip it like a pancake. Then top them with syrup, whipped cream, or even frosting and sprinkles! This won't be the healthiest breakfast, but it will be a decadent treat.
You can use any kind of box cake mix. You can't go wrong with plain vanilla, yellow cake, or funfetti. Chocolate is another favorite, but be sure not to burn your pancakes, as it's harder to see this brown mix turn golden in the pan. Or maybe red velvet is your favorite cake. Red velvet pancakes could be the perfect showstopper breakfast with a cream cheese sauce or mascarpone drizzle.
Flavor your pancakes with spices
An easy way to upgrade your favorite pancake recipe is to flavor the batter with different herbs and spices. You can make pumpkin spice pancakes in the fall, or bright lemon zest pancakes in the summer. A pinch of cinnamon on its own tastes great. Or reach for your favorite spice blend. If you like those flavors in your baked goods or lattes, chances are you'll enjoy them in your pancakes too.
Pumpkin pie spice is a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. You can buy it pre-mixed, or mix your own spice blend and punch up your favorite flavors with a ratio that suits your individual taste. Then, next time you're making pancakes, sprinkle a teaspoon or two of your spice mix into the batter. Pumpkin spiced pancakes could be your new fall favorite. If you want to take it all the way, you can scoop some actual pumpkin puree into the mix as well for a moist, orange tinted pancake.
Whether or not you want to mess with the batter, you can also flavor the syrup. You can make your own simple syrup with vanilla, ginger, or other warming spices. Or try this homemade apple cider syrup for an instant fall favorite.
Lean into savory additions
Ever thought about pancakes for dinner? Why not? We're not just talking about brinner here. Savory pancakes are commonly eaten in parts of Asia, where veggies are incorporated into the batter. For example, scallion pancakes, a favorite street food in China and Taiwan, have become increasingly popular in North America. Colloquially called a pancake, this is really a kind of flatbread made from mixing chopped scallions (and sometimes other vegetables) into a simple dough and then frying it. You can sometimes find them pre-made in the frozen food aisle, or you can make them yourself with this simple scallion pancake recipe. Eat them plain, with a dipping sauce, or roll them into a sandwich if you'd like!
Crispy kimchi pancakes are similar, with the additional kick of heat and pickled tang of kimchi. Savory chickpea pancakes are a fun twist on the traditional pancake that use chickpea flour instead of wheat flour. Rather than topping them with syrup and fruits, you can serve them with a salad. Chickpea flour is a common ingredient in South Asian and Middle Eastern dishes. It's naturally gluten-free and contains a good deal of protein, which is a bonus. Savory pancakes make for a great snack, side dish, lunch or dinner. Or you can eat them for breakfast. Crack an egg on a scallion pancake and you won't regret it.