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These low calorie pancakes are thick and fluffy, and clock in at under 150 calories per serving! Low fat but full of flavor, they are perfect to load with your favorite toppings!
Low Calorie Pancakes
When it comes to low calorie recipes, my favorites to make are candy, cookies, and these low calorie pancakes.
If you’ve ever had breakfast with me, you’ll notice that when I eat pancakes, I LOAD on the toppings. Usually, most people would add some maple syrup, some berries, and sometimes some yogurt. Me, on the other hand, would add all of those toppings, plus more. I’ve been known to add ice cream, cereal, and even crumbled banana bread!
Seeing as I’m someone who loves the toppings, I try to keep my pancakes as healthy as possible and keep the calories to a minimum. I use a combination of wholesome ingredients and low fat swaps, that yield the most perfect pancakes that are less than 150 calories per serving!
I’ve been meaning to share a low calorie pancake recipe for quite some time. They are perfect for a topping monster like me, and they turn out perfect every time! They may be low cal, but that doesn’t detract from them whatsoever! The texture is thick, fluffy, and slightly cakey. They are pleasantly sweet and with a subtle banana flavor, without being overpowering!
I recently did a heavy weights session with a friend and we had a batch of these pancakes for a post-workout meal and he could NOT believe they were low calorie- He would totally add them to his meal prep rotation!
How do you make low calorie pancakes?
The Ingredients
- Whole wheat flour– I used white whole wheat flour, but standard whole wheat flour can also be used. If you’d like these pancakes to be gluten free, use gluten free all purpose flour that has added xanthan gum.
- Baking powder– Gives some rise and extra fluffiness to the pancakes.
- Salt– Just a pinch to balance out the sweetness.
- Granulated sweetener of choice– Optional, but only add this if you prefer sweeter pancakes. I find the banana provides plenty of sweetness, and I always add maple syrup once they have been cooked.
- Banana– Overripe bananas, so they mash well and are extra sweet!
- Egg whites– Reduces the calories significantly AND adds extra protein. Fresh egg whites are best, but feel free to use the ones from a carton too.
- Vanilla extract– Adds some lovely vanilla flavor.
- Milk OR water– Either works just to mix the batter.
The Instructions
Start by adding the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the banana and the wet ingredients until smooth. Combine the wet and dry ingredients until a smooth batter remains.
Now, grease a non-stick pan and place it over medium heat. Once hot, reduce to low heat. Pour scant 1/4 cup portions of the pancake batter onto the pan and cover. Cook the pancakes for 3-4 minutes, before flipping and cooking for a further 3 minutes. Repeat the process until all the batter has been used up.
Tips to make the best low calorie banana pancakes
- Be sure that the banana is mashed very well, to ensure there are no clumps. If desired, blend it until it becomes a pureed texture.
- Covering the pan when cooking the pancakes helps them puff up and cook evenly, helping them become extra fluffy.
- Feel free to fold through some chocolate chips, berries, or peanut butter into the batter. These will alter the calorie content slightly.
Storing and freezing low calorie protein pancakes
- To store: Low cal pancakes should be stored in the refrigerator, covered. They will keep well for up to 1 week.
- To freeze: Place leftover pancakes in single serving ziplock bags and store them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Reheating: Either microwave the pancakes for 30-45 seconds or reheat in a non-stick pan until warm.
More low calorie recipes to try
Low Calorie Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour I used white wholewheat flour * See notes
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sweetener of choice
- 2 medium bananas mashed
- 1/2 cup egg whites approximately 4 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk of choice I used unsweetened almond milk
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add your flour, baking powder, salt, and sweetener, until combined. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, egg whites, vanilla extract, and milk, until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix well, until a thick batter remains.
- Grease a large non-stick pan and place it over medium heat. Pour scant 1/4 cup portions of the batter onto the pan and cover. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until bubbles form around the edges. Remove the lid, flip and cook for a further 3 minutes. Repeat the process until all the pancakes have been cooked.
- Serve the pancakes immediately or let them cool completely.
Usually I never buy or drinkk milk. Can I have water in the recipe instead? Would it still be good?
If I put instant oats instead of regular flour, you think it would turn out good?
My husband said these were sure a keeper. yum!
Thanks, Sheri!
The recipe itself is great and the pancakes are delicious. However, I’m not sure who’s brilliant idea it was for the cooking method. The whole medium heat covered for 3 minutes, it’s just dumb. Don’t double your cooking time and just cook them like normal pancakes. They come out way better.
I’m on weight watcher’s, so I made these on Pancake Tuesday instead of full-calorie pancakes. I used Swerve brown sugar substitute as my sweetener. They were easy to make and delicious!
Hej ile naleśników w porcji?
I tried these out, they were delicious and very filling !!
I loved the flavor of this recipe! This is a recipe I will use again and again.
Hi I tried your recipe and it was delicious! Wondering if this same batter can be used to make waffles? Any thoughts on that?
I don’t see why not 🙂
How many pancakes do you get from this recipe? Thank you
It depends on how big or small you make them. I sometimes get 9 small ones or I sometimes get 5 large ones 🙂
Hi, can apple or pear sauce be substituted for the bananas?
Yes it can 🙂
So yummy! I had leftover egg whites from baking and was looking to bake something with them that I could eat for breakfast other than omelettes. This paired well with Greek yoghurt and is delicious! No longer will be wasting egg whites 😌
Very delicious! I made 6 pancakes, added to MyFitnessPal, 1 serving is 115 calories, does that mean 3 pancakes is that much?
Hello! I was wondering if I could store the batter. How should I go about it and for how long should I keep it stored? Thank you!
Hi Yuviana, I haven’t tried!
Super awesome
Super recommend
I use wheat flour and berries was good had to add some cornstarch, baking powder, and flour but turned out soooo… good.
Thank You… so much for this awesome recipe!!
Thanks for the feedback, Chippy!
These were super easy and delicious! I used one banana and paired it with the equivalent amount of pumpkin purée. The batter made about 9.5 1/4c pancakes. I also made them in a cast iron skillet so the burner temperature was a medium low. Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks, Justin!
I need to try this recipe! Thank you! If we don’t want the pancakes to taste like bananas, what can we use instead of bananas? Thank you so much for your recipes! 🙂
Haven’t tried anything to replace the bananas 🙂
Because I’m a big guy so I have to limit calories. Thank you for your low calorie recipes I can eat pancakes every morning. It’s a yummy healthy pancakes.
Great!