Four Ingredient Protein Pancakes

These protein pancakes are fluffy, vegan-friendly, and definitely a staple recipe to have handy and so great as a snack a few hours before a workout or shortly after one. These pancakes, however, are not low in carbs, but carbohydrates really are one of the body’s preferred sources of energy so it’s highly beneficial to eat the majority of your carbs around the most active part of your day to make the most of them.

When it comes to carbohydrates, you can eat them to either be used as an immediate source of energy or eat them to restore glycogen levels, otherwise, they are more likely to be stored as fat. For me, I'm not as calculated and planned with my macronutrient consumption and these pancakes are always an option for me, but to get the most out of these energy bombs, I do like to try and eat them before or after training.

If you are planning on eating these as a pre-workout snack, give yourself a few hours to digest, this ensures your blood sugar levels are up and glycogen stores are full before commencing your workout. These pancakes do contain more protein than the average pancake, so they’re technically more 'balanced' than your average pancakes, and if you incorporate some healthy fats in your toppings they will be digested more slowly, which will then provide you with more sustained energy whilst maintaining stable blood sugar levels. If you choose to have this meal post-workout, the sooner you consume them the better! All the pancake gains!

But with all of that aside…you don't need to be so calculated, I just wanted to share some quick thoughts regarding carbs, training, and macros if you want to make the most of these energising carbohydrates in conjunction with training.

Although pancakes are traditionally a weekend breakfast, I find these to be pretty quick and easy to make so they could absolutely work as a weekday breakfast. I'll pop some topping ideas down below! Enjoy :)

Serves: 6+ pancakes, depending on preferred size

Time: Under 20 minutes

Ingredients

3 cups of rolled oats

2 cups of almond or soy milk

2 bananas

1 scoop of vegan protein powder (flavourless rice protein is my favourite for this recipe, but flavoured and sweetened will give your pancakes an extra taste boost! Please see below for my flavoured protein recommendation*)

Method

Mix all ingredients mentioned above in a blender or Nutribullet. Heat a large frypan and add some dairy-free butter or your choice of oil (coconut works well with these!).

Pour the pancake batter into the pan to your desired size, and flip once the top of the pancake begins to bubble a bit. Cook until golden brown, and repeat with the remaining batter.

Now it's time to serve with your choice of toppings! Have fun experimenting with this simple, easy and healthy dish, I personally love shredded apple, cinnamon, and maple syrup. Next time I may try cooking some mixed berries to make a compote, with some shredded coconut on top... the options are endless! Here are some more of my favourites:

- Peanut Butter, Almond Butter

- Fresh berries (Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries, Cherries, etc)

- Sliced Banana and a Raw Caramel Sauce (blended Dates with Almond Butter or Tahini)

- Homemade Raw Choc Sauce (Coconut Oil, Cacao & Maple Syrup or Coconut Sugar)

- Dairy-free Choc Chips

- Macro Mike PB+ Sauce (I'll include a link below, this is a toppings GAME changer!)

* Macro Mike Protein Powder is Vegan-friendly, gluten-free, 100% natural and packed full of taste. After many years of working in the sports supplement industry, I have tried countless Vegan Protein Powders and Macro Mike is by far my favourite. You won't find any grittiness (and that is rare in Vegan Protein!), nor will you find any artificial ingredients. These products are filled with simple, quality ingredients and the range of flavours is so good you will want to incorporate these proteins into all of your baking! For a direct link to the Cheezecake Protein I use for baking, please head to the link below, there is also Original version if you want to keep it unflavoured, and more Peanutty.

Protein:

https://macromike.com.au/collections/protein/products/pb-cheezecake-vegan-protein-1kg

PB+ Sauce:

https://macromike.com.au/collections/pb/products/sweet-original-pb-powdered-peanut-butter-180g