Fire up the griddle for this protein pancake mix recipe, friend. For Saturday morning, Sunday brunch, or just because it’s Tuesday. They’re a great choice for the whole family, and I can’t get enough of them. (They’re are so delicious my kids literally licked their plates.)
These fluffy pancakes are packed with the goodness of fresh blueberries and 13.5 grams of protein each. Made with simple ingredients like whole grains and no added sugar, they are a balanced and blood sugar friendly way to start your day with a high-protein breakfast!
Why You’ll Love This Protein Pancake Mix Recipe
As if the delicious flavor isn’t enough, there are a few other reasons you may love this recipe:
- Simple ingredients. This recipe calls for eggs, Greek yogurt, vanilla, your favorite type of protein powder, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, and blueberries. So there’s not one shred of refined sugar added into this recipe. And these are all wholesome ingredients you can find at most any grocery store.
- No syrup. These are deliciously balanced in flavor, and have their own sweetness. The fresh blueberries add all you need. So you can totally skip the maple syrup and the added sugars and carbs that come with it if you want. (What good news for people with diabetes!)
- One bowl. This entire recipe, blueberries and all, is made in one bowl. Talk about easy clean up, and that makes me happy!
- Kid friendly. This recipe is naturally delicious, and kids love it. What a great way to start the day with great protein content, fresh fruit, and whole grains in a healthy breakfast.
Now that you’re with me on just how amazing these homemade pancakes are, let’s dig in to the how to:
How to Make My Homemade Protein Pancake Mix Recipe
This homemade pancake mix could not be simpler to throw together. It’s literally wet ingredients and dry ingredients in one bowl, and then scoop it out onto the griddle. And it’s your own mix, so make as much as you like. So here we go!
1. Prep Ingredients for Easy Protein Powder Pancakes
I personally like to gather and prepare all my ingredients before I start cooking. In this recipe, that would include mashing the banana and washing the blueberries so they dry while I make the batter.
The next step is to preheat the griddle. It needs to be nice and warm when we pour on the very first bit of batter. I like to set my griddle to a medium heat around 250 degrees F. Depending on what griddle you’re using, you may want to keep cooking spray handy to prevent them from sticking.
2. Mix the Wet Ingredients
The first ingredients to combine together in a large bowl are the wet ingredients. This includes the eggs, yogurt, banana, and vanilla extract. Stir until combined.
Personally, I like to crack the eggs into the bowl first so I can see that I don’t have any shell. Then I give them a whisk to be sure they’re beaten first. And next come the rest of the ingredients.
Quick tip: please use a ripe banana. You’ll see the one shown above has brown flecks on it. This type of banana cooks and bakes with far more flavor than a green-ish one.
3. Add in the Dry Ingredients
To this wet mix, it’s time to add in the dry ingredients. For this recipe, that includes the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and whey protein powder. Give the batter a stir in the mixing bowl to combine. You don’t have to mix a long time, just until it’s all well incorporated.
Now, gently fold in the blueberries. You can reserve a few for the top as you serve them if you like.
4. Time to Cook the Protein Pancake Mix
Now that your batter is ready and the griddle is hot, let’s start making these delicious pancakes!
Drop a full 1/4 cup of batter onto your griddle. (I prefer a measuring scoop to pouring batter, instead of trying to pour batter equally, so you can count carbs accurately.)
Space them out a bit so they don’t spread and join together. Cook until the underside is golden brown and the edges are starting to look less glossy and more set. Bubbles may form on the top also. That should take 3-5 minutes.
Flip the pancakes and cook the other side. (Cooking this side never takes quite as long for me.) Then remove the pancakes to a cooling rack and repeat until you’ve gone through all the batter.
And voila — you’ve made these easy vanilla protein powder pancakes to enjoy!
Serving High Protein Pancakes
Now it’s time for the best part — enjoying your creation! These easy, fluffy protein pancakes are delicious served warm. Typically at my house, we love to eat meals together. But when these pancakes have cooled just a bit, the kids dive straight in! Enjoy them while they’re warm, folks. Or nuke them in the microwave for a quick second to eat together.
You can easily pair these pancakes with other forms of protein to add even more to your meal. See my recommendations below.
CARBS FOR This Protein Pancake Mix Recipe
There are definitely carbs in my protein pancake recipe. They come mainly from the whole grain flour, but other ingredients as well.
With the specific brand of ingredients I used for this recipe, the entire total was 184g of carbs. With this recipe making 12 servings, that’s basically 15g of carbs per serving. Take into account a couple grams of fiber per serving, and you’re at 13g net carbs. (Need help counting carbs for your recipes? Check out my blog post with step-by-step instructions!)
Be sure to work this into your meal planning how you best manage your diet. And be sure to count the total carbs (or net carbs when dealing with fiber) in the specific products you use. Different brands vary in ingredients, so be sure of the nutritional information in what you’re cooking and eating.
What Makes this Great Recipe Diabetic Friendly?
The term “diabetic friendly” is explained differently depending on who you ask. We all have our own diets and preferences and ways to manage our diabetes. Although many people with type 2 diabetes may watch and limit carbs for more of a low carb lifestyle, some people with type 1 diabetes will tell you they can eat anything they want as long as they dose for it.
For me personally, after living with type 1 for 30+ years, I consider something to be diabetic friendly if it is either:
- a recipe that combines fiber, fat, and protein to help stabilize blood sugar levels to avoid a spike after I eat
- a more diabetes friendly alternative to the ingredients you would normally find in a traditional version of that recipe
This recipe is both! And that’s one of the best things about this recipe.
This recipe is definitely a healthier version of regular pancakes. But I have tweaked and tested so it includes things like whole grain flour, greek yogurt, and other diabetic-friendly ingredients. These adjustments help us eat an overall healthier diet with more blood sugar friendly whole foods.
And this recipe is also option #1 above, as it has a balance of fat, fiber, and protein. Each of these pancakes totals 13g of net carbs, 3g fat, and a whopping 13.5g protein. And with the other foods you eat with it, you can add wisely to keep it in balance with these three key things for diabetics.
What to Serve with This Blueberry Protein Pancake Mix Recipe
My top recommendation is eggs. A couple scrambled eggs on the side is just perfect (in my opinion) nutritionally because two eggs would add both fat and extra protein. Other ideas include:
- a cup of yogurt – add in some granola or fresh berries.
- fresh berries – think raspberries since they have good fiber and go well with blueberries.
- another source of protein like bacon or sausage would be delicious, but watch the fat in both of those (or try a turkey bacon or turkey sausage equivalent for a leaner option).
- peanut butter would add more fat and protein as well, if you wanted to spread some on top. Or cover a banana with it as a side.
Looking for more ideas on breakfasts and breakfast sides? Check my breakfast ideas post for a full week of super simple recipes!
MAKE AHEAD INSTRUCTIONS
Make Saturday morning or Sunday brunch the easy way by doing your meal prep ahead. That would be helpful for busy mornings during the week, too. Just follow the recipe instructions as usual, allow them to cool, and place them in an airtight container until you’re ready to serve.
I personally prefer to store leftover pancakes in the refrigerator, and then pop them in the toaster oven to warm them. That also adds just a bit of extra texture with them being toasted. Delicious!
STORING this protein pancake mix recipe FOR LATER
These pancakes are super easy to store for later. If you’ll be eating them in the new few days, simply store them in the fridge in an airtight container until you’re ready to eat them.
If you’d like to freeze them, I recommend making a stack of pancakes with small pieces of parchment between each one first. Then add them 3-4 pancakes tall into a freezer bag. Remove the air and freeze for later. They will keep for a few months easily. If they last in the freezer that long. At my house, they never even make it to the freezer due to the kids’ incredible pancake craving!
Additional Notes
I’ve not tried this recipe with almond flour, coconut flour, or oat flour. If you do, please let me know how it goes!
Also, in case you don’t have a griddle, you can certainly use a large nonstick pan on the stovetop. It may take a bit longer to get through all the protein pancake batter, but it will work just the same!
Want to make this more of a sweet treat? Add in some chocolate chips.
If you’re interested in using different protein powders, you can definitely experiment and see what flavors you like best.
And now for the best protein pancakes recipe card:
DIY Protein Pancake Mix Recipe with Blueberries
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 16 oz. Greek yogurt (3 5.3-oz. containers of ratio keto vanilla)
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- 1 medium banana
- 1 c. whole grain flour
- 1 ½ scoops vanilla protein powder (measures 3/4 c.)
- 1 t. baking powder
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1/2 t. cinnamon
- 1 ¼ c. blueberries fresh
Instructions
- Preheat griddle to 250℉. Prepare ingredients, mash the banana, and rinse the blueberries.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in yogurt, mashed banana, and vanilla. Mix to combine.
- Next, add in the dry ingredients: flour, protein powder, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir until combined.
- Gently fold in blueberries.
- Drop a full 1/4 cup of batter on to the preheated griddle. Cook until the underside is brown and the edges of the top are less glossy (about 3-5 minutes). Flip the pancake to cook the other side.
- Remove the cooked pancakes from the griddle to cool on a wire rack until serving. Repeat the cooking process with the rest of the batter.
- Serve warm.
Notes
NOTE: I am not a certified nutritionist or registered dietician. Nothing here should be taken as professional medical advice. Any nutritional information provided should be used as a general guideline and estimate only. For the most accurate information, please calculate based on the specific ingredients and brands you use, as well as any changes you make to the recipe.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
If you’ve made this recipe, would you please leave a comment? I would love to hear from you!
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