Who doesn’t love pancakes for breakfast?! Whether it’s lazy weekend mornings, a special week day treat or the lazy yet elaborate “breakfast for dinner” – pancakes are true heroes. What’s even better is pancakes which are actually healthy, offer ample protein, have added health benefits from targeted superfoods, and are free of refined sugars and gluten. Our recipe for Vegan Banana Protein Pancakes fits the bill.
Having adequate protein with your breakfast is so important! It helps to keep your blood sugar stable which means more even energy levels throughout the day and the ability to go 2-4 hours between meals without feeling hungry. Eating to keeping blood sugar stable reduces stress on your pancreas (the organ that produces insulin – the blood sugar balancing hormone) and your liver (the organ involved in more that 300 metabolic processes including detoxification, hormone balance, and blood sugar regulation). Keeping these organs happy contributes to whole body health, reduces the chances of developing diabetes, and lowers your risk of heart disease.
Our vegan banana protein pancakes recipe features Botanica’s Perfect Protein Elevated Adrenal Support. This protein powder contains 20g of sprouted and fermented plant protein per serving plus the adrenal-balancing superfoods ashwagandha, reishi, and acerola cherries.
Health Benefits
Ashwagandha is an ancient Aurevedic adaptogen which means that is can help your body manage stress. Ashwagandha can help to reduce elevated cortisol levels (the stress hormone), blocks stress pathways in the brain, and reduce feelings of stress and anxiety.
Reishi Mushroom works as an “immune modulator,” so it can help restore hormonal balance, bring the body back to homeostasis and regulate activity of the immune system. Reishi mushrooms also work as adaptogens – helping your body cope with stress more efficiently and help regulate hormone levels to optimize your health.
Acerola Cherries provide a rich source of whole food vitamin C which is essential for the body’s stress response. The adrenal glands require vitamin C to stay healthy and manufacture the adrenal hormones that cope with stress, particularly cortisol.
These Vegan Banana Protein Pancakes are so easy to make! We use a flax egg (a mixture of ground flax seeds and water) as a vegan egg replacer and oat flour to keep the recipe gluten-free. Simply mash the manana with the wet ingredients, combine with the dry ingredients, and fold in the blueberries at the end. Easy peasy.
We hope you LOVE these pancakes as much as we do! They’re:
- Light and Fluffy
- Naturally sweet
- Banana-infused
- Gluten-free and vegan
- Easy to make
- & Kind of fantastic!
Meal prep tip: We like making a double batch, enjoying a few right away, and then freezing the rest to enjoy throughout the week!
Protein Packed Vegan Banana Pancakes
Makes 6 pancakes
Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar free.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp. Ground flax seeds
- 3 tbsp. warm water
- 2 ripe bananas
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- 1 tbsp. maple syrup
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ cup rolled oats*
- 1 scoop Botanica Perfect Protein Elevated Adrenal Support (or a scant ½ cup of Botanica Perfect Protein Vanilla)
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- Pinch salt
- ½ cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Method:
- Make a flax egg! Combine the flax seeds and warm water in a small bowl and set aside for 5-10 minutes to gel.
- Meanwhile, mash the bananas with the coconut milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract until smooth with a few small clumps. Once the flax egg has gelled, add it to the wet mixture.
- Next, make a flour out of the oats. Place the oats in a single serve blender cup or food processor and blitz until you have a fine white powder.
- Then add the oats, protein powder, cinnamon, baking soda and powder and salt to the banana mixture. When combined, gently fold in the blueberries.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add a little coconut oil to coat the pan. Then spoon in roughly 3-tbsp amounts of batter for each pancake. Use the back of your scoop to smooth out the batter into a 1 cm thick disk. Reduce heat to low and cook for 3-4 minutes. Best to cook slower and lower than your average pancakes – this maintains the nutritional integrity of the reishi mushroom, ashwagandha and acerola cherry in the protein powder and ensures the pancakes cook through.
- After 3-4 minutes (or when the bottom of the pancake is golden brown) flip each pancake carefully. Cook for 3-4 minutes more (lowering heat as needed if cooking too fast) or until the underside is golden brown and the middle is cooked through. Continue cooking until all batter is used up – approximately 6 pancakes.
- To serve, top with desired toppings, such as fresh berries, nut butter, or sliced bananas, dairy-free yogurt, coconut butter, or maple syrup.
- Best when fresh, though leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator 3-4 days, or in the freezer up to 1 month. To reheat, pop them in the toaster or microwave.
*Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats to keep the recipe strictly gluten-free or if you are Celiac.
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag your photo with #botanicahealth on Instagram (we love seeing your creations!) Be well, friends!
