Truth be told, your girl is a morning person.
I love getting up with the sun, working out before breakfast and jumping head first into my day. I’ve never been an alarm “snoozer”, and I always, always, always prefer getting up early to staying up late. But, for my day to get off to a really good start, I have to eat a big breakfast. I’ve talked about this a bit before on instagram, but I just don’t understand people who can skip breakfast or eat one egg and call it a meal. Breakfast in my favourite, and often biggest, meal of the day. And these 4 Ingredient Paleo Pancakes definitely fit the breakfast bill.
These easy paleo pancakes are fluffy + light, but filling and packed with protein. They’re easy to make, they reheat beautifully + they’re the perfect vehicle for all of the fruit, maple syrup and/or nut butter that my little heart could ever want.
They’re simply to make, easy to eat and a great way to fuel your day. Want to know why? Keep reading.
Only 4 Ingredients?
When I set out to create this recipe, I knew that I needed it to be simple. I love, love, love pancakes and ate a version of protein pancakes for breakfast for a long time. However, when I removed whey (dairy) based protein powders from my diet (they were causing HUGE digestive upset for me), I suddenly lost my pancakes. SAD. I did a lot of research into paleo pancakes, but most recipes require a long list of flours like almond or cassava or tapioca or arrowroot. And while these things absolutely have their place, I don’t always have them in my kitchen.
So, for this recipe, we’re using 1 flour: coconut. Coconut flour is pretty inexpensive. It’s accessible in nearly all supermarkets now + it tastes delicious. Coconut flour is naturally gluten free and full of fibre + healthy plant based proteins and fats. It’s perfect for families with gluten or nut allergies and is believed to help lower cholesterol! Win!
Combining coconut flour with a bit of baking powder, some almond milk (or whichever milk you prefer) and the leavening power of eggs results in tender, fluffy, pillowy pancake heaven. You really won’t believe they came together with so few ingredients!
The Easy Paleo Pancake Method
Because these pancakes are made with so few ingredients, the way that we combine those ingredients is actually really important. To help the pancakes rise and achieve that light, fluffy texture that we’re looking for, we have to separate the eggs and whip the whites. I know that it feels like an annoying extra step to use a mixer, but it really isn’t optional. The good news is that it literally takes less than a few minutes + is SO worth the pancake pay off.
To makes these bad boys, we’re simply going to combine the coconut flour, milk, baking powder + pinch of salt into a bowl. Mix them all together with a wooden spoon or spatula and just leave them be. That part is easy peasy.
(If you like your pancakes sweet, and don’t think the syrup on top will be enough, feel free to add 1/4 cup coconut sugar to your dry ingredients!)
In the meantime, whip those egg whites in another bowl, like we discussed. Whip them good! To get the fluff factor, we really need the egg whites to reach stiff peaks. (If you’re not sure what that means, The Kitchn has an awesome article on it. I’ve linked it here.) Once the egg white are stiff enough, we’re simply going to fold them into the yolk mixture. (Don’t worry, if you aren’t sure how to do that, The Kitchn has you covered again.) And that’s it! Your pancake batter is ready!
Flip + Top these Easy Paleo Pancakes
To cook these pancakes, I love to use a cast iron skillet with some added ghee or coconut oil. But don’t worry, any nonstick pan will work fine. Just make sure that you grease it with plenty of some sort of fat (butter, oil, ghee, etc.) before you ladel in the batter. Ain’t nobody got time for sticking pancakes. Make sure that your heat is set to medium. High heat won’t give the middles of the pancakes enough time to set before the bottoms burn. Low heat will take AGES, and again, ain’t nobody got time for that, especially hungry Jessica.
To ensure that these guys are easy to flip, I suggest starting with 1/4-1/3 cup of batter per pancake. Spoon it into the pan, leaving enough room for your spatula to squeeze under there. I like to cover the pan for the first minute or so of cooking to help steam the tops, but this is optional. You’ll want to leave the batter cook for 2-3 minutes on the first side before you attempt to flip. There will be some small bubbles in the middle, and the edges will be set. Once turned over, the second side of the pancakes should cook in 1-2 minutes. You want to be sure that they’re lovely and set the entire way through.
When they’re done, they should be golden brown, tender to the touch and deliciously fluffy inside!
To eat these pancakes, I love to serve them with warm maple syrup or my homemade berry compote. (See the recipe notes on how I do this!). They’re also divine drizzled with nut butter or served alongside some other breakfast/brunch staples like these Chai + Chilli Breakfast Sausages or this Frittata.
These easy paleo pancakes are really great for meal-prep because they reheat beautifully. They’ll keep in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for a few months. Feel free to double or triple the recipe for a crowd or to have some extras to pack away for another day. Just be sure that you cool them to room temperature before storing in a bag or container. To reheat, simply pop in the microwave, toaster or into a hot oven for a few minutes. You’ll be good to go!
These 4 Ingredient Paleo Pancakes are my favourite breakfast, hands down. They’re so easy, so healthy and so simple! If you give these a try, I’d love to know what you think! Drop me a comment or rate the recipe down below, it really helps other people find these recipes too. Or connect with me over instagram, I’m a huge lover of food photos!
4 Ingredient Paleo Pancakes
Ingredients
- 4 eggs, separated
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup almond milk (or coconut/oat/dairy milk works too!)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar ((optional))
Instructions
- Begin by separating the four eggs, with 4 yolks and 4 whites in separate, large bowls.
- To the 4 egg yolks, add the coconut flour, milk, baking powder + salt. Mix until combined. The mixture will be thick and will continue to thicken as it sits from the coconut flour. ** If you want your pancakes sweet, add 1/4 cup of coconut sugar to this mix as well!
- Beat the 4 egg whites with a hand mixer or stand mixer until stiff peaks form (if you swirl the beater in the mixture, it should hold its shape). The egg whites will almost look like whipped cream.
- Using a spatula, fold the egg whites into the yolk batter. To fold, simply take the spatula and cut it down the middle of the mixture, across the bottom of the bowl and up the nearest side. This down-across-up-and-over motion gently turns the mixtures over on top of each other, combining them in the process. There shouldn't be any streaks of white left in the batter, but it should become light in color and airy in texture.
- Preheat a skillet to medium/medium-low heat and add some ghee or butter to the pan. To cook, spoon approximately 1/4-1/3 cup of the batter into the pan for each pancake. Leave to cook for 3-4 minutes on the first side or until the edges are set. Turn over and cook for roughly 2-3 minutes on the second side.
- Serve with butter, jam or maple syrup.
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