Flipping good… for you! Nutritionist reveals simple ingredient and topping swaps to make pancakes healthier

It’s the day of the year when everyone goes flipping mad. Pancakes for breakfast, lunch, dinner – and somehow still room for ‘just one more’. 

Lemon and sugar is a classic combo that Britons opt for time and time again. Bananas, Nutella and chocolate chips also score highly on our list of favourites.

Pancakes are a winner for their simplicity – flour, eggs and milk cooked on a hot surface.

But they’re not always healthy, especially the kind that are slathered in sugary toppings, as they are in the UK for Pancake Day, and in the States where breakfast pancakes are traditionally doused in maple syrup.

BANT-registered nutritionist Ann Garry is an advocate for creating alternative pancake recipes that leave you feeling satiated, while also providing a boost to your health.

She tells the Daily Mail: ‘The traditional pancake is made up of white flour, eggs, milk and maybe sugar. Eggs are a great part of that, but the rest of it makes it a very quickly digested food.

‘I was one of four growing up, and it was my dad that would make the pancakes on Pancake Day, but he just couldn’t make enough.

‘They kept coming and coming, and you had to wait in turn for your next one. You’d be three pancakes in, and you’d still want more, because they’re just not satisfying.

‘It’s lovely and you enjoy it, but it’s a big sugar hit and you’re still left wanting more. That’s because of the impact it has on our blood sugar, it’s just not sustaining or filling enough.’

Ms Garry’s guidance is to seek out alternatives to white flour, for instance, which is one of the main offenders in the basic pancake recipe. Using ingredients that contain more fibre and protein content will instantly transform pancakes into a far healthier incarnation.

‘I think almond flour is probably the best one, but you could use ground up oats, and that will give you more fibre as well,’ Ms Garry explains. 

‘You get more fibre with almonds too, but not as much protein with the oat flour.

‘Another way would be to just use your normal recipe but not put sugar in your pancakes at all. You don’t need that.

‘Instead, you could add some chia seeds or some flax seeds. If you want to add a little bit extra to get more protein and fibre, that’s quite an easy thing to do.’

Embrace ‘complex’ ingredients

Crucial to this healthier take on pancakes is the complexity of the ingredients we use. That doesn’t mean creating a recipe with a plethora of ingredients, or sourcing strange fruits and veg from distant lands. 

Food complexity relates to how easy it is for the body to digest it.

‘White flour is a simple food, so the body, the digestive system, doesn’t have to do very much work to break it down and release glucose.

‘White flour gets broken down into glucose very quickly, because it’s already been milled and processed.

‘It will be absorbed within a very short few minutes and the body responds to the glucose that’s been released, increasing blood sugar levels.

‘Blood glucose levels will increase quickly and quite significantly, especially if you’ve added sugar or Nutella on the top of it.

‘It doesn’t stay in the stomach for very long either. It passes through us very quickly.

‘Compare that to something that’s more complex – with almond flour, for instance, a pancake would be more complex because it’s made up of protein, and protein is much harder for the stomach to digest.

‘It has to do a lot more work. It has to produce enzymes and hydrochloric acid and break it down so it sits in the stomach for longer.

‘That’s why you have that expression of feeling ‘fuller for longer’ with protein foods and fibre foods. You get a slow release of glucose into the bloodstream, so it’s more satisfying.’

Positive hormones

Using complex ingredients in your pancakes will also trigger positive hormones, what are known as ‘satiety hormones’, that support your appetite.

Satiety hormones are chemical messengers in the body that signal fullness to the brain, suppressing appetite and regulating long-term energy balance. Ms Garry, who is CEO and Director of Nutrition Training at Health Coaches Academy, highlights leptin, which reduces appetite and ghrelin, which increases appetite.

The two work together in the digestive process, operating as opposing, complementary signals in the hypothalamus to regulate energy balance. Together, they maintain homeostasis by balancing food intake with energy needs.

‘We want leptin to be produced, but it gets triggered by having food in the stomach,’ Ms Garry tells us. ‘And we want the stomach to recognise, “Oh, I’ve got food and I’m starting to feel full”, so there’s the hormonal effect.

‘This explains the whole principle behind why ultra-processed food isn’t good, and doesn’t leave us feeling satisfied. We just want more of it.

‘That’s why there’s a move towards having more complex food on your plate.

‘Vegetables and proteins are the more complex foods, and carbohydrates and starch carbohydrates are the simple foods.

‘So having the right proportion in your food really makes a difference. Huge difference.’

They can boost your gut health

When it comes to your gut, traditional pancakes simply don’t cut it. Those key pillars of protein and fibre – fibre especially – are central to the balance of the gut, which, Ms Garry says, thrives on a diverse diet.

‘The gut likes diversity and when I say diversity, what I’m talking about really is diversity of plant-based foods.

‘There is this notion of trying to eat 30 different plants over the course of a week and that’s because it’s the plant-based foods primarily that give you fibre.

‘Whether it’s almonds or whether it’s a lettuce, they all have fibre, and different types of fibre.

‘The story on this is that we want lots of different types of microbes in our gut microbiome, because they all do different jobs and they all have different preferences for food.

‘By giving them 30 different options for food, you’re going to be feeding most of them over the course of a week. That’s the theory.

‘So, when we bring it back to pancakes, it’s about changing the source of the flour from a wheat flour that has been very processed, to ground almonds or almond flour or oats that have been ground up.

‘With those alternatives you’re introducing really good forms of fibre while supporting and feeding the ‘hungry mouths’ in our gut microbiome.’

Affordable swaps 

Finding healthy alternatives for many of the most common ingredients we consume in our meals can often mean having to fork out more money. 

Ms Garry is keen to impress the importance of finding affordable ways to turn our unhealthy pancakes into nourishing, gut boosting upgrades without having to remortgage your house.

‘It’s very easy to go down the route of chia seeds and avocado on toast and things like that, which for many families might not be within budget.

‘Almond flour is a lot more expensive than white flour, especially if you’re feeding a family, but oats are cheap as chips.

‘To get oat flour from oats, you just put them in your blender, and it turns to flour. So I think that’s a very good, affordable option.’

For those who have a bit more financial bandwidth and want to mimic the classic lemon and sugar combo, Ms Garry cites xylitol as a great way to maintain the good old British pancake tradition, while still being healthy.

‘If you want that crunchy-with-lemon combination, then I can suggest a white sugar alternative, which comes in a granulated format called xylitol.

‘You don’t want to have a lot of it. If you have too much, your gut can respond to it negatively, but a sprinkle on a pancake with lemon does the trick.

‘It’s a natural substance that’s found in nature. It gets processed into something that looks like refined sugar, but it doesn’t destabilise your blood glucose level.

‘Personally, I have that in my cupboard, and I use it for exactly this kind of thing.’

What are the healthiest pancake toppings?  

On the subject of lemon and sugar, there’s a long list of sugar-fuelled toppings that add to unhealthy kickback we get from pancakes. Nutella and similar chocolate spreads, chocolate chips, maple syrup, salted caramel, pistachio spreads… salivating yet? They might be delicious, but they’ll also be costing your health with sugar spikes and very little nutritional value.

‘You can add mashed banana with some Greek yogurt, which is giving you extra protein, and you’re getting a nice creaminess with it.

‘Obviously any fruit really would be good. Berries are lovely. They can be expensive at this time of the year, but just buy whatever’s in season.

‘You could make a compote. It sounds a bit fancy, but actually it’s really easy to slice up a pear or an apple, or both.

‘Keep the peel on and take the pips out, stick it in a pan with a tiny bit of water, and literally, five minutes later, you’ve got mashed up apple and pear. That’s absolutely delicious on a pancake.’

Ms Garry also shared her advice for anyone who wants a substitute for their Nutella spread. ‘You could take Greek yogurt and, ideally, sprinkle cacao powder (although cocoa could also be used) which has health benefits.

‘It’s antioxidant rich and when you mix it in with Greek yogurt, you get that creamy consistency.

‘You could also add in some nut butter: hazelnut butter, almond butter or even peanut butter. Peanut butter is the cheapest of them all, and you’d still get a bit of a nutty flavour with it.

‘It’s not as sweet as Nutella, but you’re getting proper ingredients, real food, rather than just something that’s been made in a factory that’s got lots of other additives.’

Try this healthy pancake recipe

If you’re keen to experiment with a healthier take on the traditional pancake mixture, but need a little helping hand with ideas, Ms Garry has kindly shared her own banana-based batter recipe with us.

NB: This recipe works best for smaller pancakes. You’ll also have to skip the flips with this one.

Banana Pancakes

Serves: 4 people Makes: Approximately 9–12 small pancakes

A simple, high-protein pancake recipe made with just two ingredients – perfect for family Pancake Day.

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 teaspoon olive oil (for frying)

Method:

1. Place the eggs and banana into a blender and blend until smooth and well combined.
2. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add the olive oil.
3. Using a tablespoon, spoon the egg mixture into the pan to create small circular pancakes. Repeat, leaving space between each pancake.
4. Cook for 1–2 minutes until the mixture firms up. Carefully flip using a spatula – these pancakes are delicate, so avoid flipping them in the usual way.
5. Cook the other side for about 1 minute until lightly golden.
6. Slide onto a warm plate and keep warm in a low oven while you cook the remaining mixture.

Serving Suggestion:

Serve warm with fresh berries, Greek yoghurt, or a drizzle of nut butter for added flavour.

The history of pancakes 

Pancakes rely on a generations-old formula that humans have been creating in a variety of ways for thousands of years. 

Archaeological evidence suggests versions of flat, griddle-cooked ‘cakes’ were eaten as far back as prehistoric times, using ground grains mixed with water.

The ancient Greeks and Romans were early adopters, making sweetened pancakes flavoured with honey and spices. 

One of the earliest written references appears in De re coquinaria, attributed to Apicius, demonstrating that, even two millennia ago, people were finding ways to jazz their fried batter up. 

However, there’s no evidence to suggest they were flipping their pancakes, that came later.

Historians suggest people likely started tossing pancakes in the 15th century, with the tradition of the Olney Pancake Race in Buckinghamshire dating back to 1445. Legend has it a woman in Olney rushed to church for Shrove Tuesday while flipping a pancake in her pan to prevent it from burning.

In medieval Europe, pancakes became closely tied to the Christian calendar. They were a practical way to use up rich ingredients like eggs, milk and butter before the fasting period of Lent, which is why they’re tied to Shrove Tuesday, or ‘Pancake Day’ as we call it.

England embraced the pancake with enthusiasm. Even William Shakespeare referenced them in All’s Well That Ends Well. Across Europe, various permutations emerged, French crêpes, Dutch pannenkoeken, Russian blini, each culture flipping the same basic idea and adapting it to local tastes and ingredients.

Further afield, the same basic concept is everywhere. Injera in Ethiopia, dosa in India, scallion pancakes in China. The grains and additions vary, but the essence remains the same: Cheap, easy to make and eternally adaptable.