Peanut Butter Protein Powder Pancakes

These Protein Powder Pancakes are fluffy just like regular pancakes and jazzed up with some natural peanut butter. A gluten-free protein-packed breakfast that won’t feel like you are sacrificing a thing!

Ever had those days where you got up late, barely have time to brush your teeth, and are starving all at the same time?  Stressed about what to grab to eat on the run or even worse you don’t have the chance to eat at all?  Find yourself in that early morning meeting and your stomach is saying hello to your boss. 

Well, these Peanut Butter high-protein pancakes are the perfect solution! They are filling, delicious, and easy to make when you want them or ahead as part of your weekly meal prep.

Ingredients & Substituions

• Almond Milk – or any milk or non-dairy milk you prefer will work just as well.

• Egg whites – This adds protein but is also the glue that holds this recipe together.

• Almond flour – The flour in this protein pancake mix not only adds good fats and protein but also gives these pancakes a subtle nuttiness.

• Natural peanut butter – If you prefer you can swap for peanut-free nut butter, cashew or almond butter or leave it out altogether and go plain and simple.

• Vanilla Pea Protein Powder – I like this powder because it thickens up well more like flour but you can use any protein powder. You may need to play with the ratio of flour/protein powder to almond milk if you use a whey protein powder as it is is thinner. If you really want to get fancy you can use a flavored protein powder like chocolate instead.

• Baking powder – A little boost to give the pancakes some rise for a fluffier cake.

• Butter – To grease the pan. Any mild cooking oil or spray will work as well.

Making Peanut Butter Protein Pancakes

These easy protein pancakes can be made with either chocolate or vanilla-flavored protein powders and are super quick to make. For this recipe, I opted for pea protein because I find that it is a little denser and works much like flour.

I like to make a double or triple batch of these and then freeze them.  This recipe sizes up evenly so just double or triple the ingredient measurements and it works out great. 

• Start by adding the egg white and peanut butter to a large bowl. Whisk them together to break up the peanut butter into finery more ripple-like chunks. If you add the peanut butter to the dry ingredients it will just lump together and it will be nearly impossible to spread through the recipe.

2. Next add the almond flour, protein powder, and baking powder along with the almond milk. In that order. Give it a good whisk to make sure these high-protein pancakes are blended well and free of lumps. Depending on the protein powder you are using you may need to add a little more or less depending on how dense your powder may be.  Start with 1/2 a cup and add more as you need to so as to achieve the pancake batter-like consistency.

3. Add a tsp of butter to a non-stick frying pan on medium heat and let it melt. Make sure to spread it around to coat the pan.

4. When the pan is heated add a half cup of the protein pancake mix to the pan. The batter may be a little thicker than regular pancake mix so use the back of the measuring cup to spread the batter a bit into a circle.
5. Let these low-carb protein pancakes cook until they are golden on the bottom and then carefully flip to the other side until they are cooked through. Rinse and repeat with the rest of the batter using more butter when you need it.
6. Remove the pancakes once cooked to either a cooling rack or a plate and cover them with a clean dish towel if you plan on eating them right away. Otherwise, the cooling rack is the place to put them so the pancakes can cool completely.

Storing and Freezing

One of the many reasons I love these high-protein pancakes so much is that they store well. And the fact that this recipe makes enough for a week’s worth of breakfasts or nearly.

They will stay fresh in a tightly sealed container on the counter for up to 3 days or you can freeze them for up to 3 months.

To freeze, I don’t recommend stacking them one on top of the other though because they tend to freeze together. They are a little moister than a traditional pancake so that little bit of moisture when frozen turns into a glue that makes them nearly impossible to pop apart.

I recommend adding a piece of parchment paper between each layer of the cooked pancakes or freezing two pancakes (one serving) in individual containers or resealable bags so you can just thaw what you need.

Reheating

To warm these babies up I like to carefully toss them into a toaster. I say carefully because these pancakes are a little more fragile than regular pancakes and if you manhandle them they will break apart.

You can also put them in the microwave for a short bit. 30 seconds should do it if thawed or 45 seconds if frozen.

Or if you have time to spare, you can also put them back in the pan to heat them through.

How To Serve Peanut Butter Protein Pancakes

• Eat them at room temperature… this was my go-to snack when I was on the road as a salesperson in my past life. Easy, fast, not fancy, and nothing to stain or drop on my clothes.
• Toast them up! Add a little more peanut butter, Nutella, or jam… delish!
• Make a sandwich out of them with more peanut butter or some jam in the middle.
• Whipped cream, berries, syrup, or all of the above for a high-protein treat. Or if you want to be good to yourself and stay on track skip the syrup and swap whipped cream for Greek yogurt.
• Make a stack of protein pancakes and in between each add fruit, Greek yogurt, peanut butter, or whatever you want really… maybe not meat or broccoli because – gross!

Can These Protein Powder Pancakes Be Made In A Blender?

Sure! I prefer to whisk them but you do you! If you are using a blender and don’t have almond flour you can use oats instead. Again you may need to play with the amount but they will whip up nicely as an alternative. I would start with only 1 cup of oats and go from there.

Variations

• Swap out Peanut butter for another nut or non-nut butter.
• Add fruit to the mix. Blueberries, chopped strawberries or bananas.
• Mix it up by adding chocolate chips or nuts to the mix.
• Replace pea protein powder with your favorite whey protein powder and adjust the amount of liquid to get the right texture as needed.
• Swap out vanilla protein powder for chocolate protein powder or unflavored protein powder and add a tsp of vanilla instead to the pancake mix.
• Use the protein pancake mix to make waffles instead of pancakes.

More High-Protein Breakfast Recipes

• Warm Cherry Greek Yogurt Parfait
• Breakfast Carrot Bread
• Quail Egg Breakfast Stuffed Peppers
• Sausage and Pepper Breakfast Strata
• Spinach Feta And Dill Frittata
• Egg Muffins