These delicious fluffy American Pancakes are easy to whip up for breakfast or brunch and a true family favourite. Serve with fresh berries and a drizzle of maple syrup – YUM!
You will also love… my Slimming Lemon Drizzle Cake
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My children had some friends over yesterday so I felt compelled to treat them – I have a reputation to uphold after all. So I made a batch of my chocolate crepes with Nutella. As they happily scoffed them, and promptly had seconds, I sat watching, slightly green with envy.
Even though I haven’t felt deprived during my diet, I must say I really was feeling left out.
So, naturally, I set out to make some healthy, diet-approved, Slimming World Pancakes to satisfy my craving. I used fat free Quark cheese and skimmed milk, self raising flour, a little sweetener and eggs.
And guess what? These fluffy pancakes are delicious, easy to make and only ONE Syn each.
Which means you can happily have a portion for breakfast or on Pancake Day without feeling like you are spoiling your diet. Which is just as well as it’s weigh in day 😉
How to make American Pancakes
STEP 1. Put eggs, milk, quark, sweetener and a pinch of salt into a large bowl.
STEP 2. Use a balloon whisk to combine, mixing well to break up the cheese. If you want to add some flavourings add some vanilla or coconut extract or a little lemon zest.
STEP 3. Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda over the bowl.
STEP 4. Use the balloon whisk to mix together until the batter is smooth. Set aside for 5 minutes.
STEP 5. Spray a large frying pan or griddle with cooking spray or wipe with oil. Heat the pan and then ladle in the batter (or use a large spoon – you want about 2 tbsp of batter per pancake) leaving enough space between the pancakes so you can flip them.
STEP 6. Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes and flip carefully once bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes.
STEP 7. Cook for a minute longer on the other side until golden. Continue until you use all the batter.
STEP 8. Serve with your choice of toppings and enjoy!
(Slimming) Pancake Toppings
These Pancakes are delicious with fresh fruit, especially berries, citrus fruit or sliced bananas.
My favourite toppings are raspberries and blueberries, with a spoonful of Greek yogurt on the side.
As someone married to a Canadian I ALWAYS have to have real maple syrup with my pancakes and thankfully it is only 2 syns per tablespoon.
A good alternative is Skinny Foods Syrup which is calorie and sugar free or Sweet Freedom Fruit Syrup.
My husband always serves his pancakes with maple syrup and bacon – the sweet and savoury combo works amazingly well!
Pancake Recipe variations
Make savoury pancakes: omit the sweetener and add 2 tbsp of Parmesan cheese into the batter (healthy extra). Serve with a poached egg, lean bacon and fried mushrooms and sprinkle with chopped chives.
Tips for pancake perfection
- Make sure your self raising (or self rising) flour is fresh, especially if you don’t regularly bake with it.
- Your pan or griddle needs to be fairly hot but keep an eye on the heat and adjust as you use up the batter. You will need to add more cooking spray as you cook your pancakes.
- Wait until your pancakes form little bubbles on the surface and appear a bit dry before flipping over.
- Don’t crowd your pancakes, it will be impossible to flip them cleanly.
Looking for more Slimming Recipes?
Take a look at my Slimming recipe archive for plenty more ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert!
Fluffy American Pancakes
Ingredients
- 150 g | 5.3oz self raising flour
- 150 ml | 5fl oz skimmed milk
- 120 g | 4.2oz Quark cheese or you can use ricotta
- 2 eggs
- 3 tsp Splenda or sweetener of choice
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- pinch salt
- 1/2 tsp coconut extract or vanilla extract or 1 tsp lemon zest (optional)
- maple syrup and fresh berries to serve
- light cooking spray or vegetable oil to fry
Instructions
- Put eggs, milk, quark and a pinch of salt into a large bowl. Use a balloon whisk to combine, mixing well to break up the cheese. If you want to add some flavourings add some vanilla extract or lemon zest.
- Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and sweetener over the bowl. Use a balloon whisk to combine well and set aside for 5 minutes.
- Spray a large frying pan or griddle with cooking spray or wipe with oil. Heat the pan and then ladle in the batter (or use a large spoon – you want about 2 tbsp of batter per pancake) leaving enough space between the pancakes so you can flip them.
- Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes and flip carefully once bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes. Cook for a minute longer on the other side until golden. Continue until you use all the batter.
- Serve warm with toppings of your choice.
Colin says
I added a knob of melted butter and had a little extra egg to use up. Also added a little golden syrup for sweetness and these. Oh and I didn’t have any self raising flour left so used plain with some extra baking powder and… these might well be the best pancakes I’ve ever had!! Mine were somewhere between American fluffy pancakes and welsh(?) drop-scones. Absolutely delicious with a beautifully soft, light, fluffy texture with just enough bite to be truly satisfying. I never rate recipes – but this was great!!
Lucy Parissi says
Thanks for your comment Colin! Yes I love these too, such a nice treat once in a while 🙂
Terri says
I know what you mean about feeling envy watching your kids indulge! I have been there. These look like a great alternative- I’ll be calculating the Weight Watchers points on these!
Julia says
Wish a few of these pancakes were on my table right now! 🙂
Kelly Anthony says
What a great healthy alternative to everyone’s favorite breakfast item. These fluffy coconut pancakes will be a great treat when I’m craving pancakes.
Jess says
I love these fluffy pancakes! What a great way to start your day!
Katie says
Yummy!! Sometimes a fluffy pancake is just what the morning needs… and I love how you’ve lightened the recipe. I must try this recipe!
Kellie@foodtoglow says
What lovely rich yet kinda healthy pancakes. And the luscious maple syrup drips are gorgeous. If I did that where I photograph my recipes they would be a frozen waterfall of maple ! 🙂
anna @ annamayeveryday says
Those look delicious, like the idea of the coconut and the quark, definitely worth a try!
Summer says
This looks so enticing ♥
Choclette Blogger says
Oh my goodness, these look absolutely gorgeous Lucy. Love you addition of coconut milk and quark. I've made pancakes with ricotta which were delicious, but now I want to make them again with coconut. Hope you managed to save one for breakfast!
FashionableFood says
As much as I adore crepes, thick american pancakes are always a winner, thank you for this recipe they look lush x
http://www.fashionablef00d.blogspot.co.uk
Helen - family-friends-food says
Those look amazing, and super-fluffy. YUM!
Camilla Hawkins says
Wow these pancakes look so good and your photographs are so crystal clear;-)
Camilla Hawkins says
Wow these pancakes look so good and your photographs are so crystal clear;-)
Hannah Hossack-Lodge says
These look lovely! I like the idea of using quark as I really like ricotta pancakes 🙂 x
laura@howtocookgoodfood says
Oh being in a diet when it's pancake day is sooo hard. I am sure that I wouldn't be able to stop at one of these amazing looking pancakes and I love the thought of using low fat coconut milk and quark, such good alternatives when watching the calories!
athletic avocado says
The fluffiness of these pancakes are unreal! I love the idea of using quark!
Julia@Vikalinka says
These are absolutely stunning, Lucy! I can only imagine how fluffy they are with the addition of quark! I used to make ricotta pancakes and they had such a fab texture. I am going to try to use quark since it's virtually fat-free. We've been making little treats with it lately and it's delicious!
Sophie Broomfield says
Wow these sound great. I never would of thought of using quark, will definitely have to give this a go!
Mariana says
That's a great idea to add quark to pancakes, they look like they would satisfy any cravings too!