How to make your pancakes healthier for Pancake Day

Pancake Day is 21st Feb. If you like pancakes this is a great time to try your favourite pancake recipes – and even make some new ones. Pancake Day isn’t known for being a healthy event, as it’s all about enjoying as many pancakes as you like. But there are some easy ways you can make your pancakes healthier this year.

How to make your pancakes healthier

• Change the flour that you use for your pancakes. You might be used to white flour in pancakes. This is an obvious choice. But if you want your pancakes to be better for you, the first place to start is with the flour. Instead of using white flour choose a healthier one instead. That could be whole wheat flour, which is better for you. There are lots of different flours to try, including oat flour and spelt flour.
• Use a different milk so that your pancakes have less fat in them. For example, using whole milk will mean the most calories and fat. So, you can swap this for semi-skimmed milk instead to lower fat and calorie content. Plant milks are also a good option for healthier pancakes. Try something like oat milk or anything that contains plant sterols.
• Skip the butter. You might want to add butter to your pancakes but this can also make them very unhealthy. So, instead of putting butter in the pancake batter, use a plant based spread.
• Don’t add sugar. Maple syrup, honey and sugar might all taste sweet but they don’t have such a nice effect on your body if you eat too much. And if your priority is to make healthier pancakes this year you can do this easily by not adding such a large amount. Choose a teaspoon of honey, for example, instead of a big squirt. Or, use fruit to add sweetness to your pancakes instead, such as berries or bananas.
• If you like chocolate, choose dark chocolate. Some people must have chocolate on their pancakes and if that’s you then dark chocolate is a much healthier choice. It has a lower sugar content than other types of chocolate and also contains ingredients that are good for the health of your heart (polyphenols).
• Have savoury pancakes. Sometimes, it’s the sweet options that are the most unhealthy so just choosing savoury pancakes instead can be an easy switch. Healthy savoury toppings for pancakes include low fat cheese, smoked salmon and peanut butter. If you like nut butters then peanut butter, almond and cashew butter are all great tasting and will fill you up too.
• Don’t have whipped cream. Cream instantly makes anything less healthy and you don’t need to add this to your pancakes to really enjoy them this Pancake Day. Try using fat-free greek yogurt. It tastes really good and will go well with other traditional pancake toppings like fresh fruit.

If you love pancakes and you want to enjoy a few this Pancake Day these are some simple ways to help make them healthier.