How to Make Applesauce Pancakes (with a Flourless Option!)

These extra thick pancakes are easy to prepare, fluffy, sweet and moist, all thanks to the secret ingredient, applesauce!

I love how you can enjoy pancakes all year long and never get tired of it. Maybe because there are so many variations? I can eat pancakes with blueberries, chocolate chips, with maple syrup or oats, etc. The customizability is what makes pancakes so great!

Here is one of the easiest basic pancake recipe I make whenever I can’t decide what to eat.

Made with white whole wheat flour (or oats, if you’re into flourless / gluten free diets), applesauce and almond milk, these applesauce pancakes are fluffy and extra moist.

Ingredients used to make these Healthy Applesauce Pancakes

_{**I’ve linked some of these ingredients to amazon.com to give you an idea of what they are, but you should also be able to find them in your local grocery store (usually, the natural & organic food section). They are also affiliate links, which means that I earn a commission as an Amazon Associate if you decide to purchase the items. The price will be the same for you, link or no link 🙂}

• Applesauce – preferably unsweetened. The pectin that’s naturally found in applesauce helps bind the ingredients together and keep the pancakes moist. I used one 4 oz unsweetened applesauce cups. You can also just use slightly less than 1/2 cup.
• Flour – you can use either white whole wheat flour, regular whole wheat flour, spelt flour, oat flour or just regular white (all purpose) flour. You can also make your own oat flour by blending old-fashioned (rolled) or quick-cooking oats.
• Eggs – I used regular large eggs. I haven’t tried using egg replacements like flax or chia yet, so you might not get the same results if you decide to substitute.
• Milk – I used almond milk for this, but sometimes I like to use buttermilk to help these pancakes rise even higher. You can also make your own buttermilk by combining 1/4 cup regular milk with 1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice.
• Salt – Pink Himalayan salt is what I have at home, so it’s what I use, but you can use any kind for this recipe.
• Sugar – You can use any granulated sugar of your choice, but I like using  honey powder because it can be used just like sugar and easier to measure out. You can also use coconut, date and maple sugars which are healthier alternatives to white processed sugar, but they’re much darker so keep in mind it could affect the color of baked goods. For the lower carb, lower calorie option, you can use a sugar-free substitute such as monk fruit sweetener or, stevia powder (but you’ll have to convert the amount of stevia according to package directions).
• Apple Cider Vinegar – helps to activate baking soda, which is a leavening agent that relies on acidic conditions to produce the rising effect we want to see. You can also use lemon juice if you don’t have apple cider vinegar
• Light Olive Oil – Instead of olive oil, you can use coconut oil, or avocado oil here if you’d like.

How to Make the Pancakes Extra Thick

I used an obanyaki pan (Japanese style pancake pan) to cook these pancakes. The tall sides allow the pancake batter to cook thicker.

If you don’t have an obanyaki pan, you can also cook these pancakes inside an egg ring or english muffin ring set on a griddle.

More Pancake Recipes

Recipe Variations and Optional Add Ins for Applesauce Pancakes:

• You don’t have to keep this pancake batter plain. Feel free to add some chopped nuts, berries or chocolate chips to keep this recipe interesting.

How to Make this Pancake Recipe Healthier

• Make this Applesauce pancakes even healthier by adding a tablespoon of nuts, seeds into the batter to add texture and nutrition.
• You can also reduce the sugar by half (this would make this less sweet), or substitute the sugar with a sugar-free substitute.

How to Store Pancakes

• It’s best to eat these applesauce pancakes immediately and within 2-3 hours, but you can also store them covered in the fridge for up to 3 days, and frozen up to 4 months. Defrost and pan-fry them again when you’re ready to eat them.

Final Tips

• Cook on low-medium heat to prevent burning and allow the pancakes to cook evenly.
• If you’re using oat flour, let the batter sit for 10-15 minutes after prep so that the oatmeal has time to absorb the liquid. This results in a softer textured pancake

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