These Vegan, Gluten-Free Macadamia Nut Banana Pancakes Come Stacked With Protein and Fiber

Pancakes are a staple on brunch menus and excitedly eaten up on the weekends, but they aren’t typically thought of as a weekday morning meal. Somehow, it was collectively decided that foods like oatmeal, cereal, and smoothies were perfect weekday breakfasts while a stack of pancakes was reserved for Saturdays and Sundays. (Eggs have managed to be a go-to a.m. meal every day of the week.)

Um, motion to move pancakes to an every-day-of-the-week breakfast? First of all, they’re delicious. Second, they can be just as nutrient-rich as oatmeal or smoothies, depending on how you make them. Case in point are these vegan, gluten-free macadamia nut pancakes, created by Poppy’s Wild Kitchen blogger and recipe developer Poppy Hudson.

While a traditional stack of ‘cakes are made with white flour and eggs, Jenkins uses buckwheat groats (ground up into flour) and banana in her recipe. Both ingredients up the fiber in a major way. A half-cup of buckwheat flour has six grams of fiber per serving—that’s even more than a half-cup of oatmeal—not to mention eight grams of protein. Jenkins says they also have the dual benefit of creating an extra-fluffy consistency, something that’s not easy to do without eggs. “The natural enzymes in fresh banana and raw buckwheat react beautifully with baking powder to create a fluffy batter full of air,” she says. “The pancakes rise while cooking in a skillet and are tender and springy without any added eggs.”

There are a lot of gluten-free flours out there, but Jenkins says she likes using buckwheat (which, despite its name, is gluten-free) for both the texture and taste. “Raw buckwheat groats work well in this recipe because they are mild in flavor, light in texture, easy to grind,” she says. “I chose them because they are super nutritious and gluten-free.”

Incorporating macadamia nuts into the mix gives this breakfast a bit more protein and also takes the place of milk. Plus, the taste combined with the banana and a drizzle of syrup gives every bite total Hawaiian vacation vibes. Jenkins says she likes to make a batch of these macadamia nut pancakes and freeze them to have later during the week. “Just take a stack out of the freezer and warm them briefly in a toaster oven or microwave when you’re ready to eat them,” she says.

Pancakes during the week? It’s happening. And it will make your morning Zoom calls way more tolerable. Check out the recipe below to see how to make them.

Vegan, gluten-free macadamia nut pancakes recipe

Ingredients
Blend first:
1/4 cup raw macadamia nuts3/4 cup waterAdd and blend again:
1/2 cup banana, packed1/8 tsp sea salt1 tsp vanillaDry ingredients:
1/2 cup raw buckwheat groats grind to make 2/3 cup flour1 tsp baking powder

1. Blend macadamia nuts to make milk: Place macadamia nuts in a high-powered blender with water. Blend for two minutes to make creamy nut milk.

2. Add banana, vanilla, and sea salt to blender. Process on high for a minute until very smooth.

3. Place raw buckwheat groats in a spice mill or coffee grinder and process to a fine flour. Sift flour and baking powder. Sift buckwheat flour with baking powder into a medium-size bowl. Toss out any hard grains left in the sifter. You’ll have about half a teaspoon from grinding buckwheat.

4. Pour banana mixture into the bowl with flour. Whisk until smooth and scrape bottom of bowl with a spoon. Let batter sit three to four minutes.

5. Heat a cast-iron skillet on medium-low setting and rub with a tiny bit of oil if desired. Spoon batter into a tablespoon measure and fill to slightly heaping. Scoop batter into preheated skillet and use back of spoon to spread pancake to three-inches across. Cook pancakes until bubbles pop and half the top surface is dry. Flip and cook until both sides are golden brown color and cooked in the middle. Top with additional sliced bananas, macadamia nuts, and vegan chocolate chips, if desired.

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