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Gone are the days of scooping out pancake mix, adding water, and plopping it on a griddle to cook. Ten years ago we never would have considered adding things like quinoa, chia seeds, flax meal, protein powder, or even wild rice to our pancakes.
Today however, we are much more creative and looking for any way to add an extra dose of healthiness to the foods we eat. While the idea is still strange to some, I have to tell you that I have fallen in love with adding quinoa to pancakes, especially these Strawberry Quinoa Pancakes!
Don’t get me wrong, I still love plain old buttermilk pancakes, those will never go out of style. However, when I’m trying to include protein and an extra dose of nutrients to my breakfast, those plain buttermilk pancakes aren’t going to cut it.
Traditional pancakes are of course loaded with carbs, but that’s about it. Over the years though we have gotten creative with the way we make pancakes and suddenly those carby breakfast cakes are loaded with protein whole grains, new flavors, and texture.
One of the things I always thought was missing in buttermilk pancakes was a little texture. I could of course add nuts for a little crunch, but I decided to go a different route with these.
I’d seen a lot of recipe adding quinoa to pancakes and muffins, so I thought I would give it a try. I chose to use red quinoa in my pancakes because it has a slightly nuttier flavor than regular quinoa, but either one will work.
The cooked quinoa not only added a nutty flavor, but a slight crunch to every bite of the pancakes which I instantly fell in love with. By adding quinoa you not only get a different taste and texture, but a healthy dose of protein.
Because spring is on it’s way, at least I hope it is anyways, I had to buy some strawberries and not only add them into the pancake batter, but also make the most delicious strawberry sauce to pour over my pancakes. The sauce is so simple to make and only uses strawberries, vanilla, and pure maple syrup.
After cooking the berries on the stove for a few minutes they start to break down and create a thick syrupy sauce that is perfect poured on top of the pancakes. You won’t miss drowning your flapjacks in butter and maple syrup when you have this sweet sauce on hand! Upgrade your morning pancakes from 1995 and give them an extra boost of flavor and nutrition by making these Strawberry Quinoa Pancakes!
Strawberry Quinoa Pancakes
Ingredients
Strawberry Quinoa Pancakes
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa rinsed
- 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup skim milk
- 2 egg whites
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup diced strawberries
Strawberry Sauce
- 1 pound strawberries diced
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over high heat bring 2 cups of water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a boil. When the water is boiling add the rinsed quinoa in, cover, lower the heat to medium low and let it simmer for about 20 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed. Let the quinoa cool to room temperature.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In a glass measuring cup whisk together the milk, egg whites, vanilla and almond extracts. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir together just until combined.
- Stir in the cooled quinoa and diced strawberries being careful not to over mix the batter. Cover the pancake batter and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to an hour.
- Once the batter has rested, heat a griddle and spray it with cooking spray. Scoop about 1/4 cup of the batter onto the prepared griddle and let it cook until bubbles form in the batter. Flip the pancakes and cook on the other side until lightly browned. Continue with the remaining batter then serve the pancakes warm topped with the strawberry sauce.
Strawberry Sauce
- In a medium sized saucepan combine the strawberries, vanilla, and maple syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat to medium low and let the sauce simmer for 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally. Once the sauce has thickened, remove from the heat and serve it on top of the pancakes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Pancake Recipes
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Peanut Butter and Jelly Stuffed Pancakes
Zucchini Bread Pancakes with Maple Cream Cheese Topping
I veganized this recipe by using soy milk and flax eggs and they turned out amazing!! Definitely my new favorite pancake recipe. Will make them again. Although for me the recipe yielded only 8 pancakes!
Can this be made ahead and stored for the morning or even frozen and thawed during a camping trip? Or maybe it needs to be used right away? Please let me know what your experience is. Thanks. They look delicious!
Hi Gigi. The cooked pancakes can be made ahead of time and frozen, but I wouldn’t freeze the batter. You could probably make the batter the night before and refrigerate it, but I don’t think I’d do it any sooner than that. Hope this helps.