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World's Easiest Pancakes

These are a McJordan family favourite! They are super easy, very healthy and incredibly yummy. Hopefully you'll have some leftovers to enjoy the next day!
Jun 25, 2014 | Joy McCarthy

Hey guys,

You know I love my pancakes and I'm pretty sure you do as well because they always seem to be a popular recipe post!

Last night I went to bed dreaming of making these pancakes for breakfast. I figured I had to get up a little earlier to make them and take some snaps before heading to the burbs to teach. But to my surprise they were unbelievably quick and easy. And the best part, very, very yummy!

I can't stake ownership of this recipe because pretty much every healthy foodie I follow on instagram has shared some version of these "4 ingredient pancakes" however since I made them with 5 ingredients and added coconut milk they are now joyously joyous!

These pancakes are gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free but not free of deliciousness.

You will love how simple the ingredients are and it will make you feel good knowing that you are putting food in your beautiful body that is absolutely whole, real and nutritious. A few nutritional highlights below (after the recipe):

Breakfast & Brunch
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Ingredients
  • 1-3/4 cup oat flakes* (or oat flour)
  • 1 cup coconut milk*
  • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 banana
  • 1/4 cup any small berries* (blueberries, raspberries or blackberries)
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
  1. Place oat flakes in a blender or food processor and blend until it forms an almost flour texture. Add coconut milk, vanilla, banana and blend. Then add the blueberries and blend.
  2. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes while you warm up your pan and melt the coconut oil.
  3. Place 1/4 cup mixture on pan for each pancake (if you like them small like the size in my photo) and cook until the outside turns golden brown and then flip. Cook for a few more minutes on the other side.
  4. Serve with a dollop of coconut butter (not to be confused with coconut oil) and some loose berries. Drizzle with unpasteurized honey or real maple syrup.

Notes

Substitutions*
- Coconut milk: Almond, hemp, flax milk or organic kefir would also work well.
- Oat flakes: Quick oats are fine (not instant oatmeal though).
- Berries: You can easily use frozen as well.
NOTE: It is okay if the pancakes are a little soft in the middle. This is because of the banana. You don't need to actually cook them all the way through because they don't have any eggs.

This recipe made enough to feed my sweet man Walker and I with leftovers. You know what I will be eating tomorrow for breakfast?! I will pop those puppies in the toaster and enjoy with another schlop of coco butta and honey -- hurray for healthy yummy food!

Nutritional Highlights of Oats:

  • Lowered cholesterol: Oats have a special type of fiber called beta-glucan. Study after study has shown beneficial effects of this fiber on cholesterol levels.
  • Balanced blood sugar: This same fiber also has benefits for Type 2 diabetics according to this study.
  • Reduction in CVD: A study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that oats reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease because they are a great source of antioxidants called avenanthramides (which help prevent free radicals from damaging LDL cholesterol). 

There you have it - the worlds easiest pancakes! Tag my @joyoushealth or use the hashtag #joyoushealth when you post pictures of your delicious food so I can see it too!

42 Comments
Tehmina   •   June 26, 2014

Wow these sound delicious! Going to try these out on the weekend. Thanks for the recipe. x

Reply

Caroline   •   June 26, 2014

Do you mean coconut oil for one of these? "Serve with a dollop of coconut butter (not to be confused with coconut butter)"

Reply
Kate McDonald-Walker   •   June 27, 2014

Joanna   •   June 26, 2014

Hi Joy! Did you use canned coconut milk or from the carton? Thx.

Reply
Kate McDonald-Walker   •   June 27, 2014

Isra   •   June 29, 2014

I tried this recipe and the pancakes were delicious! It took several tries not to burn them though, yet make sure their well cooked inside. What's the best way to have perfect, well-cooked inside but not burned pancakes? Also, I was wondering how thick should the pancake mix with the ground oat flour be after the berried have been mixed in? Thanks a bunch :)

Reply
Isra   •   June 29, 2014
Kate McDonald-Walker   •   June 29, 2014

Tania   •   June 29, 2014

I made these and used half oat flour and half millet flour and walnut milk instead of coconut and they turned out great! Thanks for this recipe!

Reply

Elena   •   June 29, 2014

These were absolutely yummers! I just processed regular rolled oats (you can do gluten free, of course) and added the rest of the ingredients. They are a bit softer than "regular" pancakes, but in a good way.

Reply

Ann   •   September 9, 2014

These look so delicious and I'm looking forward to trying them. I'm just confused by the amout of oats needed. Is it 1/3-3/4 of cup or is it 1 plus 3/4 cup?

Reply
Joy McCarthy   •   September 10, 2014

Kate   •   February 28, 2015

I just made these and topped them with Oh She Glow's Coconut Whipped Cream- it's a match made in heaven!! http://ohsheglows.com/2012/08/30/coconut-whipped-cream-a-step-by-step-photo-tutorial/

Reply

Sarah   •   September 3, 2015

My kids and I are big fans of pancakes, so I'm always on the lookout for yummy and healthy versions. These are my new favorite! They were so simple and everyone loved them.

Reply
Kate McDonald Walker   •   September 3, 2015

Jennifer Stevens   •   May 20, 2016

I made these this morning and they were perfect! Easy, healthy, and delicious. I especially liked the consistency and how moist they were. I think next time I will treat them like crepes and make a fruit compote for the middle :) Thanks, Joy!

Reply

Natalie T.   •   July 23, 2016

Sadly, I made it with canned coconut milk and had to throw out the whole batch because it was too thick to cook properly. Maybe you could add the word, "fresh", or "refrigerated", to the coconut milk in ingredients. I think others have made my same mistake, after reading the comments. I bought the correct kind of coconut milk, and will try this again soon. I know my mistake was kind of dumb, but I was thinking about the many times Joy mentions how canned coconut milk is healthier than refrigerated, because of the "junk" they tend to add to it.

Reply
Heather Allen   •   July 25, 2016

Christa   •   February 28, 2017

Hi Joy! I am so happy to have found your website. I love pancakes too and this recipe looks yummy. I seem to be having issues with oats lately, even gluten free oats. Any suggestions?

Reply
Rachel Molenda   •   February 28, 2017

Bethany   •   February 28, 2017

Wow! These are awesome! I only had frozen banana so I wasn't sure how they were going to turn out but they were soooo good! I made them bite size and can't stop eating them =)

Reply
Rachel Molenda   •   March 1, 2017

Farzana   •   March 7, 2017

Do these pancakes these freeze well?

Reply
Rachel Molenda   •   March 8, 2017

Katt   •   August 13, 2017

What can be substituted for banan3

Reply
Rachel Molenda   •   August 14, 2017

Shelley MacKenzie   •   March 1, 2019

Just wondering what you cook the pancakes on? I used a stainless steel pan and it didn’t work so well. What’s a safe and healthy choice?

Reply
Joy McCarthy   •   March 2, 2019

Marian, Jacob and Bria   •   May 29, 2019

Joy - Thank you so much for these pancakes! I rarely used to make pancakes, but now we have them almost every weekend. They are amazing and very hearty. My kids and I love your recipes and listening to your talks.

Reply
Joy McCarthy   •   May 29, 2019

Elaine R.   •   July 5, 2019

Hi! What’s the difference between quick oats and instant? I tried to research but it says they’re the same?

Reply
Joy McCarthy   •   July 9, 2019

Corinne S.   •   December 27, 2020

Could you make this as waffles instead of pancakes?

Reply
Joy McCarthy   •   December 28, 2020

Oana   •   February 24, 2021

These were a waste of ingredients. I used canned coconut milk ( you can call it plant milk) and the whole batch was ruined even tho I tried to thin it out. I’m an experienced cook and I feel like every recipe I tried from here has been a flop :( I love the ingredients of all the recipes but there are a lot of typos and errors or missing ingredients ( zucchini fritters don’t call for eggs) in them and they never come out great. I’m sorry to leave a negative review, I am hoping the recipes will be checked for mistakes or missing ingredients before they are posted. Other than that, I love everything joyous health stands for, I just wish they were more careful with their output quality.

Reply
Joy McCarthy   •   February 24, 2021

Oana   •   February 24, 2021

To be honest I feel terrible about leaving that comment. In hindsight I love all the information you and Walker provide and everything your account stands for. I just found recipes I tried that don’t turn out. I think that your probably use very unique ingredients that are not readily available in my market and that’s why they turn out different. Like the fritters, I used goat cheddar every time but I haven’t found any goat cheddars that are soft/wet enough to bind the mixture etc.. maybe it’s just me and the ingredients I use! Like I said, sorry, I feel terrible now :( I do own all your cookbooks and love them, never had an issue with the recipes in there.

Reply
Joy McCarthy   •   February 25, 2021

Karolina P.   •   June 24, 2022

These pancakes were super easy, healthy, tasty and made out of ingredients I already had at home. Highly recommend!

Reply
Karolina P.   •   June 24, 2022
Joy McCarthy   •   June 26, 2022
Joy McCarthy   •   June 26, 2022

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