Name: Whole Wheat Chia Pancakes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 cup whole wheat flour (white or regular); 1½ tablespoons chia seeds; 1 teaspoon baking powder; ¼ teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon sugar; Pinch of fine sea salt; 1 large egg; 1 cup less 2tbsp milk; 4 tablespoons Greek yogurt; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (plus more for frying (2 tsp per batch) or use oil spray)

Jump to Recipe

These simple, delicious chia pancakes are made using whole wheat flour and a little yogurt for added protein and fluffy texture. Easy to make, nutritious and perfect topped with fruit and maple syrup. Ready in 15 minutes!

Chia pancakes ingredients

Apart from the protein rich chia seeds and healthy whole wheat flour they also contain a little yogurt as well as milk, a small amount of sugar and 1 tablespoon of oil for a richer consistency.

I usually add melted butter into my pancakes, which works well in recipes containing fruit (such as this healthy banana pancakes recipe) as you can combine the butter with the fruit before adding into the batter. Melted butter added straight into the 'wet' ingredients can cause the mixture to curdle so in this recipe I chose vegetable oil instead.

Step-by-step recipe instructions

1.In a bowl combine the flour, chia seeds, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, sugar and a pinch of salt. Stir thoroughly using a whisk and set aside.

2. In another bowl whisk together the egg, milk, yogurt and oil.

3. Combine both mixtures and stir using a whisk only until the dry ingredients are no longer visible. The batter will be a little lumpy.

4. Heat up a little oil (or use oil spray), then lower the heat and ladle the batter onto the pan spreading a little to form round pancakes (no more than 3-4 pancakes per batch). Cook over a low heat for about 3 minutes until bubbles appear over the top of each pancake. Flip them over and cook for about 2 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Serving suggestions

Serve these chia pancakes with a knob of butter, drizzle of maple syrup and/or fresh fruit, such as berries, chunks of banana or mango. Delicious with homemade chocolate raspberry sauce as well as orange pancake sauce.

Substitutions

Flour: I used whole wheat flour but you could use a combination of whole wheat and white (or buckwheat) or just white flour if you prefer.
Yogurt: Greek yogurt, natural yogurt, Skyr or quark are all good options.

Why are my pancakes a little flat

This is most likely caused by overmixing the ingredients. Once you've combined the dry and wet mixtures stir using a whisk only until the dry ingredients are no longer visible. The batter will still be a little lumpy but resist the temptation to make it perfectly smooth. Overstirring the batter will produce flatter, denser pancakes.

Why are my pancakes not fully cooked

If you cook your pancakes over a high heat they will brown fairly quickly but may be a little undercooked. It's important to first heat up your pan, then lower the heat and make the pancakes. Cook them over a low heat for about 3 minutes on one side until bubbles appear over the top (see photo below), then flip over and cook for about 2 more minutes until golden brown.

Top tips

Batter: Do not overstir the batter. Stop stirring once all the ingredients have been incorporated. The batter will be lumpy.
Frying: Heat up the pan with a little oil, then lower the heat and cook the pancakes slowly for about 3 minutes until bubbles appear on top before turning over and cooking for 2 more minutes. Do not overcrowd the pan.
Best served immediately.
Storing: Refrigerate leftover pancakes in a plastic container for up to 2 days and reheat in the microwave.

Check out also this collection of 18 easy vegetable breakfast recipes.

Keep in touch!

If you make these healthy chia pancakes I'd love to know how they turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

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Whole Wheat Chia Pancakes