Healthy apple cinnamon pancakes with white whole wheat flour, honey, shredded apples, and cinnamon. You won’t believe how fluffy these are!
Serve them with butter and pure maple syrup for a yummy fall breakfast. Or enjoy these cold the next day for a snack topped with plain Greek yogurt and no-can Strawberry Blueberry Jam. So good!
Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
The best part of fall besides everything pumpkin is the apple season. There are so many varieties of apples to choose from and you can incorporate them into every meal.
Everything from chili, salads, and apple crisp. Now you can make the yummiest apple cinnamon pancake recipe.
These apple pancakes are so fluffy and full of apple flavor. No to mention they’re made with white whole wheat flour and sweetened only with honey.
The trick to getting these pancakes super fluffy is milk and little vinegar. Combine the two and you have homemade “buttermilk” and we know that buttermilk makes the best pancakes.
The rest of the recipe is incredibly basic and easy. You can use any variety of sweet apples, such as Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp, or Ambrosia.
Ingredients for Apple Cinnamon Pancake Recipe
- Milk – you want cow’s milk, preferably whole milk.
- Vinegar – either white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- White whole wheat flour – I absolutely love baking with this flour! It has the exact same nutritional value of whole wheat flour but because of the wheat variety used, it has a milder flavor. I love King Arthur Flour brand. You can use 100% whole wheat flour but just keep in mind you’ll have more dense pancakes.
- Baking powder, ground cinnamon, salt – do not substitute baking powder with baking soda. It works differently.
- Egg – you’ll need one large egg.
- Butter – unsalted butter or substitute with melted coconut oil.
- Honey – swap it out for maple syrup.
- Vanilla – pure vanilla extract will enhance the flavor of the pancakes. Do not leave out.
- Apples – use any variety of sweet apples, such as Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp. Just remember to peel the apples before shredding.
How to Make Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
Step 1: Make buttermilk – combine the milk and vinegar together. Let the mixture stand for 5-8 minutes. It will curdle and that’s exactly what you want.
Step 2: Dry ingredients – in a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
Step 3: Wet ingredients – to the milk mixture, add the egg, butter, honey, and vanilla. Whisk until blended.
Step 4: Combine dry + wet ingredients – pour the milk mixture into the flour and using a wooden spoon, stir until combined. Do not overmix. Gently stir in the shredded apples and let the mixture rest for 5-10 minutes.
Step 5: Cook the pancakes – heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Coat the skillet with either cooking spray or butter.
Pour 1/3 cup of pancake batter into the skillet. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until you see little bubbles on top and the edges starting to turn golden brown.
Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes until the pancakes are cooked through.
How to Keep Pancakes Warm
The best way to keep your pancakes warm is in the oven. If you simply cover them, they’ll become limp and lose those crisped edges but in the oven, they stay warm without losing that beautiful texture.
Heat oven to 225 degrees F and place a large baking sheet inside. By the time you make your batter the oven should be nice and warm. Keep the baking sheet in the warm oven.
As you cook the pancakes, transfer them to the heated oven. Keep them in a single layer. Some overlapping is okay.
Toppings for Pancakes
- Pure maple syrup – classic and always a favorite! Tip: warm your maple syrup before serving.
- Honey Vanilla Mascarpone – so good and creamy!
- Greek yogurt
- Jam
- Fresh fruit
- Healthy caramel sauce – this one looks amazing!
- Nuts – toasted pecans, walnuts, or almonds
Love fall-inspired breakfast recipes? Try our Healthy Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins or Pumpkin Pecan Granola.
Print
Healthy Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Pan Fry
- Cuisine: American
Description
Fluffy apple cinnamon pancakes made with white whole wheat flour, honey, shredded apples, and cinnamon. They make the best fall breakfast!
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk, dairy milk, preferably whole
- 1 Tbsp. white distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
- 4 Tbsp. honey
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup peeled and shredded apples, such as Gala, about 1–2 apples
- Cooking spray or butter for cooking
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the milk and vinegar. Stir and set aside. It should begin to lightly curdle within 5-8 minutes. That’s what you want. It’s going to be our homemade buttermilk mixture.
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- To the milk mixture, add the egg, butter, honey, and vanilla. Whisk until blended.
- Add the milk mixture to the flour and stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. It’s okay to have some lumps. Gently stir in the shredded apples and set the mixture aside to rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Coat the skillet with cooking spray or butter and when hot, pour 1/3 cup of pancake batter into the skillet.
- Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until you see little bubbles on top and the edges starting to turn golden brown. Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes until the pancakes are cooked through. Remove to a platter and repeat with the remaining batter. Reduce heat if pancakes begin to brown too quickly. Serve with maple syrup and chopped walnuts, if desired.
Notes
- Flour: you can use 100% whole wheat flour in place of white whole wheat flour. Just keep in the mind the pancakes will be more dense.
- Butter: butter can be swapped out for melted coconut oil. Use refined coconut oil for less coconut taste.
- Honey: Maple syrup works just as well.
- Apples: sweet variety of apples work the best in this recipe. So Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp, or Ambrosia are all good options.
- Leftovers: leftover pancakes can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Recipe update 9/24/21: After further testing, we increased the honey amount from 2 tablespoons to 4 and vanilla extract from 1 teaspoon to 1 1/2 teaspoons to balance out the flavor of the wheat flour.
Keywords: fall, healthy pancakes, easy, buttermilk pancakes
Emily Bouchard says
These are fantastic! I already had buttermilk so used that, subbed AP white flour since I was out of whole wheat. Not sure what variety apple I used but wow! These are delightful.
★★★★★
Katya says
That’s so awesome! Thank you for your feedback Emily.
Ann says
My inner sweet tooth was very happy when saw this apple cinnamon pancakes recipe! The recipe also contains maple syrup and I really like it. It looks very appetizing, I want to taste this dish as soon as possible! I am a real fan of apples and cinnamon combination, there is something magical in it. I like your blog, thank you for the ideas!
★★★★★
Katya says
Thank you Ann! I hope you get a chance to try these pancakes.