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!

healthy apple cinnamon pancakes this recipe

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 white chicken chili with apples, apple walnut salad, and apple crisp with coconut oil. Now you can make the yummiest apple cinnamon pancake recipe.

These apple pancakes are so fluffy and full of apple flavor. Not 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, just like in our pancakes with syrup recipe.

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.

apple cinnamon pancakes

Ingredients

  • 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.

ingredients for apple pancake recipe

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.

how to make apple pancakes

Step 2: Dry ingredients – in a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

flour in a bowl for apple cinnamon pancakes

Step 3: Wet ingredients – to the milk mixture, add the egg, butter, honey, and vanilla. Whisk until blended.

Milk mixture in a bowl for pancakes

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.

Pancake batter in a bowl

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.

pancakes in a skillet

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 the 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.

apple cinnamon pancake recipe

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.

More Pancake Recipes

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healthy apple pancakes

Healthy Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Katya
  • Prep Time: 15 min
  • Cook Time: 15 min
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Pan Fry
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

Fluffy apple cinnamon pancakes made with white whole wheat flour, honey, shredded apples, and cinnamon. They make the best fall breakfast!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 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

  1. 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.
  2. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
  3. To the milk mixture, add the egg, butter, honey, and vanilla. Whisk until blended.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 pancakes
  • Calories: 266
  • Sugar: 15.3 g
  • Sodium: 196.1 mg
  • Fat: 9.8 g
  • Carbohydrates: 40.3 g
  • Protein: 7.6 g
  • Cholesterol: 67.9 mg

Keywords: fall, healthy pancakes, easy, buttermilk pancakes

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