Tasty recipes for Pancake Day
From high protein, vegan and gluten-free to just plain indulgent
Here in the UK BikeRadar office, Pancake Day (observed on Shrove Tuesday) is officially one of our favourite days of the year, and this year it falls on Tuesday 5 March.
Whether you like them savoury or sweet, a good pancake is hard to beat, and happily they can also be adapted to suit different diets and loaded up with nutritious fruit, veg and protein to help fuel your cycling.
- 5 healthy eating tips to help you lose weight
- Best ever savoury pancakes for Pancake Day at Olive Magazine
- Low calorie breakfast recipes at Olive Magazine
We’ve partnered with Olive Magazine (also published by Immediate Media) to bring you the very best recipes for cyclists. All the recipes are easy to follow and take you through step-by-step how to create everything from homemade nutrition products to tasty and hearty post-ride meals.
Admittedly, the nutritional content isn’t at the front of our minds when it comes to deciding what topping to pop on our pancakes, but for one day a year it’s nice to sit back and enjoy one of the most fun dishes to make and eat. And, of course, if you do want to keep things healthy that’s perfectly possible too.
Pancake mixtures
To make your pancakes delicious, ensure you’re getting the right batter mix.
Olive Magazine has the ultimate recipe as well as a guide to flipping. So be prepared and follow its guide to mixing and making the best pancakes.
Protein pancake mixture
Protein pancakes are becoming increasingly popular and are easy to make by adapting a standard pancake recipe such as the one above.
Some examples include substituting half of the flour for a plain or appropriately flavoured protein powder — vanilla works well — or swapping out half of the eggs for cottage cheese or nut butter.
So long as you blend the mixture well to a nice smooth consistency, the end result will be tasty.
You may want to add a little extra baking soda if you are using lots of dense ingredients, such as nut butter, to make sure you have a nice, light consistency.
Gluten-free and dairy-free banana pancake mixture
If you don’t eat gluten or dairy products, you don’t need to miss out on the pancake-based fun!
These tasty and protein-rich pancakes blend together banana, peanut butter and eggs to make a dish that’s substantial enough to fuel a day at work or on the bike.
Gluten-free buckwheat pancake recipe
So good, you won’t want to save it just for Pancake Day! These cinnamon-spiced discs are light and fluffy, and form the perfect base for a scattering of raspberries and strawberries — and a splodge of natural yoghurt.
A drizzle of maple or agave syrup over the top adds a sweet finish too.
Vegan pancake mixture
Blend together a cup of flour of your choice, two tablespoons of baking soda and a pinch of salt in a bowl, then gradually add a cup of soy or almond milk, a tablespoon of sugar or maple syrup and a tablespoon of oil, mixing until the batter is nice and smooth.
Then add to a hot pan and away you go!
Vegan pancakes with mixed berry compote
Dairy-free coconut pancakes with strawberry and lime syrup
If you’re avoiding dairy, these coconut-based pancakes are a great alternative. In fact, even if you’re not avoiding dairy and are just a big fan of that creamy coconut flavour, you’ll want to give these a go.
We love the addition of the simple strawberry and lime syrup, bringing sharp and sweet together perfectly when drizzled over the top.
More pancake recipes
Japanese vegetable pancakes
Okay, we admit that these aren’t quite your traditional pancakes. However, they are tasty, packed with veg, flavoursome and perfect for a quick and easy mid-week meal.
And, of course, you can have traditional pancakes for pudding. Two course pancake-based meal? Sign us up!
Salted caramel-stuffed pancakes
Sweetcorn, feta and spring onion pancakes
This recipe is another deliciously savoury option if you fancy making a meal of it.
These pancakes combine crunchy sweetcorn with spring onion and a dash of coriander and chilli, all smoothed out with some creamy feta cheese.
The serving suggestion — adding crispy bacon and a drizzle of maple syrup — may not be doing our waistlines any good but it’s certainly delicious. And it’s just the one day, after all.
Our favourite pancake toppings
Stuck for ideas? Here are a selection of our favourite toppings:
- Classic lemon and sugar
- Bacon and maple syrup
- Spinach and ricotta cheese
- Nutella and banana
- Greek yoghurt, blueberries and strawberries
- Cinnamon stewed apples and crème fraîche
- Smoked salmon and cream cheese
Check out our other tasty recipes and get yourself fuelled for cycling from sunrise to sunset:
Authors
Aoife is an experienced journalist, editor and product tester. With 6 years’ experience of reviewing bikes and kit, she’s ridden and rated nearly every women’s road and mountain bike available on the market. She enjoys putting the latest products through their paces, helping riders find the right kit for them and sharing the best advice, hints and tips to help them get the most out of riding.
