Homemade whole wheat pancakes are super simple to make — just 1 bowl and 10 minutes to prep — and come out so soft, fluffy and delicious! Extras freeze great too!

Our first week back at school has gone amazingly well!

My son is starting kindergarten (yes, I cried when he left on day one), and my daughter is going into 3rd grade. We moved them to a new school this year so I was a little nervous about each of them getting adjusted.

They already LOVE it!

It helps a little that they are at the school I went to for K-12. My son actually has the same teacher that I had for kindergarten, and they are both already known on campus.

The principal knows them by name and by sight, and she sent my husband and I an email on the first day about checking on them both and getting big hugs. 🤗

I couldn't be happier with the move and I'm so thankful they are both already enjoying it too! Such a sigh of relief!

On to the food though… today I’m sharing yet another back-to-school breakfast recipe with you. (Earlier this week it was my whole wheat peanut butter banana muffins. ❤️)

So, I know I have shared pancakes with you before.

My healthy chocolate pancakes are a fun twist for a special occasion — or just because. And my whole wheat pumpkin pancakes are a fall favorite.

I even make pancake mini muffins for a fun baked version.

And these cottage cheese pancakes are fun for a higher in protein and lower in carbs healthy pancake recipe.

But I finally realized I have neglected to share with you our absolute most-used pancake recipe of all time.

Homemade whole wheat pancakes

I make these almost every single weekend.

Seriously. Either these or my easy whole wheat waffles are on the menu for every single Sunday. My kids wake me up telling me which one they want. (Though my son likes to go rogue sometimes and demand French toast. It's so quick and easy that I don't mind making it along with pancakes or waffles.)

So it was WAY past time to share these with you!

These healthy pancakes are whole wheat, naturally sweetened and cook up to be so light and fluffy and delicious!

And they are really easy to make!

It takes just 1 bowl (cause I’m lazy) and about 10 minutes to mix up the batter for these.

(And I’ve got a tip below to keep you from standing and flipping pancakes for an hour straight. That’s no fun for anyone.)

And they are so soft, so very fluffy and just the perfect texture and taste.

You’ll see why we eat these ALL the time!

Now, I’ve got some notes, tips, substitutions and FAQs coming up below. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

(I’ve had a lot of experience making pancakes and want to share what works. And I have kind of a lot to say on the subject. )

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

Notes on making whole wheat pancakes:

• I use white whole wheat flour but you could substitute whole wheat flour or use a mix of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour.
• It helps to use a ¼-cup measuring cup to measure out the batter into the skillet so you get even sized pancakes.
• Helps, too, to spray that measuring cup with cooking spray so the batter falls easily out of it.
• This recipe makes about 12-14 pancakes and I’d say the serving size is 2.

Full disclosure though, my kiddos often eat 3, 4 sometimes even 5 or 6 of these healthy pancakes. Maybe it’s a growth spurt thing, but just wanted to put that out there.

Now, for some other tips and substitutions…

Knowing when to flip your pancakes is kind-of the key to keeping them light and fluffy and oh so tasty.

You’ll know they are ready when you see little air bubbles forming all over the tops of the pancakes.

I took a few pictures so you could see what this looks like.

(And yes, that means I dashed from my kitchen to the room where I shoot to capture this. I really love you guys.)

All those bubbles means the pancake is ready for flipping. 👆

(And just to note, the top pan is how I cook pancakes: three at a time, each measured with a ¼ cup measuring spoon. The pan below is one large pancake that I made with the remaining batter.)

And if you wait until they are ready to flip, this is the golden brown deliciousness you will be rewarded with:

The other big trick with cooking pancakes is keeping your pan at the right temperature. I heat my pan on exactly medium heat but then lower it ever so slightly as I continue to cook pancakes.

It will depend on your burner, your pans and just the weather. But it won’t take long to figure out your perfect temp adjustments.

OK, special diets coming right up.

Dairy-free pancakes are really easy to make using this recipe.

(My daughter used to have a cow’s milk allergy, which she thankfully outgrew, so I’ve done them this way before. And still do pretty often.)

Just use your dairy-free milk of choice, such as soy milk or almond milk, and you are set.

Want to make vegan pancakes?

Use a dairy-free milk and use two flax eggs in place of the eggs in this recipe.

(Pssst... look how very fluffy! 👀👇)

And now, my very favorite time-saving hack. This was life-changing guys.

Pro tip: Use two large skillets to cook twice as many pancakes at once.

If you are standing there flipping pancakes, you might as well do two batches at once and cut your time in half.

This has saved me countless hours over the course of my life and that makes me happy.

(Yes, it means an extra pan to clean but that takes me about 45 seconds, versus the additional 15 minutes I would have been standing at the stove. #worthit)

OK, a few other commonly asked questions…

How to keep pancakes warm:

- Don’t cover the pancakes on a plate to keep them warm. They’ll steam and get soggy.

- Instead, place the cooked pancakes onto a sheet pan in a single layer and put into the oven at 200 until ready to eat.

(Or use my two-skillet method to do twice as many pancakes at once and you won’t have much of a problem with pancakes cooling off.)

This recipe makes a pretty big batch - about 12-14 pancakes depending on how you pour them.

And while my kids and husband sometimes power through ALL of those in a single morning, we usually end up with some extras.

(Which is the goal - it makes future breakfasts so easy to have some of these on hand!)

Here’s a few tips on how to store any extras you have.

How to store pancakes:

• Leftover pancakes can be stored, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Pancakes also freeze great! Let them cool completely, then place in a freezer-safe ziptop plastic bag — that’s labelled! — and freeze for up to 6 months. (I’m able to get 4-5 pancakes in a standard quart-size freezer bag.)
• Move the pancakes to the fridge to defrost overnight and warm in the microwave for 15-20 seconds, or until warmed through.
• Or place in the microwave directly from the freezer and warm for 20-30 seconds per side, as needed.

Like I said, we’ve *always* got extra pancakes in the freezer.

It really comes in handy if I’m out of town and my husband can just pull them out. Or if we need a quick breakfast on a busy morning.

Or if I just don’t feel like making another full batch one Sunday morning and I can use those instead.

Lastly, it wouldn’t be a Family Food on the Table post if I didn’t attempt to offer you some topping ideas.

Pancakes are no exception!

Pancake topping ideas:

• Maple syrup is our go-to and a classic favorite.
• Butter. Duh.
• Fresh berries - blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, etc - are great paired with or scattered on top of your pancakes.
• Or thin out a berry jam or jelly and use that for a topping. Or make something like a homemade blueberry syrup!
• Sliced bananas are another great fruit option for topping pancakes.
• A spread of peanut butter can up the flavor and add some protein.
• Or try it with some Nutella spread over top. #chocolateforbreakfast
• A sprinkling of mini or regular chocolate chips is also a fun chocolate add-on for a special occasion!
• And if we’re getting decadent, feel free to do a drizzle of chocolate sauce or a swirl of whipped cream on top.

So many delicious options!

Oh, and I have to say, I do recommend real maple syrup over the imitation stuff. It’s way tastier and so much healthier too. Just look at the labels.

There you go, my friends, our very favorite, best ever homemade pancakes! ❤️

I hope you give these a try and see how easy making pancakes at home can be.

Also, stay tuned, because I’ve got a few more classic pancake recipes coming up soon that are every bit as delicious as these.

You can also sign up for free e-newsletter to get all of my new recipes delivered straight to your inbox. I’ll even send you my free e-cookbook, Healthy Weeknight Dinners, as a thank you!)

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

P.S. Check out these other healthy breakfast favorites:

- Banana bread baked oatmeal

- Healthy blueberry muffins

- Slow cooker maple cinnamon oatmeal (cooks overnight!)

- Whole wheat cinnamon sugar baked donuts

- Overnight oatmeal jars (with several flavor options)