In the realm of comfort food, there is one thing that dominates breakfast: pancakes.
I remember when I was little and my Dad used to make me the thinnest pancakes — it was such a treat to wake up to! Later in life, I was a huge fan of thick and fluffy chocolate chip pancakes. To this day, every time I visit my best friend’s house from high school, I always request that her mom make her famous chocolate chip pancakes — they’re still my absolute favorite.
To be honest, I really love all pancakes because I only get to have them once in a while. And when I do, you better believe I load them up with creamy, warm peanut butter AND maple syrup. That combo CAN’T be beat… unless you’re throwing bacon into the mix. Then OMG, just stop it!
I was all set to make some apple cider donuts, but had a craving for pancakes and happily stumbled into this recipe.
Since it’s November and we’re in full Fall season, I decided to use Apple Cider in my pancakes for a sweet pancake with a bit of tang and spice. I didn’t use just any apple cider though, I used new SweeTango Apple Cider, made from SweeTango apples. It’s sweet and full of citrus notes with a touch of spice — basically unlike any apple cider out there. MAJOR!
Have you had a SweeTango apple before? I LOVE them. I find them a lot in Minnesota during the fall; they’re a cross between a Honeycrisp and Zestar, so you know they’re good!
Anyway back to pancake chat…
For some weird reason, I had a craving for breakfast sausage. Usually I stick to turkey bacon, but I was feeling like some chicken maple breakfast sausage and thought it would be fantastic in the pancakes.
I mean, just imagine biting into a pancake wrapped sausage. Dreamy, right?
Even better when it’s a cornmeal pancake.
Of course they’re also made with whole wheat pastry flour as well as nonfat greek yogurt, a touch of maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a bit of vanilla.
I also love how the greek yogurt adds additional protein and keeps them fluffy and moist!
My favorite part of these pancakes are the sausage pieces; each bite offers a little salty-sweetness.
I hope you enjoy these and highly recommend looking out for SweeTango Apple Cider!
More info about SweeTango apple cider: In the eastern U.S., the cider is widely available in a variety of major grocery retailers. In the central part of the country, SweeTango cider is available in several retail chains in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, at Dierbergs stores in St. Louis and at Central Market locations in Texas. (Hang in there, West Coast SweeTango fans, maybe next year!)
More healthy breakfast recipes to make:
Cottage Cheese Banana Oatmeal Protein Pancakes + video
Maple Cinnamon Sweet Potato Protein Waffles
Savory Chicken Sausage, Egg and Cheese Muffins (keto + low carb)
Lean Turkey Apple & Maple Sausage Breakfast Patties
Chai-Spiced Healthy Apple Oatmeal Muffins
Apple Cider Maple Sausage Cornmeal Pancakes

Ingredients
- 6-8 frozen chicken or turkey maple breakfast sausages (I like Applegate Chicken Maple Breakfast Sausages)
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or white whole wheat)
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 cup SweeTango Apple Cider
Instructions
- Cook sausages according to directions on package. Once fully cooked, chop sausages into bite sized pieces and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- In a separate large bowl, beat egg, yogurt, vanilla, maple syrup, and apple cider together.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just combined; do not over mix! Gently fold in chopped sausage pieces.
- Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with butter or cooking spray and heat over medium low heat. Drop batter by 1/3 cup onto skillet. Cook until bubbles appear on top. Flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside. Wipe skillet clean and repeat with more cooking spray and remaining batter.
- Makes about 10 pancakes total - about 2 large pancakes each. Serve immediately with maple syrup, apple cider, or toppings of choice.
This post was sponsored by SweeTango; however all opinions are my own. Thanks for continuing to support Ambitious Kitchen!
11 comments
Sausage in my pancakes?! GENIUS!
I’m on such a pancake kick lately. These sound amazing!
These look so good! I love the sausage in the pancakes! YUUUMMM!
I’m loving the apple cider in these!
I thought I was the only one who slathered PB on my pancake without shame. Glad to know I’m not alone! These look delish!
Love every single ounce of these!!
Wow, where do you find the Sweet Tango Apple Cider?
I wish I could pancake like you. These are to DIE for…
This is genius….
These look awesome! But, I’m allergic to corn. Any ideas on a good subsitute? Or will it make a difference if I just double to flour.
These are CRAZY genius!!!! I can’t believe how hard I am smiling at these.