It’s officially apple season, baby! And since it’s always and forever pancake season, I decided a couple of years back to combine my love for both into a cozy, apple pancake that’s fluffy, gluten free and nutritious.
Are you down, OR ARE YOU DOWN.
I’m not sure if you remember my banana oatmeal pancakes, but it’s one of my favorite recipes to use those spotty ripe bananas that spend a few too many days on the counter. Plus they’re packed with protein and nutritious for the kiddos and even toddlers! So I figured, why not try an apple version out?
And now we’re here with these glorious fluffy healthy apple pancakes.
The best part? The batter is made right in your blender making them a breeze to whip up!
What’s in these apple pancakes?
You’re going to LOVE how simple and delicious these healthy apple pancakes are. Here’s what you’ll need to make them:
- Applesauce: a little unsweetened applesauce gives the pancakes the perfect amount of moisture and apple flavor. If you’re feeling up to it, you can always stir in 1/2 cup of diced apple pieces, but I prefer to reserve those for a sauteed apple topping. See below for deets on the best topping!
- Eggs: you’ll also need two eggs in this recipe.
- Oats: instead of any flour in this pancake recipe you’ll just need some old fashioned rolled oats. Use gluten free ones to keep the pancakes gluten free, if you’d like!
- Milk: feel free to use any milk you’d like! I like using unsweetened almond milk.
- Sweetener: these healthy apple pancakes are naturally sweetened with a little pure maple syrup. Don’t forget to save some for drizzling! You’ll also need some vanilla extract. Learn how to make your own vanilla here!
- Baking powder: remember to use baking powder, not soda, so that these pancakes get super fluffy.
- Spices: for the coziest flavor we’re adding cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and a pinch of salt.
- Olive oil: I find that cooking pancakes in olive oil gives them the best texture. You could also use butter or vegan butter.
How to make healthy apple pancakes in the blender
These apple pancakes couldn’t be easier to make. Remember to check out our best tips & tricks for making pancakes here, too!
- Blend the ingredients. Start by adding all of the ingredients for these pancakes to a blender and blend until smooth (about 1 minute).
- Prep your pan. Add olive oil or coconut oil to a griddle or large nonstick pan and place over medium heat.
- Cook your pancakes. Add pancake batter to the pan 1/3 cup at a time. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and tiny bubbles appear around the edges. Flip and cook 2 minutes more.
- Serve & enjoy! Serve pancakes with sauteed cinnamon apples, pecans and pure maple syrup for a delicious, healthy breakfast.
Don’t forget the dreamy apple topping
Jazz up your apple pancakes with some wonderful sauteed cinnamon apples! Add the following to a saucepan over medium heat:
- 3/4 cup diced apple
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
- a sprinkle of cinnamon
Once the apples begin to cook down a bit remove them from the heat and top your pancakes. YUM. They’re also delicious with a drizzle of nut butter, chopped or candied pecans and a hearty drizzle of maple syrup.
How to keep pancakes warm
You can absolutely make these apple pancakes ahead of time and keep them warm in the oven. Simply place oven at 200 degrees F, then add pancakes to a platter or oven-safe plate and place in the oven until ready to serve.
Freezer-friendly apple pancakes
If you want to make your healthy apple pancakes ahead of time and serve them at a later date, you can place the pancakes on a baking sheet so they aren’t touching and place in the freezer for 30 minutes, then place them in freezer safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Once ready to reheat, simply add pancakes to a plate and microwave for 30-60 seconds or until warm. This is a great option for kids or if you want to have a make ahead breakfast on hand.
Want to make mini pancakes?
They’re SO cute and great for kiddos! Simply drop just 1-2 tablespoons of batter onto your griddle at a time. You can also try these baby banana pancakes that are smaller and great for toddlers and babies.
Our favorite pancake tools
- Blender
- Square griddle
- Spatula (use the code ‘ambitious’ for 10% off!)
See all of our kitchen essentials here.
More pancake recipes you’ll love
- Whole Wheat Banana Bread Pancakes
- Almond Flour Pancakes
- Chai-Spiced Sweet Potato Pancakes
- Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes
- Sidney’s 4-Ingredient Banana Pancakes
Get all of our delicious pancake recipes here!
I hope you love these healthy apple pancakes! If you try them please leave a comment below and rate the recipe below to let me know how you liked it. You can also tag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram with your creations!
Healthy Apple Pancakes (made right in the blender!)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats, gluten free if desired
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Olive oil, for cooking
Instructions
-
Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend on high until completely smooth, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Let the batter sit in your blender while you heat your pan up. If batter is WAY too thick, you may need to add a few extra tablespoons of milk to the blender.
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Lightly coat a griddle with coconut oil, vegan butter or olive oil and place over a medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add about 1/3 cup of the batter to the griddle for each pancake and cook for 2-4 minutes until pancakes slightly puff up and you see a few bubbles along the edges.
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Flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside. If you find that pancakes are browning too quickly, then you need to lower the heat. I normally start on medium heat, then reduce to medium low later so that my pancakes don't burn. If at any point your griddle starts smoking, it means your pan is too hot. Wipe skillet clean and repeat with more oil and remaining batter. Makes 6 pancakes total. Serves 3, 2 pancakes each.
Recipe Notes
Optional for the topping: Add 3/4 cup diced apple + 1 tablespoon butter + 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup + a sprinkle of cinnamon to a saucepan and saute over medium heat until apples begin to cook down a bit. Serve over pancakes if desired!
Nutrition
This post was originally published on September 16, 2019, republished on September 26, 2021, and republished on September 4th, 2022.
152 comments
These look perfect for Sunday breakfast after my long run. Can’t wait to try them!
Absolutely! Great idea. Hope you love them!
Freezing healthy pancakes like these is a great way to conquer breakfast on busy mornings!
Absolutely!
These look great! Would I need to make any changes if I wanted to make these into waffles?
I haven’t made them into waffles so I’m not 100% sure it would work! Let me know if you give it a shot.
Love these pancakes. It’s one of my breakfast staples. I make a huge batch and freeze them to eat for a two to three months.
SUCH a good idea to freeze a big batch. Happy you love this recipe, Benny!
Oh my golly gosh these are delicious! Thank you for creating and sharing this decadent recipe.
So glad you love them!
Love this recipe! I didn’t have any apple sauce so I actually just chopped up two apples and blended with the rest of the ingredients and they turned out awesome!
Perfect! So glad that worked out well!
Hi Lisa,
I was thinking of chop up apples directly and put them in the blender too! Did you peel the apples beforehand ?
Thanks!
This is our favorite pancake recipe! We love to have them for breakfast, they taste so good you wouldn’t think they’re healthy! And they keep us full for hours. I like to substitute 1/4 cup of oats for 1/4 cup of PBfit, not a big change but you can taste the peanut butter flavor a little bit. I also like to add blueberries to the batter. Thank you for this delicious recipe!
Yay!! I’m so happy you love these, Lily 🙂 Interesting about the PBfit, glad that works well. And YES to the blueberries!
I will be making these this morning 🙂 I’m so excited to try!! I looove me some healthier pancake options for a slow Saturday morning.
These were great! I made a double batch, so I can freeze the leftovers! I had a few fresh blueberries that some of the pancakes got!! Yummy!
Loved this recipe! We had just gone apple picking and made our own applesauce so this was perfect. My 9 year old daughter made the batter, so easy right in the blender. We will be making these over and over, next time I’ll double the recipe since they are so good. Thank you!
So glad you liked this recipe! 🙂
Finally got around to making these. So delicious! The perfect fall breakfast. Btw, the new site looks amazing!!
Thank you so much, Angela!
I ended up freezing the leftovers when I made these. Earlier this week, when I cleaned out my freezer (like everyone else who is hunkered down at home), I found them hiding in the back. I thawed them out and ate them for breakfast yesterday and today. They held up perfectly in the freezer.
Perfect! Love freezing pancakes for later.
These were a big hit with the whole family. Especially the topping! I made it once with apple and the second time with pear because that’s what I had on hand, equally delicious.
Love that! Such a great idea.
This is so easy to make in the blender, great use of extra applesauce too. This one works like a charm for me. Puffy nice pancakes, great flavor and I even lighten them up a bit with egg beaters or egg whites. This is a go to recipe for me for pancakes. Thank you.
Perfect! So happy to hear that, Frances 🙂
Best pancakes!!! I make them for my boyfriend all the time and he loves pancakes. He has no idea they’re a bit healthier than the others I’ve made and he thinks they’re the best!! So tasty, will make forever🥰
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
Can we sub out the egg for flax eggs or the aquafaba?
I haven’t tried it, but probably wouldn’t recommend in this particular recipe. Feel free to try my vegan pancakes here: https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/fluffy-vegan-pancakes/
Delicious!!! I followed the recipe exactly and they came out perfect. My kids devoured them
Perfect! I’m so glad 🙂
Oh. My.Gosh. These are so delicious!!!! I made them right in my magic bullet (filled to the very brim. I used soymilk and added blueberries and walnuts(because I love them). I also added an extra half teaspoon of maple syrup. I skipped the cinnamon and other spices as they are not my favorites. Amazing. These are going into my regular rotation. I can grab leftovers for breakfast. I made them as a desert
Delicious! Love the idea of blueberries + walnuts, too. Glad you enjoyed!
Could I use a different kind of milk (even dairy milk) since we have a nut allergy in the house?
Yes, absolutely!
Made these just as the recipe is laid out, folded in the extra shredded apple (pink lady) and used a Cuisinart. Delish!! Will be freezing the remaining pancakes for a quick breakfast feast, yum! Thanks for the great recipes, keep em coming.
Sounds amazing! Great idea to freeze for later, too 🙂
Definitely recommend! Super easy and a great touch adding the caramelized apples
Absolutely! Wonderful breakfast 🙂
These are fantastic! My new go to pancake. I substituted pumpkin pie spice for the allspice and nutmeg.. very good! For someone that has to be gluten and dairy free..I’m thankful to have found Ambitious Kitchen.. you’ve given me delicious food options I didn’t know were possible!
Perfect! I’m glad you’re finding recipes here that you love 🙂
These are delicious and so easy to make!
Perfect breakfast!
Can you use steel cut oats or oat flour instead of rolled oats?
You could use oat flour instead 🙂 same amount of oat flour should be fine!
Sooo good! My 22 month old daughter even ate them and she’s in her toddler picky eating stage! Love that it’s all made in the blender too. Very easy to throw together. Thank you!
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
Can I blend the old fashion oats to make oat flour for the pancakes? I tried making pancakes with just old fashioned oats and I don’t really like the taste of it
These are awesome pancakes. I added the extra couple of tablespoons of almond milk as suggested. My 2 year old ate these up, and so did I!
Perfect! So happy to hear that!
Just made these for breakfast and they were absolutely delicious! Added the Apple topping as suggested, as well as peanut butter & date syrup. So so yum 😋
Love it! Perfect breakfast 🙂
I love your recipes but since I have kidney disease I must count potassium. It would be really
great if your could include potassium in your nutrients lists.
Delicious! My son who is super picky loved it. I loved it too. Not too sweet… and yummy
Amazing! Happy to hear that 🙂
THE HEALTHY APPLE PANCAKES WERE DELICIOUS! EVERYONE IN OUR HOUSE ENJOYED THEM. I MADE THE TOPPING TOO, AND ADDED TOASTED WALNUTS. I APPRECIATE THAT THE RECIPE WASN’T TOO THICK FOR MY BLENDER. (SOMETIMES A RECIPE WILL SAY IT CAN BE MADE IN THE BLENDER, BUT IT DOESN’T REALLY WORK.)
So happy to hear that, Heather! Such a great breakfast!
Can also use applesauce to substitute the eggs? Or would that be too much applesauce?
I don’t think that would work, try a flax egg instead!
Thank you for the recipe! I don’t think I will be making these again as they were a bit too dense for my liking but it was fun to try a new recipe! For those making the recipe I recommend cutting the nutmeg and allspice in half.
Sorry to hear that, Michelle! I wish I could help troubleshoot as these should come out nice and fluffy like the photos. I hope you find new recipes here that you enjoy!
These pancakes are delicious & super easy! I blended apples, instead of putting applesauce, with apple cider. I also added a scoop of vanilla protein powder and left out the vanilla & maple syrup. They were amazing. They’re also good with blueberries!
Sounds delicious! Any ideas for egg substitutes in this one?
You could try subbing a flaxegg, but I haven’t tested it so I can’t be certain.
These were AMAZING!!!! Do yourself a favor and make the apple topping to go with it! Delicious
Absolutely! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
This was a perfect Fall pancake recipe and totally impressed us. We absolutely loved these pancakes!! I followed your recipe exactly but just left out allspice as I couldn’t find it in my cupboard. They were incredibly tender! Better than any buttermilk/all purpose flour recipe I’ve tried and much easier to whip up. I topped mine with fresh McIntosh apples (sauteed in butter, brown sugar & cinnamon). This is a keeper! Thank you!!!
Unpopular opinion: apples are the real stars of autumn baking season. Especially honeycrisps.
These pancakes were the perfect treat for Sunday brunch on a crisp sunny day. Easy to toss together, baked beautifully, and full of delicious honeycrisp flavor. The touch of nutmeg/allspice and Monique’s suggestion to top with almond butter, diced apples, and maple syrup came in clutch.
Love honeycrisps! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
Love this recipe. I make this when I’m meal prepping and freeze it for easy access. I make this one, the banana and the pumpkin blender pancakes. Great recipes.
Love it! Best breakfasts 🙂
These were absolutely delicious and so easy to make!! I will definitely be making them again! Thank you!
Amazing! Such a great breakfast 🙂
This is a go-to family favourite in my house. They are delicious and so quick and easy to whip up. The spice blend is just perfect. Love these!!
So happy to hear that!
These are some of our all time favorites! We’ve made them many times and they’re always perfect. The stewed apples really top it off.
These are my favorite pancakes of all time! They are so easy and fail-proof, I keep coming back to them!
So happy to hear that!
Question–Is there a substitute for eggs in this recipe??
I wouldn’t recommend swapping the eggs out – sorry!
Absolutely delicious! I would recommend making the batter the night before and leaving it in the fridge. This allows the batter to thicken, which makes cooking the pancakes a lot easier.
Perfect! Great tip 🙂
These were amazing! Thanks for another great recipe!
Absolutely! Glad you loved them 🙂
I made this exactly as written and it was delicious! My whole family loved them and my daughter declared them her new favorite pancakes. Next time I’ll double it for our family of 6.
Amazing! So happy to hear that!
Hi. Can the batter be made the day before and refrigerated until the next morning? Thx, Joanna
Hi! That should be fine 🙂
This sounds like a great recipe although I don’t have a microwave. Would you be able to defrost a couple of pancakes overnight and reheat in the oven?
We loved the texture of these!
Wish I had seen your note about the yummy apple cinnamon toppings. That would have been so good!
Glad you liked them! Perfect for next time 🙂
Super fluffy pancakes! They taste really good and are very easy to make.
These are a Sunday morning staple for us! We leave out the maple syrup, and they are still perfect topped with almond butter and greek yogurt.
I’ve made so many of the AK pancake recipes and this is one of my favorites because 1) they’re so easy and 2) that apple topping is excellent. Pro tip: make at the beginning of the week and reheat in the toaster!
We love these pancakes!! I make them about once a week for myself, my husband and our 10 month old. They melt in your mouth! I don’t like cleaning my blender, so I usually blend the oats by themselves then combine the rest like I would with any other pancake recipe and it works great!
This recipe has been added to the weekend breakfast line up! I love using applesauce for some added fruit servings in the pancakes. Using homemade applesauce is a great way to use all of those Fall apples without having go to unhealthy baked goods, These pancakes are fluffy, delicious, and a crowd pleaser. I like to top mine with fruits on hand (blueberries and banana), almond butter drizzle, and pure maple syrup.
I really enjoyed these pancakes. Very tasty. I used my homemade apple butter instead of applesauce and cut back on the spices. I found that I did need to add a bit more milk as the batter was quite thick. I served with additional maple syrup and apple butter on top. Thanks for the great recipe.
Perfect! And yes, if the batter is ever looking a little too thick just add a splash of milk. Glad you enjoyed!
Delicious my husband who loves apples really enjoyed this one!
So happy to hear that!
Following the recipe as written gets great results! I don’t have time for mini pancakes so I made 3 large ones and they fluffed up fine, make sure you have enough baking powder to get the fluffy results. This blender method also results in an easy cleanup and easier/tastier than my winging-it banana pancakes.
Modifications:
Added 1tbsp of powdered fiber
I didn’t measure the ingredients, I always eyeball it unless it’s baking.
Topped with butter and homemade syrup (literally just butter and brownsugar)
Perfect! Glad you loved them!
I absolutely love these and so does my som! We make these weekly in our house!
I’m so glad! Perfect breakfast 🙂
Very good and easy!
Glad you enjoyed!
These were great. My 3 year old and I loved them. Really easy but fluffy and delicious. Thanks for the great recipe!
I’m so glad! Such a great breakfast.
These are hands down the best healthy pancakes I have ever had. They are SO FLUFFY and flavorful! They feel incredibly indulgent. I had already made oat flour earlier in the week and just mixed everything in a bowl instead of a blender and it still turned out perfectly.
So happy to hear that! Such a great breakfast 🙂
These are our favorite pancakes of yours and I’ve made plenty of your variations! Very fluffy and don’t taste “healthy”. Thanks!
Yay!! I’m so happy you love them. So good for fall!
Go-to pancake recipe right here – kids’ fav! Love the nutmeg and allspice. Such a great recipe – thanks, AK!!!!
I just made these pancakes this morning, They are super moist and delicious! Thank you so much
Yay! You’re so welcome, I’m glad to hear you loved them 🙂
Hi there. I used to make your cinnamon applesauce with salted peanut butter pancakes all the time but the link to that recipe no longer works. . Are these the same? Thanks!
Hi, Stephanie! We upgraded that recipe to this one–it’s even better, in my opinion! Hope you can try them soon 🙂
I am in love. Sunday is pancake day in my household and I love trying new options. These healthy apple pancakes were a hit! And healthy was a super bonus. So fluffy and yummy. My picky eating kiddo even asked for seconds. Thank you!!!
Oh I’m SO glad to hear that, Aubrey! Thanks so much for letting me know 🙂
hands down the easiest, yummiest, and fluffiest pancakes. These are a family tradition now!
Oh YAY I’m so happy these turned out so well for you!
These are so darn easy and oh so good! A staple at our house for sure!
Yay! So glad that you guys love these, Jeanette!
A fan favorite in my house. I make a unsweetened homemade applesauce and it’s the perfect fall pancakes to have your house smelling amazing your your families bellies happy and full. Warning: these are very filling pancakes!
Totally agree about the house smelling amazing 😍 Happy you guys enjoy these!
This fell flat for us! But not because of taste, it just did not cook up. Even when the edges were bubbling and the bottom side pretty golden, the top was just totally gooey and trying to flip it they completely fell apart. Tried with a few different heats and same result. We used olive oil as recommended. I did add a bit extra milk because the batter as written was suuuuper dry. So maybe that was it, but the batter was so dry without it I can’t imagine that would have worked either. Since it’s an oat base we ended up pouring into an oiled baking pan and baked for about 30 mins and had essentially baked oatmeal. It tasted great but definitely had some bummed kids that were promised pancakes! 😬 but the topping was excellent ams that revived everyone’s spirits. I’d love to try again but with kids it’s tricky to promise one thing and not deliver so we probably will just try different breakfast recipe in the future! Love many of AK recipes but this didn’t really work out as written.
Hi, Hannah! Thanks so much for the review. I have no idea what could have happened, as they batter has never been dry for me… Are you sure you measured everything correctly?
Super easy and delicious!
Yay! Happy you tried and loved them, Arlee!
Had this recipe tagged for a while since fall started and finally made them today. They were delicious, fluffy, with great full flavor. I added an extra bit of maple syrup and also a small apple to the blender. Besides how yummy these were, they also made my house smell like an apple cider donut store and that gives the recipe an extra star!
Truly one of the best pancake recipes I’ve ever had or made! So easy to make, perfect sweetness, light, and fun breakfast!! Will be using this recipe forever
Hi there, thanks for these great recipes which I am bookmarking to try. This is the first time on this site. For these pancakes, can I use flaxseed eggs in place of eggs? Thank you
Hi, Grayce! So happy you’re here 🙂 I think flax eggs might work but I haven’t tested it. Let me know how it goes!
HOLY SMOKES! Just finished licking my plate and the level of DELISH has left me speechless! I immediately ran to review (I never review)! These are the best pancakes I have ever had! Every bite had me talking dirty to the pancakes, hahaha! (Not kidding). I used oat milk and ended up adding an extra splash. 100% add the cooked apples to the top, they tie everything together and sprinkle with a little extra cinnamon and drizzle of maple syrup! Can’t wait to make these Thanksgiving morning!
Hahaha LOVE THIS!! I’m so glad to hear you’re obsessed 🥰
OMG, this looks so perfect. This was delicious. Really nice, super easy recipe and it makes a really smooth cake. It was absolutely perfect.
Happy to hear that, Melissa! Thanks for leaving a review 🙂
These pancakes are perfect specially for Sunday breakfast. It made my Sunday. Love these pancakes. I make a huge batch and freeze them to eat at weekend. Thanks for sharing.
Oh my goodness! These pancakes made my week, year, and maybe my life. They are moist, healthy, and delicious. I hate bananas, so I was particularly drawn to this recipe using applesauce! A serving of these pancakes is 1 point on my weight watchers plan. I shared this recipe with the ww community. I am so impressed and thankful to find this recipe. I don’t have to sacrifice taste for my diet! Thank you thank you thank you!
AHHH I’m so happy to hear that!! Glad you loved them, and thanks so much for sharing them with your community, too 🤗
Hi
so I made your Banana Oatmeal Pancakes with my two and a half year old daughter who is always looking for a reason to break eggs and they were fantastic!
I would like to try your Apple Pancakes as well I’m looking to replace the butter in the topping. Any ideas?
Thank you
Hi, Steph! That’s so sweet, what a fun cooking project to do with her. I think a little coconut oil, vegan butter, or even olive oil should be fine in the topping. Enjoy!
Hello! Is it 250 calories per portion?
Thanks 🙂
Yes! Enjoy!
These were so easy to make and taste like fall. Such a cozy recipe! I’ll definitely making these again.
Absolutely! The perfect breakfast to transition into fall.
What a great breakfast!! Super easy and I added shredded apples to the batter! Kid approved!
Perfect! One of our favs, too 🙂
These were phenomenal this evening for breakfast-for-dinner! I followed the recipe exactly and they.are.amazing. I made some country sausage patties with it. This one’s a keeper! Thank you!
Love it! Breakfast-for-dinner is always so fun 🙂