Healthy Millet Pancakes with Pistachio Butter | Ragi Pancakes | Vegan Pancakes

Soft, spongy, deliciously melt-in-your-mouth – these millet pancakes are all that. What if I tell you these healthy pancakes can mean guilt-free indulgence too, especially if mind your portions? Thanks to the use of finger millet and pistachio butter, pancakes are packed with nutrition, and so utterly scrumptious that you’ll repeat them every morning. Not kidding! 😉

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I love pancakes just as much half the world’s population (or more :P). However, I shy away from ordering these when eating out, simply because I’m not a fan of the plate placed in front of me that consists of refined flour, excess sugar, palm oil and/ or a dozen other ingredients that have just empty calories and close to zero nutrition. Same goes with the readymade pancake mixes available everywhere in stores – for the life of me I couldn’t understand why there had to be heaps and heaps of sugar/ maltitol/ corn starch or soy starch in them, not to mention the lack of element of balanced nutrition. Hence, a BIG NO to store-bought pancake mixes as well.

Whole-grain Pancakes – An easier, healthier fix?

Have I stopped eating pancakes altogether then? Quite the opposite, to tell you the truth. Ever since I started experimenting with whole-grain flours, I swear I eat pancakes for breakfast and snack with ZERO GUILT, and with greater assurance that they’re nutritionally balanced. The secret – customizing my own pancake mixes allows me to include whole-grain flours, fruits and berries, healthier spreads and mindfully adjusted amounts of sweetening agents.

What is more, if you make your own pancake mix at home, you’ll be able to put in only the ingredients that are needed for the pancakes to be delicious and filling, and no other fillers/ preservatives/ overly indulgent spreads and sweeteners that make absolutely no sense in the pancake anyhow.

Also, most importantly, with homemade pancake mixes you’ll be able to monitor and measure your ingredients, mind your portions, count and track your calorie intake, and stay fully accountable for your fitness goals.

Are Millets the new Superfood?

Ragi aka finger millet easily qualifies as a ‘wonder grain’ with its superior protein content with yield of methionine  that makes it a deserving sought-after source of protein for vegetarians. Also, finger millet is exceptionally rich in iron, potassium and several other minerals, is helpful in controlling diabetes and preventing heart disease. Furthermore, millets are super-easy to grow even in drought-affected areas, enriches the soil by replenishing essential nutrients and is very economical for both the farmers and the end consumers, thus possessing the potential to play an important role in strengthening food security across the world.

Would you need more reasons to start including this superfood in your diet?

All About Millet Pancakes

I have kept this recipe simpler by using whole-wheat and ragi or finger millet flours.

I used pistachio butter with a mere drizzle of organic honey and crushed nuts and berries for topping. Not only do pistachios boast of a better amino acids profile than any other nuts (geek-speak for better-quality protein content), they’re a great source of potassium, vitamin B6 and a host of useful antioxidants. And oh, it adds amazing rich flavor profile to the pancakes, not to mention the inviting color! Do give it a try sometime, as a welcome change from the ubiquitous peanut butter.

Addition of baking powder and eggs makes these pancakes spongy and pillow-y, but if you are a vegan, omission of eggs works great too. Likewise, some have even tried adding flax eggs, and I was told that works just as fine.

Want to try other healthy pancake recipes? Try my

Healthy Buckwheat Protein Pancakes

Kissir and Tsemik (Savory Buckwheat Pancakes with Yogurt Chutney),

Chocolate Protein Pancakes

[The Bestest Ever] Oats Porridge Bowl

RECIPE: MILLET PANCAKES WITH PISTACHIO BUTTER

Serves 6

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup ragi/ finger millet flour
•  ½ cup whole-wheat flour (for gluten-free version, see NOTES)
• ½ cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
• 1-2 eggs (omit for vegan version)
• 2 tbsp brown sugar (optional; can be replaced with regular white sugar)
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 2 tsp  vanilla extract
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ cup soy milk or almond milk
• water, for desired consistency
• 1 tsp salt
• 1.5 tbsp oil

TOPPINGS

• 1 tbsp Honey/ maple syrup
• 2 tsp pistachio butter (for homemade version, see NOTES)
• Crushed nuts of your choice

METHOD

In a bowl, sift flours and mix salt, sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon powder and baking powder. Whisk to form a uniform mix.

Next, add all the wet ingredients to the same bowl and mix well to ensure there are no dry lumps in between. After that, add water to get desired pancake batter consistency. The batter should be smooth and you should be able to pour it into the pan.

Set the batter aside for 10-15 minutes.

Heat a non-stick pan/ gridle/ appe pan/ Aebleskiver pan and grease with little drops of oil.

Pour a little amount of batter onto the pan surface, taking care to not spread it much. If using an appe pan, fill the slots to half-levels to ensure perfectly spongy pancakes.

Cook on medium flame till bubbles appear on the surface. With a small spatula, gently flip to slightly brown the other side as well.

Transfer into a casserole or plate.

Lay or stack pancakes on a plate and drizzle pistachio butter, honey or maple syrup and crushed nuts on top.

Serve hot!

NOTES

• For gluten-free mix, replace whole-wheat flour with ½ cup rice flour + arrowroot starch. I sometimes even use jowar or pearl millet flour/ barley flour/ chickpea flour/ oatmeal in place of whole-wheat flour in these pancakes and they’re always delicious and packed with nutrition.
• Most importantly, ensure that your baking powder is gluten-free if you are gluten-sensitive.
• I use appe pan, also known as Aebleskiver pan to get perfectly shaped and uniformly browned pancakes, but you could also make them on hot pan or gridle by mixing the batter slightly thicker that won’t be runny on the hot pan.
• To make pistachio butter at home, simply blend/grind pistachios in a jar until you see a smooth paste forming. Transfer into an airtight jar, and after usage store the remaining butter in the fridge. It’s as easy as that, no kidding!
• It’s easy to over-indulge when it comes to nutrient-dense toppings like honey, nut butters, nuts and dried fruits, hence I advise you to carefully measure and track all calories so as to not lose sight of your fitness goals 🙂