Carrot Cake Protein Pancakes

Here’s recipe cinco.

Carrot cake is loved by many people, and so are American pancakes. There’s also the fitness community which, as we know, has its calorie and protein standards. So here’s a recipe that suffices all 3 of these groups, creating tasty yet filling pancakes that will keep you satisfied for hours!

So let’s flip ’em, shall we?

Ingredients

Makes ~15 pancakes.

Base batter

250g whole wheat/spelt flour
70g (vegan) protein powder
1 tbsp (14g) baking powder
1 tsp (6g) baking soda
1 tbsp (8g) cinnamon
¾ tsp (<2g) nutmeg
½ tsp (2.5g) fine salt
2 eggs
1.5 tsp (7.5ml, 7g) neutral/coconut oil
65g honey/maple syrup
1 ½ tsp (6g) vanilla extract/paste
500mL buttermilk
Cooking fat of choice, see note below

Mix-ins

220g carrots, freshly grated
30g chopped walnuts
40g raisins (optional)

Cooking fat note

Here are your options:

For fried-like surfaces: (about ½ tsp or 2g per pancake)
- Butter (ideally salted, grass-fed)
- Any neutral oil
For picture-perfect uniform surfaces:
- Cooking spray

Required Utensils

Chances are that you already have most of what’s listed below. But as a student, I used to have basically nothing at hand, so all necessary items are listed below:

Medium pot, to hold all dry ingredients (and then batter)
Small pot, to hold all wet ingredients
Weight scale, to measure ingredients (in grams)
- Or use measuring cups if handy
Measuring spoons (at least for teaspoon measurement)
Cheese/vegetable grater (for grating carrots)
Whisk, for initial mixing (can use spoon instead, but might take longer)
Rubber spatula, for final mixing
Scooping spoon, for accurately pouring batter for cooking (optional)
Non-stick pan (or flat griddle), to cook the pancakes!
Flat spatula, for flipping pancakes
Tray/plate, to hold cooked pancakes!

Instructions

In medium pot, whisk all dry ingredients till thoroughly combined. Set side.
In small pot, whisk all wet ingredients till thoroughly combined. Set aside.
NOTE: If using coconut oil, add in just before combining wet & dry ingredients, to avoid solidification before combining.
Now for the mix-ins. Peel & grate the carrots into thin pieces but not a pulp. Chop the walnuts into roughly 1/3 inch (1 cm) chunks.
Form a well in center of pot with dry ingredients. Pour wet ingredients into dry. Use rubber spatula, stir in wide circular strokes till almost combined.
Add mix-ins and again stir in wide circular strokes till just combined; DO NOT over-mix. Small lumps are okay!
Let batter rest for 10 to 30 minutes at room temp. More time = fluffier pancakes!
During this period:
- Gather your pan(s), spatula, and tray/plate to hold cooked pancakes.
- Pre-heat your pan(s) at medium heat and have your cooking fat ready.
Once pan(s) are warm (not hot), add fat to pan center, and add just under ¼ cup (60ml) batter to center.
Cook for 2-3 min, until bubbles begin to pop on top and edges are firming up. Flip pancake and cook for another 2-3 min till golden brown. Remove from pan.
Repeat steps 5 & 6 with remaining batter. Enjoy!

Dry ingredients + walnuts (left) and wet ingredients + grated carrots (right)

Serving

To pour on

Maple syrup
Honey
Pancake syrup of choice

To spread on

Any nut butter (ideally salted): peanut, almond, mixed nut, etc.

To top off

Cream cheese glaze/frosting
Walnuts/pecans (whole or chopped)
Freshly chopped carrot
Whipped cream
Butter
Cinnamon and/or nutmeg powder

Served with maple syrup and powdered sugar!

Storage

Packaging of choice

Ideal for fridge: Plastic/glass air-tight containers
Ideal for freezer: Wrapping 1-4 pancakes in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then place in air-tight plastic bag

Shelf life

Fridge: 5 days
Freezer: 3-6 months (best quality, assuming temp below 0°F/-18°C)

Purple Carrot Variant

As 2024’s Thanksgiving special, I decided to make this recipe again, but this time with purple carrots. Taste-wise there wasn’t much of a difference, but the pancakes looked fairly different due to the swap!