Healthy Apple Ring Pancakes Recipe

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This healthy apple ring pancakes recipe is a fabulous way to mix up your pancake routine. It’s delicious, healthy, and even gluten-free! And yes, it can be dairy free too.

Let me tell you a secret. The very first thing I do every Saturday morning I make breakfast, along with a cup of tea or coffee, and then wake up Mini Chef so he can enjoy breakfast with me. It’s been our routine for years now. And sometimes, we even have breakfast while watching movies or catching up on an episode of a TV show we love. It’s a slow and easy way to start the weekend, and we love it!

What Are Apple Ring Pancakes?

Essentially, they are slices of apple dipped in pancake batter and cooked like regular pancakes in a skillet. They are served the same way as regular pancakes too, but obviously with toppings that go well with apples. The apples can be cooked so they are soft, or they can be cut so they remain crunchier. It’s totally up to you, and adjustable by the thickness of your apple slices.

What Apples To Use For Healthy Apple Ring Pancakes

Honestly, it doesn’t matter! Use your favorite! Any apple will taste good in this recipe, so it really just comes down to whether you prefer sweet apples or tart apples. Either one works, so pick your favorite! Personally, I enjoy Gala or Fuji apples. Pink ladies are another favorite.

Do You Have To Peel The Apples?

Nope! But the choice is yours. They are good either way.

What Milk To Use

You can use whatever milk you prefer here. Some choices are:

• Regular milk
• Oat milk
• Almond milk
• Buttermilk
• Coconut milk – I suggest using light coconut milk for proper consistency in the batter.

Make It Gluten-Free

If you need these healthy apple ring pancakes to be gluten-free, make sure to purchase oat flour labeled as gluten-free. And if you use oat milk, make sure it’s also gluten-free. Aside from that, the rest of everything should be naturally gluten-free. But it’s always a good idea to double-check.

Recipe Variations

The recipe below is delicious but basic. So feel free to play around with it. You can omit the cinnamon altogether if you prefer. Some yummy additions would be:

• Lemon juice or extract. Even lemon zest would work well here.
• Pure vanilla extract
• Almond extract
• Orange extract
• Rum extract
• Baking powder – if you want these to be a bit fluffier. Do not use baking soda.
• Butter – Either for cooking or for topping. It’s yummy if you melt butter to pour over the top of your pancake stack.
• White vinegar – Just a half teaspoon in the batter will help make the pancakes fluffier.
• Sweetener – You can add any sweetener you like to the batter. It’s not really necessary, but some folks have a real sweet tooth. The typical substitute for brown sugar in clean eating is Sucanat. But you can also try coconut sugar, date sugar, or monk fruit. For liquid sweeteners, you can try honey, maple syrup, or pure liquid stevia.

About The Ingredients

Oat flour – If you need this to be gluten-free, buy oat flour that is labeled as such. If you want to use regular wheat-based flour, start with ¾ cup flour and add more if needed. Wheat flour tends to absorb more liquid than oat flour, so you may need less, or you may not. Depends on the flour you use.

Oat milk – This should be unsweetened, and again, labeled gluten-free if needed.

Eggs – These can be cold or room temperature.

Cinnamon – This is just plain cinnamon with no sugar added (no cinnamon sugar). If you prefer a stronger cinnamon flavor, you can use up to a full tablespoon here. If you want less, you can use as little as ¼ tsp cinnamon. Or, you can omit it altogether.

Salt – I used pink Himalayan salt. But use whatever salt you normally cook with.

Apples – Use your favorite kind. They can be sweet or tart according to your preference.

How To Make Healthy Apple Ring Pancakes

Slice and core your apples. Slice them no thicker than a quarter inch or they won’t cook properly. That being said, if you prefer a very crunchy apple in your pancakes, feel free to slice them thicker!

Place the flour, salt, and ground cinnamon into a large bowl and blend well with a whisk.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk well with a whisk or fork.

Heat your skillet with a bit of oil. Dip the apples into the batter and place them on the heated pan. Due to the nature of the batter, it’s best to keep the bowl and the skillet very close together. So avoid using a plastic mixing bowl!

Once the apple slices are cooking, you can fill in any holes or dips with a small amount of extra batter.

When golden brown on both sides (about 2-3 minutes on each side, 4-6 minutes total time), transfer them to a plate and top them with your favorite pancake toppings. Maple syrup is my personal favorite. Enjoy!

Note that if you are making a very large batch of these (double or triple the recipe), you can keep these warm on a baking sheet in the oven at the lowest temperature your oven has.

Storage

If you have leftovers, pack them up in an airtight container and store these in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freezing

These freeze pretty well! Simply wrap them up well and keep them in the freezer for up to 4 months.

Reheating

From Frozen – Place them frozen into an un-oiled, non-stick skillet and warm them over medium heat. Do not use high heat or they will burn. Flip them frequently.

You can also reheat these quickly in a microwave.

Recipe Supplies For Healthy Apple Ring Pancakes

More Healthy Pancake Recipes

• Sheetpan Pancakes
• Healthy Protein Pancakes
• Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes

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Healthy Apple Ring Pancakes Recipe Card + Video