Oat Pancakes with Apple and Cinnamon Recipe
These oat pancakes with apple and cinnamon are breakfast pancakes made from rolled oats, inspired by the flavour of apple pie but without wheat flour. Inside they’re soft and moist like thick porridge, with golden, slightly crisp edges and noticeable pieces of apple. Soaked oats help the batter hold together well and keep you full for a long time.
These pancakes feel like eating apple pie for breakfast, but in a lighter, oat‑based form. They don’t require blending or flour – everything is mixed in one bowl. Thanks to the oats they keep you full for a long time, so they work better than classic crepes or yeast fritters.
Why this version works
- Soaked rolled oats create a delicate batter without wheat flour and bind the mixture well.
- Apple grated on a coarse grater and lightly squeezed of juice adds moisture without making the pancakes stodgy.
- Baking powder and eggs aerate the batter so the pancakes are soft rather than dense.
- Frying over medium‑low heat cooks the centre through before the sugars in the apple burn.
Chef's tips
After the first batch I always cut one pancake in half – if the centre is wet and pasty, I reduce the size of the next ones and extend the frying time by a minute. Be careful not to overdo the heat – the oil should sizzle gently, not smoke. If your pan heats up a lot, lower the heat slightly every few minutes to keep the browning even.
How to serve
Serve the pancakes for breakfast with thick yogurt, honey, chopped nuts or toasted flaked almonds. They also work great as a sweet snack for a lunchbox – you can eat them cold like soft cookies. For a weekend “all‑out” version, top them with stewed apples and extra cinnamon.
Watch out for
- Don’t make the pancakes too large – smaller ones are easier to cook through without burning.
- If the batter thickens between batches, add a little milk, otherwise the pancakes will turn out heavy.
- Too much apple will make the batter spread and be difficult to flip.
Substitutions
- Replace part of the milk with natural yogurt if you like a slightly tangy flavour.
- You can swap sugar for honey or maple syrup, adding them to the slightly cooled batter.
- Instead of apple you can use pear, but squeeze it well as it’s more watery.
Ingredients
- rolled oats thick - 120 g
- milk - 200 ml
- eggs - 2 piece
- apple - 1 piece
- sugar or honey - 1.5 tablespoon
- ground cinnamon - 1 teaspoon
- baking powder - 0.5 teaspoon
- oil vegetable - 2 tablespoon
- salt - 1 pinch
- yogurt or sour cream natural or sour cream
Preparation
- Put the oats into a bowl, pour in the milk and mix thoroughly. Set aside for about 10 minutes until they swell and soften – the mixture should clearly thicken and resemble thick porridge, not soup.
- Wash the apple, peel if needed and grate on a coarse grater. If it releases a lot of juice, gently squeeze it out with your hand over the sink – the shreds should be juicy but not dripping.
- Add the eggs, grated apple, sugar or honey, cinnamon, baking powder and a pinch of salt to the soaked oats. Stir with a spoon until there are no dry oats left and the mixture is uniform.
- Check the consistency: the batter should slowly fall off the spoon and hold the shape of a small dollop. If it spreads like crepe batter, add 1–2 tablespoons of oats and wait 2–3 minutes. If it’s too stiff, add a little more milk.
- Heat a thin layer of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When a small drop of batter starts to sizzle gently and small bubbles appear, reduce the heat to medium‑low.
- Spoon the batter into the pan, forming small pancakes with some space between them. Fry for 2–3 minutes until the edges set, the surface looks slightly matte and the underside is golden and releases easily from the pan when lifted with a spatula.
- Carefully flip the pancakes to the other side. Fry for another 2–3 minutes until evenly golden and, when lightly pressed with a finger, they feel springy rather than soft like raw batter.
- Transfer the cooked pancakes to a plate lined with paper towel to absorb excess oil. Serve immediately, still warm, with yogurt, sour cream, extra cinnamon or honey.
Storage
Store the pancakes in the fridge for up to 2 days in an airtight container – over time they soften and lose their crisp edges, but the centre stays moist., For best results, refresh them in a dry pan or toaster until the edges are lightly browned again and become springy.
For children I fry mini two‑bite pancakes and serve them with a small bowl of yogurt for dipping – they disappear from the plate faster than I can fry the next batch.
