Mini Chickpea Chia Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Serves 4-5

The greatest food day of the year is finally upon us! Forget Christmas Day or Easter – in this house it’s ALL about Shrove Tuesday!  We tend to have some form of fruity pancake for breakfast, a savoury kind for dinner, followed by a sweet dessert.  And this year, I’ve managed to sneak the goodness in, all under the guise of the sweetest, most deliciously fluffy banana chocolate chip pancakes.  They taste so decadent but are deceptively healthy, as they are rich in protein and high in fibre thanks to using gluten-free chickpea flour base and some added chia seeds. Since chickpea flour can be slightly bitter, I used some mashed banana and a little bit of the natural sugar alternative erythritol for sweetness. And whilst the cream cheese syrup is entirely optional – my word, was it dreamy!  It really catapults these pancakes into another echelon of deliciousness! You can either drizzle it over or use it as a dip – either way – you’ll find an excuse to put it on everything! My kids are currently drizzling it over a bowl of berries and then licking the bowl clean to boot!

This healthier version really does rival traditional white flour pancakes in terms of taste.  Any unsuspecting taste bud would struggle to taste the difference between the two, and you also get the added bonus of an extra protein hit without using any processed protein powders.  And the high fibre content helps to stabilise blood sugars, so you don’t get a massive sugar rush followed by the inevitable crash.  I like to make smaller pancakes because they are much easier to flip and for some reason my kids go wild for the mini style.

One portion (of 4-5 mini pancakes) provides 244 calories, 10g of protein and a massive 7g of fibre.  All whilst providing almost half of my dally calcium and 17% of my daily vitamin A requirements. 

HEALTHY INGREDIENTS

For the Pancakes

  • 125g Chickpea Flour

  • 1 Large Egg

  • 170ml Milk of your choice

  • 2 tbsp Chia seeds

  • 2 Bananas

  • 20g Erythritol (or sugar of your choice)

  • 2 tsp Baking Soda

  • 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste

  • 50g Chocolate Chips – I use Sugar-Free ones sweetened with Monk Fruit

  • A little spray oil for frying

 For the Cream Cheese Syrup

  • 85g Cream Cheese

  • 30ml Milk of your choice

  • ½ tsp Vanilla Extract

  • 30g Icing Sugar – I used powdered Erythritol as a substitute 

METHOD

For the Pancakes

  •  In a large bowl, mash the bananas.

  •  Add all of the remaining pancake ingredients and mix thoroughly so that it is as smooth as possible (don’t worry about some banana lumps!).

  • In a good non-stick frying pan, heat a little oil over a medium heat and fry in batches.  I like to make smaller mini pancakes as they are easier to flip.  

  • After 3-4 minutes and when brown on one side, carefully flip over and cook for another 3-4 minutes on the other side too. 

For the Cream Cheese Syrup

  • Whisk all of the ingredients together until smooth

 NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Per serving of 4-5 mini pancakes

Calories – 244
Protein – 10g
Fat – 8g
Carbohydrates – 37g
Fibre – 7g
Sugar – 8g
Calcium – 47%
Vitamin A – 17%

 

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