Fluffy Apple Pancakes

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Make cozy apple pancakes with real apples, cinnamon, and simple pantry ingredients! They’re light and fluffy, easy to make, and perfect for breakfast or brunch.

Here’s a recipe for cozy mornings that’s a healthy breakfast idea at the same time: these cozy apple pancakes! They’re fluffy, cinnamon-spiced, and made of 100% oats, no flour! Using oats lends a warm, homey flavor and makes them more filling and nutrient-dense than a standard pancake.

I’ve made these dozens of times for weekend brunch gatherings, and they disappear so quickly! This recipe is from my friend and cookbook author Erin’s book, The Well Plated Cookbook, and I know you’ll absolutely love it.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Made with 100% oats: No all-purpose flour needed: these are naturally gluten-free
Light and fluffy texture: Greek yogurt and the blender create tender pancakes that are never dense
Protein-packed: Greek yogurt makes these more filling than traditional pancakes
Simple ingredients: Just oats, yogurt, eggs, milk, and maple syrup
Quick and easy: Blend everything in minutes, from start to finish in about 30 minutes total time

5-Star Reader Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Loved these pancakes! Chopped oatmeal in a food processor first, then added it to the other ingredients in the blender. So if you don’t have a high-grade blender, this recipe can still work for you. Yummy!” -Cindy M.

Ingredients You’ll Need

You’ll be amazed at how fluffy these come out with no flour. You get all the nutrients of eating a bowl of oatmeal, not a stack of flapjacks! Here are some notes on the main ingredients in Erin’s apple cinnamon pancakes:

Old-fashioned rolled oats: The base of this recipe; don’t use steel-cut oats or quick oats
Greek yogurt: Adds protein and texture; I use plain full-fat or 2%
Milk: Any kind works (dairy, oat milk, almond milk)
Eggs: Helps bind everything together
Maple syrup: Pure maple syrup for natural sweetness (not pancake syrup)
Vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt: Enhances the overall flavors
Baking powder: Essential for creating those fluffy, light pancakes
Unsalted butter: Melted and cooled, adds richness; you can also substitute olive oil
Fresh apples: The star ingredient! See the section below for best varieties

About the Apples

The type of apple you choose makes a real difference in these pancakes. I typically reach for Pink Lady apples, but here are a few ideas:

Pink Lady or Honeycrisp: My personal favorites; they’re sweet with just enough tartness and hold their texture
Fuji: Crisp and naturally sweet, another excellent choice
Granny Smith: Classic tart apple that provides nice contrast to the sweet batter

How to Make Apple Pancakes: Some Tips

Making these fluffy apple pancakes is surprisingly simple thanks to the blender method. Here are a few tips:

Blend the batter until it’s completely smooth. This takes just a few minutes depending on your blender. The batter should look creamy with no visible oat pieces. This blending process is what makes these pancakes so light despite having no all-purpose flour.
Fold in the grated apple. Stop the blender and stir in your freshly grated apple by hand.
Let the batter rest briefly. While you preheat your nonstick pan or griddle, let the batter sit for 5 minutes. This allows the batter to become thicker.
Heat your pan. Preheat over medium-low heat. This is crucial for cooking pancakes made without flour. Too high and the outsides burn before the centers cook through.
Cook low and slow. Lightly grease your stovetop surface with butter. Pour about ¼ cup of pancake batter and cook for 3-4 minutes until small bubbles appear on top and edges look dry. Then flip gently and cook 1 to 2 minutes more. This takes longer than a standard pancake!

Serving Ideas

Once you’ve got a towering stack of apple cinnamon pancakes, it’s all about the toppings! Here are a few notes about what Erin suggests and what we personally enjoy:

Peanut butter or almond butter: Adding plant-based protein helps to make them even more filling! Combining oatmeal pancakes with nut butter makes a seriously satisfying breakfast.
Fresh apples or sauteed apples: I used fresh apples to top and loved the crisp pop of flavor and texture. In Erin’s cookbook, she also has a recipe for sauteed apples to use as a topping.
Chopped pecans or walnuts: Chopped nuts add even more protein and a nice crunch.
Greek yogurt: Swirl Greek yogurt with a little maple syrup as healthy topping, or use it plain. Another idea is the Greek yogurt “cream cheese” topping from my Carrot Cake Pancakes.

Storage, Freezing, & Reheating

Refrigerator: Store leftover pancakes in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Freezing: These freeze well for up to 2 months. Let them cool completely, then arrange in a single layer on a lined baking sheet and freeze until solid (about 1 hour). Transfer to a freezer-safe bag or airtight container.

Reheating: You can pop refrigerated or frozen pancakes in the toaster to reheat. You can also microwave for 30-45 seconds or reheat in a 350°F oven wrapped in foil.

This apple cinnamon pancakes recipe is from our friend Erin Clarke’s book, The Well Plated Cookbook. The recipes are very easy to follow so that they come out beautifully every time. I am a stickler for well-tested and well-written recipes, and Erin’s are top notch. You’ll feel comfortable cooking with the book because there’s no guesswork!

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of apples are best for apple pancakes?

I find Honeycrisp and Pink Lady apples work best because they’re crisp-tart with natural sweetness. Granny Smith brings pleasant tartness if you prefer a more traditional tart apple flavor.

Can I use applesauce instead of eggs?

I don’t recommend it for this particular recipe. The eggs are crucial for binding since there’s no all-purpose flour or gluten structure. Try my Applesauce Pancakes instead!

What helps make these apple pancakes fluffy?

Several things create fluffy texture: Blending the oats completely smooth: any chunks will make them dense. The baking powder helps with rise, and the Greek yogurt adds moisture and creates steam as they cook, which also helps them rise. Finally, cooking on medium-low heat gives the centers time to cook through and puff up without burning the outsides.

Dietary Notes

This apple pancakes recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free (with certified gluten free oats).

Apple Pancakes

Print Recipe

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Make cozy apple pancakes with real apples, cinnamon, and simple pantry ingredients! They’re light and fluffy, easy to make, and perfect for breakfast or brunch.

Author: Sonja Overhiser
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 12 4-inch pancakes 1x
Category: Breakfast
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup plain Greek yogurt
½ cup milk
1 ¾ cups old-fashioned oats
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup shredded crisp-tart apple, such as Honeycrisp or Fuji (1 large or 2 small)
For serving: pure maple syrup, chopped pecans, peanut butter or almond butter, sauteed apples

Instructions

If you’d like to keep the pancakes warm between batches, place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a small microwave-safe bowl, microwave the butter for 15 seconds. Continue to microwave in 15-second bursts, just until melted. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.
Place the Greek yogurt, milk, oats, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and melted, cooled butter in a blender. Blend until the batter is very smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of your blender a few times. Depending on your blender, this will take a few minutes. Continue blending until you don’t see any remaining bits of oats, and the batter is creamy.
Stop the blender. Peel and grate the apple, then stir it into the blender. Do not blend again.
Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. Unless the manufacturer of your pan directs otherwise, lightly coat the surface of the pan with nonstick spray (some nonstick pans and griddles may not need it).
Once the skillet is heated, drop the batter by ¼ cupfuls onto the pan and, with the flat bottom of your measuring cup or the back of a spoon, spread the pancakes to be ½ inch thick. Let cook slowly for 3 to 4 minutes on the first side, until the edges look dry and small bubbles appear on top. Gently flip (the underside should be golden) and continue cooking on the other side for 1 to 2 additional minutes, until golden. Adjust the heat as needed between batches. If you pancakes are turning golden before they are cooked through, reduce the heat of your skillet accordingly; if they don’t seem to be cooking through at all and you’ve gone a few minutes over the cook time, increase the temperature a little. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Serve the pancakes immediately or place on a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Add your favorite toppings and enjoy.

Notes

Recipe excerpted with permission from Erin Clarke’s book, The Well Plated Cookbook.