Sweet Protein Pancakes

Gluten-Free Healthy Sweet Potato Protein Pancakes are a nutritious low-fat, high protein, moderate carb pancake recipe. These healthy sweet potato pancakes are fluffy, moist and loaded with delicious flavor!

If you’ve followed The Roasted Root for a number of years, you know I am a pancake fanatic.

I’ll let you in on a little secret.

This sweet potato pancake recipe is my all-time favorite pancake recipe. In fact, I’ve made this recipe so many times I’ve lost count!

​My husband and I make them not just for breakfast but also for meal prepping for the workweek. The reason we’re so obsessed? They are both delicious and filling. 

Made with whole grains instead of white flour, these fluffy pancakes contain slow burning carbs to elicit less of an insulin response than regular pancakes. The boost of protein also blunts the blood sugar response. 

The macronutrient breakdown is great for those of you looking to keep your protein intake high while maintaining a low to moderate fat intake and moderate carbohydrate intake.

Not only are these fluffy sweet potato pancakes positively delicious for an amazing weekend breakfast, but they come with health benefits to boot!

Plus, they are a pure pleasure to consume.

The main highlights of this recipe is they are moist and fluffy, require no flour, no added sugar, are high in protein, and easy to make in your blender. Plus, they are kid-friendly, adult-friendly, breakfast-for-dinner friendly.

Another great feature is they are macro-friendly, because they are packed with protein, slow-burning carbohydrate, and are fairly low in fat.

Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for these fluffy healthy sweet potato pancakes.

Ingredients for Sweet Potato Pancakes:

Rolled Oats: Taking the place of regular all-purpose flour, we blend up rolled oats. This slow-burning carbohydrate in combination with protein ensures you stay full for hours rather than getting a big blood sugar spike and crash, only to be hungry soon after eating.

Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats for gluten-free sweet potato pancakes. I use gluten-free sprouted oats.

Sweet Potatoes: Cook a sweet potato using your preferred method. I microwave or boil mine but roasting works too. You can also use leftover sweet potatoes if you have some on hand. You’ll need 1 cup of mashed potatoes, or one medium to large sweet potato.

Whole Eggs and Egg Whites: We need both whole eggs and egg whites for this recipe. The full eggs bring moisture and richness and the egg whites are the majority of the protein source. The end result is very fluffy protein pancakes!

While you can’t make this recipe egg-free with success, you can follow my recipe for Vegan Sweet Potato Pancakes. 

Protein Powder: Add two scoops of your favorite protein powder if you’d like. You can use any kind you enjoy. I usually stick with an unsweetened unflavored protein powder like goat whey protein powder.

Ground Cinnamon: A generous amount of cinnamon brings warm flavor to the pancakes.

Pure Vanilla Extract: A splash of vanilla extract brings more warm flavor, making the pancakes so enticing. 

Baking Powder: The leavening agent here, baking powder helps the pancakes to rise and hold together.

Sea Salt: Be sure to add the sea salt to level up all of the flavors.

Recipe Customizations:

• Replace rolled oats with 1 cup of oat flour or rice flour.
• Add a dash of maple syrup to the pancake batter if you’d like for sweetening.
• Replace the mashed sweet potato with mashed butternut squash, kabocha squash, or pumpkin.
• Use rice flour or a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend instead of oat flour. If using rice flour, use 1 cup, and if using a GF flour blend, use ⅔ cup.
• Add 1 to 3 tablespoons of brown sugar to the pancake batter for sweeter pancakes.
• Toss in 1 teaspoon of ground ginger if you have it on hand and enjoy it.

Now that we’ve covered the simple ingredients and possible changes to the recipe, let’s make some delicious pancakes.

How to Make Sweet Potato Pancakes:

Begin by cooking the sweet potatoes. I boil mine for 20 to 25 minutes in water on the stove top, but if you’re in a hurry you can microwave them. Once cooked and cooled, mash the sweet potato. You will need 1 cup of mashed sweet potato.

Add the oats to a quality blender (such as a Vitamix, Nutri-Bullet, Blendtec, or Wolf) and blend until a flour forms, about 60 seconds. Note: you can also use 1 cup of oat flour if you have it on hand.

Add in the rest of the dry ingredients (cinnamon, salt and baking powder) and blend until all of the dry ingredients are combined.

Add the remaining wet ingredients (sweet potato puree, eggs, egg whites, and vanilla extract) to the blender and blend until smooth and combined. Don’t worry about over-blending!

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat on the stove top and add enough oil to lightly coat the surface.

Pour pancake batter onto the hot skillet (I use about ¼ to ⅓ cup of batter per pancake) and cook until the sides firm up, about 3 minutes.

Note: you can also make huge pancakes if you’d like. We usually take this approach and each eat two large pancakes in a sitting.

Flip and cook an additional minute or two, until cooked through and golden brown.

Listen. The first pancake is always a bad pancake. It usually turns out either burned or undercooked or splatters everywhere. Use it as your test run, make any adjustments to the heat, and don’t panic.

Enjoy sweet potato rolled oat protein pancakes with choice of toppings. I like nut butter and a drizzle of maple syrup. Peanut butter and fresh fruit are great serving options too.

Store leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can freeze pancakes in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. 

And that’s it! These delicious pancakes are a great way of getting some health benefits into your breakfast while still enjoying your breakfast treat.

Make a double batch to have plenty of leftovers or to enjoy throughout the week.

​The perfect way to start the day, this sweet potato pancakes recipe is the easiest way to get in some quality protein and enjoy your favorite breakfast food simultaneously. 

Enjoy these healthy pancakes the next time you’re craving traditional pancakes but want to keep it health-conscious. Perfect for a fall morning or any time of year!

If you love making healthier pancake recipes, I have lots and lots of gluten-free pancake recipes to choose from. Here are some of my personal favorites.

More Healthy Pancake Recipes:

• Flourless Protein Pumpkin Pancakes
• Oatmeal Protein Pancakes
• Vegan Banana Pancakes
• Coconut Flour Zucchini Pancakes
• Lemon Coconut Flour Pancakes for Two
• Paleo Avocado Pancakes
• Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes

Break out the pure maple syrup, and sweet potato thy pancakes!

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