Banana and Chia Seed Blender Pancakes
Servings 3 people
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons chia seeds
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ripe banana approx. 4 oz.
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- ½ cup milk
- a couple teaspoons oil for frying
Instructions
- In a jar combine the water and chia seeds. If the jar has a lid, then give this a good shake for a minute or two. If not, you can just stir well. Allow the chia seeds to sit and soak for at least 5-8 minutes (longer is OK too) so they begin to develop a gel looking coating around the seeds.
- In a blender combine the flour, baking powder, salt, banana (peel removed), vanilla extract, egg, milk, and chia seed water. Pulse until well combined.
- Heat a nonstick pan or skillet over low/medium heat. Add a little oil to the pan. Pour about 3 tablespoons to 1/4 cup of batter into the heated pan. Wait until you see bubbles beginning to form in the batter and you can easily pull up the edges with a spatula. Then, gently work your spatula under the pancake and give it a quick flip over to the other side. Cook until the pancake is cooked through.
- Once you get the timing down, cook away until you’re out of batter! Remember to add a little more oil to the pan if you notice the pancakes beginning to stick. And also I find a little oil will help to create some slightly crispy edges, which I love in homemade pancakes.
Notes
-Soaking the chia seeds not only will help to thicken your batter (because of the gel-like coating around the seeds), but I've also read that this is actually making the seeds sprout. Which makes them easier to digest and allows your body to access all their nutritional value. So don't skip it.
-You can soak these for much longer than the initial 5-8 minutes, like even overnight. But if you aren't much of a planner, just let them soak at least this long while you go make a pot of coffee or something.
-If you want to keep these dairy free, just use any dairy free milk you prefer (soy, almond, cashew, etc.). Even coconut milk with cream here would be great, but I probably wouldn't open a can just for this as you'll only need 1/2 cup.
-I haven't tried swapping out the all-purpose flour with other flours yet (like whole wheat options or gluten free), but if anyone does, please let us know how it went! I have a feeling many other flours could work well here, but I am hesitant to recommend anything until I've tried it.