Plantain Pancake Recipe

The long awaited flourless and gluten free plantain pancake recipe is here. You can make these healthy pancakes with no flour, wheat or gluten needed. Just 2 base ingredients. An egg and a plantain. Simple as that.

It does require a little preparation such as a blender but it is foolproof to make and a great pancake option for childten or fussy eaters.

---

flourless pANCAKES

YES, no flour is needed. All you need is plantain and 3 eggs. You can make minor variations and tweaks, but it starts with these 2. Ripe plantain and pasture-raised eggs. I think most people should reduce their use of wheat and grains with the increased support shown with glyphosate from eating these foods in their concentrated powdered form, aka flour. Additionally, I am not one for gluten-free flour. They can be problematic themselves with excess oxalates and induce digestive issues such as distension as they can dehydrate the gut by drawing water in.

A good blender and cooking pan with a touch of cooking fat (either ghee, butter or coconut oil is preferred).

I have been living in Nicaragua for the last 4 months, the land of plantains. Instead of following any particular diet out there, I choose to follow a local and seasonal diet approach controlled by nature and make the rules of what is available. It is the most common sense dietary approach to follow. All other wild animals follow it, and they don’t seem to have the insult of modern diseases.

Plantain or Banana Pancake? What is Better?

I originally stumbled upon a similar banana recipe a few years ago and then upgraded it to a plantain which makes the pancake much more starch-based and less sweet, which happens with the bananas.

The plantain holds up better with cooking the pancakes and creates a thicker batter. Plantains can be found in most major cities and even in major supermarkets/grocery stores, such as in the ethnic section. For me, they are in every fruit stand/shop here. The abundance of plantains makes them super affordable where I am for $2 for 3.

What you need: plantain pancakes

Plantains. Depending on your preference and the state of your gut health, you can vary what level of ripeness you opt for. An example, I sometimes use 2 plantains and go 50/50 with 1 ripe one and 1 greenish one to provide resistance starch to increase key bacteria populations such as Bifidobacterium.

I wouldn’t recommend that to everyone, as someone’s tolerance to green bananas or plantains varies, which might cause bloating and gas at the start with new populations blooming. But you can go slow, which I did with 2cm and then 1 inch and then 1/4, and then 1/2.

If the plantain is overripe, the batter becomes very wet so it might require only 2 eggs instead of the 3 recommended. Use your intuition with how the batter runs off the back of a spoon.

Upgrade your pancake game

You can enhance your plantain pancake with the following additional upgrades:

• Sodium bicarbonate / Bicarbonate sodium - this helps with the fluffiness.

• Collagen powder. This helps increase key specific amino acids and is an easy way to add collagen to your diet. My preference is PROMIX (you can save 15% with code FAMILY35)

• Adding honey for more sweetness. Although, I would wait until the end and not cook my honey to potentially reduce its unique health benefits.

• A sprinkle of sea salt to even out the sweetness.

• Cacao nibs or cacao powder to add1 more of a chocolate vibe to it.

Plantain pancake RECIPE

Serves: 1-2
Skill level: EASY
Prep time: 3 minutes
Cooking time: 5-10 minutes

Plantain pancake INGREDIENTS

• 1 plantain (yellow with a few black spots)

• 2 large or 3 medium pasture-raised eggs
  

• To cook the pancakes: ghee, butter or coconut oil

Optional

• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda

• 1.4 tsp sea salt

• 1 tbsp collagen powder

• 1/2 - 1 tsp Maca powder

HOW TO COOK

1. Peel, then chop the plantain into small chunks. Throw into the blender. Any additional options add now.

2. Crack the eggs and add to the blender. Blend until well mixed and the batter is thick but coats the back of a wooden spoon.

3. Heat a saucepan on medium heat, then add a small amount of your cooking fat of choice.

4. Using a deep spoon, dollop the batter into the middle or sections of the pan, depending on the pan size.

5. Depending on the thickness and size of the pancakes, it will vary between cooking times.

6. Usually, 2 minutes per side is enough. Be aggressive with a spatula to flip the pancake.

7. It might take several efforts to complete cooking all the pancakes from the batter. Keep a plate close to the hob, so the pancake doesn’t get cold.

8. You can add extra toppings on top. I typically add greek yogurt with fresh fruit mixed in. That’s usually dragon fruit/pitaya here. Also, raw honey, bee pollen, cacao nibs, and hemp hearts would be ideal visual and nutritional add-ons.

Nutritional Value (per serving)

CALORIES: 581
PROTEIN: 22g
CARBS: 85g
FAT: 17g
FIBER: 4.6
VITAMIN B1: 0.2MG
VITAMIN B2: 0.8MG
VITAMIN B3: 1.8MG
VITAMIN B5: 3.8MG
VITAMIN B6: 0.7MG
VITAMIN B7: 27ug
VITAMIN B9: 59UG
VITAMIN B12: 1.2UG
CHOLINE: 170MG
VITAMIN A: 187IU
RETINOL: 35UG
VITAMIN C: 50MG
VITAMIN D: 120IU
VITAMIN E: 0.1MG
VITAMIN K: 78UG
CALCIUM: 83MG
COPPER: 0.2MG
IRON: 4.5MG
MAGNESIUM: 97MG
MANGANESE: 0.4MG
POTASSIUM: 1495MG
SELENIUM: 46UG
ZINC: 4MG
OMEGA 3: 0.1G
OMEGA 6: 0.1G