Healthy Sweet Potato Pancakes (whole grain and low sugar)
Healthy Sweet Potato Pancakes are a simple, nutritious pancake recipe that kids will love. Plus, they have an extra boost of nutrients and fiber thanks to whole wheat flour and mashed sweet potato. Make a batch and heat them up all week for easy breakfasts.
Kids in the Kitchen:
- Measure: Since there are only a few ingredients, this is a great opportunity for kids to practice measuring accurately. Have kids measure the dry ingredients into a separate bowl so they can easily whisk them together before adding to the wet ingredients.
- Egg: Kids can crack an egg into an empty bowl, just in case you have to fish out some shell, before mixing it with the other pancake ingredients.
- Mix: Make sure to use an extra large bowl so kids can help stir the batter without many spills.
- Flip: This is great to do “hand over hand” (have your child place a hand on top of yours holding the spatula), so that they get a feel for what kind of motion is needed to flip a pancake. My favorite kind of spatula for kids to help use is linked in the section below.
Subs and Tips for making Healthy Sweet Potato Pancakes:
- Sweet Potato: There are several ways to cook sweet potato for this recipe. If I don’t have any leftover cooked sweet potato from making something else, I usually microwave a whole sweet potato until soft. You could also used canned sweet potato or pumpkin puree instead. However, canned puree has much more moisture, so I would reduce the milk to 3/4 cup.
- Gluten-free: You can make these gluten free by using a gluten-free, cup-for-cup style flour blend such as King Arthur. Since I find gluten-free flour absorbs less moisture than whole wheat flour, you may have to stir in an additional 1/4 cup of the gluten-free flour to get a thick enough pancake batter.
- Egg-free: You can replace the egg in this recipe with a flax “egg” (2 Tbsp water mixed with 1 Tbsp ground flax seed).
- Griddle: I got this griddle as a gift and I’m loving making pancakes on it. You can make so many at one time. So convenient!
- Spatula: My favorite style of spatula for flipping foods is called a “fish spatula.” They are very thin and slip under food very easily. I don’t like the ones where the bottom is turned up. The spatula should be flat. Here is an option on Amazon.
Healthy Sweet Potato Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 medium-large sweet potato 2/3 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tbsp avocado or vegetable oil
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup plus more for serving
- 1 cup milk (any kind)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour or 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 all-purpose or 1 1/4 cups gluten-free flour blend
Instructions
- Cook the sweet potato until soft enough to mash. (I like to do this in the microwave: cut the sweet potato in half and place on a plate. Microwave until very soft, 8 to 12 minutes. Scoop the flesh out of the skin and wash with a fork. Alternately, you can roast, steam, or boil the sweet potato.)
- Measure 2/3 cup of mashed sweet potato and place in a large bowl. Add the egg, oil, maple syrup, milk, and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
- Whisk in the baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Then stir in the flour until just mixed in. It's ok if some lumps remain.
- Place a griddle or non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Scoop 2 to 3 tbsp of batter into pancakes and cook on each side until golden brown.
- Serve pancakes with additional syrup if desired. Cooled pancakes can be stored in the refrigerator for 4 days or frozen in a single layer then placed in freezer bags for up to a month.
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Loving this pancake recipe and want even more easy breakfast ideas? Try these easy to make ahead breakfast faves!
- Kids-Friendly Make Ahead Breakfasts
- Banana Peanut Butter Blender Pancakes
- Breakfast Biscuit Bombs
- Healthy Breakfast Sandwiches (Freezer Friendly)