Fluffy Maple Pancakes; Sugar Free From Scratch Recipe

This fluffy maple pancakes recipe is so simple and you probably already have the ingredients in your kitchen. Instead of sugar these pancakes are sweetened with organic maple syrup. They are fluffy, slightly sweet, and so yummy. 

If you are trying to get away from processed sugar, but still want the occasional treat without feeling guilty, then these pancakes are sure to become a favorite. 

For a while we would make traditional pancakes with sugar, and because it wasn’t that much I tried to justify that it was okay. However, why use sugar when you don’t have too? There’s already syrup on top, we don’t need to add more to the pancake itself. 

Yeah, pancakes are probably not the healthiest thing in the world but on occasion they make a great breakfast for the whole family. My kids love helping me make these pancakes and it’s such a simple, non fussy recipe that it’s great for teaching kids how to work in the kitchen. 

The fluffiest pancakes you will ever make!

Another unexpected benefit of the maple syrup is how it browns the pancakes beautifully when cooked. I promise, if you try this recipe you will not be disappointed. 

What you will need for the pancakes:

• Flour. It might go without saying but there is no pancake without flour. Use all purpose, organic, unbleached flour for this recipe. 
• Baking soda and baking powder. 
• Salt. We only use Redmond’s Real Salt in our home.
• Maple Syrup. Use organic if you can afford it. Foods grown using organic methods have more nutrients than their non organic counterparts.
• Egg. We will only use one egg for this recipe. Pastured is best, not only for nutritional value but also taste. 
• Butter. Use salted butter here, and if you can afford it, buy butter from grass fed dairy cows. You could also sub coconut oil if you want to make this dairy free.
• Milk. We use whole milk, but skim or 2% would work, too. If you have access to raw milk then use it and be grateful! If you need to sub out the milk, almond or oat milk would work fine.
• Vanilla. I’ve harped on this before and I’ll do it again. Use REAL vanilla extract… not that weird imitation stuff. You could also use maple extract to highlight the maple flavor. If doing so, I’ve found you’ll need a bit more of that than vanilla extract by about two tsp. 

How to make fluffy pancakes from scratch:

The process for making pancakes is so simple, even if you’ve never cooked from scratch before you’ll be able to make these with little effort.

1. Measure and mix the dry ingredients first. This includes flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Mix it all together with a whisk and then move on to the next step. 

2. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mix. This includes maple syrup, milk, egg, butter, and vanilla. Note that you will be melting the butter before adding it to the batter. Small clumps of butter may be seen throughout your batter after you add the milk. This is perfectly okay, the cold milk solidified some of the butter it came in contact with. Now, when your pancakes are cooking you’ll get little buttery pockets of deliciousness. 

3. Cook. Using a ¼ measuring cup, scoop out batter and pour it onto a buttered/greased cooktop. You can use several small pans, or a griddle for this. We love cooking on our griddle since we can fit up to 8 pancakes at a time. It makes the cooking go sooooo much faster

The pancakes are ready to flip when the top becomes bubbly and the edges look set. My father taught me to look for bubbles that don’t get refilled with batter after popping. After a couple minutes flip again to see if the back side is golden before removing to a plate. 

Optional add-ins. 

We love mixing in all sorts of things to our pancakes. These include chocolate chips, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, banana’s. You could do walnuts and banana’s 🤯 (I have to go try that now!)  Guys, there are so many options, the sky’s the limit! 

Sugar Free Pancakes: Fluffy Maple Pancakes

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes (Each pancake will cook for about 5 minutes)

Yield: 13 pancakes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour, organic, unbleached, all purpose
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 1 ¼ cup milk of choice
• 1 egg
• 4 tbsp butter, can sub coconut oil or avocado oil
• 2 tsp vanilla or 4 tsp maple extract

Directions:

1. In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
2. Melt the butter.
3. Add the butter, milk, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla to the dry ingredients, mix until well combined. 
4. Grease pans, or griddle with butter over medium heat. Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, scoop pancake batter onto the cooktop. Flip when edges are set and bubbles no longer fill after popping, about 2-3 minutes. 
5. Allow to cook for another 2-3 minutes and remove when both sides have reached a golden brown color. Add more butter to the pan when starting the next pancakes. 
6. Serve with maple syrup, whipped cream, or fruit. Eggs, bacon, or sausage on the side add filling protein to round out the meal. 
7. Store leftovers in an airtight container or ziploc for up to five days or freeze for several months, with parchment or wax paper between each pancake.