Everyone loves pancakes, but unfortunately they are not the healthiest breakfast option as they contain refined flour and are often paired with high fat or sugar laden toppings.

But what if there was a way you could enjoy pancakes every morning for breakfast without the negative health effects (or the guilt)? Well you can, and you probably have everything you need in your kitchen to make them right now! Get an apron on and hop right to it as we share how to make healthy pancakes using oat flour. Plus we’ll provide a guide on how to make your own oat flour and the health benefits of this super wholesome flour.

What is Oat Flour?

Oat flour is a nutritious whole grain flour which is made from oats. It can be used in cooking and baking and produces a mildly nutty flavour and interesting textures depending on the recipe (or how fine the oat flour has been processed).

Is Oat Flour Healthy?

Oat flour is full of antioxidants, healthy fat, and protein. Meaning that incorporating it into your diet can help to boost your health. Oat flour is simply made from oats so it has the same nutritional benefits of oats, a few of these include:

Rich in natural vitamins & minerals

Oat flour contains micronutrients including vitamin E which can play an important role in prevention of diseases such as cancer and arthritis. Other essential vitamins and minerals contained in oats are; magnesium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, copper, folate and vitamins B1 and B5.

Reduces risk of heart disease

Oat flour contains soluble fiber beta glucan, which has been proven to help reduce your risk of developing coronary heart disease or cardiovascular disease.

Contains plant based protein

Oat flour contains quality, low-cost, plant-based protein with good amino acid composition. This is great news for anyone on a vegan diet.

Helps you feel full for longer

Consuming oats or products that are made from oats like organic oat flour can help you feel full for longer. Feeling full can help with reducing portion size and achieve weight loss goals.

Beneficial for diabetics

Beta-glucan soluble fibre available from oat flour can help improve insulin response and has been shown to help reduce blood sugar too.

A great source of soluble fiber

Another great effect of soluble fiber is that it helps to move food through the digestive tract.

How to make oat flour at home

To make oat flour all you have to do is pour your desired amount of oats into a blender or food processor and simply blend the oats until they have turned into a fine flour. If you don’t have a blender or food processor you can use a coffee grinder, but be aware that this will make a less fine product which might not be suitable for all recipes.

What kind of oats can be used for oat flour?

To make oat flour you can use rolled oats like our famous Jumbo Organic Oats, quick cooking oats like our Speedicook Porridge Oats or even steel cut oats.

Can I substitute oat flour for every recipe?

When it comes to replacing all-purpose flour oat flour is an excellent healthy substitute. However, oat flour is not always suitable as a 1:1 replacement for every recipe. When trying to substitute it is advised that you replace the all-purpose flour by weight, not volume as oat flour is much lighter than other regular flours.

How to make healthy pancakes using oat flour

Now that you know almost everything there is to know about oat flour why not try it in one of our favourite vegan recipes - oat pancakes with spiced apples by The Ginger Vegan.

Ingredients

For the pancakes:-

• 450ml soya milk
• 300g White's Speedicook Oats or White's Organic Oat Flakes
• 50g sugar
• 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

For the apples:-

• 4 eating apples,
• 1 lemon, juice only
• 3 tbsp soft brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• pinch of ground cloves

Method

1. First peel and core the apples and chop into small pieces.
2. Put into a pan with the lemon juice, sugar and spices.
3. Heat on medium high heat, stir until the sugar has dissolved and bring to a simmer.
4. Simmer until the apple is soft, stirring occasionally.
5. While the apples are cooking mix together the soya milk and apple cider vinegar. The mixture will thicken and turn into a buttermilk.
6. Whizz the oats up in a blender until you have a fine flour.
7. In a large bowl combine the oat flour, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon then pour in the milk mixture and mix well.
8. Heat a frying pan with a very light coating of oil and cook spoonfuls of the batter until brown, then flip over and cook on the other side.
9. Serve with the apples, maple syrup and some vegan cream or yoghurt.
10. If you have a lot of apple cooking liquid leftover you can reduce it down by simmering for a few minutes until syrupy. The flavour will be quite intense with the spices but a half a teaspoon on top of a pancake along with the apples and some yoghurt is delicious.

Oats really are a super stable due to all the great ways you can enjoy them. Did you know that as well as making your own oat flour at home you can make oat milk? Check out our blog on Dairy Free Milk to discover how easy it is to make.