Pear sauce is the star of these light and tender pancakes with pears, giving them a lovely sweetness without any added sugar. Toss in whole grain spelt flour and you'll have the makings of a nutritious breakfast.
Why You'll Love Pancakes with Pears
First things first: these pancakes are made with pear sauce, so technically you're not actually adding chopped pieces of pears to the batter. I make my own - so easy! - but you can usually find it near the applesauce in the grocery store. If you can't get pear sauce, feel free to use smooth applesauce.
These are light, fruit-sweetened, totally satisfying pancaes. You'll love their sturdy texture that's never stodgy or soggy. You can add fresh fruit alongside, or keep things easy and serve them with a generous pour of maple syrup. I started making these pancakes way back when for my kids, but we all love them.
What is Spelt Flour?
Spelt flour is an ancient wheat grain that's also a whole grain. It gives lovely tenderness to baked goods and is not quite as heavy as whole wheat flour. In an interesting twist, even if you can't eat wheat you may find spelt flour easier to digest (it does contain gluten, however, so it's not suitable for those with celiac). Spelt flour can be used interchangebly with all-purpose and whole wheat flour in recipes, giving your cakes or pancakes an extra dose of fiber and whole grain punch.
What You'll Need
You don't need anything fancy to make these pancakes with pears - another reason to love them! Here's a quick overview of what you'll find in this recipe. The full ingredient amounts and detailed instructions are in the recipe card lower down in this post.
- Spelt flour - Spelt flour is a lovely whole grain flour. Sub oat flour to make these gluten-free.
- Baking powder
- Ground ginger - You could use ground cinnamon instead.
- Pear sauce - Like applesauce, but made with pears! You can use homemade or store bought pear sauce.
- Eggs - I use large eggs
- Milk - Whole milk or 2% milk is fine.
- Salt - I always use fine-grain sea salt in my recipes.
How to Make Pancakes with Pears
- Mix: Stir together all of the ingredients.
- Cook: Cook ¼-cups of batter in a greased, heated skillet for about 3 minutes on each side.
Substitution Options and a Few Tips
Want to make these applesauce pancakes? Gluten-free? No worries, here's how to do it:
- Make gluten-free: Swap oat flour for the spelt flour by weight.
- Make vegan: To make vegan, omit the eggs, add 3 extra tablespoons of pear sauce, and use a non-dairy milk of choice in place of the whole milk.
- Make applesauce pancakes: This is an easy one! Simply substitute applesauce for the pear sauce.
- Make them sweeter: I don't add any sugar or sweetener to these pancakes, and they are plenty sweet enough from the fruit. However, if you want to make them sweeter, add a few tablespoons of maple syrup or sugar to the batter.
Serving Suggestions
Top these little beauties with lots of maple syrup - they don't need much else. You coul also add a little melted butter, or sliced fresh pears or apples alongside. For a heartier breakfast or snack, I'll spread a pancake with pears with nut butter like almond or peanut butter.
Storage Options
Store leftover pancakes in a resealable bag in the fridge with a piece of parchment paper in between each one to keep them from sticking for up to 5 days. You can also use these method to freeze them - they'll keep for 3 months in the freezer. To reheat, warm the pancakes in the microwave.
More Pancake Recipes
Recipe
Pancakes with Pears
Ingredients
- 1 cup spelt flour , 140 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 cup unsweetened pear sauce , homemade if possible
- 2 eggs , lightly beaten
- ½ cup whole milk
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Stir together all ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Heat a cast iron or nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Coat with butter, or olive oil. Scoop out ¼-cups of batter for each pancake.
- Let pancakes cook about 3 minutes or until the edges are set and the top shows air bubbles. Carefully flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Serve immediately and repeat with the rest of the batter, or keep warm on a baking sheet in a 200 degree F oven.
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