This apple cinnamon oatmeal protein pancake recipe is famous in the Burn the Fat community. It was first mentioned in the earliest ebook edition of Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle in 2003. I’ve been making these since the 90s and I’ve been sharing the recipe ever since.
In 2011, we released our Burn the Fat Meal Planning software at Burn the Fat Inner Circle. It’s not only a fantastic tool for proactive meal planning, it’s also like an online cookbook, where you can find hundreds of Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle recipes with a click.
Thousands of members use the software to create their daily meal plans or track their macros. In the meal planner, members have the option to mark each recipe as a personal favorite. Every time someone does that, the software counts it as a vote. This has let us rank our recipes by popularity. In 2023, I released a free recipe ebook that included the 20 top ranked Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle recipes of all time. Out of hundreds of recipes, the apple cinnamon oatmeal protein pancake ranked number one.
I’m not even sure if this is the most delicious out of all the Burn the Fat recipes. These are tasty, but so are a lot of other recipes here, including oatmeal recipes. As one example, the high protein double berry baked oatmeal is off the chain tasty sweetness. And yet our original apple cinnamon oatmeal pancakes page has exponentially more views: 717,696 views so far.
Why so popular then? Maybe one reason is that it’s the oldest Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle recipe. But I also think it’s because this style of pancake is the ultimate convenience and travel meal.
You can wrap up an oatmeal protein pancake in foil or plastic and take it with you anywhere. It’s also like “finger food” and you can eat it conveniently a little piece at a time even while you’re behind the wheel driving, flying on a plane, sitting in class or at a seminar, hiking in the mountains, or just about anywhere else. This is my go-to meal whenever I’m hiking, road-tripping or flying (and I’ve never had one confiscated from my carry-on by the TSA).
If you make an oatmeal pancake in the morning, it will stay fresh all day long and taste good even if you don’t eat it until late in the afternoon. If you meal prep these in batches, you can store them in the refrigerator for at least three days. You could also freeze them, though they might take on some sogginess after being thawed.
There were 32,226 downloads of our free top 20 recipes book the first month it was released, so now even more people have been learning about oatmeal protein pancakes. Also, due to the renewed notoriety, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the recipe. That’s why I wrote this post, and I’ve answered the most frequently asked questions below.
How Do You Keep Oatmeal Protein Pancakes Moist?
One of the common questions about this recipe is how to keep your pancakes moist. Usually these pancakes have a decent amount of moisture as long as you use a generous portion of apple. I use half an apple. (That weighs 2.5 to 3 ounces depending on the apple size). I dice it so there are pieces of apple in every bite.
Another option is to add a couple tablespoons of no sugar applesauce. This will add a little more moisture, plus more apple flavor and natural sweetness. In addition, applesauce is a well-known in baking circles as a fat/oil replacer, so it adds richness. Use even more than 2 Tbsp if you like.
Speaking of fat, I also recommend you include one whole egg. Some earlier versions of this recipe called for all egg whites. You can make it that way if you choose and it will drop the calories. However, using a whole egg will make the pancake richer and moister and it’s also a good binder.
And here’s the number one tip to make sure you don’t have a dry pancake: be sure you never overcook them. These pancakes are so much better when they are just slightly undercooked in the middle than if they are overcooked.
Also make a note that because the skillet will continue to heat up as it stays on the stovetop longer, it takes a little less time to cook the second side than the first side. If you cook the second side for the same time as the first, you risk burning the outside and drying out the inside.
The first side should be cooked in 3 1/2 to 4 minutes and firm enough to flip. Keep an eye on the clock because these pancakes will easily burn on the outside after 4 minutes. Your pancake should be lightly browned. If it’s blackened, it’s burnt and won’t taste as good. It will be dry too.
Also, If you set the heat higher than medium, your pancakes will usually burn on the outside before they are cooked to firmness on the inside. You may want to tinker slightly with the heat level and the cooking time to get the finished product exactly like you want it.
Is The Pancake Batter Supposed To Be So Thick?
This is not a traditional pancake with a runny batter. If you use the exact amount of ingredients listed above, the batter will be very thick, especially if you use large eggs instead of the XL eggs listed in the recipe.
Either way, the batter may not pour. You may need to spoon it into the skillet and then flatten it so you end up with a pancake about 3/4 inch thick and about 6 inches in diameter.
Some of our members blended all the ingredients and that created a batter not so thick. After all these years I still haven’t tried that but I will have to give it a go.
But if you want a thinner or thicker batter consistency, there’s another easy way: simply change the ratio of dry to liquid ingredients. If it’s thick and you want it thinner, add more liquid ingredient like egg whites or applesauce or use less dry ingredients next time (oatmeal and protein powder). If it’s too thin and you want it thicker, add more dry ingredients or use less liquid ingredients.
For people who feel it’s wasteful to throw away egg yolks, you can buy pasteurized egg whites in cartons. But for some reason, I seem to get the best results for this recipe using whites from whole eggs.
Do You Have To Use Protein Powder In Oatmeal Pancakes?
I recommend keeping the vanilla protein powder in the recipe even if you feel that you don’t need a high protein version of the pancake. Flavored protein powders can be an excellent recipe ingredient.
Vanilla meshes beautifully with the oatmeal, apple and cinnamon flavors, and makes your pancake taste a lot better than without it. It’s also a dry ingredient that helps create a nice thick batter.
Plus, many people fall short on protein for the day because their usual breakfasts are so heavily carb-based. That said, you could reduce the protein powder amount if you only need 30 or 35 grams per meal.
I have always used a vanilla-flavored whey or a whey/casein blend for this recipe. However you can go ahead and experiment with any kind of protein powder you like.
Do You Have To Use A Sweetener?
These oatmeal pancakes taste good just with the natural sweetness of the apples, and most vanilla protein powders are also sweetened. However, a couple packets of low or non-caloric sweetener is recommended, especially if you’re eating your pancake without any topping like syrup or jelly.
If you’re on a higher calorie, higher carb plan, these pancakes are delicious with natural jelly or preserves on top. Calorie free maple syrup is also a popular topping option.
Make a note however, that these pancakes are designed to be a stand alone meal and do not require any topping, unlike traditional flour-based pancakes which are plain and dry without syrup.
People often ask if they can use a different fruit. For sure. There are many variations of these oatmeal protein pancakes. Using bananas instead of apples is one popular way. Our members have also reported using blueberries and or strawberries with delicious results.
What If This Jumbo Pancake Is Too Much To Eat At Once?
Many people are either light eaters with small appetites or they’re on fat loss programs with a small calorie budget. These folks often tell me it’s too much to eat at once, or they simply don’t want a pancake that is close to 500 calories.
It’s true, these aren’t your ordinary pancakes – these are jumbo-sized. If you like, you can simply make two smaller pancakes from the same batch of ingredients. Voila! You now have two 243-calorie pancakes.
Another option is to scale the recipe down by about a quarter. That will produce a smaller, 5 inch wide pancake with only 386 calories. Readers, especially women with smaller calorie budgets, tell me this is a perfect size and calorie amount, and you still get 38 grams of protein.
Here are the ingredients and macros for the scaled-down version:
Lower-calorie apple cinnamon oatmeal pancakes:
1/2 cup oats
1 whole egg XL
2 egg whites XL
23g vanilla protein powder (about 1/4 cup)
2 oz (57g) diced apple
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1-2 packets zero-calorie sweetener
Calories: 386
Protein: 38.5
Carbs: 39.8
Fat: 8.4
What If You’re Bulking And Need More Calories?
You can go in the opposite direction and make a bigger pancake if you want. You can customize this recipe any way you like to get the calories and macros you need.
If you want more calories, you could scale up to 3/4 cup of oatmeal or even up to a full cup. But if you use more than a cup, it’s best to make two smaller pancakes, because if the pancake is too big, it’s more likely to fall apart when you try to flip it.
Adding nuts is another way to boost calories. (Adding walnuts to the banana variation is tasty, and can easily bring the calories high enough to meet the calorie needs for bulking bodybuilders).
Being a dry fruit, raisins are calorie dense so they are also a popular ingredient variation when someone wants more calories.
And of course, you could serve the pancake with something else on the side or something on top.
Try it! It Might Become One Of Your Favorites Too!
There have been dozens of new recipes that have been added to the Burn the Fat Inner Circle in the last year alone. Some of the new ones are really rising in popularity, so it remains to be seen if high protein apple cinnamon oatmeal pancakes will hold on to the number one spot. In the future it will be fun to see if and how the Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle recipe rankings change.
In the meantime, apple cinnamon high protein pancakes are still at the top of the list. My guess is they’ll probably always be in the top 10 favorites out of hundreds in the Burn the Fat recipe collection. Try it, and this might become a favorite for you as well, especially if you need something portable to take with you when you’re always on the go.
And oh, hey… please comment below. If you’ve been eating’ this one like me for years, let me know, or if you just tried it the first time, do same.
(NOTE: If you want to see the top 20 ranked Burn the Fat recipes, be sure to download my free recipe ebook Here).
-Tom Venuto, Author of, Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle (BFFM)
Author, The BFFM Guide To Flexible Meal Planning For Fat Loss
Founder, Burn the Fat Inner Circle
To download Tom Venuto’s recipe book, The top 20 Fat burning recipes of all time, CLICK HERE (free!)
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Apple cinnamon oatmeal protein pancake
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup Old fashioned oats (oatmeal)
- 1 XL whole egg
- 3 XL egg whites
- 1/2 medium apple (2.5oz/71g)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 packets zero calorie sweetener
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (31g approx 1/3 cup)
Nutrition
About Tom Venuto
Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilding and fat loss expert. He is also a recipe creator specializing in fat-burning, muscle-building cooking. Tom is a former competitive bodybuilder and today works as a full-time fitness coach, writer, blogger, and author. In his spare time, he is an avid outdoor enthusiast and backpacker. His book, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle is an international bestseller, first as an ebook and now as a hardcover and audiobook. The Body Fat Solution, Tom’s book about emotional eating and long-term weight maintenance, was an Oprah Magazine and Men’s Fitness Magazine pick. Tom is also the founder of Burn The Fat Inner Circle – a fitness support community with over 52,000 members worldwide since 2006. Click here for membership details
You are such a clever, caring Expert1
Thank you always for your time and expertise!
thank you!
Hi Tom,
Thank you for sharing this recipe; it looks very tasty and I’m adding this one to my “to try” list.
One comment on flavored protein powder selection – I read somewhere years ago that sucralose should not be used in baked goods as it is known to degrade when heated and produce compounds that are thought to have carcinogenic effects. I’m no expert and this probably deserves a citation before this post is allowed to stay up (possibly misinforming the community…yikes!).
Hi Matt. If you google around and social media around enough you are bound to find lots of “natural health experts” who criticize all non-nutritive sweeteners, but without showing substantive evidence. I call out “natural” and called the sweeteners “non nutritive” because if you use the word artificial some people lose their minds and yet in many cases they are making the naturalistic fallacy – the error in critical thinking that assumes everything natural is good for you and everything artificial is bad for you, while the truth is in many cases its the dose that makes the poison. Water is natural but Too much water in short period can kill you. Too much of certain vitamins and minerals can make you sick. I haven’t seen any convincing scientific evidence that baking with Sucralose is thought to have unhealthful effects. Throw a link my way if you have any research papers to share. But, recently there appear to be some possible concerns about gut microbiota effects. not sure if its anything to really worry about, but the studies are there. As for other sweeteners you have to look at them one by one rather than take blanket statements made about all of them. I often use the stevia erythritol blend including in baking and I have little to no concern. A recent study suggesting negative cardiovascular effects from erythritol use, but after reading the paper I see the study didn’t prove that at all – it was referring to endogenously produced erythritol in very sick and older people – didn’t even measure actual erythritol sweetener use, only blood erythritol levels. This is why it’s important to fact check stuff even from “health experts” by looking it up in the actual scientific journals or following evidence based people who do that for a living. (Of course, an excess of erythritol can cause some “GI side effects, lol). Enjoy the recipe! Banana oatmeal protein pancakes are great too!
Hi Tom.
Thank you for that very that very thorough reply! I agree with your assessment that there is much hype out on the internet, and that it can be difficult to weed out the kernels of truth in all of the chaff.
Per your request, I ran a search on Bing and found what *looks* to be a scientific paper that presents the results of a Sucralose heat degredation study. Citations to additional papers/sources are provided throughout, so this *might* be the more substantial source that you would find interesting.
Here’s the link: https://www.nature.com/articles/srep09598
I’m not a scientist or any sort of expert on this topic, and I didn’t analyze the methods used by the researchers.
Hello,
Can we take for granted that we should use Rolled Oats (not Steel-Cut Oats) in your recipe? Steel-cut oats are whole oat groats that are not steamed or rolled, and they don’t go through the drying process that rolled oats go through.
Thank you.
Yes that is correct. This recipe calls for old fashioned rolled oats (larger flat flakes) or quick oats works too (same thing, but smaller flakes)