Chunks of soft cinnamon apples add a fun texture to these fluffy whole wheat and Greek yogurt apple pancakes! Just add a drizzle of icing to make these into apple fritter pancakes for the perfect cozy fall breakfast.
These pancakes were inspired by the apple compote pancakes at a restaurant in NYC called Friend of a Farmer. Golden apple compote is spooned into each pancake and flipped so that each pancake is packed with chunks of apple. I loved this idea, so here’s my at-home version!
How I developed these whole wheat apple pancakes
I used my beloved cottage cheese pancake recipe as a base, but with a few changes:
- Nixed the cottage cheese: I used all Greek yogurt instead since I wasn’t look for a cheesy flavor, but I did want these to have a good amount of protein as a breakfast food!
- Swapped all-purpose flour for white whole wheat flour: I love whole wheat and apple paired together and I’ve been especially fixated on whole wheat since making this molasses whole wheat bread.
- Added 1/2 tsp baking soda: My original recipe only uses baking powder, but I wanted these to be extra fluffy. Baking soda reacts with the acidity in yogurt for even fluffier pancakes
- Increased the sugar: The cottage cheese pancakes are meant to be barely sweet, but I wanted these pancakes to have more inherent sweetness.
- Increased the oil: I wanted these to be a little richer and lighter in texture–and added fat does exactly that.
- Added an apple compote: Most apple pancakes use shredded apples in the batter, but as mentioned above, I was inspired by pancakes that added a pre-cooked apple compote to the batter. It’s an extra step, but I think the texture and flavor pay off is worth it! (And more fun than shredding apples.)
Ingredients for apple pancakes
These pancakes use mainly basic pantry ingredients–just a few notes on potential substitutions below!
- Apples: I tested this recipe using Granny Smith apples because I prefer their tart flavor profile in most baking recipes. You can use any apple you like, but if you use a sweeter variety, you could start with 1 tbsp brown sugar and adjust to taste.
- White whole wheat flour: I tested this recipe with King Arthur’s Golden Wheat flour (also known as white whole wheat flour) which I like for its lightly nutty, wheaty flavor. White whole wheat flour has the same nutritional value as whole wheat flour, just with a milder flavor and lighter color thanks to a different wheat varietal. You can substitute whole wheat flour or regular all-purpose flour in case you don’t have white whole wheat flour.
- Greek yogurt: I tested this recipe with nonfat and full-fat Greek yogurt. I much preferred the richer flavor and slightly airier texture with full-fat yogurt, but you can use whatever you have on hand. If you only have regular yogurt on hand, that will work also–your pancakes might be slightly flatter since regular yogurt tends to be more runny.
- Neutral oil: I prefer using oil in pancake batter because you don’t run the risk of the butter seizing into chunks if the other ingredients (milk or eggs) are too cold. You still get plenty of buttery flavor by cooking the pancakes in butter! Algae, avocado, refined coconut, vegetable, grapeseed, etc. are all fine to use. If you don’t prefer using oil, you can sub in melted butter instead.
- Cinnamon: Feel free to measure the cinnamon with your heart 🫶🏼
- Granulated sugar: I cook the apples with brown sugar but use granulated sugar in the pancakes out of habit. You can substitute brown sugar in the pancakes if you prefer!
How to make apple pancakes
For this recipe, I envisioned large, oversized pancakes. This entire recipe yields about 4 large pancakes (made with 1/2 cup batter each). If you’d like to make regular-sized pancakes, this will make about 8 smaller pancakes (using 1/4 cup batter each).
The larger sized pancakes are a bit more difficult to flip, but I think they make for such a fun presentation! I recommend cooking the apples first so you can start making the pancake batter while they cool.
Step 1: Make the apple compote: Add diced apple, lemon juice, brown sugar and cinnamon to a pan over medium heat and cook until they start to soften.
Step 2: Add a few tbsp of water and cook for 3-5 minutes until apples are tender and caramelized. Mixture will be dry rather than saucey. Set aside to let cool slightly before using.
Step 3: In a large bowl, whisk together Greek yogurt, oil, sugar, egg, vanilla and cinnamon. Sprinkle over baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk. Finally, fold in the flour until you have a lumpy batter. Let batter rest for 5-10 minutes.
Step 4: Melt a generous knob of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add about 1/2 cup of batter.
Step 5: Quickly add 2-3 tbsp apple compote on top and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the underside is golden brown and the top of the pancake is matte.
Step 6: Flip and cover with a lid. Cook for 1-2 more minutes on medium low heat. Enjoy warm!
I like to top these pancakes with a dollop of extra yogurt, maple syrup, and maybe a sprinkle of powdered sugar. You can also make a quick powdered sugar glaze (about 2-3 tbsp powdered sugar to 1/2-1 tsp of milk) to give these more of an apple fritter look.
Storage
Any leftover pancakes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Apple Pancakes
Ingredients
For the apple compote
- 1 medium apple, peeled and diced ~120g
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1.5 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2-3 tbsp water
For the pancakes
- 1 cup Greek yogurt, any fat percentage
- 3 tbsp neutral oil or melted butter
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- Butter, for greasing the pan
- More yogurt, maple syrup, powdered sugar for serving
Instructions
For the apple compote
- Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 medium apple, peeled and diced, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1.5 tbsp brown sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon and stir to combine.
- Cook until apples start to soften and release their juices, about 2 minutes. Add 2-3 tbsp water once the pan starts to look dry and cover to steam. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the water is mostly cooked off. Add another splash of water and continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes if apples are not yet tender. Set aside to let cool slightly.
For the pancakes
- In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup Greek yogurt, any fat percentage, 3 tbsp neutral oil or melted butter, 3 tbsp granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp cinnamon until smooth.
- Sprinkle over 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp kosher salt and whisk to combine. Finally, fold in 1 cup white whole wheat flour until just combined–batter should still be a bit lumpy and quite thick. Let batter rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and add a generous knob of butter. Once melted, add a slightly heaping 1/2 cup pancake batter. Immediately top with 2-3 tbsp of apple compote, pressing slightly to adhere. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown and the top is matte with a few bubbles. Reduce heat to medium low if the pancake is browning too fast underneath.
- Carefully nudge a spatula under the pancake and flip confidently. A few chunks of apple and batter might splatter out, but this is normal–the pancake shouldn't be cooked all the way through yet! Nudge any splatters back into place, cover with a lid and turn heat to medium low if you haven't already. Let cook 1-2 minutes until the pancake is golden on the bottom.Serve warm with powdered sugar, more yogurt, maple syrup, any leftover apples or a powdered sugar glaze if desired!
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