If you love apples and you love pancakes, then you’re going love this unique twist on both! My Healthy Apple Pancake Dippers are the perfect, bite-sized way to get more fruit into your favorite breakfast treat. Plus, this recipe can easily be made gluten-free, vegan-friendly, paleo-friendly, and/or refined sugar-free. Essentially, it is the perfect breakfast treat, no matter what your dietary preferences are!
Friends, how many of you love pancakes?! I know I do. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that I love pancakes even more than my boys do… and they LOVE them. So, I’m always looking for new ways to make my weekend pancakes just a little bit more nutritious, and I think this may just be my new favorite healthy pancake “hack” yet.
The secret to making these pancake dippers a little more nutrient-dense lies within one of my favorite ingredients: apples! Apples are rich in fibers and antioxidants, and are also rich in Vitamin C. Plus, not to mention, they’re absolutely delicious!
If you’ve spent any length of time on Kalejunkie before, then it should come as no surprise that I love creating recipes around apples. From my Warm Baked Apples with Cinnamon Granola to my Healthy Apple Spice Oatmeal Pancakes, apples are such a deliciously versatile ingredient. And for any parents of littles out there… I’ve yet to meet a kid who doesn’t love apples as well.
And when we combine those apples that we know and love with pancake batter… well, it’s truly an unbeatable combination, if I do say so myself.
What You Need to Make these Delightfully Delicious Pancake Dippers
Would you believe me if I told you that you only need 5 different ingredients to make this recipe?! It’s true! This recipe comes together with only 5 simple and easy ingredients, and only takes mere minutes to throw together.
- Apples: Of course, for this recipe, you need apples! Keep in-mind that you’ll need to core your apples, so if you’re making this on a school day morning, you may want to prep your apples ahead of time! And if you choose to do this, you can squeeze some lemon juice on top of your apples to avoid browning. 🙂
- Pancake Batter: Your favorite pancake batter or mix works perfectly for this recipe! I like using Birch Benders’ pancake mix, but any mix will do. And if you really want to go the extra mile, you can make my Easy Vegan Buttermilk Pancake batter and use that!
- Cinnamon: A sprinkle of cinnamon goes perfectly with apples!
- Coconut Sugar: A sprinkle of coconut sugar adds a touch of sweetness! I also like using monk fruit sweetener here, and I highly recommend Lakanto’s monk fruit sweeteners.
- Maple Syrup: This is for the dipping! No pancakes are complete without maple syrup, and I especially recommend it for this recipe.
The Best Type of Pancake Batter to Use in This Recipe
As I mentioned above, any pancake batter truly works in this recipe! For this recipe, I personally use the Birch Benders Organic Classic pancake mix – they have tons of different variations, from gluten-free to vegan to even keto. I like their paleo pancake mix, and my kids love it too!
And, of course, if you really want to go the extra mile and make this recipe *extra* special, then you can absolutely make your own pancake batter! If you decide to do this, I recommend using my Easy Vegan Buttermilk Pancake recipe, or my Spinach Banana Blender Pancake recipe for an extra dose of veggies!
How to Make These Delicious Apple Pancake Dippers
To make this recipe, start by preparing your pancake batter of choice, and set it aside. Next, you’ll want to slice your apples into 1/4-1/2 inch slices. You’ll also want to “core” them (aka remove the core!), and to do this I recommend using a melon baller or a small cookie cutter.
Then, heat a pan on the stove over medium heat and grease it with butter or oil – I personally use avocado oil. Bring back your pancake batter, and dip your apple slices inside, one at a time, making sure that they’re all fully coated. Place your coated apples into the pan and cook for two minutes on each side, until they turn a golden brown.
Once your pancakes are done, pour your cinnamon and coconut sugar into a small bowl and roll each pancake in them. Then, serve them with maple syrup, and enjoy!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and rating below! And of course, since I practically live on Instagram, tag me in your creations so I can see them and repost on my IG stories! Enjoy! xx
** Photography by Gayle McLeod
Equipment
- 1 Mini Cookie Cutter This set of cookie cutters includes a mini size that is perfect for this recipe!
- 1 Melon Baller I love this melon baller, and use it regularly!
- 1 Nonstick Skillet I love my Always Pan from Our Place
Ingredients
- 2 Apples, cores removed
- 1 Cup Pancake Batter, prepared according to the package instructions
- 2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons Coconut Sugar or Monkfruit Sweetener
- 3 Tablespoons Maple Syrup, optional – for dipping
Instructions
- Start by preparing your pancake batter of choice, and set it aside.
- Next, prepare your apples. Slice them into 1/4 – 1/2 inch slices, and “core” them (aka remove the core!). I recommend using a melon baller or a small cookie cutter to do this.
- Then, heat a pan on the stove over medium heat and grease it with butter or oil – I personally use avocado oil.
- Dip your apple slices into the pancake batter – one at a time – and ensure that they are fully coated.
- Place your coated apples into the pan and cook for two minutes on each side, until they turn a golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.
- Once your pancakes are done, pour your cinnamon and coconut sugar into a small bowl and roll each pancake in them.
- Serve them with maple syrup, and enjoy!
Rate & review
SELECT A RATING and tell me what you think!
What others are saying
This looks delicious. The recipe seems flexible and simple. My only concern is the apple preparation. I don’t have the kitchen tool needed to “core” an apple. Could we cut the apples in other shapes with the same result?
Thank you!
I love pancakes
I love apples
<3
Hi Barbara! Yes, you can certainly cut the apples using a round cookie cutter! Thank you so much for your support!
My kids loved these and the extra step of preparing the apple is not a big deal. Will makw again!
I’m so glad your kids love this recipe, Becca! Thank you so much for your review!
I made this recipe with Birch Benders Organic Pancake and Waffle mix. I followed the directions exactly on the packages to make the batter. They tasted great but I couldn’t seem to get a thick layer of pancake batter on the apples. How can I get more batter on these? Thanks.
Hi Suzanne! It sounds like you may just need to make your pancake batter a little thicker!
Thank you for sharing this recipe