October 30th, 2008

Try My High-Protein Pumpkin Pancakes!

Happy Halloween! I’m going to do my due diligence today to help you avoid the candy dish and other Halloween – Thanksgiving temptations by giving you a delicious healthy alternative! Try this treat: High protein pumpkin pancakes (aka “pumpcakes”). Enjoy!

pumpkin.jpgTom Venuto’s “pumpcakes” (pumpkin pancakes)

7.5 oz (212 g) of canned pumpkin
1/3 cup (27 g) oatmeal dry
1/3 cup (40 g) multigrain or whole wheat pancake mix
1 scoop (26 g) vanilla (or plain) protein powder
4 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
Sweetener (brown sugar, stevia or splenda): Optional
Yield: makes 2 large (5 inch wide) pancakes

Nutrition information for 2 pancakes, unsweetened
Calories: 507
Protein: 44.1 g.
Carbs: 69.7 g.
Fat: 5 g.

pumpkin_pancakes

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23 Responses to “Try My High-Protein Pumpkin Pancakes!”

  • naseem

    HI Tom, how are you? Thanks for the recipe. This looks good!. Will definitely be better for me compared to other sweet stuff Ive been eating. Thanks again bye tom and take care

  • nikki frampton

    Thanks Tom,I live in Australia, we don’t do halloween (though some are trying to introduce this American custom here??) We cannot get canned pumpkin, but i guess if I cook up my own and mash it it would be the same (I love pumpkin). I would love to give them a try although the calorie content is quite high, I could make allowances in my daily calorie budget for them.Thanks again for your recipe.Nikki

  • Lita

    Hello Tom,Happy Halloween too, I wish to meet you in person one day, I’m still here in the Phillipines. I do hope that by your guidance, I can burn my fat and feed the muscles. I need your help.

  • Really? I didnt know you couldnt get canned pumpkin in OZ. We have lots of Australian burn The Fat Readers.You can cut 90-100 calories off by dropping the protein powder, then you have 2 pancakes almost the same size and taste at about 400 calories (if you don’t mind the protein being lower). That fits into a fat loss program meal for anyone. And of course, you can reduce the ingredients of everything to adjust the caloric value if you wish. (or just eat one… if you CAN just eat one, LOL)alternately, try the apple cinnamon oatmeal pancakes:http://www.burnthefatinnercircle.com/public/124.cfm?sd=2 (good for ALL year round and great portable meal!)

  • Sandra

    Oh my, this looks yummy! I want to try these and will have to do the lower cals since i’m a female! What whole wheat pancake mix do you recommend?

  • Sandra. They ARE yummy. Any whole wheat pancake mix will work. I found one whole wheat and flax pancake mix which I really like.

  • Maryse

    Nice, but…. why not eat the “real” food. I mean (sorry I am French!!), not “canned” and “premix” stuff. I do the same with real pumpkin, steam-cooked, whole grain flour (T110) instead of the pancake mix, half-tea spoon baking powder, 2 table spoon fat free “fromage blanc” (they call it quark in german, not sure you can find it on your side of the pond).Enjoy the real stuff!

  • mario moody

    thanks man, im gonna try this, ima huge pancake fan too…you have any great sweet potato pie recipes..ps. your bffm book is off the chain man. thanks for clearin up lies and partial facts

  • Kate

    Oho! These look exciting!You don’t find canned pumpkin that often in England either. I’m going to go gut a fresh one like Nikki.Now… can I fit a quick shop, chop and cook in before sticking together my Halloween costume? I bet my friends would love these! (they don’t have to know they’re healthy)Cheers Tom,You are my muse!~K~

  • Robert

    I realy like the sound of many of the recepies I see, but my wife is gluton sensitive and cannot use eggs, whites or yokes. What would you suggest as an exchange for thoes items?

  • Robert . the eggs (and protein powder) are what make this a “high protein” pancake instead of just an ordinary flat, mostly carbohydrate pancake…AND, the eggs are the liquid that turns the dry ingredients into a batter and makes it all stick together so to speak (“binders”. If someone is allergic to eggs then you need some type of liquid or semi- liquid to serve that purpose as adding moisture to turn it into a batter.I have not tried these yet, but possibilities include milk/skim milk/soy milk, more pumpkin (its not totally dry), unsweetened applesauce, a little bit of water, and some people would add oil, but Im an stingy on using oil in my recipes becuase it adds s omany calories.as for gluten intolerant folks who cant or wont use the wheat flour, someone correct me if Im mistaken, but i believe oat bran might work in place of the wheat. I tried these with just oatmeal, but i think they are much better in taste and texture with some flour (or pancake mix) as well.I am not a professional cook/chef. Im just a guy who learned how to make this stuff on his own by looking at regular recipes and then asking myself how could I make them healthier, higher in protein and lower in calories… So, if any professional cooks and chefs are reading this and have any additional ideas, fro doing these egg free, etc., please feel free to post them

  • Maryse (and Kate) – there is no reason not to use fresh pumpkin. Enjoy it with fresh or canned. canned is simply a convenenience for those who have it available and it is not necessarily significantly less nutritious.When it comes to canned foods, you simply have to check labels carefully because food companies often add extra ingredients. (such as added sodium, added sugar, and added preservatives).The canned pumpkin I used, which was available at mylocal health food store was “Farmer’s Market” brand canned pumpkin and this is what was listed on the ingredients list:Ingredients: 100% certified organic pumpkin.nothing else addeed.I also think trader joes has a similar product.

  • Kate

    Rob, I’d recommend taking out the eggs and adding;10g soy flourHalf a bananaAn extra splash of soy milk to get the right consistency.Banana is a really good binding agent (and it’s sweet). Soya cream works too, or a mix of soy milk & soy flour. You can also get egg replacement powders from health food stores, but I have no idea what’s in them so do check.Trust me, I’m an ex-veggie!~K~

  • Ryan

    Looks great.But as a sweetener…AVOID SPLENDA like the plague!That stuff does not belong in the human body!The rest of the recipe is great.Brown sugar or stevia are indeed, good choices.Thanks Tom!

  • Funny, you read my mind, Tom! Pumpkin protein pancakes are on the menu this morning. The recipe I have is a little less complex and lower cal… but it’s not dissimilar.There’s 4 egg whites, 1 serving protein powder, 142g pumpkin and some cinnamon in the recipe I use. But I’ll try your recipe one of these days! Just can’t afford the extra calories on the challenge I am on right now.

  • Robin

    These look great!If anyone in the US would like to try Maryse’s recipe, but can’t find fromage blanc, ricotta is a good substitute. Also, Whole Foods often has quark, and so do some Trader Joes.Here’s a holiday baking tip: ricotta is a great cream cheese substiture. ‘Hope this isn’t too far off topic, but I make a yummy, low-cal cheesecake with 8 oz ricotta, one egg, 1/4 c whole wheat flour, the juice from a small lemon, a spoonful of honey, and some vanilla. Just stir it all together and bake. Of course you can vary the recipe to suit….

  • Robin

    For those avoiding gluten or egg whites, gelatin, xanthan gum, and agar are all excellent thickeners. Bobs Red Mill (avail online and at Henry’s) carries xanthan gum. Agar is available at Asian markets such as 99 Ranch, and at Whole Foods. Plain, unsweetened gelatin can be found in the baking section of most supermarkets.

  • Come to think of it, I’ve also used cottage cheese in some of my oatmeal pancake recipes, so if youre not lactose intolerant, there’s yet another option.

  • Jone Qoro

    Hello Tom,I’ve reading your articles in the net and it’s interesting.Thanks for the pumpkin pancake recipe. I love pumpkin and I am sure going to make some this morning.JQFiji

  • Mara

    mmmmmmm pumpkin. thanks for the recipe.candy dish whats that?

  • Hillary Lee

    Happy Halloween!!!!!:)Hey Tom,Thank you for these recipes they look delicious, I will be making them probably this weekend or so. :) I know all of these variations of the recipe will be interesting to create with different ingredients like Marsye’s or Robin’s.Would anyone have any low caloric chocolate/caramel recipes for a snack trail mix? Thank you!! :) Warmly,Hillary Lee

  • Barbara Cote

    This seems to be a great recipe as I, myself, love pumpkin. However, Splenda “may not belong in the human body,” as one commenter said above, but it is better for people who are diabetic or for whatever reason can’t have the real sugar. There are far worse things we do put into our bodies, so let us not pick on Splenda as there are other sweeteners that are no better. To each there own on this one.

  • Sue Kuchman

    Tom -Wow! These are the best. I personally don’t need this much protein all at once, so I make smaller pancakes and freeze the unused ones. I’ve been doing this with your high protein apple cinnamon pancakes for a few years (I make a double batch and get about 12 pancakes). With both of them, I use either apple or pumpkin butter made fresh at a local orchard. Warm the butter up and put on these warm pancakes and they are to die for. This way you don’t need to add anything to sweeten them. I can’t wait to experiment with other fruits. Thanks for the info

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