Whole grain and almond pulp pancakes recipe - Pamela Salzman Skip to content

Whole grain and almond pulp pancakes recipe

Photography By Erica Hampton

I am kicking myself for all the almond pulp I have thrown away in my lifetime.  It honestly makes me crazy to think of how much perfectly good raw, soaked, organic almond pulp I wasted because I didn’t know it would be amazing in banana bread or pancakes, among other things.   I make so much almond milk and the only things I used to be able to think to do with the leftover pulp was to add it to smoothies and stir it into oatmeal.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it just got boring after a bit.

wet ingredients

Then a light bulb went off in my head and I tried using the pulp (which is different from store-bought almond meal because it is wet) in banana bread and it was amazing!  Have you seen this recipe yet?  It’s was so delicious and after my first attempt baking with almond pulp, I assumed every cookie and cake recipe would turn out great.  Not the case.  I actually had a few failures using almond pulp.

wet ingredients blended

But this pancake recipe was not one of them.  In fact, I might always use almond pulp in my pancakes from now on.  One of my issues with pancakes is that they are typically not high in protein and protein is what I am always pestering my kids to include in their breakfast every single day.  No one gets up from the table without answering the question, “what was your protein this morning?”  Protein fuels the brain and takes longer to digest than carbohydrates so it can help keep you full for a while.  And even though pancakes are my family’s favorite breakfast food, they aren’t super high in protein.  So I typically serve whole grain pancakes with a dollop of yogurt, a few sprinkles of chopped nuts, a smear of almond butter or a small smoothie with hemp, yogurt or nuts.

dry ingredients

What I love about whole grain pancakes with almond pulp is the protein boost the batter gets from the nut meal.  Almonds are the only alkalizing nut and rich in minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium.  They are also loaded with good-for-you monounsaturated fats and vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant.  And even better, the almonds have been soaked which makes them much more digestible and nutritious.  (Read this post about why soaked nuts and seeds are better for you.)  Plus, I really don’t think my family notices at all that the recipe is different.  Keep in mind, this is not a paleo or grain-free recipe.  This is a whole grain pancake recipe designed to incorporate and efficiently utilize almond pulp leftover from almond milk-making.  I tried to make a pancake batter with all almond pulp and it was not great, in my opinion.  The pancakes felt heavy and grainy, and almost mealy.  These, on the other hand, taste and feel like a “regular” pancake.  The batter is slightly thicker, but the pancakes taste the same and the texture is light and tender.

the batter is a little thick

The day I photographed these pancakes, we made them with mini chocolate chips and fresh strawberries, but plain and simple is perfectly delicious too.  Now if you have no almond pulp, that means you’re not making your own almond milk and we need to fix that.  Because homemade almond milk is more life-changing than these pancakes.  Follow me over here to find out what you’ve been missing.  And then you might be the one kicking yourself that you’ve lived this long without such a wonder!

making pancakes with almond pulp | pamela salzman


4.8 from 8 reviews
Whole Grain and Almond Pulp Pancakes Recipe
Author: 
Recipe type: Serves 4-5
Cuisine: Breakfast
 
This is a whole grain pancake recipe designed to incorporate and efficiently utilize almond pulp leftover from almond milk-making.
Ingredients
  • 1 ¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour, white whole wheat flour or whole spelt flour*
  • 1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 cups buttermilk**
  • ¾ cup of well-squeezed almond pulp (from 1 cup of almonds)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 Tablespoon 100% pure maple syrup
  • 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • Melted, unrefined coconut oil for brushing the griddle
Instructions
  1. Preheat a griddle to 400 degrees or medium heat.
  2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.
  3. In a medium bowl or 4-6 cup measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, almond pulp, eggs, vanilla, maple syrup and melted butter until well blended. (I usually do this step in a blender.)
  4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
  5. Brush the griddle with coconut oil and spoon about ¼ cup of batter onto the griddle. Add blueberries, chocolate chips or diced banana to the surface, if desired. When bubbles start to form on the surface of the pancake and the edges become slightly dry, flip it over and cook until done. Maintain the heat on medium-low or 400 degrees.
Notes
*Gluten-free: substitute a combination of gluten-free flours to equal 1 ¼ cups (such as buckwheat, GF oat or brown rice flour)
**No buttermilk? Sub half unsweetened yogurt and half whole milk. Or use 1 ¾ cups milk, omit the baking soda and use 2 teaspoons baking powder instead.

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Comments

51 Comments

  1. […] Whole Grain Almond Pulp Pancakes Recipe – Pamela Salzman (Almond pulp) […]

  2. Any idea how to use almond flour instead of the pulp along with almond milk?
    Love both your cookbooks! 🙂
    Help appreciated!

    • Thanks! I would trying swapping in an equal amount of almond flour for the almond pulp. If it looks too dry, add an extra tablespoon of liquid. Should work fine!

      • Thank you SO much, will give it a try!

  3. Wow! These were the best pancakes. I see the recipe was posted some time ago but if you’re still reading comments, thanks! They were so good! (I followed your recommended subs for gf flour and buttermilk–fantastic! 🙂

    • Thank you, Theressa! I’m delighted to hear they turned out great.

  4. These pancakes were fantastic! They actually turned out a lot fluffier than the photo indicates (although when my boyfriend made some for himself a bit later they were thinner like the pic). I live in Mexico and sometimes have altitude issues when cooking or baking, but these came out perfectly. I made them in a stainless steel pan (didn’t stick and cooked quickly) and also used a combo of amaranth and wheat flours, which at times have failed me texture-wise. But not this time. This will be my new go-to recipe. Thank you so much!

    • That’s so great to hear. Thank you for the feedback, Kelly!

  5. Hi Pam. I’m looking forward to trying this recipe. I’ve read most of the comments, and I’m wondering about how one makes sorghum flour. Do you just grind it until its fine? Also, do you really think there’s a difference in Bob’s Red Mill oatmeal — regular and their GF one? I’m asking because I thought all old-fashioned oatmeal was GF. Thanks!

    • Yes, you can grind grains into flour. I like to use a spice grinder or coffee grinder that is specifically used for nuts and seeds. You’re right, oats are naturally gluten-free. However, most commercial oats are processed in facilities that also process wheat, barley, and rye and are no longer gluten-free due to contamination. Look for the gluten-free label if that’s important to you since those oats were processed in a way that keeps them away from other grains.

  6. Hi Pamela,
    I just started making my own almond milk following your recipe and it’s so good! I wanted to know if I could mix the almond pulp with a pancake mix I already have. I have arrowhead mills organic buckwheat pancake mix. The ingredients are organic buckwheat flower, whole wheat flower, rice flower, leavening and sea salt. One serving is 2/3 cup of the mix. How can I incorporate my almond pulp into this recipe? Thank you!

    • Hi! I really am not sure about swapping almond pulp for some of the dry mix because it contains baking powder and maybe baking soda. So you would have to replace it but who knows how much. You can try to guess. If you use 2/3 cup of mix and 2/3 cup of almond pulp, you can try to add 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder and a pinch of salt.

  7. This is my family’s favourite pancake recipe by far, and I love that I have a great use for my leftover almond pulp. A lovely feeling knowing all the goodness still left in the almond pulp is going to a good use.
    I use sprouted spelt flour, add 1/4 cup ground flax and 1/2 tsp almond extract to really pump up the almond flavour. Thanks for creating this awesome recipe.

    • Isn’t it nice not to waste? I love the addition of almond extract – yum!

  8. Great recipe! As a new vegan I made almond milk and wanted to use the pulp somehow. I modified your recipe by using homemade oat milk and flax eggs and was very happy with the results! They are so filling and hearty!

    • So nice to know your modifications. Oat milk gives a nice golden color, don’t you think? Thanks for the feedback, Laura!

  9. Thanks for the recipe, I made a number of modifications, to make it work for us. My husband is on a low sodium diet so halved the baking powder and baking soda, next time I think I’ll try whipping the egg whites and folding them in for leavening. I used one cup almond milk and one cup yogurt as Ihad no buttermilk. I made them with blueberries and they were delicious. I have never made pancakes with coconut oil before, thanks for the suggestion, it uses way less than other oils and didn’t burn.

    • Thanks for your comment, Lorraine! It’s hard to cut back on the leavening agents and not lose some of the lift. Beating the egg whites will help though. Yes, coconut oil is the best for pancakes, as well as waffles and French toast, too. 🙂

  10. Delicious! I used goat kefir instead of the buttermilk, and honey instead of the maple syrup (except on top it’s gotta be real maple syrup!). So glad to find a use for some of this almond pulp. Oh, and there’s a typo at the bottom “cook till down” instead of done! Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!

    • Love your adaptations, Janet! And thanks for catching that typo! 🙂

  11. Thank you so much for this recipe! My family and I love it!

    • SO happy to hear that! And isn’t it so great not to throw away that valuable almond pulp?

  12. I am going to try the recipe with using buckwheat pancake mix. I will not have to put in baking soda or baking powder and I will use either almond milk or soy milk. I hope with works. I gave it a 5 star but I have not tried it yet.

    • It should work just fine. I love buckwheat flour in pancakes!

  13. Hi pamela, i roasted my pulp in a pan till its dried and then keep it in jar. Can i still use it for pancake?

    • You probably can, but you might need to add a little extra buttermilk or butter.

  14. Can you freeze the almond pulp?? Made your almond milk and loved it! I love your website! Come teach cooking classes in NYC!

    • Yes, you can definitely freeze almond pulp! One day I would love to come to NY to teach some classes 🙂

  15. Hi Pamela, mine came out thin. What went wrong or is that how the batter is supposed to be? Do you think maybe I over mixed?

    • I can try and guess, but it’s supposed to be like regular pancake batter. You can still try and save it, don’t worry. Did you add the flour? This recipe is a combo almond pulp and grain flour, like whole wheat pastry. You can try adding a little more flour to thicken it up. Did you add in the correct measurements of baking soda and powder? Perhaps you measured your almond pulp differently from how I did it. I would start by adding an extra 1/4 cup flour and see if that helps. If still too thin, add another 1/4 cup.

      • I just went ahead and kept it as is and they came out good. The first one fell apart when I flipped, but I think it was my poor flipping skills lol I made banana w/chocolate chips and blueberry ones. The nuttiness from the almond pulp was yummy. The FAM really enjoyed them.

        • Ok, good!

  16. Hi Pamela. I love this recipe and the reminder to use the nut pulps! I so often just throw it in the compost. My son and I are crazy about cashew milk. That is our milk of choice b/c it is far creamier than almond milk and makes a great milk substitute. We have a ton of cashew pulp leftovers on the regular. Could this recipe work with cashew pulp? Also, any other suggestions for what to do with all that cashew pulp? Love! Thank you in advance! <3

    • HI! Yum! Cashew milk is so delicious, almost luxurious. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work, although I should mention that I haven’t tried it so I couldn’t be sure.

  17. Hi Pamela!! So far you might be the only other person I’ve ever heard make as much almond mylk as me!! Thanks for another way to use the pulp. I always end up just hoping the critters in the compost are happy!! I’m trying to get away from gluten and wheat flours, do you ever make this with good subs?

    • Haha! Yes, I like a combo of GF oat flour, brown rice flour and the almond pulp or you can also add in millet flour, as well. Very flexible recipe, many GF flours will work well here, including buckwheat flour and sorghum flour.

  18. Can you tell me what type of griddle you use? We love pancakes but are trying to stay away from nonstick.
    BTW, I love the new look of your website!

    • Thanks, Nancy! I use a cast iron griddle 🙂

  19. Would you have a dairy free version of this? Would it still be good if made with almond milk and left out the butter? Also, can you recommend a farm/website to buy Raw Organic Almonds? I have been buying from Bremner Farms but they are still about $12/lb. Thank you!

    • I think you can use almond milk plus 2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar and melted coconut oil for the butter. The pancakes won’t get as golden brown, but it will work. 🙂 $12/pound for raw organic almonds is actually a good price. I buy from livingnutz.com and if you buy a lot, the price is a little less than $12/pound. But you have to buy around 10 pounds.

      • THANK YOU!!!!!!

      • I used almond milk and just 1 TBSP ACV and the pancakes are golden and delicious! Thanks!

        • Amazing! That’s what I use when I don’t have buttermilk. Glad they turned out well!

  20. Do you have an egg free version?

    • I haven’t tested this recipe egg free yet, but if I were going to try, I would use either banana or 2 flax eggs.

  21. I have not tried the recipe yet but I am surprised that you do not have a compost pile?? Almond meal turns straight to dirt! I also have a gaggle of backyard chickens, they eat anything!

    • Actually, I grew up with gardens and compost heaps! But if you saw where I lived, you would not be surprised I don’t have a compost pile. I have no yard! And nowhere to put a compost pile, sadly. 🙁

      • I’m sorry! That is me assuming everyone has room for chickens, etc! I have been watching almond pulp recipes from afar, I will definitely try this one, it sounds delicious!

        • It’s a dream of mine. Sigh…. Yes, do try the recipe though!


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I come from a large Italian-American family with 28 first cousins (on one side of the family!) where sit-down holiday dinners for 85 people are the norm (how, you might ask – organization! But more on that later …).

Some of my fondest memories are of simple family gatherings, both large and small, with long tables of bowls and platters piled high, the laughter of my cousins echoing and the comfort of tradition warming my soul.

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