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    Oatmeal-Lemon Pancakes

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    So many people say they like these pancakes even more than “regular” pancakes, and now these are their regular pancakes. These cakes rise nicely and fill your kitchen with a wonderful lemony aroma. For best results, read the Notes section of this recipe before beginning to cook.

    Oatmeal-Lemon Pancakes
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    Oatmeal-Lemon Pancakes

    Oatmeal-Lemon Pancakes


    • Prep Time: 20 mins
    • Cook Time: 4 mins
    • Total Time: 24 mins
    • Yield: 2 to 4 (makes about 12 small or 6 larger pancakes) 1x
    Print Recipe
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    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 2 cups unsweetened nondairy milk (plus more to thin batter as it sits)
    • 2 ounces pitted dates (3 to 4 Medjool or 6 to 8 Deglet Noor), chopped
    • 1½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
    • ½ cup cornmeal
    • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from 1 medium lemon; see Notes)
    • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
    • Sliced fruit, such as bananas, strawberries, or blueberries, to top pancakes (optional)
    • Finely chopped walnuts to top pancakes (optional)
    • 1 recipe Strawberry Date Syrup (optional)

    Instructions

    1. Place the nondairy milk and dates into a small bowl, and set aside for 15 minutes (so the dates can soften).
    2. Grind the rolled oats into flour using a blender. Transfer to a medium bowl, and whisk in the cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Heat a nonstick frying pan or griddle to medium heat (not high).
    3. Pour the soaking dates and milk into a blender, and blend until smooth.
    4. Add this mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients, along with the lemon juice and zest, and whisk until smooth.
    5. When a water droplet sputters on the surface of the frying pan or griddle, it is ready: pour ¼ to ½ cup of the batter onto its surface (no oil is needed), and cook until bubbles form around the edges and on top, and the underside is medium brown (1 to 2 minutes). Flip the pancake and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. (As the batter sits, it may thicken so add a little more milk as needed.)
    6. Serve pancakes immediately, with one or all of the optional toppings: sliced fruit, chopped walnuts, and/or Strawberry Date Syrup.

    Notes

    Use a high-quality, nonstick frying pan for these pancakes, since there is no oil in the batter or on the pan’s surface to help prevent sticking. A quality nonstick pan also produces more evenly cooked and browned pancakes. Read more about nonstick pans here.

    If you do not have (or do not want to use) nonstick cookware, you can also bake the pancakes in the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and bake the pancakes at 400°F for 5 to 10 minutes before flipping them and baking for another 5 to 10 minutes. Baking does not yield the same deep brown color as the frying pan, but the pancakes will still taste great.

    Use a silicone (not plastic) spatula with a large, flat surface and tapered edge for best pancake-flipping results.

    To zest a lemon, use a very fine-toothed grater (a Microplane), grating or “zesting” only the yellow outer skin while avoiding the white pith below it. Be sure to always zest your citrus before juicing it.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 3 small pancakes
    • Calories: 223
    • Sugar: 5.6g
    • Sodium: 210mg
    • Fat: 3.6g
    • Saturated Fat: 0.5g
    • Carbohydrates: 45.3g
    • Fiber: 5.7g
    • Protein: 5.6g
    • Cholesterol: 0

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @straightupfood and hashtag it #straightupfood - we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

     

    Previous Post: « Spicy Root Vegetable Medley
    Next Post: Hoppin’ John »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Milton

      June 01, 2011 at 7:18 pm

      Sticks to the pan. I'm using non-stick skillet. Help!

      Reply
      • Cathy

        June 02, 2011 at 2:09 am

        Hi Milton, I have made these in two different non-stick skillets; one was a Green Pan skillet, which is lighter duty/lesser quality, and the other was a Berndez non-stick, which is a high-quality, heavier duty pan. The Berndez made a significant difference in the sticking factor (they didn't stick at all in this pan, but did in the Green Pan, which I don't believe regulates the heat as well). You may also find that reducing the heat helps with sticking (and just cooking them a bit longer), but I think the pan quality is the bigger issue. Hope that helps 🙂

        Reply
        • Elizabeth

          January 26, 2014 at 7:04 pm

          Hi, Cathy! Would you be willing to mention the exact type (name) of the Berndes pan you bought--and whether there are vendors in the States? Thank you. Because of the higher expense, I want to be sure I get "the right one" the first time.

          Reply
      • Dori

        February 23, 2013 at 5:57 pm

        I find that if they stick, you may not be letting them cook long enough.

        Reply
    2. Milton

      June 19, 2011 at 3:35 pm

      Dear Cathy,
      Thanks. I finally got hold of a good pan. The pancakes turned out perfectly.

      Reply
    3. Cathy

      June 19, 2011 at 3:49 pm

      Hi Milton, I'm thrilled to hear that! The right tools certainly make all the difference 🙂 Take care - Cathy

      Reply
    4. lcvegn

      January 30, 2012 at 2:05 pm

      Is the 1.5 C of oats measured before they're ground, or after? I imagine that the 1.5 C of rolled oats would be reduced in volume after the grinding. Thanks for the help! These look delicious.

      Reply
    5. Cathy

      February 01, 2012 at 3:35 pm

      Hi, yes, that's not so clear. I measure the 1.5 cups before I ground them. If you find that ground is a different measurement, let me know and I'll note it 🙂 Thanks!

      Reply
    6. Andrea

      February 15, 2012 at 4:45 pm

      Hi Cathy,
      I needed to share with you how much I appreciate this recipe. My 4 year old son has a spinal tumor and through diet (I believe) was have stablized it, avoiding chemo, thus far. So transitioning his already vegan diet to a whole foods vegan diet has been the most imprtant thing I have ever done. AND, he is 4, so you know how picky they can be 😉 I always make pancakes on the weekend and enough for a few days after. This weekend was the first time I ventured from our regular recipe that I keep trying to make healthier and made this. I added vanilla blueberries and ripe sliced banans to the mix. My son sat at the table and went on and on how he liked these pancakes much more than my normal pancakes. This morning, he ate the last of them. He was so upset there were no more and said again how much better they were than the other pancakes. I promised him we would make more tonight together and he was so happy. I already have lots of ideas how to play with it. My son has been through enough, so the last thing I want him to have to do is shove food down his throat that he doesn't like. thank u for this recipe. Can't wait to have some fun with it now that I feel a little more confident 🙂

      Reply
    7. Cathy

      February 20, 2012 at 7:31 pm

      Hi Andrea, thank you for sharing that wonderful story! Wow! I'm so glad your son has taken to the healthier pancakes! Keep me updated if you come up with more variations that he likes. Have a great week! 😉

      Reply
    8. Andrea

      February 21, 2012 at 1:46 pm

      Hi Cathy-we made apple this weekend. Elliott (my son) liked them a lot, but I would make some changes next time. I was wondering if I took out the cornmeal and just did all oatmeal flour how that would be. Thoughts? I about doubled the cinnamon, added a bit of nutmeg, did 1 cup unfiltered apple juice, 1 cup almond milk and subed the apple sauce for date paste (although next time I'm not sure I would do that since they are apple pancakes) Left out the lemon. I grated 2 fresh apples but I think I would cook them a little bit next time to make them sweeter and prob add some raisens. If you have any other ideas-please share 🙂 Thanks again!

      Reply
    9. Cathy

      February 23, 2012 at 11:11 pm

      Hi Andrea, sure you can use all flour if you like. You may need to adjust the measurement a bit, but that's easy. Wow, you're creative! That all sounds great. Pancakes are pretty forgiving when it comes to tweaking them. Try bananas and blueberries. Sometimes I put chopped walnuts in mine too. Have fun and thanks for the comments!

      Reply
    10. Monica

      April 21, 2012 at 11:52 am

      Hi Cathy, We (including my 3 & 5 y. o.) loved these pancakes! I cooked all of them at one time even though we didn't eat them all in one sitting. I left them on the counter to cool and all morning the kids kept running by and taking another for a "fly-by bite". Needless to say, there were hardly any leftovers after that. I happen to love lemon and can see how easy it will be to modify this recipe for whatever you have on hand.

      Reply
      • Cathy

        April 21, 2012 at 8:42 pm

        Hi Monica, thank you for the comment! They do make good snacks, and yes, so easy to modify them. I think as long as you have a good non-stick pan, any type of pancake is possible 🙂

        Reply
    11. Rebekah

      December 01, 2012 at 10:09 pm

      I needed to give up a mix I had because I tried using subs for oil and eggs but it did not go well. I followed your directions but the batter was so runny. I added several tsp's of flour and the consistency improved. Then I added freeze dried cranberries and walnuts. The flavor is different, but I think I like it.

      Reply
      • Cathy

        December 02, 2012 at 5:16 pm

        Hi Rebekah, what kind of flour did you use? I make these a lot and the texture is typical of pancake batter before cooking and very cooked and raised up inside, never runny, so not sure what's going on. Hmm. The flavor will be lemon-y. 🙂

        Reply
    12. Teri Gentry

      February 04, 2013 at 10:28 pm

      Love your recipes! When you mentioned this on your facebook page today I wondered how I missed this recipe. How or can this be modified to make waffles?

      Reply
      • Cathy

        February 06, 2013 at 3:59 pm

        Hi Teri, here is my waffle recipe. 🙂 https://www.straightupfood.com/blog/2010/05/04/waffles-with-date-syrup/

        Reply
    13. Vivien

      February 19, 2013 at 6:25 pm

      This was delicious. I was in a hurry so I used a tablespoon of maple syrup instead of the dates -- but it worked out really well. Thank you.

      Reply
    14. Dori

      February 23, 2013 at 5:56 pm

      I made these today and everyone in my house loved them. I toped them with poached pears, apples, & cinimin... yum

      Reply
    15. Anita E. Friedenberg

      March 21, 2013 at 2:55 am

      Some cornmeal contains gluten, I have been told. Are these pancakes totally gluten free?

      Reply
      • Cathy

        March 21, 2013 at 11:20 am

        Hi Anita, cornmeal is considered a gluten-free grain, but is often produced by manufacturers who also process wheat on their machinery. Check labels on the package you purchase to see if it is noted that the cornmeal is processed on equipment with wheat. 🙂

        Reply
    16. Patty

      March 26, 2013 at 12:14 pm

      Cathy, just tried these and they are fantastic. Thank you so much for sharing all your wonderful and delicious recipes

      Reply
      • Cathy

        March 26, 2013 at 8:25 pm

        Thanks Patty! 😉

        Reply
    17. Megan

      April 14, 2013 at 11:04 am

      For some reason anytime I cook pancakes it is still moist, really moist in the middle. I follow recipie exactly but my non stick griddle only has temperature settings, not high med low. Am I cooking them on too high of heat, please help. I could leave them on for 10min ea side and still moist

      Reply
      • Cathy

        April 14, 2013 at 11:35 pm

        Hi Megan, I usually start my pancakes on high heat then turn it down about halfway through the batch as the pan heats up more. You could try another pan, a good quality non-stick makes the difference I've noticed. Maybe your baking powder is old(?) Also, don't overmix, just mix until the dry is incorporated. It should only take about 3 minutes per side. 🙂

        Reply
    18. Joe

      June 11, 2013 at 3:26 pm

      I'll have to say that after trying many of the recipes featured on such sites as "Forks Over Knives" and contributors to that site, my wife and I have been mostly disappointed with the outcomes of the dishes tried. Finally, a recipe that delivers what it promises. Tasty indeed!

      Reply
    19. Mike Mair

      January 26, 2014 at 11:08 pm

      Cathy,
      Thank you for the wonderful pancake recipe! The lemon zest really makes it special...Mike

      Reply
      • Cathy

        January 27, 2014 at 12:30 pm

        😉

        Reply
    20. Elaine Long

      February 05, 2014 at 8:47 pm

      Cathy, I'd like to try this recipe...sounds very yummy. I am not able to eat any citrus right now. Will this work without the lemon? Do I need to substitute with vinegar or anything?
      Thanks so much.
      Elaine

      Reply
      • Cathy

        February 06, 2014 at 1:53 am

        Hi Elaine, Yes, it will work fine without it. No need to substitute. 🙂

        Reply
    21. Elaine Long

      February 09, 2014 at 2:04 pm

      Thanks Cathy! I am also eating gluten-free so I'm experimenting with different flours. I used 50/50 buckwheat and brown rice flour. I had to thin out the batter, but it was very tasty. I also added some vanilla. I used to make pancakes with added wheat germ and I miss that sweetness it adds. Can you think of anything that would be a substitute, but still gluten-free? Also, I think with the buckwheat, this would work well with wild rice added and take it more savory. Are the dates used for binding? Wasn't sure about the dates with the wild rice. Love your website! So thankful to find vegan, oil-free cooking. 🙂

      Reply
      • Cathy

        February 09, 2014 at 8:41 pm

        Hi Elaine, maybe flax seeds? The dates are used for a bit of sweetness, but you can leave them out. 🙂

        Reply
    22. Annette

      February 13, 2014 at 5:56 pm

      Cathy, I can't wait to try these but I can't eat corn meal. What can I substitute in it's place? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Cathy

        February 13, 2014 at 9:04 pm

        Hi Annette, I'd make it up with oat flour or try ground millet. 🙂

        Reply
    23. Cindy

      May 03, 2014 at 11:07 am

      Just made my first batch, oh boy so yummy. Thanks for the great recipe.

      Reply
    24. meg

      July 09, 2014 at 10:46 pm

      I'd love to try this recipe, everything I've made from your site is delicious! I need advice on which non dairy milk to use? Also, it will be my first time making non-dairy milk and I'll be using your recipes for it. I'm watching calories too and would appreciate your recommendation for a milk for this recipe. I have to second the gentleman up above, your recipes are winners every time compared to other sites. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Cathy

        July 10, 2014 at 10:47 am

        Hi Meg, any kind will work, but oat and rice will be lower calorie. I usually use soy or almond since those are the ones I typically have in the fridge. 🙂 Thanks so much!

        Reply
    25. Faye Lawrence

      July 27, 2014 at 12:21 pm

      I love these. They are the only pancakes I make. Just finished baking a double batch. They freeze so well and we just pop them in the toaster when we are ready to eat them! Delicious!

      Reply
    26. Pam

      August 08, 2014 at 2:32 pm

      Will Sunsweet Brand pitted dates (the basic kind you find in the raisin aisle) work for this recipe or will I need to make adjustments if using those? Thanks.

      Reply
      • Cathy

        August 08, 2014 at 3:02 pm

        If they are deglet type, then I use 2x as many. It should say on there somewhere if that's what they are. Should work fine. 🙂

        Reply
        • Pam

          August 08, 2014 at 8:00 pm

          Cathy,
          Thanks for your reply. The box does not say what kind they are anywhere. Under ingredients it simply says: California pitted dates. What is the difference between different varieties of dates and how many different types are there? I've used them a few times in different recipes (not yours) and haven't been completely successful (may have just been the recipe - or my lack of cooking skills). Makes me wonder if I'm using the wrong kind of dates? Thanks for you thoughts on this.

          Reply
          • Cathy

            August 09, 2014 at 1:45 am

            Hi Pam, there are generally two types: Medjool and deglet. Medjools are sweeter and almost twice as big. Most boxed dates I believe are deglet, so just use twice as many as the recipe calls for (I usually use Medjool and write my recipes with those in mind). There are more types than this in the world, but these are the most common in the US I believe.

            Reply
    27. Pam

      August 08, 2014 at 8:01 pm

      P.S. Will Flax Milk work in this recipe?

      Reply
      • Cathy

        August 09, 2014 at 1:39 am

        I think any non-dairy milk would work, although I haven't tried flax.

        Reply
    28. BJ

      January 26, 2015 at 12:44 pm

      When I made these I had to go back on your site to see if I got the liquid measurement wrong as it was so thin. I was glad to see it thicken up as it set. The lemon zest added a nice touch - I almost did not add it but then decided to - glad I did. They even passed the husband test. Thanks for a great recipe.

      Reply
      • Cathy

        January 26, 2015 at 2:02 pm

        I love it when things pass the husband test! 😉

        Reply
    29. Nancy

      June 12, 2015 at 9:44 am

      Hi Cathy,

      Mine was also very runny. I added WW flour. the taste was terrific. This is a keeper.

      Thank you

      Reply
    30. Roxie Newberry

      August 17, 2015 at 12:13 pm

      Hi Cathy,

      I just made these for the first time this morning (was tired of my usual oatmeal!) They were so delicious, and cooked so easily. I have a Berndes non-stick pan, which I found out about from your website, and the pancakes didn't stick at all. Thanks so much!

      Reply
      • Cathy

        August 17, 2015 at 3:17 pm

        That's great! Thanks for writing! 😉

        Reply
    31. Margarita

      October 28, 2015 at 7:06 pm

      Hello Cathy

      I made this today and my husband loved them!!!
      I am not much of a pancake kind of girl, however, wanted to try another one of your wonderful recipes.... I could have eaten the batter by itself. It was so yummy 🙂

      Reply
    32. Joy D

      January 31, 2016 at 11:23 am

      OMG, I just made this for my very picky teenage boys and it was a tremendous hit! Thank you so much. I've tries other vegan recipes and this is the best. FYI, I replaced the lemon juice and zest with a very ripe banana.

      Reply
      • Cathy

        January 31, 2016 at 11:55 am

        Yum! 😉

        Reply
    33. Cheryl

      August 07, 2016 at 12:58 pm

      We love these pancakes! I have also made them by leaving out the lemon, and taking a banana, cinnamon and a little non-dairy milk and blending it up in my Vitamix to create a nice creamy banana mixture, when almost done I throw in a few pecans. I add this to other the dry and wet ingredients. It tastes like a Banana Bread pancakes, delicious!
      I serve them with the no-oil hashbrowns!

      Reply
      • Cathy

        August 07, 2016 at 4:49 pm

        Mmm! Sounds great Cheryl! Thank you! 🙂

        Reply
    34. HermitCrab

      January 17, 2017 at 2:58 pm

      Would almond or soy milk work?

      Sounds delcious! 🙂

      Reply
      • Cathy

        January 17, 2017 at 7:59 pm

        Sure. 🙂

        Reply
    35. Tawny

      June 25, 2017 at 2:12 pm

      Hi Cathy,

      I'm rather new at eating a whole foods diet, thanks to my doctor, and your recipes have truly been a life-saver in so many ways. Many of them are in my weekly rotation. THANK YOU!!

      My husband and I went camping a few weeks ago and I prepped what I could to make your Oatmeal-Lemon Pancakes while on our trip. These pancakes were the BEST I've had since eating G.F. They were so fluffy and tasty, and they will definitely be made many more times. So kuddos to you, and thanks again!

      Reply
      • Cathy

        June 26, 2017 at 11:57 am

        Great to hear! 🙂 Thanks Tawny!

        Reply
    36. Nancy

      January 14, 2018 at 10:27 am

      “These are the best pancakes you’ve ever made!” That’s what my husband said when he took his first bite. We are in our late 60’s and have made lots of different pancakes so that’s saying a lot! Looking forward to your cookbook arriving in two days!

      Reply
      • Cathy

        January 14, 2018 at 7:39 pm

        Yay! 🙂 Thanks Nancy!

        Reply
    37. Jen

      February 29, 2020 at 9:26 am

      Can you make the batter the day before and leave in refrigerator? Thanks

      Reply
      • Cathy

        February 29, 2020 at 5:45 pm

        Hmm, not sure. You could get all the dry stuff together and ready and the wet stuff, then just combine them right before you're ready to cook them. Or make some and save some batter to test this out. 🙂

        Reply
    38. June Siegel

      April 14, 2020 at 6:41 pm

      I just made these pancakes tonight. I didn't want to use oil on the stove, so I poured the batter into 3 different springform pans and baked them. They came out pretty good, probably drier than ordinary pancakes, but still good.

      Reply
      • Cathy

        April 15, 2020 at 9:30 am

        Good idea! I have a non-stick fry pan for pancakes, veg burgers and hash browns. It works great. 🙂

        Reply
    39. Danielle Aronson

      April 18, 2020 at 9:44 am

      Delicious--thank you! For a Southwest kick, used blue cornmeal and pinion. Even better with blueberries.

      Reply
      • Cathy

        April 18, 2020 at 2:11 pm

        Yum! 🙂 Thanks Danielle!

        Reply
    40. Nicole

      August 03, 2020 at 4:40 pm

      These were so good! Thank you.

      Reply

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