Since becoming a full time food blogger, I’ve developed an extreme love for anything breakfast. Pancakes, waffles, omelettes, oatmeal, crepes, you name it! Oh, and don’t forget those smoothies.

I've also discovered my followers on Instagram love my breakfast recipes too. In fact, I ran the analytics for best posts for likes, engagement, and reach for 2020 so far, and my breakfast recipes made the top 5 in each category!

Some of the reader favorites are these Strawberry Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes, this Single Serving Dark Chocolate Raspberry Waffle, and the Amazing Apple Pie German Pancakes!

Well, loving breakfast means loving carbs too, so when one of my family members asked me to write low-carb breakfast recipes, it was hard to believe I could make them taste good. I went out and bought almond flour just for her and got to work. Today’s blog post is my first successful low-carb recipe: Almond Flour Pancakes!

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What is almond flour?

Most people's bodies can digest and use carbohydrates effectively for energy. Some, however, have health concerns that require them to limit their carbohydrate intake. Consequently, foods that you and I are used to eating—all-purpose flour, fruits, breads, and dairy—don’t fit into the “low-carb” category. That’s where innovative food science comes in.

Almond flour is a low-carb alternative to regular flour made out of blanched almonds. It has a course, nutty texture and requires a bit of sweetener. It’s packed with vitamin E and magnesium and has a low glycemic index (GI), which means it can help control your blood sugar levels better than traditional flour.

Almond flour is also a popular gluten-free flour, which is important for people who will get very sick from consuming gluten (ie people with Celiac disease), or people who follow a vegan diet that must consume essential nutrients from alternative sources like almond flour.

Other types of gluten-free flour include coconut flour, cassava flour, tapioca flour, oat flour, rice flour, and buckwheat flour. You can also find gluten-free all-purpose flour from brands like Bob's Red Mill, King Arthur Flour, and Krusteaz.

Click here to learn more about the benefits of almond flour, or watch this YouTube video to learn more about how your body processes carbohydrates!

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Ingredients you'll need

Low-carb gluten-free flour isn’t the cheapest flour on the market, so I wanted to make sure the rest of the ingredients were simple and affordable. To make these protein pancakes, you’ll need:

• Almond flour: made from blanched almonds, this flour has a nuttier flavor and packs in the healthy fats without the carbs
• Baking powder: to help the pancakes rise
• Cinnamon: boost of antioxidants and delicious flavor!
• Eggs: since almond flour has a different texture than regular flour, these pancakes need some extra help binding everything together
• Almond milk: low-carb alternative to regular dairy milk
• Melted butter (or coconut oil): to help the milk bind to the other ingredients. If you’re using coconut milk, you can skip this step altogether!

Now, for the fun part: you can customize these keto pancakes however you like! Here are some of my favorite options:

• Top with resh fruit like blueberries, strawberries, or bananas
• Mix in sugar-free chocolate chips (keto if necessary)
• Add a drizzle of nut butter on top
• Cover in sugar free maple syrup
• Spread with homemade jam (like my chia jam!)

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Why you'll love these almond flour protein pancakes

First of all, they’re incredibly fluffy! Fluffy pancakes just hit the spot, you know? Besides their texture, these Nourishing Almond Flour Pancakes are a great choice for breakfast because:

• They’re low-carb: no need to worry about spiking your glucose levels first thing in the morning!
• They’re packed with healthy fats: almonds are a great source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, as well as vitamin E and magnesium. This recipe uses almond flour AND almond milk! The two eggs also give a good source of plant-based protein, healthy omega-3 fats, cholesterol, and B vitamins without any carbs!
• They’re nutrient dense AND calorie dense: enjoy a handful of essential vitamins for breakfast and skip the mid-morning snack! One serving of these pancakes is 370 calories, packed with heart-healthy fats and only 3g net carbs!

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Even if you’re not following a gluten-free, dairy-free, or low-carb diet, I know you’ll love these pancakes! They’re a healthy twist on a classic recipe and you’ll love the challenge of incorporating new flavors and ingredients into your diet.

If you loved this recipe, be sure to tag me on social media using the hashtag #kapaicooking or my handle @kapaicooking and leave a rating and review below in the comments! Your opinions help improve content here at Ka Pai Cooking and I do my best to respond to every one.