It’s Pancake Tuesday on March 1, which means we'll be eating pancakes - and they are so easy to make!
Pancake Tuesday, also recognised as Shrove Tuesday, is the day before the religious Ash Wednesday.
It's the last day before Lent, the traditional 40 days of abstinence before Easter practised by Christians.
The custom was to empty the pantry of all sugar, fats, and eggs to avoid temptation and reduce waste.
It has become a traditional custom to eat pancakes as a meal on Pancake Tuesday in Ireland and the UK.
This year, instead of opting to run to your local supermarket and buy ready-made pancakes, why not try making your own?
You can experiment with pancakes by adding in your favourite toppings to make them sweet and tasty, and you’ll learn a new skill in the process.
We have five recipes guaranteed to make your tastebuds dance and help you make delicious and easy made pancakes no matter your cooking expertise..
Gluten-free pancakes are so simple to make as they’re made of just three main ingredients: gluten-free flour, egg and milk.
Gluten free pancake recipe
Ingredients
100g gluten-free flour
1 egg
250ml milk
A little sunflower oil for frying
Sugar and lemon juice or your favourite topping, to serve
Method
- Place the flour in a bowl, make a well in the centre and crack the egg into it. Gradually add half of the milk, stirring continuously until all the flour is mixed with the egg.
- Add in the remaining milk and beat until you have a smooth batter.
- Heat some oil in a non-stick frying pan.
- Pour in enough batter to cover the base of the pan. Cook for about 1 min until the batter has set and is golden underneath.
- Turn it over using a palette knife and cook the other side for 30-40 secs until it starts to turn brown.
- Most often served with sugar and lemon juice Pancakes are delicious.
Of course, other toppings can be used on your pancakes, syrups, Nutella, and fruit.
If you fancy a no-fuss pancake recipe Irish Author and home cook Rozanna Purcell created and filmed a two-minute recipe using Flahavan’s oats.
Ingredients
50g Flahavan’s Oats
1 egg
1 ½ tbsp Greek yoghurt, plus extra to serve
1 tsp honey or maple syrup
½ tsp gluten-free baking powder (regular will work also)
1 scoop (30g) protein powder (optional)
Coconut oil, for frying
1 tub Greek yoghurt
Fresh berries
Method
- Blend all the ingredients except the oil in a food processor until smooth.
- Heat a little coconut oil in a non-stick frying pan, then wipe it out with kitchen paper.
- Add spoonfuls of the batter to the pan
- Cook for 2 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown and ready to be turned.
- Flip over and cook for 1–2 minutes more, until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter.
- Serve warm with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and fresh berries.
Irish Celebrity chef Donal Skehan revealed his recipe for delicious gluten-free pancakes in his cookbook ‘Fresh’.
Mr Skehan says: “I’ve been making variations of these pancakes for years and the basic batter can be adapted with the addition of all sorts of ingredients such as nuts, seeds, chocolate and berries. Store-bought oat flour can be used here, but I normally make my own by blitzing up oats in a food processor until fine.”
He recommends these ingredients and says it takes 30 minutes and will serve 2.
Donal Skehan’s Gluten-free Pancakes with Blueberry, Banana and Honey
Ingredients
120g gluten-free oat flour
1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
1 tbsp chia seeds, flax seeds or ground pumpkin seeds
Pinch of fine sea salt
100ml milk (soya, nut, dairy)
2 large free-range eggs, separated
150g blueberries
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 large ripe banana, peeled and sliced
Honey, coconut yoghurt and bee pollen, to serve
Method
You will need two large mixing bowls, a mixing jug, a whisk, and a frying pan.
- Place all the dry ingredients in the large mixing bowl, mix and then make a well in the centre.
- Pour the milk into the jug and add the egg yolks. Whisk lightly to combine. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until blended.
- Whisk the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Fold gently into the batter until combined. Add a handful of the blueberries to the batter if you want and fold in.
- To cook the pancakes, melt the coconut oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and add a small ladleful of the mixture to the hot pan.
- Cook for about 2–3 minutes on each side, or until the pancakes are golden brown.
Multi-Michelin starred Chef Gordon Ramsay even has his own ideal simple and quick recipe for Gluten-free pancakes.
Gordon Ramsay Gluten-free pancake recipe
Ingredients
250g gluten-free flour
2 eggs
50g melted butter
150g milk
1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
Maple syrup, for decoration
Method
- Separate the egg whites and whisk until foamy.
- Mix all the remaining ingredients together in a separate bowl.
- Slowly fold in the egg whites.
- Ladle the pancake batter into a non-stick pan that has been greased with butter.
- Cook on medium heat until small bubbles have formed on top of the mix, or for around 5-6 minutes.
- Flip once and cook for another 2 minutes.
Historians say the Romans in the 1st century made the first pancakes from milk, flour, egg, and spices.
They were then sold from vendors on the corners of market squares—the first version of our modern-day crepe stand.
Instead of using maple syrup for them, they would use honey to sweeten their pancakes.
Cookbook author and bakery owner Finn Ní Fhaolain has developed a gluten-free recipe.
Buttermilk Pancakes
Ingredients
1 cup GF self-rising flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk – don’t forget to shake it up!
1 medium free-range egg
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp cinnamon – optional
1 ripe banana or 1/2 cup blueberries (optional)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl or pouring jug and blend. If you’re not using the banana, you can also just do this with a whisk or fork
- Put a pan on medium-high heat and once hot, melt the butter. Add the butter to the pancake and mix and stir. Ensure enough butter remains to evenly coat the pan.
- They should take about 30 seconds or so on either side until golden brown and you can keep a plate warm in the oven for pancakes while you use up all the batter.
These pancakes last well and sometimes you can just pop them in the toaster the next day too!
The topping options are endless, but before you get to that part you'll need to master the art of the perfect recipe.
